Teenagers always hungry, any tips for quick, cheap easy meals?

[AMAZINWOMAN]

I find it really hard to come home from work to two teenage, active boys asking "What's to eat, I'm starving?"

I could very easily live on toast, baked potato as I don't enjoy cooking, but need to cook really as it's best for the kids.

I'm also finding that as I am spending more time in the kitchen, the house is getting messier lol

The boys do "help" a bit, but it's not enough, and need them to help more.

But I find it stressful thinking of meals that we all eat and like. The both refuse to eat eggs by the way and have never liked them.

But they do eat pasta, rice, most veg (although not without moaning lol) chicken, spagetti bolognasise (not this again they moan) etc One doesn't like cheese either

Any tips for quick and easy meals after a day in work? Also, any tips for healthy suppers? they eat again later on at night!!
I usually just say help yourself to cereal but that isn't too cheap.

I just find it so time consuming cooking, when i try and make double portions, the meal burns or something seems to happenand it doesnt seem to work.

How old are they?
I taught DS1 to cook pasta( with tuna/cheese/toamoto/pesto/carbonara etc, toasted sandwiches, sausage bacon and eggs, chicken wrap mix, etc etc etc at about 14 and just keep those items stocked.
Ifthey are hungry they cook for themsleves

I also have a slow cooker and make bolognase /chilli mix which they can help themseleves to whn they want

So long as they know how to cook pasta and fry an onion, they can make themselves a variety of dishes. But other than our own regular mealtimes, mine eat bread and stuff, or breakfast cereal to fill up. Or they fry eggs, or buy themselves noodles and Fray Bentos pies.

and teenagers need to learn to cook and be independent
always staggers me when DS1 has friends over and they gawp at the sheer wonder of his being able to cook a full english.

FFS

( kind of explains the 'my DH is crap in the kitchen - why do I have to do everything' threads )

Teach them to cook. Show them where the fruitbowl is.

And teenagers can help with the housework too.

Quesidillas are easy.

Put tortilla in dry pan for 1 minute.
Turn over and top with anything (tomato puree, leftover pasta sauce. cheese, refried beans, ham, sweet chilli sauce, chorizo, cooked bacon, whatever).
Put 2nd tortilla on top.
Turn over and cook for 1 more minute.

Take out and slice like a pizza.
You can add more layers if you like.

Big pot of chilli/bolog/curry etc, freeze in portion sizes, teach them to cook accompanying rice, pasta & baked potatoes whilst defrosting portion in microwave?

Or teach them both to cook the things they like from scratch & set up a rota - two weekday nights each?

Teach them how to make a fridge omlette (eggs and whatever they can find in the fridge - cheese, ham, bacon, tomatoes, etc)

A life saver in our very busy house where I am hardly ever here to provide food for my DC

macaroni cheese with cauli and broccoli. my fussy teenager loves it and it miraculously fills him up

While I agree with all who say teach them to cook I also think that sitting down to a meal together is a very good way of keeping the channels of communication open with teenagers.
I expect mine to get their own breakfast, lunch at weekends and school holidays and snacks, but I try to cook for us all in the evening, with them taking a turn at some of the things or just peeling the veg .After all you do have to eat even if you don't enjoy cooking.

Maybe draw up a list of meals that everyone likes and work through them.

It doesn't seem to matter when it is they are constantly hungry. You are right in that they reach for the cereal because it's easy.I have known DS1 to eat a full Sunday dinner, plate heaving, and pudding at 7.30pm and be at the breakfast cereal before 9pm.
I do discourage this and try to keep plenty of filling snacky stuff in the house, such as tortillas, bread, pitta, pasta etc.

Without a doubt the food bill has gone up and up as the boys have got older.

On a more practical note.
"I just find it so time consuming cooking, when i try and make double portions, the meal burns or something seems to happenand it doesnt seem to work."

Cooking can be time consuming which is why so many people have suggested freezing portions.You can cut the cooking down to alternate days but you do have to plan it.

Casseroles are the thing.
It's no more difficult to make a casserole with 2lb of meat than it is with one. To keep the cost down serve up less meat with more sauce and veg.
Starting with basic chopped onion/garlic and using cubes of pork or beef.Here are a couple of favourites.

Pork Goulash - add 3 tablespoons of paprika, chopped red pepper if you have it and stock. Cook for a couple of hours and stir in a pot of cream. Serve with rice.
If you make it with 2lb of pork then it will feed 4 people with enough left to be frozen and reheated another day.

Pork Sate - as above but add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. Again goes well with rice.
(If you want more detailed recipe I will post for you.)

Chicken Chilli Coconut
1 can coconut milk
1 whole diced chilli
2 medium chopped onions
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 tsp coriander
1 tablespn chopped almond
oil

Soften the onion in some oil for 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, chilli,nuts,spices and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Add the coconut and bring to boil. Simmer for ten minutes.
Whizz up with a hand blender. (You don't have to do this but I find that my children are happy with spiced foods but not keen on the bits).
Put in a casserole with the chicken and cook at 190c or No5 for 40 to 50 minutes until the chicken is done.
If you think the sauce needs to be thicker add some cornflour.

When mine came in from school/college I used to give them soup, sandwiches, bread rolls, humous, sliced up salad veg/tomatoes, cheese. That kept them going until dinner at around 7pm.

Dinner would be mainly the things already mentioned - loads of pasta, rice, potatoes etc with variations on casseroles, curries, stews, stirfries.

They would sometimes have beans or sardines on toast at around 9pm too!!!

IMO cereal is a very expensive, non satisfying product for teenagers.

They go through a really hungry phase at this age, but they need about 3 times as much carbohydrate as we do, as they just burn it off..

Doesn't it depend on the cereal? If it's Sugar Puffs or something light and crunchy, that's less filling and way more expensive than Shredded Wheat or Weetabix or muesli or porridge, which is what I offer to mine.

Eggs are always good though. Scrambled, omlettes, fried; with refried beans and all combinations of sauce and bread.

TOAST!!!!!!!!

instant noodles! basics are about 10p (lots of salt though)

A sandwich toaster is great too I bought one recently and ds has been teh only one to use it!

Yes sandwich toasters here too.
I always hear people say they never get used but in our house I've just replaced one that broke. They make a cheese or ham toastie when they get in from school, or for lunch at weekends.

I loathe sandwich toasters.

Those toaster bags are brilliant though. They really work well and last for ages. And no vile toaster machine to clean out.

My dd always gets in ravenous after school and cooks herself something at 4 o clock. We eat dinner at about 8 (all together) so is fair enough. She normally just does herself a snack plate, with some carrots and houmouss, crackers and cheese, pate and bread or something. So always keep stuff like this in the house. Either that or she rustles up some beans on toast or something, or some soup.

She is tasked to cook twice a week anyway. She cooks stuff like spaghetti puttanesca, toad in the hole, cauliflower cheese, pasta bake (don't throw up, MNers!), fajitas, chicken thighs and potatoes, something simple.

Teenagers need to learn to cook. So many of her friends have not been taught to cook and will leave home clueless (like I did). I didn't want dd to leave home and not know the basics, so she has been roped in to being my kitchen skivvy commis chef for years.

cambells soup heat in a saucspan and add just a quarter of can of milk - boils up pasta and add pasta to soup - -this will cost around £1 but will fill up both as a snack and can be eaten cold - add veg if you want ass cheese to the one that likes cheese

Porridge and honey or golden syrup for a snack and add banana

when my son was at home i used to make a huge pot of cornbeef hash, chicken hotpot, chicken curry, bolognaise etc and then freeze them in portion size tubs. he used to just go and get one when he was hungry.
he used to eat noodles and beans and spagetti on toast, toasties, and fruit.
never seemed to be able to fill him up tho!!lol