Stuck for meal ideas

[AliceK]

Hi

I'm looking for some inspiration for meal ideas that are good value, quick and will be eaten from children aged 2 up to 9yrs. I've just realised I have 7 children for tea on Monday, the rest of the week I have 6 every day. I have 2 very slow eaters so I need to get tea on the table for 4.20pm. Help!!!! My mind has gone blank.

xxxxx

[sarah707]

We use this link plus knowledge of what they like to eat

http://www.*****.com/family-food/m...lanner#planner

[aliwali]

Hi
I am just looking at this very thing as I will be having 6 for dinner in a couple of weeks, 5 days a week. They are ages 2 - 8 so very similar.

My ideas so far are

Fish pie
spaghetti bolognese with hidden veg sauce
tomato and mascarpone sauce pasta
lasagne alfredo (chicken if you were wondering)
shepherds pie
meatloaf
salmon fish cakes

Those are my cook in advance and freeze options, haven't looked at ones I can cook on the day yet. I make all my food from scratch, just not a big fan of fish fingers or chicken nuggets and chips, although i suspect we will have them once in a while as all the kids like them.

The 3 children on top of my own that I'm having are a friends and they are very fussy, but mum is the same as me and just makes lots of different things that they either eat or don't so at least we have the same ethos. It can be hard when the parents expect you to make something that they will eat.

Good luck with your busy schedule.

[loocyloo]

mine all like risotto so i do that at least once a week ... pea & ham, mushroom, prawn, chicken etc

i also make it as a chicken ( or veg or whatever! ) biryani

and then i have a very similar recipe that uses cous cous instead of rice to make a spicy chicken meal. very yummy, and quick to cook.

steamed salmon ( in the microwave ) and cous cous is a very quick meal.

gnocchi with a simple tomato sauce, or even just pesto/parmessan is my own childrens favourite 'instant' meal

macaroni cheese made with different pastas and added ham, tuna, chicken, chorizo, peas & sweetcorn.

cod or other white fish, cooked with a tomato/onion sauce ( add soysauce! ) served with noodles. ( for a while i told my fussy eaters they were just a different sort of spaghetti )

egg fried rice using up left over rice, assortment of cooked veggies and egg.

and as its winter i do big casseroles with chicken thighs and lots of veggies. serve with baked potatos or rice or bulgar wheat. any left overs are often turned into soup the next day

curry ( meat/veg/prawn korma/massala ), rice & naan bread

kedgeree is popular too. ( well, with mindees, if not my own children! )

think thats it for the moment! i rarely cook anything that is time consuming apart from doing some veg at the last minute. most meals are cooked first thing and left in the bottom oven all day ( slow cooker ) or i cook after lunch during quiet time!

[Monkey26]

Spag bol,
lasagne,
chicken lasagne,
fish pie,
sausages and mash,
chicken and noodles,
cod in cheese or butter sauce with mash or pasta,
pasta with a tomatoe or cheese based sauce with ham, sausages, chicken etc,
vegetable or fish fingers with homemade potatoe wedges
salmon fillets with couscous,
meat balls with mash or pasta,
sausage or chicken casserole,
roast dinner with whichever left over meat I have from the Sunday before,

That's all I can think of right this second We are also fans of those cook in the bag season things, you know the ones I mean?! Bung it all in, chuck it in the oven and come back 40mins later xx

[wellybelly]

I use these documents as guidance for menu planning. The recipes are so easy to understand. You can download the docs or purchase all 3 for £20 from the school food trust : )
http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/pa...-practitioners

[mushpea]

get a slow cooker, you can cook most things in it and its ready when ever needed, I used it loads when I cooked for 8 most nights I did things like
stews--beef, chicken, lamb, vegatable
caseroles, sausage, chicken, vegtable, etc
chilli with wraps or rice or nachos
curries
bolognaise sauce which was spag bol one night then used the saue for lasagne another night
cook whole joints of meat , just place the joint in the slow cooker with no water or oil and let it cook, it will cook in its own juices and be lovley and tender
soups
meat part of sheperds pie then pop the mash on top and place under grill to brown.
things not in slow cooker I did
fishfingers, mash, mushrroms, beans
chicken drumsticks, peas, gravy , potatoes
sausages, beans, wedges
fish pie and veg
chicken and mushroom pie , veg and mash
pork chops veg and potatoes
vegatable rice
all types of pasta dishes with garlic bread

we also had a make your own pizza nigh which was fun, either make the pizza dough in a bread maker or get some pitta breads and let them decorate with tomoto sauce, cheese and vegie toppings.

get the older ones involved in meal planning, on a friday I would sit with my note pad whilst they ate and plan the next weeks meals with them

[gegele]

I use these documents as guidance for menu planning. The recipes are so easy to understand. You can download the docs or purchase all 3 for £20 from the school food trust : )
http://www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/pa...-practitioners

just had a read through they are great thanks.

[hectors house]

just had a read through they are great thanks.

I agree - may even send off for the packs and thank you also Sarah for the ***** link, so great recipe ideas on there too.

I thought I provided the children with a healthy menu and I still think I do, but it seems rather boring after looking through other suggestions.

On the schools food trust site though, I did notice that they serve another cooked meal for tea rather than sandwiches - I sometimes include a hot element like beans or scrambled egg on toast but mostly sandwiches, rolls or wraps with a dairy, ham or fish filling.

[AliceK]

Thank you for your suggestions . So far this week I have got planned:-

Mon - I have some pork loin steaks. Not sure what I'll do with them. Maybe cook them in the slow cooker and then do a creamy sauce with them?

Tues - Got a day off

Weds - Home Made French Bread Pizzas

Thurs - Creamy Pesto Pasta

Fri - Jacket Potatoes with choice of Beans, Cheese, Tuna Mayo.

I think I need to utilise my slow cooker more.

xxxx

[Boris]

I was just about to start a similiar thread! Thanks for the ideas. I seem to be doing the same things all the time and I'm bored!! Do you write a menu and let the parents know in advance what you will be cooking? I tried but found I was swapping stuff around when I had forgotten to get things out of the freezer or a child on a particular day didn't like something.

[AliceK]

I was just about to start a similiar thread! Thanks for the ideas. I seem to be doing the same things all the time and I'm bored!! Do you write a menu and let the parents know in advance what you will be cooking? I tried but found I was swapping stuff around when I had forgotten to get things out of the freezer or a child on a particular day didn't like something.

I have an example menu in my folder but I don't give my menu's to parents. I write my menu's up over the weekend before I go shopping. Sometimes I swop things around but usually I stick to what I've planned based on who is staying for tea.

xxx

[loocyloo]

i write a menu for when i go shopping and its on the wall for parents & children to see. i generally cook what has been planned, but it may change a bit depending on what else we are doing, or i may swap a day round!

[kel1983]

I have a 2 week meal planner. It means I know what to buy each week and what to get out the freezer the night before. I cook for 3 mindees and they all tend to like the same thing. I found out what they like and dislike when they start with us and make the meal planner around that