HI, after decades of dishing up more or less the same meals most weeks even I am getting sick of them, she who REALLY resents time spent thinking about, shopping, cooking and eating LOL.
Could you post your fave QUICK, healthyish  budget family meal that is a little different  but also child proven?  ie no fancy stuff like mushrooms, aubergines  or my 12 yr old wil be convinced I am trying to poison or starve him. LOL .  I know its a tall order but some of you must have some favourites that just about eveyone enjoys, so that I dont get another chorus  "OH no not that again" tonight?
Heres hoping :-)

Chicken Soup

Chicken portions or diced chicken fillets, raw
Diced onion
Diced potato
Diced carrot
Dried Barley
Any other veggies
2 X Knorr Chicken stock cubes (HAS to be Knorr)

LARGE stock pot

Gently fry onions in small amount of oil in stock pot
Add chicken and brown it off
Add carrots and potatos
Add cold water ...approx 2 pints
Add knorr stock cubes
Add ground black pepper

Cover and bring to the boil
Turn down and simmer for an hour
Check there is enough liquid in the pan add more if necessary
Add a small handful of barley
Cook for another hour

Serve with fresh crusty bread

:)

Another soup (which although contains "exotic" ingredients, has always been consumed eagerly - even by the fussiest, pernicketiest teenager and younger child:-

Sweet potato & red pepper soup

Red peppers
Sweet potatoes
Onions
2 pts water
2 veg stock cubes (I use Kallo organic)

Chop 3 red peppers, removing seeds.   Peel about 1 lb sweet potatoes.   Peel & chop 2 onions.

Sweat onions, red peppers and sweet potatoes, either in oil, or 1 oz butter (butter DOES add to the flavour, though ;) )

Add water & stock cubes, simmer until pototoes are soft.    Using stick blender, just zoom it around, until smooth (should also be nice & thick by then).    Season with black pepper.   Serve - with a swirl of plain yoghurt, if that would be accepted :D - and crusty bread.

Margot

Shifting sands, there are 5 of us in this house, not counting baby Emily, who NEVER have the same meal at tea time! Youngest son won't eat anything unless its quick and easy i.e. sausage sarnies, fishfingers, smiley faces! Even on sundays his dinner consists of mash potato, yorkshire puds (8 of them!) and gravy, only has chicken won't eat beef pork or lamb, definately no veg and I've tried all sorts of bribes :D He's a real nightmare! Its like a cafe at meal times and I just dread that time of day.
My eldest 2 will eat anything and try everything once, as will my other son. But the youngest and Hubby are real pains!!

Dee
Do yours like sausage casseroles, or liver/onion? What about Shepherds pie? Or baked potato with cheese and ham or beans or even mince?

Chilli con carne always goes down well, either with rice or jacket potatoes. It can be made as spicy as you like - even as a small boy my son liked his chilli and curries hot!
:)

Chicken or Turkey Spag Bol, with pasta or long spaghetti, with loads of veggies chopped up very small, or you could puree into sauce
Salmon with rice or pasta or new potatoes
Roast dinner
Home made pizza with whichever topping you prefer, I put differnt things on different sections for diff likes/dislikes

Since Jamie's Dinners we have changes a lot of what we eat, and even my fussiest son is getting the message that if he doesn't eat it, he goes hungry, the only thing they are allowed whenever they like and without question is fruit

Good Luck!

Hayley

Hi,

Braising steak casserole.

Cut braisin steak into cubes or larger pieces place in large caaserole sish fill with water halfway.

Slice fresh carrots or add fozen whole baby carrots,
Slice 2 fresh onions
Add barley and lentils if desired.           ( I make my own quanities up as I have to feed 7 )of us
Add s beef stock cube oxo or Knorr

Pop in oven 200 degrees 3-4 hrs
serve with potatoes boiled,roasted or chips,could also serve with broccali cauli etc
An left over cover cool put in fridge

if there is ant leftover heat braisng steak casserole thoughly add cube potatoes cook and serve with brown sauce (we call this hotpot).Serve with bread or crusty rolls

Both these meals are also ideal baby foods put through blender or mashed with a fork.

My lot 5 children love this.

Briony :-)
Both meals freeze well however leftover reheated must not then be frozen

This time of year we head towards salads. I save money and time by prepreparing a big box of salad stuff and keeping it in the fridge. Lasts a few days and helps up get our '5'. quick and easy tin of fish with jacket potato etc. Also not a problem if you are all eating at different times.

We are on salads again, any tips to make it last longer in the fridge before going 'limp'.

If you have no garden worth calling a garden - or just a balcony - buy a "gro-bag", then go to the local garden centre and buy a tray (6 or so) lettuce plants - plant 'em in the gro-bag water regularly and then just pull your own, fresh lettuce!!!   You could ge more ambitious, and buy another gro bag and a couple of tomato plants .. by the end of July, you could be growing all your own salads!! (kids like that!)

BTW - my OH always referred to the kids baby-grows as their "gro-bags" :D

Margot

Think my dogs would use them as litter trays,lol.

Ah - but you could put them on a table - or at least higher than the dog's legs :D :D :D

I started putting all my herbs in pots last year AND the veg plot has an ickle picket fence around it :D

Margot

Pasta salads you can put in what you like and either buy sauces or make your own.  Loads of choices and fairly healthy.  I like tuna sweetcorn pasta.  Chicken Fajitas is another easy meal or stir fry.  One of my faves though is home made chips and soup poured over yummmmy.

Michelle

It does depend on the letuce that variety. We use Romane and try to tear it rather than cut so it dosent go brown. I dont generally add tomatoes and cucumber, but find that it will last in the fridge in a tupperware for about 3 days, which is about as much as I can fit in the box :D

Well, if the children choose,it has to be curry :D :D If I don't let them have curry - they'd choose a Sunday Roast - preferably turkey - stuffed my special way :)

Daisy

Sorry - only read the title - not quick or economical, I'm afraid :D

What about making chicken kebabs. Cut chicken fillets into chunks. Soak wooden or bamboo skewers first, leave them in water for 20 mins or in the morning and leave till you come in later. Thread piece of chicken followed by anything they fancy eg cherry toms, piece of red pepper, piece of corn on cob etc. Brush with little oil and put under grill for about 15 mins turning half way through. Can be done morning or day before or even kids do their own. Fill the kitchen sink with warm, soapy water so frequent handwashing after raw chicken. You can put chicken in BBQ sauce (buy a jar) then thread as above (bit messy) but tasty.

We like to do a version of spanish fritata :)

Just use what ever there is on the fridge which normally is peppers, corgettes, ham,onions with some cooked new potatoes, then chuck the beaten egg in then sprinkle some cheese on top and shove in the oven and then wait until set and the cheeses has nmelted and it just starting to brown. It is also very nice cold :)

It is a good quick and easy recipe which uses up all the stuff you normally have kicking around the day beofre you are due to go shopping :) It is also nice with lots of fresh spinach in :)

Lucy
xx

Oooh, thanks so much , so many good ideas. I will def try lots of them out and report back on the points out of 10 that I get. :-)

Actually I dont mind doing roast dinners at all at the weekend when I have more time, and often OH will cook.  Its the weekdays that are the problemwhen I have to cook something that everyone will eat       ( I DONT do "cafe's" LOL) and squeeze it in between hubby coming home from work and me playing "taxi" (which I DO have to do) or trying to get to Dog Training/Sports Club etc.

Thanks again