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quick and easy meal ideas needed asap!!

hi isabel is 2yrs now and i;m worried i've got into a bad habbit at meal times, as in we have the same dishes week in week out! i dont think she's a fussy child but i'm not a great cook so any simple meal ideas would be grately appreciated!!
thanks x

Replies

  • I know the feeling, my hubbie is a chef as well but we always seem to have the same old things! XX
  • Wot about Macaroni cheese or cauliflower cheese?
  • Our quick one is pasta, with peas and sweetcoen in a cheese sauce. When you're really rushed, substitute cheese sauce for 2 dairylea triangles!!
  • My kids like cheesy beans.

    Warm the beans up then add the cheese and stir til it's melted. Dairylea slices are a good one to use. It goes with anything, toast, mash, sausages, pasta, chips. The choice is yours.
  • Oooh! Might try that one on william, he adores beans! thanks zoe!
  • thank you ladies, some good ideas to keep me going! keep them coming please!
  • I make pasta sauce very easy.
    Chop up lots of fresh tomatoes, tom puree, herbs, mushrooms, peppers and onions. Garlic too if you want.
    Put it all in a pan and it will slowly mush down (But not too much)into a sauce. I put either chicken or mince with it and pasta or rice.

    I do cheese sauce with cauliflower or cod

    I do have a couple of recipes for kids fruity curry or sweet and sour chicken for kids. Also chilli con carne for kids if you want me to post them?
  • ooh, sarah, can you put the post on for the curry and chilli con carne please?#

    thanks
    kas xx
  • My kids don't like the raisins so I leave them out

    Serves 4

    225g/8oz Carrots
    225g/8oz Onions
    1 Garlic clove
    225g/8oz Eating Apples
    1 tbsp Lemon juice
    1 tbsp Olive oil
    1 tbsp Mild curry powder
    2 tbsp Turmeric
    450g/1lb Diced chicken
    25g/1oz Plain flour
    600ml/1pint Water
    55g/2oz Sultanas
    1 tbsp Mango chutney

    •Peel the carrots and dice them quite small.
    •Peel the onions and roughly dice.
    •Peel the garlic and finely chop
    •Peel and core the apples, then cut into quarters and dice. Leave them in the lemon juice so they will not go brown
    •Put the onions in a saucepan with the olive oil and cook over a moderate heat until soft
    •Add the garlic, carrot, curry powder and turmeric and cook for a further 10mins or until the carrots are soft
    •Add the chicken, stir all the ingredients together and cook for about 5 mins to seal the chicken.
    •Mix the flour and water together until smooth then sieve into the mixture
  • thats great thankyou, is that your own recipe?
  • I don't use the rice it says on here. I just use long grain rice

    Chilli Con carne

    Serves 4

    175g/6oz Onions
    1 tbsp Olive oil
    450g/1lb Minced beef
    ½ tsp Chilli powder
    A pinch Dried oregano
    115g/4oz Tomato puree
    1 x 400g can Baked beans
    175g/6oz Patna rice



    •Peel and chop the onions. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the onion and the mince together until the meat is browned and the onion softened. Add the chilli powder and oregano and cook for 1-2mins. Just cover with water, put the lid on and cook gently for 25mins

    •Add the tom puree and baked beans and cook for a further 25-30mins, removing the lid and turning the heat up for the last 5 mins

    •Meanwhile cook the rice in boiling water until tender, about 15-20mins. Strain the rice in a colander, rinse with boiling watee and drain well again

    •Can be served with tortilla chips
  • wow that sounds fantastic thank you so much i will definately try that this week!! i feel a bit bad not knowing all of these things to cook but i just dont know where to start!! everyone is being so helpful, thanks!
  • Quote:

    thats great thankyou, is that your own recipe?




    No I got it out of a book I borrowed from the library. I take recipes from it and then adapt them to my family iykwim

    meant to say I have one for home made chicken meatballs? I us the same recipe for home made beef burgers
  • what on earth is patna rice, never heard of it. i will def use the chilli one, looks lovely.
    thanks again
    kasxx
  • Quote:

    wow that sounds fantastic thank you so much i will definately try that this week!! i feel a bit bad not knowing all of these things to cook but i just dont know where to start!! everyone is being so helpful, thanks!




    Don't feel bad, I am only just learning how to cook these meals properly.
  • Quote:

    what on earth is patna rice, never heard of it. i will def use the chilli one, looks lovely.
    thanks again
    kasxx




    Not a clue!!! thats why I use long grain lol!!!

    I might do a thread just for recipes so no-one misses them
  • good idea, will let you knwo how they turn out, i know tara will love the chilli, shes really into new food and doesnt mind a bit of spice at all.

    im sure niamh will like it too
  • if you've got more recipes like these ones you should publish a book!!!
  • Quote:

    good idea, will let you knwo how they turn out, i know tara will love the chilli, shes really into new food and doesnt mind a bit of spice at all.

    im sure niamh will like it too




    YOU might want to keep tasting it as I added the chilli it said and it was pretty bland. Next time I will prob add more
  • great recipes. My hubbie is a chef and we still struggle he is great with 'restaurant food' for dinner parties etc. But not so great with family meals. I have just got the Tana Ramsey book 'real family food' out from the library so going to try some things out of that I hope! XX
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