Family mealtimes - recipe ideas?

[Fuschia]

Macaroni tossed with philadelphia, sweetcorn/peas and grated cheese - very quick macaroni cheese!! Can also add ham or salmon, fresh or tinned

[sparkle]

looks like my children will be enjoying a much more varied diet next week- thank you!

Love the meatballs - Helen GV- they never fail to be eaten up here. Just recently I've been making them with approx half beef mince and half pork sausagemeat (from butcher)- this seems to make them extra nice!

one really quick meal we do is thinly sliced chicken breast mixed in with some honey and soy sauce, then grilled- takes about 1-2 minutes each side, works well with rice. very simple but goes down well.

Can anyone suggest some child friendly recipies with yellow split peas or chick peas?

[Fuschia]

don't know about children, but i make a nice veg stew with chickpeas, low salt veg stock cube leeks, carrots, parsnips ...

[Ko]

Am a mum to be, but hopefully I can share some of my easy recipes with you which I know children usually like... Red lentils are very tasty and easy to make. Boil the lentils until cooked. Nice to leave it a little thick and not too runny.

In another pan, fry some chopped onions and garlic. (Optional - add some chopped ginger and fry for another couple of minutes). Add some tinned or choppped fresh tomatoes and seasoning and cook for another 5 mins. Add to the cooked lentils. Delicious.

Can also add some steamed veggies in it.

Serve with pitta, rice or chunky bread.

This same recipe can be used for chickpeas. Tinned chickpeas make it quicker (just add it to the cooked onion/tomato mix, and cook for a further 10 minutes). You can also boil some chopped up potatos and add these to the finished dish.

By the way, if I am making a dish to be served with rice, I add veg to the rice and cook the veg that way - brocolli, peppers, cauliflower, peas, sweetcorn etc. Particularly good if you have left over veg which can be chopped and put into the freezer - then just chuck a handful into the next rice dish you make.

[Sophie0205]

Great recipes guys, I start to wrack my brains as soon as I wake up! My son who's 2 has a great appetite and eats everything apart from a sandwich (?!) so I keep trying new things to vary his diet even more but I'm running out of ideas! The problem I come across is his dad still expecting me to send a lunchbox up with him on a weekend. My freezer is chocca block full of homemade lasangnes, shepherds pies, pasta bakes and casseroles etc but feel like he doesn't have as much variety that way. I always end up bulk making and freezing the same things as I'm unsure about what can actually be safely frozen. Help!

[Pickle]

I've just spent the evening looking for more recipe inspiration and have found this site excellent for ideas, if you search for "family favourite" meals - there are loads that are suitable for little ones and look equally inviting as an adult (hopefully my link will take you straight to the family recipes):

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/search.do?filterItem=course12&keywords=&y=8&x=22&filters=occasion16

I've got a whole week of new ideas planned, and am even going to attempt a chicken pie, move over Nigella!

Sophie - my 2.5 year old son is also a sandwich refuser at lunchtime (unless it's cheese on toast, which he'll eat until he's sick)! I tend to give him homemade soups (corn chowder, lentil & vege, cream of chicken etc.), risotto (usually butternut squash), macaroni cheese, pasta/gnocchi with tomato & vege sauce - generally made in advance and frozen so I can quickly microwave it when we get in from where ever we've been for the morning.

[ymenik21]

Hi All

This is a very handy thread guys.

Does Anyone have a simple casserole recipe please .I ve never made one and do not have a slow cooker .Is it a must to have ??

Cheers

[DaveR]

No, you don't need a slow cooker. You need a decent sized pan/pot with a lid that fits. This is a fairly simple recipe:

beef stew

It looks like a lot of ingredients, but you don't have to include all the veg, and most of them you just pile in before you put it in the oven.

The basic technique is he same for any other casserole - brown the meat, add liquid and veg, and cook till done. Longer cooking for beef/lamb/pork, shorter for chicken. For the liquid you can use stock, beer, wine, or even just water. If you don't use flour the sauce will be thin, but will still taste good. If you throw in a tin of chopped tomatoes they will cook down and thicken the sauce.

It's quite difficult to get it really wrong - just allow enough time for the meat to cook properly.

[Bishberro]

Hi. This is a great thread as I'm always stuck for inspiration. I just had a quick question as was going to try the pesto/phili combo. Can I give my 14-month-old pesto? Wasn't sure if he was able to have the pinenuts because of allergies etc.

[Fuschia]

Bishberro Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi. This is a great thread as I'm always stuck for

> inspiration. I just had a quick question as was

> going to try the pesto/phili combo. Can I give my

> 14-month-old pesto? Wasn't sure if he was able to

> have the pinenuts because of allergies etc.

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/foodintolerance/foodintolerancetypes/pinenutallergy/?lang=en

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/baby/weaning/

"Nuts

Don?t give any whole nuts, including peanuts, to children under five because they could cause choking. Also see peanut allergy

"

"Peanut allergy

Peanut allergy seems to be increasing among children, although it is not yet known why. Children from families with a history of allergy are most at risk. If your baby's immediate family has any allergies, asthma or eczema (if they are what is known as 'atopic') the following may help reduce the risk of your baby developing this life-threatening allergy:

?you might want to avoid eating peanuts or peanut products while you are breastfeeding

?wait until your child is at least three years old before you give any peanuts, or foods containing peanuts, peanut (groundnut) oil or peanut butter"

So pinenuts will be Ok, I'd say, unless you are particularly worried about nut allergy

[Bishberro]

Thanks Fuschia, I'll give it a try.

[fearnpw1]

Lovin' this thread!

We have a very limited time between getting home from work/nursery and needing to get our 3 year old to bed. Meals we tend to opt for are:

Home made spare ribs with coleslaw

Chicken and Vegetable soup

Any variety of stir fry

Beef stroganoff

Pasta dishes

M&S Chicken Kiev (70's-tastic!)

Large shell on prawns griddled with crusty bread

Chicken caesar salad

Roasted veg cous cous

Tuna nicoise salad

Mackeral grilled

Steak and chips!

In the summer we tend to just get some bits and pieces from the fridge and eat them outside (variety of cheeses, fresh bread with good olive oil, salami, parma ham, tomato & mozarella salad with basil, baby gherkins, and a glass of rose for the grown ups!).

[EmilyE]

We often have pasta with Spinach and Cheese for which I use frozen chopped spinach.

Defrost spinach in saucepan, stir in a splash of milk, grate in cheese and lots of nutmeg. You're aiming for coating consistency. Then they can't pick out the spinach... Stir in to pasta.

We also do nigella's beanastrone. Or pasta-ry bean-y soup as it's known in our house.

1 can mixed beans

300g tomato based pasta sauce

750ml stock

100g little pasta

heat beans, sauce, stock to boiling. Add pasta. Cook serve.

I normally make a pasta sauce from tinned toms, onions, garlic basil in quantity and have some straight on pasta and some for this.

We're big fish pie fans too, though perhaps not with weather like this...

[Sophie0205]

Hi guys I'm loving this thread. Thought I'd share one of my fail-safes with you all. Its made the same way as a stew but is pasta based. I measure by eye I'm afraid!

Orzo (rice shaped pasta, but also works great with fusillini)

Garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped

Dried rosemary

Diced onion

Lamb

Couple lamb stock cubes

Tin chopped toms

Fry garlic, onion and rosemary in a splash of olive oil until onion is soft. Add lamb. Crumble over stock cubes and fry until meat is gently browned. Add chopped tomatoes then add boiling water to just cover. Cook on low for a good couple of hours. Around 20 minutes before serving, add the pasta (this is when it turns into a hearty meal!). Water may need topping up if it starts to reduce. Vary the amount of liquid added to serve as either a "soup" or thicker as I prefer.

My two year old loves this, and its great that it's all done on the hob in one big pan.

[Pickle]

A success for us last night (adapted from the Good Food website link I posted last week):

Make a sauce using chopped tomatoes, garlic, onion and chopped red pepper. Cook a pack of gnocchi in boiling water, add to the sauce along with some fresh basil. Put in an ovenproof dish, top with mozzarella, grill till bubbling and brown.

Very simple and quick, was delicious with a green salad and bread, both kids loved it :)

[sillywoman]

ymenik21 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi All

>

> This is a very handy thread guys.

>

> Does Anyone have a simple casserole recipe please

> .I ve never made one and do not have a slow cooker

> .Is it a must to have ??

>

Am bumping this thread shamelessly cos it's really good.

Easy hob top Chicken casserole:

Dice chicken breast (or whatever part of chicken). Brown it. Remove from pan. Chop an onion. Heat until soft. Add Chicken, a tin of chopped tomatoes, a tablespoon of tomato puree, 1/2 pint-ish of stock (maybe 3/4 can't remember, add more if you think it needs it) and some marjoram and oregano. Cook on low heat with lid on for about 40 mins. Add button mushrooms (or big ones chopped). Cook a further 5 - 10 mins. Eat. With rice. Dead easy. No slow cooker needed.

[woofmarkthedog]

The Planet Organic Toddler cookbook ( I know, really though it's cheapish....but very good)

The bread & butter pudding................stuff of legends!

W**F

[fuzzyboots]

There's also a decent amount of easy, cheap, quick recipes on Netmums. I often have a dig around there when my brain goes empty at dinner time (happening more and more frequently...!)

[nancysmum]

Firm favourites in my household are:

chilli con carne (not too hot), served with grated cheese - Discovery foods does a very good sauce in a jar. I use it as the base and then grate in carrots, courgettes and if i have any baked beans open, i pop them in too

grilled curried fish - mix a spoon of curry paste with yogurt, marinate the fish pieces in it for as long as you like (it doesn't need to be that long) and grill. Also works well with chicken - the yoghurt seems to keep the meat very moist

instant fish cakes - either use left over boiled potatoes, or boil some up if you have time, or better still, use smash instant potato mix as the texture never goes wrong. add to the potato a can of tuna / salmon / crab, add some finely chopped spring onions / chilli / sweetcorn (whatever flavour you fancy really). mix all together with a little wheatgerm to soak up any excessive moisture. form into cakes. roll cakes in more wheatgerm, chill for a while, and then pan fry til golden. these freeze very well too.

chicken in tekyu (an italian dish). brown some chicken pieces (legs / thighs) as much as you can in a pan. transfer to an oven dish, add chopped onion, garlic, a little butter, rosemary, white wine / chicken stock, seal with foil or lid and cook on a low heat for as long as you can - the longer the better as the meat will fall off the bone. great with mash.

if i can think of any more i will post again hx

[Smiler]

Bumping back up to the top as like this thread!

[KateMontero]

very tasty economical smoked salmon pasta:

boil water for pasta and cook

while pasts cooking add following ingredients to four bowls (amounts pp)

lemon zest of half a lemon

juice of half a lemon

3 tbspoons of yoghurt / creme fraiche / cream (depending on what you have)

handful parmesan grated

tspoon tarragon chopped

"handful" of smoked salmon trimmings

add pasta and mix....

very quick and cheap

[Fuschia]

Steam sweet potato, roughly mash with a large blob of philly cheese, stir in grated cheese and flaked tinned salmon (no salt)

Serve with fishfingers or sausages.. doesn't taste salmon'y at all, if you want to omega oils but not the taste

[nunheadmum]

Just tried this one from Sunday's observer food mag - marmite pasta. Cook pasta. Make sauce from a big knob of butter (50g for 4 kids), a teaspoon of marmite and some cooking water if needed. Mix with pasta and lots of parmesan.

My 3yr old has been refusing to eat pasta for months now at home (eats fine at nursery!) but gobbled this one up tonight. May be better served with something as a little light on anything other than carbs.

[gwod]

These are all winners with the 6 of us

Spaghetti and Meat Balls ( you can put a bit of Chilli in for the Adults)

Chicken Fajitas (great for tempting the sandwich refusers)

Shepherds Pie

Home made giant sausage roll (bought puff pastry wrapped around sausagemeat with onion and maybe apple maybe rosemary) served with salad or baked beans

"make your own sandwich" (butter loads of bread and put everything left in the fridge out on the table and people can choose what they want, last bits of cheese, Pickle, Tuna mayo, sliced cucumber and tomato, ham, salami etc. etc)

Soups (favourites are sweet potato and a sort veg/tomato soup with tiny letter shaped pasta and bacon (usually made out of contents of fridge prior to next Sainsburys visit)

Chilli con Carni (v little Chilli in kids' portions - loads in ours

Mini Ploughman's (big Ploughmans for us!!)

[scotlass]

Marmite Pasta.....genius!

Just made it for my daughter's lunch and she absolutely loved it. Thank you nunheadmum, such a simple yummy recipe (tu)