Spec me: extremely fast family meals

cheesyboy

cheesyboy

cheesyboy

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Gloucestershire
Looking for ideas, please :) I'll try to keep the spec as brief as possible:

Mrs Cheesyboy works 2 long days per week, on those two days I pick up the kids (age 1.5 & 5) from nursery/school and arrive home at 6pm.

I need food ideas that I can make with a maximum 10 minute prep time, and that the kids will happily chow down on.

Currently, I've been giving a variety of scrambled egg and beans, tinned pasta shapes or "spag bol", or leftover mash & veg from previous day (when available). This is all a bit crap, I'm struggling for variety, and I am often scratching around for food for myself.

Ordinarily, I batch cook and freeze stuff like Chilli Con Carne, Bolognese sauces, curry etc (as well as other things which take a lot longer to cook), which can quickly be served for the family on days when Mrs Cheesyboy is home - but it's still not quick enough on these two days due to the wait for pasta/rice.

Any suggestions?
 
Steak and frozen veg is quick, our kids love it. Roast a load of chicken pieces coated in whatever you like and microwave with veg. Ditto fish fillets, can be cooked in minutes and combined with lovely veg and things like new potatoes.

Our kids only ever wanted something small as they were fed at nursery.
 
What is "kids will happily chow down on"?

Would fresh salad, with some cold chicken pieces be out of the question?

I can make one of those in about 30 seconds flat.
 
maccapacca said:
Steak and frozen veg is quick, our kids love it. Roast a load of chicken pieces coated in whatever you like and microwave with veg. Ditto fish fillets, can be cooked in minutes and combined with lovely veg and things like new potatoes.

Our kids only ever wanted something small as they were fed at nursery.
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Mine seem to be starving :D

Some of those might work, but would need to do most of it the night before - frozen veg takes too long to cook (or can you microwave it from frozen? never tried that).

Raymond Lin said:
What is "kids will happily chow down on"?

Would fresh salad, with some cold chicken pieces be out of the question?

I can make one of those in about 30 seconds flat.
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Neither of them can be convinced of salad. It's a shame, as I enjoy it, but I can understand why they don't dig it - harder for them to get a decent forkful of flavours, and salad is a bit unrewarding when eating its components individually.

neil3k said:
could always bung a stew in a slow cooker in the morning
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This might work. I have minimal time on these mornings, leaving home at 7.30 (have to start work a bit early to make up for leaving early to pick the kids up), but it wouldn't take long to chop up a few vegetables etc the night before.

Actually, I suppose I could batch cook a stew - just take out of the freezer in the morning and nuke it. Have to get some bigger freezer tubs....
 
Do you have time beforehand (e.g. in the morning, the night before) to prep and then stick stuff in the fridge?

Omlettes - couple of mins/side each (depends how many kids you have, if it's 10, then this isn't an option, if it's 2 then you'll be fine :p)

Fajitas - if you've got everything chopped and ready, then just chuck the peppers/onion/chicken in a frying pan/wok/griddle for 10 mins

Pasta shouldn't take more than 10 mins to boil?
 
Try pasta carbonara, using Angel's Hair pasta - takes three minutes to cook the pasta. So,

(1) Get in the door, pan of water on the stove.
(2) Whip up egg(s) + a bit of cream/yoghurt + grated Parmesan to taste + chopped up sliced ham.
(3) When water boiling, add pasta, cook, drain.
(4) Add egg mix to pasta and cook for a minute over low flame (or until cooked).
(5) Serve.

For adult + 2 small kids I'd go for two eggs + whatever pasta amount you think fit...
 
Get a gas BBQ, cover some chicken pieces in a pre-made (or commercial) marinade, slice some peppers and courgettes and drizzle with olive oil+seasoning, and throw both on the BBQ. While that cooks make some cous cous, just add boiling water (from kettle) to the cous cous with some olive oil, lemon juice and spices of choice (cumin etc.). Ready in 10-12 minutes. At the longer end of your allocated prep time but doable.


And yes, frozen veg can be microwaved form frozen, or added to boiling water for 1 minute. Frozen veg barely needs cooking, just defrosting.


Something, cut some chicken breasts into escalopes, dip in breadcrumbs and fry in olive oil. Squeeze some lemon juice on when cooked. Serve with pasta and pesto+ frozen veg. Some pastas cooking with 7 minutes. Put the pan of water to boil before starting anything else.

You can pre-make burgers form fresh mince and freeze them, best of you have a burger press. I Cook burgers form frozen in a bout 10minutes.
 
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Haggisman said:
Do you have time beforehand (e.g. in the morning, the night before) to prep and then stick stuff in the fridge?

Omlettes - couple of mins/side each (depends how many kids you have, if it's 10, then this isn't an option, if it's 2 then you'll be fine :p)

Fajitas - if you've got everything chopped and ready, then just chuck the peppers/onion/chicken in a frying pan/wok/griddle for 10 mins

Pasta shouldn't take more than 10 mins to boil?
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Minimal time in the mornings. Not a lot in the evenings either, really, but can squeeze something in.
Fajitas could work, at a push, if I pre-prepared everything. Not sure youngest would eat enough of it to keep her full, though - she'd probably just eat the chicken and ignore everything else.

Tend to find Pasta cooks in about 12-14 minutes, plus I'd need to get the water up to heat, and serve up. It's a pretty tight timescale - youngest is starving at that time and starts to get pretty upset if she's not fed. Plus, I need to not get them to bed too late.

gregorius said:
Try pasta carbonara, using Angel's Hair pasta - takes three minutes to cook the pasta. So,

(1) Get in the door, pan of water on the stove.
(2) Whip up egg(s) + a bit of cream/yoghurt + grated Parmesan to taste + chopped up sliced ham.
(3) When water boiling, add pasta, cook, drain.
(4) Add egg mix to pasta and cook for a minute over low flame (or until cooked).
(5) Serve.

For adult + 2 small kids I'd go for two eggs + whatever pasta amount you think fit...
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This sounds a good plan. I'll need to be organised about it, but I reckon it can be done.

Where would I get Angel Hair pasta? A google gives me Ocado/waitrose - does anywhere else stock it?
 
monkeyspank said:
Get a toasted sandwich press? You can use all sorts of stuff for fillings
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I've got a George Foreman grill and, whilst it gives tasty results, it must take 5+ minutes just to make and toast one. I suppose a double sized one might save time, though.

Also not sure youngest would eat it - a bit tough to get through. And would need to give time for each one to cool - they're crazy hot straight off the grill :)
 
No other grill beats a breville sandwich toaster, preferably an ancient one that's as hot as the sun with no protection at all and unlike my mum's one from our childhood which she still has still has a canvas cover on the flex not like this modern one :D

puLk3bO.jpg
 
maccapacca said:
No other grill beats a breville sandwich toaster, preferably an ancient one that's as hot as the sun with no protection at all and unlike my mum's one from our childhood which she still has still has a canvas cover on the flex not like this modern one :D

puLk3bO.jpg
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As a student, I killed one of those through over-use. I once got through three-quarters of a loaf of hovis in one sitting glutting on various fillings.

Happy days.
 
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