four kids two sets of meals any advice?

irishgirl62

Hi, I am struggling here with meals for my four kids, two of them hate potatoes and the other two hates pasta! only thing all four kids like is chips which I do once a week....(aged 20, 16, 16 and 12)

Any advice on easier weekly meals planning? I really want to try hard next month on budgeting for food when they were younger I set food down and made them eat it and it was always the same on pasta nights or potatoes meat and veg night and it was always the same two who refused it and went hungry instead!

Now, I am not a bad mum after months of seeing it (many years ago) I realised two do not like potatoes or chicken and the other two dont like pasta and loves chicken, i like pasta and potatoes and hate chicken only cooked it for my ex and the kids, my ex hated pasta too!

Its driving me up the wall now simply cos they are older like last night for example... one of the two that hates pasta said she was going to a friend for dinner so i made spagetti bolognese for myself and the other two kids and put potatoes veg and chicken on for one kid. I never know from one week to the next of which the three older kids will be home for dinner until the day or the day before.

babyshoes

You could try teaching them to cook for themselves? The three oldest are certainly old enough to create meals for themselves!

Valli

Well I'd go for having single/double portions in the freezer...
then I would do things like lasagne and jacket pots (all in oven at same time) and casserole. Then you'll have left overs to freeze.

clutterydrawer

Can't you make meals that don't involve pasta *or* potatoes?? Like base them on rice, couscous, quinoa, lentils, split peas, bread, etc instad?

irishgirl62

babyshoes wrote: »

You could try teaching them to cook for themselves? The three oldest are certainly old enough to create meals for themselves!

Yes they are and they do their own luches etc... but dinner its down to me as I am old fashioned cos I love to sit down with the four kids and eat and talk cos its the only time of the day we are all together.

irishgirl62

clutterydrawer wrote: »

Can't you make meals that don't involve pasta *or* potatoes?? Like base them on rice, couscous, quinoa, lentils, split peas, bread, etc instad?

No, cos they dont like it... but that reminded me I do make homemade soup, either lentil soup, or potato and leek soup vegetable soup is a no go for the eldest with bread and fruit salad and icecream for afters and all four love it!

so that is two meals a week that all four enjoy together...

clutterydrawer

So two of them wont eat ANY carbs except potatoes, and two of them won't eat any except pasta?!

irishgirl62

clutterydrawer wrote: »

So two of them wont eat ANY carbs except potatoes, and two of them won't eat any except pasta?!

Yep in a nutshell! all four eats chips which i do once a week.

clutterydrawer

wow, beyond me then I'm afraid! I'm sure someoen else will have some advice though.

erichamster

Do they have to have pasta or potatoes everyday? What about things served with salad like roast chicken, chicken kievs, fish, hm burgers, would they eat hm chickpea burgers as well? fajitas? What about any hm pies with veg? x

erichamster

ust noticed you don't like chicken, but any roast meat is nice with salad or veg, do you like turkey as thats quite cheap. Also fajitas don't have to be chicken, do they like tacos too?