four kids two sets of meals any advice?

valk_scot

Your youngest one is 12, yes? Then tbh they're all well past the point of insisting they only eat exactly what they want at every meal. That sort of behaviour is only for toddlers. And even then it's poor behaviour.

Do they eat bread? I have a potato hater too (will eat chips) and when I make something that involves potatoes I give her a couple of slices of bread instead. Perhaps if you tried that it might sharpen up their attention a bit...ie eat it, or go and get some bread or cereal.

As to menu planning, get them cooking in turn every week. I can't see them making different meals for all their siblings either, can you?

cyclingyorkie

my son doesn't like mashed potato....but will eat shepherds pie! (He's 17)

am trying to cut down on the chips - cos he now works at McDonalds!

all my kids eat curry - the one who won't eat rice either has a naan bread or a baked potato with it!

zzzLazyDaisy

Mojisola wrote: »

I would cook double pasta one night and half would get reheated for the next night. The next night cook double potatoes and then reheat those while the new batch of pasta is cooking.

That's what I would do.

Also I don't really like starchy carbs much, so I often substitute the 'potato' for mashed carrot and swede.

Mashed Cauliflower also works well - cook till just done, not too hard but not overcooked either, add butter and mash with a fork. You can pop it in the over to crisp up if you like).

If you have some left over mash potato, you can mix it into either dish if you think you can get away with it, it makes a nice texture without adding too much starch.

Or you can just add potato for the ones who like it, and not for those who don't.

got-it-spend-it

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

That's what I would do.

Also I don't really like starchy carbs much, so I often substitute the 'potato' for mashed carrot and swede.

Mashed Cauliflower also works well - cook till just done, not too hard but not overcooked either, add butter and mash with a fork. You can pop it in the over to crisp up if you like).

If you have some left over mash potato, you can mix it into either dish if you think you can get away with it, it makes a nice texture without adding too much starch.

Or you can just add potato for the ones who like it, and not for those who don't.

I was going to suggest similar- you can replace potato with lots of other veg. Roast carrots are nice, as are parsnips or butternut squash.

I second the idea of mashed swede and carrot- one of my favourites .

Meals that we have which don't involve either potato or pasta are-

Chilli and rice
Chilli and tacos
Tortilla wraps where you just build your own from a selection of veggies, guacamole, sour cream, salsa and cheese
Tortilla wraps bakes in the oven enchilada style
Filled pancakes
Moussaka (I make with sweet potato instead of normal potato)
Curry and rice or naan
Stir fry and noodles or rice
Burgers or sausages with pittas and salad
Soup and bread
Cooked breakfast type meal of mushrooms, tomatoes, eggs on toast etc

I don't eat meat so all of the above are made with veggies, lentils and/ or meat substitues.

Omlettes might also work well for you, although I don't personally like them!

Hope that helps, sometimes it's just good to see what other people eat to steal the bits that work for you. I look at the meal planning thread every week for that very reason!

jamespir

irishgirl62 wrote: »

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)
.

there 20,16,and 12 and they still dont know that chips contains potato omfg shcoking !!

justpeyton4now

Everyone needs some carbs each day. However they come from a lot of different sources not just bread, pasta and rice. Plain white sugar is a carb, albeit not the healthiest. :rotfl: Things like veg, fruit etc are all carbs.

Have you tried whole wheat or spinach pasta for the pasta haters? Cooking it til it's al dente helps some that don't like the pasta cooked til it's really soft. Sweet potatoes are a very good option for white potatoes. Serve them baked like a jacket potato or mashed etc. You can also bake them and cut them into wedges and slightly brown them under the grill another day.

Lentils are also great for carbs that will stay with you.

Here's a site that has good suggestions on both simple and complex carbs that may help you. Carb site

Good luck!!!

MrsE_2

I would tell them "I'm not running a restaurant";)

I would just cook what you want & have plenty of nice bread in. Then they can substitute the carb part they don't like for bread to compliment their meal:D

Mojisola

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

Also I don't really like starchy carbs much, so I often substitute the 'potato' for mashed carrot and swede.

Mashed Cauliflower also works well - cook till just done, not too hard but not overcooked either, add butter and mash with a fork. You can pop it in the over to crisp up if you like).

We rarely have potatoes now at home - as Daisy says, there's plenty of other fillers - carrot, swedes, parsnips, sweet potatoes, baby turnips, baked whole onions for example and mashed cauliflower is a great rice substitute. Maybe they'll find something they can all agree on.

I still think they need to be taking over some of the cooking just so that they appreciate the work that results in dinner on the table every day!

Gigervamp

justpeyton4now wrote: »

Sweet potatoes are a very good option for white potatoes.

Yes and no. My 2 sons love potatoes but hate sweet potatoes because they are very sweet, more sweet than parsnips.

I'm pretty sure that if I served sweet potatoes up in a desert, they'd eat them no problem!

(I'm currently smelling my sweet potatoes with freshly grated nutmeg roasting in the oven!)