Reverse Meal Planning

MrsStepford

Pot au feu.. a French stew..will use up leeks, carrots, swede, cabbage, peas but you'll need a tin of tomatoes, stock cube some grated cheese to let family chuck on top so it melts in and chopped fresh parsley to sprinkle in. Never potatoes because of the starch which makes it cloudy. 
Eggs.. frittata or rather frizza.. make it in the frying pan as normal then put toppings, pizza-style, before putting under the grill. Really good next day cold, in a packed lunch. 
Kale crisps, about the only thing I do with mine.
Beetroot..roast or cook in orange juice. 
Potatoes.. roasted with sea salt and lots of butter. If you have a glut, Pommes Delmonico, diced cooked in the oven in a rice pudding tin in milk with a bay leaf, with a crumb and grated cheese topping if you like. good for using up stale bread and bits of cheese. 
Fruit - fruit salad with cream or evaporated milk. 

Bluegreen143

Thanks all! Will sift through the ideas. Trying to strike a balance of things the kids readily eat (without over pandering). I give them all sorts they aren’t keen on but I like to make sure there is something on the table they do like. Monkey (4.5) doesn’t like/has never liked potatoes which can be tricky. I serve them as a side so he can eat the other bits but tend to avoid meals where the potatoes are the main component. They really like soup, pasta, will usually eat things in wraps (like tacos or falafel), things like mild veg curries/chilli Monkey has gone off but I still serve them, they like obvious things like HM fish fingers or HM pizza 😂 Bambi (1.5) isn’t as picky especially with dinners (except cooked veg as a side which is a challenge with both kids) but then unlike Monkey she is a bit crap with fruit which he just inhales. It’s frustrating as until he was three Monkey was the best eater ever, I would take him out for tapas and he would try every single thing, loved fruit/veg/fish/meat etc and almost ate adult portions. He’s not the worst eater, and we don’t buy kiddie rubbish food so he is eating real food. I know he will get there 🙂

New fruit and veg boxes arrived 🙂

FRUIT BOX
Bananas
Apples
Satsumas
Bigger oranges
Melon
Plums
Grapes
Strawberries
Blueberries 
Pears

VEG BOX
Peppers
Cucumber
Celery
Spinach
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Carrots
Onions
New potatoes
Courgette
Aubergine
Peas in the pod
Butternut squash 

Baileys_Babe

My son was younger he was the same regarding potatoes, including crisps and chips. Now at 14, he will have a small portion as he is more tolerant and hungry. He also doesn't like any mash (carrot & swede etc). When we have jacket potatoes he has tortillas and the same toppings. He loves fruit/vegetables/salad.

Dd, by contrast, loves potatoes especially mashed, but generally not keen on side vegetables unless they are raw.  So I cook ours and leave hers raw. If the vegetables are incorporated into the dish she has this along with the rest of us.
I'm willing to do less work so they eat their meals but not more generally. 
When we eat at other people's houses they are expected to try what they have served with no complaints.

Pyxis

Clearing out the fridge in anticipation of tomorrow's veg box, I found 4 small, sad carrots, half of a sad fennel bulb, some sad fresh herbs, a couple of unhappy celery ribs, some languid asparagus stalks, four stems of tearful sprouting broccoli, and some thoroughly miserable flat green beans.

I roasted the carrots and fennel with a couple of onions and some ginger, ground turmeric and sesame seeds, sautéed the other veg except for the asparagus, then blitzed it all in the processor. Cooked the chopped asparagus stalks in some stock, added the blitzed veg and some roasted red pepper pesto, and made three good-sized portions of thick veg soup.

greenbee

No veg box again this week, as by some miracle I managed to get a waitrose delivery slot. The fridge is looking fairly empty at the moment, but I need to tidy/clean both it and the freezers to make room for the delivery. 

rtandon27

Well done Pyxis - well impressed with your veggie rescue mission!

We attempted to rescue a courgette yesterday into baked fries - not a success as they were beyond bitter - so unfortunately the other two will be vanquished from the kitchen!  (They are a couple of weeks old, should have used them sooner )

Did successfully rescue a nectarine today though - caught it in that instant that it turns from rock hard to rotten! (I'd not actually say it was ripe but it was tasty!)

Meals this week have been forward planned rather than reverse planned as we had a Sainsbo delivery on Monday! We are currently sticking to the small veg box - boring everyday veg, but nothing going to waste!

ajmoney

I have never adjusted my meal plan so much.  I had kind of forward planned before going shopping on Monday as I didn't have much in but so I could use up some onions and tomatoes I brought some meals forward and then found up there is enough for a second helping so need to rejig again.  The only thing I need to use up which isn't in a plan is spring onions but I read somewhere about replanting veg to grow from it so I am going to give this a go as I never get through what I buy so it will mean I am less wasteful.  I do also have some chillies to use but I am going to chop them and freeze them in ice cubes for a later date. 

joedenise

I just freeze chillies whole.  They're fairly easy to chop whilst frozen.

Baileys_Babe

joedenise said:

I just freeze chillies whole.  They're fairly easy to chop whilst frozen.

We do likewise take the chilli out of the freezer, gather the rest of the ingredients, chop the chilli whilst semi-frozen.

ajmoney

I will save myself the hassle next time with the chillies then, got to love an easy life