Dinner when you Just Can’t

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tell my kids to figure it out themselves. Eat whatever they want that's healthy. By age 6 they could put together something simple. Maybe they needed me to cut something or pour boiling water out.

What heathy meal can a 6 year old make? An apple?

A sandwich. Let your 6 year old make one -- you'll be surprised at how capable your kid is.

With lettuce, tomatoes and onions, all by themselves? All of the cutting and washing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tell my kids to figure it out themselves. Eat whatever they want that's healthy. By age 6 they could put together something simple. Maybe they needed me to cut something or pour boiling water out.

What heathy meal can a 6 year old make? An apple?

A sandwich. Let your 6 year old make one -- you'll be surprised at how capable your kid is.

With lettuce, tomatoes and onions, all by themselves? All of the cutting and washing?

I’m not the PP but my kid wouldn’t put all that in a sandwich. She can make herself a PBJ or a turkey/cheese though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tell my kids to figure it out themselves. Eat whatever they want that's healthy. By age 6 they could put together something simple. Maybe they needed me to cut something or pour boiling water out.

What heathy meal can a 6 year old make? An apple?

A sandwich. Let your 6 year old make one -- you'll be surprised at how capable your kid is.

With lettuce, tomatoes and onions, all by themselves? All of the cutting and washing?

Not onions but sure my kid could get cheese slices, pickles, wash lettuce leaves and put together a sandwich. He’d probably cut up an apple and not a tomato, but we usually buy cherry tomatoes anyway.

Other things he makes:
-Greek yogurt with frozen berries, granola, and jam or honey
-whole wheat tortilla pbj with toppings and folded up

Sometimes this is on a random Saturday afternoon when I work out or rest, but other times I sit and chat with him while he “cooks.” Sometimes he makes me a snack too and we eat together. It’s really not a punishment or hardship the way some PPs seem to be thinking.

[Anonymous]

Tonight we had spinach/cheese tortillini ( 3 mins to cook once water is boiling) in Costco brand pesto. It’s the best imo but can use any sauce you like. We had steam on the bag broccoli with it. All done in less than 10 mins. While the water was boiling I made DDs lunch and my lunch for tomorrow. Only one clean up.

[Anonymous]

Soup is the easiest phone it in meal. If you need more calories you can always add bread or frozen rice.

Cut up a bunch of veg and dump in store bought or frozen homemade broth. Add frozen dumplings or tofu or whatever you have.

Sometimes I take a canned of prepared soup and use it to poach frozen fish.

Today I had some soup and just dumped some premade frozen brown rice into it. Let it boil and dinner was done with very little effort.

[Anonymous]

Pasta with jarred tomato sauce
Boiled shrimp with store bought taco shells + fixings
Boiled shrimp with ramen noodles
Pigs in a blanket
Frozen crab cakes + ( bake them)
Manhatten clam chowder using canned clams, tomato sauce/chicken broth, canned potatoes + bacon bits

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like to make a quick curry when I am short on time. Lots of ways to adapt this to the situation - it can be done in the slow cooker if I will be out until time to eat, or it can be done in 20 minutes if I need to throw something on the table fast. It can be adapted to whatever protein I have on hand - leftover shredded chicken, rotisserie chicken, fish, chickpeas. Rice can be Trader Joes microwave in a bag.

Here's my go-to for a quick vegetarian version: Saute a diced onion, add diced garlic and diced ginger root for last minute. Add 1 teaspoon each of cumin, salt, tumeric, ginger (if not using fresh ginger in prior step), a few shakes of cayenne and a tablespoon of garam masala (this is all approximated) - stir around to toast for a minute or two. Add 2 cans of chickpeas, a can of coconut milk and a can of diced tomatoes and let simmer 5-10 min. Taste, add salt or more spices, squirt with lemon juice and serve over rice. For veg, if I have cauliflower I will microwave it to soften and then add to the dish (I cook the curry so quickly that it won't cook/soften in the actual curry). Or I serve raw veggies on the side, or stir into the curry a few handfuls of greens.

Wrong thread.

If a 10 minute curry is too much for you, then take out is what I recommend (and do myself on those nights).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tell my kids to figure it out themselves. Eat whatever they want that's healthy. By age 6 they could put together something simple. Maybe they needed me to cut something or pour boiling water out.

What heathy meal can a 6 year old make? An apple?

A sandwich. Let your 6 year old make one -- you'll be surprised at how capable your kid is.

With lettuce, tomatoes and onions, all by themselves? All of the cutting and washing?

Not onions but sure my kid could get cheese slices, pickles, wash lettuce leaves and put together a sandwich. He’d probably cut up an apple and not a tomato, but we usually buy cherry tomatoes anyway.

Other things he makes:
-Greek yogurt with frozen berries, granola, and jam or honey
-whole wheat tortilla pbj with toppings and folded up

Sometimes this is on a random Saturday afternoon when I work out or rest, but other times I sit and chat with him while he “cooks.” Sometimes he makes me a snack too and we eat together. It’s really not a punishment or hardship the way some PPs seem to be thinking.

I know you really want to miscast this, but we can say it again: there’s nothing wrong with kids occasionally cooking dinner for themselves. But doing it so regularly that it’s essentially part of your dinner rotation—for a 6yo—is sad.

Do you not understand the difference between a “random Saturday afternoon” snack and a nightly dinner?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like to make a quick curry when I am short on time. Lots of ways to adapt this to the situation - it can be done in the slow cooker if I will be out until time to eat, or it can be done in 20 minutes if I need to throw something on the table fast. It can be adapted to whatever protein I have on hand - leftover shredded chicken, rotisserie chicken, fish, chickpeas. Rice can be Trader Joes microwave in a bag.

Here's my go-to for a quick vegetarian version: Saute a diced onion, add diced garlic and diced ginger root for last minute. Add 1 teaspoon each of cumin, salt, tumeric, ginger (if not using fresh ginger in prior step), a few shakes of cayenne and a tablespoon of garam masala (this is all approximated) - stir around to toast for a minute or two. Add 2 cans of chickpeas, a can of coconut milk and a can of diced tomatoes and let simmer 5-10 min. Taste, add salt or more spices, squirt with lemon juice and serve over rice. For veg, if I have cauliflower I will microwave it to soften and then add to the dish (I cook the curry so quickly that it won't cook/soften in the actual curry). Or I serve raw veggies on the side, or stir into the curry a few handfuls of greens.

Wrong thread.

If a 10 minute curry is too much for you, then take out is what I recommend (and do myself on those nights).

Dp, but I have made an even easier version of this recipe you posted and it was not a 10 minute preparation. When you’re dicing vegetables (garlic, ginger) and digging through your spices to measure out a tablespoon of this and a teaspoon of that, you’re no longer making a quick and easy meal. Cleanup is a big part of cooking.

There have been some creative and helpful ideas for very quick meals on this thread, but this is not one of them, it is tasty though, just not quick and easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tell my kids to figure it out themselves. Eat whatever they want that's healthy. By age 6 they could put together something simple. Maybe they needed me to cut something or pour boiling water out.

What heathy meal can a 6 year old make? An apple?

A sandwich. Let your 6 year old make one -- you'll be surprised at how capable your kid is.

With lettuce, tomatoes and onions, all by themselves? All of the cutting and washing?

Not onions but sure my kid could get cheese slices, pickles, wash lettuce leaves and put together a sandwich. He’d probably cut up an apple and not a tomato, but we usually buy cherry tomatoes anyway.

Other things he makes:
-Greek yogurt with frozen berries, granola, and jam or honey
-whole wheat tortilla pbj with toppings and folded up

Sometimes this is on a random Saturday afternoon when I work out or rest, but other times I sit and chat with him while he “cooks.” Sometimes he makes me a snack too and we eat together. It’s really not a punishment or hardship the way some PPs seem to be thinking.

I know you really want to miscast this, but we can say it again: there’s nothing wrong with kids occasionally cooking dinner for themselves. But doing it so regularly that it’s essentially part of your dinner rotation—for a 6yo—is sad.

Do you not understand the difference between a “random Saturday afternoon” snack and a nightly dinner?

Just tell her that her six year old is so much smarter and capable than most 🙄 that’s what she’s going for anyways. These people are clueless. The whole point was that dinner should be with family and if you can’t get your kid a simple freaking dinner, and eat it with them, then yes, it is sad for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tell my kids to figure it out themselves. Eat whatever they want that's healthy. By age 6 they could put together something simple. Maybe they needed me to cut something or pour boiling water out.

What heathy meal can a 6 year old make? An apple?

A sandwich. Let your 6 year old make one -- you'll be surprised at how capable your kid is.

With lettuce, tomatoes and onions, all by themselves? All of the cutting and washing?

Not onions but sure my kid could get cheese slices, pickles, wash lettuce leaves and put together a sandwich. He’d probably cut up an apple and not a tomato, but we usually buy cherry tomatoes anyway.

Other things he makes:
-Greek yogurt with frozen berries, granola, and jam or honey
-whole wheat tortilla pbj with toppings and folded up

Sometimes this is on a random Saturday afternoon when I work out or rest, but other times I sit and chat with him while he “cooks.” Sometimes he makes me a snack too and we eat together. It’s really not a punishment or hardship the way some PPs seem to be thinking.

I know you really want to miscast this, but we can say it again: there’s nothing wrong with kids occasionally cooking dinner for themselves. But doing it so regularly that it’s essentially part of your dinner rotation—for a 6yo—is sad.

Do you not understand the difference between a “random Saturday afternoon” snack and a nightly dinner?

Could you point to the post that said a 6yo does this nightly? DP, but I must have missed it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like to make a quick curry when I am short on time. Lots of ways to adapt this to the situation - it can be done in the slow cooker if I will be out until time to eat, or it can be done in 20 minutes if I need to throw something on the table fast. It can be adapted to whatever protein I have on hand - leftover shredded chicken, rotisserie chicken, fish, chickpeas. Rice can be Trader Joes microwave in a bag.

Here's my go-to for a quick vegetarian version: Saute a diced onion, add diced garlic and diced ginger root for last minute. Add 1 teaspoon each of cumin, salt, tumeric, ginger (if not using fresh ginger in prior step), a few shakes of cayenne and a tablespoon of garam masala (this is all approximated) - stir around to toast for a minute or two. Add 2 cans of chickpeas, a can of coconut milk and a can of diced tomatoes and let simmer 5-10 min. Taste, add salt or more spices, squirt with lemon juice and serve over rice. For veg, if I have cauliflower I will microwave it to soften and then add to the dish (I cook the curry so quickly that it won't cook/soften in the actual curry). Or I serve raw veggies on the side, or stir into the curry a few handfuls of greens.

Wrong thread.

+1 but sounds delicious!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like to make a quick curry when I am short on time. Lots of ways to adapt this to the situation - it can be done in the slow cooker if I will be out until time to eat, or it can be done in 20 minutes if I need to throw something on the table fast. It can be adapted to whatever protein I have on hand - leftover shredded chicken, rotisserie chicken, fish, chickpeas. Rice can be Trader Joes microwave in a bag.

Here's my go-to for a quick vegetarian version: Saute a diced onion, add diced garlic and diced ginger root for last minute. Add 1 teaspoon each of cumin, salt, tumeric, ginger (if not using fresh ginger in prior step), a few shakes of cayenne and a tablespoon of garam masala (this is all approximated) - stir around to toast for a minute or two. Add 2 cans of chickpeas, a can of coconut milk and a can of diced tomatoes and let simmer 5-10 min. Taste, add salt or more spices, squirt with lemon juice and serve over rice. For veg, if I have cauliflower I will microwave it to soften and then add to the dish (I cook the curry so quickly that it won't cook/soften in the actual curry). Or I serve raw veggies on the side, or stir into the curry a few handfuls of greens.

Wrong thread.

If a 10 minute curry is too much for you, then take out is what I recommend (and do myself on those nights).

Dp, but I have made an even easier version of this recipe you posted and it was not a 10 minute preparation. When you’re dicing vegetables (garlic, ginger) and digging through your spices to measure out a tablespoon of this and a teaspoon of that, you’re no longer making a quick and easy meal. Cleanup is a big part of cooking.

There have been some creative and helpful ideas for very quick meals on this thread, but this is not one of them, it is tasty though, just not quick and easy.

If dicing an onion and garlic is too much (i can do that in the time it takes me to greet my family), then shake in some garlic, ginger and onion powders - I said I don't measure, these are approximations. At its heart, this is: dump cans of chickpeas (or leftover chicken), coconut milk and diced tomatoes into a pan, shake in some spices and simmer for 5 minutes. You do have to clean 1 pan, though, which may be objectionable to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like to make a quick curry when I am short on time. Lots of ways to adapt this to the situation - it can be done in the slow cooker if I will be out until time to eat, or it can be done in 20 minutes if I need to throw something on the table fast. It can be adapted to whatever protein I have on hand - leftover shredded chicken, rotisserie chicken, fish, chickpeas. Rice can be Trader Joes microwave in a bag.

Here's my go-to for a quick vegetarian version: Saute a diced onion, add diced garlic and diced ginger root for last minute. Add 1 teaspoon each of cumin, salt, tumeric, ginger (if not using fresh ginger in prior step), a few shakes of cayenne and a tablespoon of garam masala (this is all approximated) - stir around to toast for a minute or two. Add 2 cans of chickpeas, a can of coconut milk and a can of diced tomatoes and let simmer 5-10 min. Taste, add salt or more spices, squirt with lemon juice and serve over rice. For veg, if I have cauliflower I will microwave it to soften and then add to the dish (I cook the curry so quickly that it won't cook/soften in the actual curry). Or I serve raw veggies on the side, or stir into the curry a few handfuls of greens.

Wrong thread.

If a 10 minute curry is too much for you, then take out is what I recommend (and do myself on those nights).

Dp, but I have made an even easier version of this recipe you posted and it was not a 10 minute preparation. When you’re dicing vegetables (garlic, ginger) and digging through your spices to measure out a tablespoon of this and a teaspoon of that, you’re no longer making a quick and easy meal. Cleanup is a big part of cooking.

There have been some creative and helpful ideas for very quick meals on this thread, but this is not one of them, it is tasty though, just not quick and easy.

Also, the hands on piece of this takes no longer than making tuna fish which was one of OP's own recommendations, and the simmer adds an extra 5 minutes (probably similar to the time to melt cheese on the tuna fish in OP's tuna melt).

I just don't know why posters have to be critical when others are trying to make helpful suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tell my kids to figure it out themselves. Eat whatever they want that's healthy. By age 6 they could put together something simple. Maybe they needed me to cut something or pour boiling water out.

What heathy meal can a 6 year old make? An apple?

A sandwich. Let your 6 year old make one -- you'll be surprised at how capable your kid is.

With lettuce, tomatoes and onions, all by themselves? All of the cutting and washing?

Not onions but sure my kid could get cheese slices, pickles, wash lettuce leaves and put together a sandwich. He’d probably cut up an apple and not a tomato, but we usually buy cherry tomatoes anyway.

Other things he makes:
-Greek yogurt with frozen berries, granola, and jam or honey
-whole wheat tortilla pbj with toppings and folded up

Sometimes this is on a random Saturday afternoon when I work out or rest, but other times I sit and chat with him while he “cooks.” Sometimes he makes me a snack too and we eat together. It’s really not a punishment or hardship the way some PPs seem to be thinking.

I know you really want to miscast this, but we can say it again: there’s nothing wrong with kids occasionally cooking dinner for themselves. But doing it so regularly that it’s essentially part of your dinner rotation—for a 6yo—is sad.

Do you not understand the difference between a “random Saturday afternoon” snack and a nightly dinner?

Just tell her that her six year old is so much smarter and capable than most 🙄 that’s what she’s going for anyways. These people are clueless. The whole point was that dinner should be with family and if you can’t get your kid a simple freaking dinner, and eat it with them, then yes, it is sad for them.

Well this is for nights when you "just can't" not a regular family dinner night. Give these posters a break. Migraines? Sore feet? Stomach bug? Crisis at work or at home? Six year olds really love doing things, anyway. Making a sandwich is fun for them. Wait until they get older, when they are perfectly capable but don't want to do anything anymore....