What do you do about eating at night?

[Earlybird]

Curious to know what other single/lone parents do about eating an eveing meal. Do you eat with the children, prepare a meal for yourself later, skip entirely and then snack/pick?

I realised tonight that I have drifted into not eating a meal at night. I'm not ready to eat with dd as it seems far too early. By the time she's in bed, I'm knackered and frankly not interested in cooking for myself. Unfortunately I often eat too much 'bad' food at night - though I do eat well/moderately for breakfast and lunch.

What is your routine? This could apply to mums with dh/dp who are often away in the evenings too...

[ledodgy]

Sorry to butt in as im not a single parent but couldn't you cook for both you and dd and reheat yours later?

[moondog]

I eat around the same time as my children which is usually 6ish.
I sooo don't have the energy to rustle up something after the palaver of bed,storis and so on.

I never seem to get to actually sit down with them though-too busy at their beck and call.

[brandy7]

i eat with my eldest son whos 12 at about 5ish. my youngest east about 4 at the moment because hes dropped his daytime sleeps so really tired by 5.

i have breakfast with eldest about 7am, try and have lunch between 12 and 1 then by 5 im hungry. i do tend to have a few nibbles about 10pm infront of the t.v, not enough to make me put on weight though

[themoon66]

DH worked away for weeks and months at a time when DD and DS were small.. I seem to remember doing dinner for all three of us at 6pm. DD was school age, DS nursery and me working full time.

Only did simple dinners like omlette or pasta with a sauce for example.

[Earlybird]

Yes, I could cook early and reheat for myself. But I don't, usually. Sometimes I'll have a bowl of soup with crackers....but that's about the extent of my effort.

[wombat2]

Same - eat with dds at 6ish. Can't be bothered to start cooking again later and am also hungry by that time after a long day. Hard not to start snacking though later on...

[frenchleave]

My DH either works 24-hour shifts or gets home too late to eat with the children. When he's not coming home at all I usually cook and eat with them at around 6.45/7pm, but don't do anything that takes more than 15 minutes to prepare . But I do sometimes graze instead, once they are in bed, usually involving too much chocolate

When he is coming home I cook one thing for all of us and either eat with the children if I'm starving or eat with him when they are in bed.

[Aimsmum]

Message withdrawn

[pianist]

Normally I prepare a seperate meal for the children, then eat later when husband gets home. When he's working away, I do eat with the children.

[ValnBen]

I do a bit of both. I usually plan DS?s meals around what ever he?s had for lunch at school (fairly easy to do as I have a 4 week rotating school lunch menu to hand).
Unless he wants fish fingers or something equally yucky (IMO) then I do him his meal at around 5:45, sit and chat with him then have what ever it is I want once I?ve done the bedtime stuff (around 7:15-30) ?I usually start preparing my meal whilst seeing to DS?s. Bung in oven (if required) to be ready for when he?s gone to bed.

[nikkie]

Either eat with kids at 5/5.30 ish or eat at 7-7.30 (something reheated or jacket potatos/something you can leave in the oven)

[neva]

I eat with the children, around 5 ish because we are all really hungry by then. It's nice to sit down together after a day at school/work. If we didn't eat early, we would all be snacking and appetites would be lost.

[madamez]

DS is 2, we eat our main meal at lunchtime (shepherds' pie, pasta, sausages, whatever) then he has tea at about 5.45/6.00 and, after he's in bed, I have soup or scrambled egg or pitta bread and dips or something similar. OK tonight it was a Pot Noodle.

[Earlybird]

I sit/chat with dd when she eats about 5.30, but don't feel ready to eat myself. Maybe I should anyway - perhaps I'd eat less, and would be less inclined to snack later in the evening.

[mamama]

I do the same as you, early bird - I sit with DS and talk to him while he eats at about 5. Once he's in bed, I can't be bothered to make something proper so end up with toast or cereal, if anything.

The other thing is that, when I have cooked a proper meal for myself, I feel overwhelmingly sad that I have to eat it alone. It's too depressing for me atm so, until I'm over that, I think I'll just have to stick to no dinner!

[nooka]

I have the kids for half the week. When I have them I eat tea with them at the weekend (usually 5-5.30ish), but as I work they have eaten by the time I come home during the week (about 6.30). I'm afraid that I have a stock of ready meals because otherwise I'm quite inclined not to eat at all. I have gone down a dress size over the last few months, and it's not good when your clothes start to fall off! When the children are a little older (they are currently 6 and 7) I hope to eat with them more during the week, but that relies on me cooking meals for quick reheating on my non-children day, which is unlikely as I tend to work very late those nights to avoid an empty house.

[nutcracker]

I normally eat with the kids around 5:30ish.

If for some reason though I don't wat with them , then I end up eating junk later.

[Coolmama]

I try to make a big salad of some sort while I am preparing dinner for DS - it will sit happily in the fridge for a bit and I can then eat it as and when I want to later without any further fuss. If I don't do that, then dinner ends up to be a bag of S&V chips(which should be food group as far as I'm concerned)and a glass of wine - wildly healthy, I know!

[glitterfairy]

We all eat together at about 6 but some nights at 7 and my eldest is 12 but all of my kids have so many activities during the week that sometimes we are not in until 6.30 anyway.

[Emskilou]

I eat with my dcs at around 5:30 - 6 ish, then I will probably eat later on too. That is because I am a fat hippocrocapig

[Emskilou]

Prime example, I have just polished off a chinese

[Earlybird]

Yep know the feeling em...I've got a bowl of pretzels next to me...

[Emskilou]

Its just too easy sat here on mn having a chat get the munchies, phone is close by and whaddya know I have ordered a chinese!! lol!!

[Skribble]

I normally eat with the kids about 6.30 if no activities on, if DH in not too late I will keep some in a dish for him to reheat. Sometime I will make something for kids and eat later with DH, but only if he promises to bring in takeaway.

Difficult with younger ones who have an earlier tea though, cook when you can be arsed and reheat later, perhaps adding an adult touch to kids style meals.

[brightwell]

When mine were younger, I used to feed them about 5ish and then when they were in bed I would have a bowl of cereal, or sometimes a jacket potato, could never be bothered to cook for myself, They are now 12 & 9 and we all eat together about 6 to 6.30 which is much better.