Yesterday Max was on dinner duty. He'd also lost device privilege (and we all know how that goes ...). So early morning he was in the kitchen about to drive me crazy.

I suggested he get some prepping done so he wasn't stuck in the kitchen in the afternoon. We discussed getting the meatball mixture made etc.

I went for a shower and came back and lo .. meatballs, prepped, rolled and baked. Go Max. I know that it's customary to cook right before you eat but it often just doesn't work for me to do so. I cook when I have time and then reheat in the oven before serving.

Tomato-based sauce with not too much spatter completed too!!

The boys have been executing their holiday cooking responsibilities with hardly a complaint!

We have a deal where they don't have to do school holiday programs as long as they fit in around my work, cook dinner for the family and help with lunch. Obviously this gets easier (for me) as they age.

Their new favourite lunch is scrambled eggs so they often whip themselves up a batch.

I have been totally out of routine so forgetting to photograph things. However, I did remember Joe's lamb roast dinner at the last minute.

Was more organised for Max's San Choy Bau.

I volunteered to make a fruit platter  for the Yr 6 Leaver's party. It was supposed to be skewers but they are so hard to do when there is limited fruit that won't brown available - Dec is the wrong season for that here!

Decided to go the platter instead so I could load up with all sorts of easy to eat fruit that would not spoil.

I love the way fruit looks, so colourful!!

San choy bau. Such a winner, so simple and pretty quick to make.

I chop the lettuce leaf into pieces and send a napkin for ease of serving.

The boys are STILL at school. Really grinding it out this year.

One positive is that they both get to celebrate their birthdays with their friends. Maxs' was last week and Joe's today.

In honour of the special day they get to choose the menu. Max went for crepes in the morning and home-made pizza in the evening.

Joe, French toast and then tonight we're having home-made burgers (which he rudely sighed about as apparently Dad's are better than mine - foof!!).

It also means some special lunchboxes so it's a great time of the year to be a boy in our house. Left-over pizza and cherries shipped over from the South Island. Plump, juicy and perfect!

This time of year is so crazy in the Southern hemisphere. End of school term, end of year, start of long holidays ..

And then there is the not so small matter of two birthdays in our house - but that's a blog for another day!

As it's end of year there are lots of shared lunches at school. It's great to be able to provide something fun but nutritious as there are so many less healthy options brought in (and frankly no one wants just biscuits and cakes for lunch!).

Rice paper rolls are my go-to this year as the weather has been hot so it's a nice, light lunch option.

Joe has been helping (shirtless - see, told you it was hot!)

What's your default shared lunch option?

Total madness this time of year. Between shared lunches at school and bring a plate work events there seems to be an additional cooking demand every day!!

I had a women's business event on Wed and 15 minutes to provide a share plate.

Viola - simple, economic to prepare and well received! I would normally bake some crackers to go with this but it just was not going to happen.

Meatballs are a "go-to" for me.

All 3 boys like them, they are economical and quick to make (especially as I just bake in the oven for 10 mins), can be done easily in bulk, are flexible so I can add different things to give a different flavour and freeze and defrost easily.

You can also marry with everything from pasta to potato so they are really versatile.

What are some of your "go-to" foods?

This is a lunch created out of "gah, not much in the fridge in the way of protein".

Mash, sweet potato strips, an egg and cheese and that will have to do!

I'm usually pretty organised but there are times for all of us when the wheels come off ...

As Max is going through a period of really rapid growth he is often not able to eat enough at dinner to tide him through.

As he's very in-tune with his appetite and really does only eat because he's hungry it's very easy for me to know when to provide more.

As everyone who works with me knows I generally don't advocate for supper however, in this instance Max is eating a huge and well-balanced meal and then 3 hours later is finding himself hungry again.

I am not providing "snack" items I am whipping up a "mini-meal". Me being me, means that needs to be well-balanced and as best as practicable foods that he's not already had that day.

Here he has egg and cheese cooked together, half an avocado, some coleslaw and home-made mayo, corn, olives and a little apple chutney.

Does your child eat a huge meal and it just disappears as though you haven't cooked?!?!?