Quick nutritious food with minimal input

LannieDuck · 29 October 2014 at 4:12PM

I have two daughters. My oldest is at nursery Tues and Weds and I'm at home with the baby. I'm starting to run out of ideas for dinners on those nights. I leave the house to collect DD1 (3 yo) at about 5.15pm and get back about 6pm. I like to have food served by about 6.15pm otherwise DD2 (7 mo) gets upset.

So it needs to be something nutritious to feed both girls (and if possible be reheated for me and OH later on so I don't have to do a separate meal) that can either:

1. Sit in the oven safely for an hour while I'm out of the house
2. Be cooked in 15 mins

Normally I'd be doing stews/casseroles etc that could sit in the oven, but my 7 mo is very clingy. She hates being left alone and will have a full on crying session when I pop to the loo, so I have very little opportunity to cook during the day. (I can do a 15 min cook on return from nursery because DD2 is normally happy for me to leave the room if she's with her big sister.)

So far I've done sausage+mash, baked potatoes, pasta, pizza, stir fry, quiche (but that pushed the meal to about 6.30 and led to an unhappy baby).

Does anyone have any other ideas that could add some variety to the menu?

plymouthscubagirl · 29 October 2014 at 4:25PM

Spaghetti/Pasta bolognaise is always a firm favourite in our house, macaroni cheese. Jacket potatoes.
Do you have a slow cooker? I find this a godsend for most things!

Its hard trying to cater for all ages, especially when the children are so young. I struggle trying to get my 4yr old to eat the same stuff as me so I usually do separate meals which is annoying. Even more annoying is when I pick him up from nursery and they tell me hes eaten stuff that he won't touch at home!! x

s_glover · 29 October 2014 at 4:28PM

Do you have the opportunity to make batches of home made food e.g. when someone is looking after / watching your youngest for a couple of hours.

You coauld make meals like sheperds pie, bolognaise, lasagna, curry, chicken pie. These can be made, frozen and reheated when needed.

You could make something like chicken thighs or sausages and roasted veg which can be simply popped into the oven and left cooking until you come home.

Fajijtas or anything stuffed into wraps is also another quick meal to prep / cook.

LannieDuck · 29 October 2014 at 4:30PM

@plymouthscubagirl

Hahah, I have that with my oldest and nursery. I always question when they tell me she's eaten banana (oddly she's never liked them), or meat (we keep trying, but I think the texture is too dry and chewy for her), and they admit she "only had a nibble" or something

Spag bol is on the menu for tonight. Haven't tried my 7mo with spaghetti before. I anticipate lots of mess!

Macaroni cheese is a great idea, thank you. You've reminded me that my OH suggested it some weeks ago and I'd forgotten.

No slow cooker

It's something I want to buy, but we have no room in our very small kitchen. We're hoping to move house soon, so it will be on the list for the new house!

LannieDuck · 29 October 2014 at 4:37PM

s_glover wrote: »

Do you have the opportunity to make batches of home made food e.g. when someone is looking after / watching your youngest for a couple of hours.

You coauld make meals like sheperds pie, bolognaise, lasagna, curry, chicken pie. These can be made, frozen and reheated when needed.

You could make something like chicken thighs or sausages and roasted veg which can be simply popped into the oven and left cooking until you come home.

Fajijtas or anything stuffed into wraps is also another quick meal to prep / cook.

I actually typed out a paragraph for my OP explaining why I couldn't cook in the evenings for the next day, but deleted it because it sounded too much as if I was making excuses

It mostly boils down to me being exhausted (my 7mo is still waking up 2-3 times a night, combined with her being so clingy, and having a very active toddler) and needing the evenings to sit quietly doing nothing. But like I said, it just sounds like excuses. I think cooking in advance when they're both in bed might be the answer.

We've tried fajitas with my oldest before and she doesn't 'get' them. She likes rolling them up, but then doesn't want to eat them :rotfl:

Chicken thighs and roasted veg are both good ideas, thank you.

RAS · 29 October 2014 at 5:18PM

Hi

It might be worth making a Thermal-cooker/wonderbag because you can make the meal early moring and then eat whenever you get in.

See http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=4934041

s_glover · 29 October 2014 at 5:35PM

In understand cooking in the evening for the next day is often hard work too when you are tired but if you could batch cook say once a month. Providing you have a freezer and make several posrtions of each meal then this should make your like easier.

LannieDuck · 29 October 2014 at 5:47PM

RAS wrote: »

Hi

It might be worth making a Thermal-cooker/wonderbag because you can make the meal early moring and then eat whenever you get in.

See http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=4934041

Ahh, I've been wondering what all the talk of sleeping bags on the forum is about!

I'm not sure it'll quite solve my problem - I can just as easily prep the meal and put it in a cast iron pan on a low heat for hours, as in a thermal-cooker - but I can def see the benefits for those on very low incomes.

LannieDuck · 29 October 2014 at 5:49PM

s_glover wrote: »

In understand cooking in the evening for the next day is often hard work too when you are tired but if you could batch cook say once a month. Providing you have a freezer and make several posrtions of each meal then this should make your like easier.

Yeah, my OH used to do a lot of bulk cookery, but he's back at work 5 days a week now and doesn't get as much time. I think I'll have to take up the mantle! I'm thinking maybe cooking a big bulk dish one evening a week, and after a couple of weeks I should have a little bit of variety in the freezer that will get me through Tues and Weds.

I can feel the 'defrosting the freezer' job coming on...

jemb · 29 October 2014 at 6:04PM

I batch cook and freeze it for my LO (9 months) then defrost in the am and she can have home cooked food even when we're running in by the skin of our teeth.

Tink_04 · 30 October 2014 at 11:19AM

It's hard I have 2 and sometimes you have to push through on a night when they are in bed as there isn't another way. I know adding that with housework on a night too is easier said than done. I cheat tho - i buy a big bag of frozen diced onions - bags of prepped veg - bags of frozen veg and anything i'm cooling from scratch I make two of - one for now one for the freezer xx

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Quick nutritious food with minimal input

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