Tired of not knowing what to make or buy

Buttercup.x

Hi all.

Usually it is the kids that are fussy eaters isn't it? well not in my house the fussy eater is me. I am sick and tired each month trying to shop for the month and making foods that everyone will eat (including me)

Ok i can make and will eat the following

Lasangne
Spag bol
Spaggetti Carbonara
HM Burgers
Sunday roast (but i work weekend nights and am to tired to cook this on a sunday)

I have found some recipes on here which i will use but should i be cooking the same on the same day of every week for example heres what ill be making from friday onwards

Mondays: Baked potatoe Pizza (what can i put with this?)
Tuesday: Lasangne
Weds: HM Burgers
Thursday: Omlettes (what can go with this?)
Friday: Spaggetti Bol
Saturday: Spagetti carbonara
Sunday: Chicken Curry

Its all MINCE! argh and its annoying me to heck because surley they are going to look like a pile of mince soon lol!

any other adults fussy eaters? Maybe i should just make things for the 2 DD and OH and sort myself out later on?

I feel so bad that im having to cook around myself ill post my shopping list and if anyone has any grand ideas for other ideas i want to make and freeze in bulk so im not tempted to just buy a takeaway because i am to tired to cook from scratch.

Buttercup.x

mince – beef x 6
bag Brown onions x 1
packet Mushrooms x 1
Chopped tomatoes x 4
Frozen Sweetcorn x 1
Freshly Frozen Sliced Mixed Peppers x 1
Pasta shapes x 5
Ginger x 1
Coriander (growing) x1
Cumin in glass jar x 1
Mild chilli powder x 1
Turmeric x1
Paprika x1
Cinnamon - ground x1
Natural yogurt - low fat x4
tomatoes x1
Pepper - Red x2
Pilau rice x2
middle bacon - unsmoked x2
Spaghetti long x1
Lasagne sheets x3
Cheese sauce x8
Yeast x2
Bread flour - seived white x 1
Sultanas x1
Glace cherries x1
Currants x1
Skimmed milk powder x1
Baking potatoes pack 1
Spring onions x1
Good for you grated cheddar – mature x 1
Whole chicken - large x1
20 Sausages 1
Homestyle Mashed Potato z2
malt vinegar x 1
Pure sunflower oil x1
hot chocolate x1
Semi skimmed fresh milk x1
Sugar - cubes x1

any advice would be nice thanks.

Larumbelle

Hi buttercup!

It can be tough going at times and lord knows, we all get sick of trying to be so perfect all the time but as you get more used to OS you will create your own coping strategies to reduce cooking time, unless you find that you are into cooking!

Batch cooking and freezing some HM 'ready' meals would be a nice start; do you have enough in to make and freeze double of the curry, lasagne and spag bol so that next time you can just dig it out of the freezer? By the way, you can make all of your basic spag bol-type mince one day and put some in the fridge for lasagne a few days later. Then, instead of making from scratch, you can just 'assemble' it and bung it in the oven.


Organisation helps; pick a day a week when you're not so busy and set a few hours aside to do whatever making and prepping can be done in advance. For example, you could roast a chicken (really not much effort. You just bung it in the oven and leave it!) then at the same time make double quantities of roast potatoes (roasties freeze and reheat brilliantly!), and cook some jacket potatoes on the shelf next to it for warming up in the micro.

Try to get out of the mindset where you think a meal that takes x time to cook is taking x time out of your day. There are few recipes that are quite so 'involved' so you can always relax with a glass of wine while you cook

But I am a fussy eater too, partly because of food allergies, tomatoes and MSG being the worst as it feels like they are in EVERYTHING and tomatoes especially feature heavily in OS recipes. If you bear with it you will find a way that works for you. For the record, I don't find that OS cooking is 'all mince' - mine tends to be chicken-heavy! My chicken strategy is here: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=13776519&postcount=101

The first day is 'moderately' busy in the kitchen; the roast is basically bunging things in the oven then taking them out again. Stock is basically bunging stuff in a slow-cooker or simmering pan then straining it.
The second day is essentially just reheating, apart from some fresh veg.
The risotto is the most time-consuming meal. I'd say that from prep to finish it takes maybe 1/2 an hour, although it is 'involved' cooking time.
Noodle soup: just reheating stock (cooking the veg and noodles in it and reheating the chicken in it in the same time) - 15 mins tops.
Lemon pepper chicken - 15 mins tops
Goujons - 15 mins tops.
It honestly takes me more than fifteen minutes to find the takeaway leaflet, call it, then get the plates out ready

I hope that's given you some ideas. There are loads of things you could make from your list. Do you want me to find you some quick and easy recipes?

Buttercup.x

Thank you Silver if you could that would be fantastic! what does OS mean sorry x

Penelope_Penguin

Buttercup.x wrote: »

what does OS mean sorry x

Old Style

Penny. x

Buttercup.x

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Old Style

Penny. x

Thank you, Stupid me :rotfl:

hmkn

I agree with silver charming's post- if you can get a bit ahead it makes you feel much better.

I do sympathise with night duty- I used to work shifts and DH still does, so if we have a roast (which isn't every week) it's often on a quieter midweek night, rather than Sunday. I have to say it's th ethought of the washing up that does it for me as much as anything else!!

A roast is good for producing more than one meal though, and don't forget you don't have to have roast spuds etc with roast meat- jackets will do in the oven at the same time, or try mash- whatever you fancy.
A roast chicken could then do wraps/sandwiches/pie/pasta/risotto/tortillas with some salad, grated cheese, perhaps some sauteed veg- peppers, mushrooms etc and mayba salsa or guacamole (mash an avocado and mix with a little mayo and some garlic if you like it).

What about savoury rice? Cook the rice (ordinary is cheaper than pilau) and meanwhile (stir)fry a chopped onion then add chopped peppers, mushrooms, sweetcorn, peas etc and some chopped bacon or leftover diced or shredded roast meat, some chopped chilli if you like it then add the rice (can be cold or freshly cooked) and cook a bit longer. Season and serve, or add a beaten egg per person and cook whilst stirring for 1-2 minutes. Serve with soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce (in this house!)
For a more Indian version add shredded or dessicated coconut with the veg and add a taespoon ful of turmeric to the rice when it's boiling. (Not essential but nice colour and it's v good for you!) Add garam masala (not at all spicy) or curry powder (hot as you like) to the onion when stir frying and omit egg or make a small omelette and garnish with strips when serving.

HTH, it's hard when I'm not sure why you're 'fussy'. What don't you like/can't you eat?

HMK

ShelBell

Hi Buttercup,

You sound just like my husband! Every time I suggest a meal he turns his nose up at it. I cook it, and he covers it in chilli and garlic sauce. It can be challenging trying to think of things and come up with new ideas!

You should have seen the look on his face when I told him we were having beans on toast for tea tonight!

Buttercup.x

hmkn wrote: »

HTH, it's hard when I'm not sure why you're 'fussy'. What don't you like/can't you eat?

HMK

Im fussy because i cannot bare some foods even the smell of them make me cringe,

fish
lamb
rabbit
beans
I only like a select few veg
tomato sauce (but i like tomatoes STRANGE )

these are just a few to mention but i just dont like them :rolleyes:

Buttercup.x

ShelBell wrote: »

Hi Buttercup,

You sound just like my husband! Every time I suggest a meal he turns his nose up at it. I cook it, and he covers it in chilli and garlic sauce. It can be challenging trying to think of things and come up with new ideas!

You should have seen the look on his face when I told him we were having beans on toast for tea tonight!

bleh i hate beans i cannot even cook them lol :rotfl:the look and smell of them make me heave. if the kids and OH want them then OH has to cook them and wash the dishes that has had them on it afterwards LOL

Larumbelle

Well, most of us have foods that we don't like... there's nothing wrong with that!

My mother in law thinks herself very superior because she'll 'eat anything' :rolleyes:. Sample conversation:

Me: What would you like for dinner?
Her: Oh, you know me, I'll eat anything!
Me: Apart from celery.
Her: No, I don't like celery.
Me: Or cucumber
Her: Ooh I can't stand cucumber!
Me: What about a nice curry?
Her: Silver, you know perfectly well that I don't like spicy food!
Me: So mexican food's out too?
Her: Oh, no, none of that foreign muck. I'll not have chinese food either!
Me: Okay. Omelette?
Her: So long as there's no mushrooms in it. Or onion. I can't stand eggs and onions in the same dish.
Me: Do you fancy a risotto?
Her: No rice! Anyway, I told you none of that foreign muck!
Me: :wall:

She's banned from my house now, for entirely unconnected reasons. But I still enjoy the merriment that comes from OH's phone conversations with her. She reminds me of that Catherine Tate sketch. :rotfl:


Anyway, Buttercup, is that list a shopping list that you've yet to buy or the food that you've got in already?