Some cheap meal ideas for fussy / awkward bloke?

valk_scot

abby1234519 wrote: »

Thats a good idea. Bearing in mind however I would have to teach him the basics first. He once asked me if the sausages were cooked.

Yes dear, they are more than cooked, they are BLACK

He can't cook? Does he still live at home and have his meals made for him? Well, if you've got two years before you move in together he's got time to learn, doesn't he? You really, REALLY don't want to be taking this job on solo for the next what....if you're under 30 atm, you could be looking at 50 years of sole responsibility for the cooking. Just don't go there....!

How about buying him Jamie Oliver's "Ministry Of Food" and suggesting you guide him through a recipe per week from that? It's a great book, simple, well laid out, inspirational and the recipes appeal to modern tastes. I bought it for my then 12 year old DS when it came out and now at 15 he's a really quite competent cook.

daphne_descends

I think that's good advice from valk_scot - buy Jamie's book, and put post-it notes on a few pages of recipes that YOU like the sound of, and he can choose which to cook for you. Assuming you're mostly the sole carer of your baby I think the very least he can do is cook you a meal, no?

My OH wasn't quite so bad but when we met I did tend to do all of the cooking because I enjoyed it. Then I became pregnant and the smell/sight/texture of food really got to me - I could eat a meal from a plate but getting there was a problem, so he took over. He had to ask me when tinned spaghetti was done :eek: but by the end of my pregnancy he was rustling up all sorts and discovered that actually he is a brilliant cook. A few years and another baby later I only cook when I have to. So take the long view, a few burnt sausages will be worth it in the end.

abby1234519

I like the idea of sneaking vegetables into food!!!! Hes agreed to try a vegetable curry if its a good curry. Never having made curry before I'm now going to have to work this out :S



And yes he lives at home with his parents (is 22), he doesn't have the opportunity to learn to cook at home really as his mother won't have it. He is happy to learn with me I shall just have to start teaching him the basics when he is with me and guide him through cooking a meal! Not sure where to start. I probably should start with a bolognese. I shall have a look at Jamie Oliver's "Ministry Of Food", I went into the Works and they had some little books on different types of food, ie Indian or Asian, but they were complicated. I hate it when recipe books advertise that they are simple but really they aren't

daphne_descends wrote: »

. Assuming you're mostly the sole carer of your baby I think the very least he can do is cook you a meal, no?

You make a good point ^^

valk_scot

abby1234519 wrote: »

I like the idea of sneaking vegetables into food!!!! Hes agreed to try a vegetable curry if its a good curry. Never having made curry before I'm now going to have to work this out :S



I shall have a look at Jamie Oliver's "Ministry Of Food", I went into the Works and they had some little books on different types of food, ie Indian or Asian, but they were complicated. I hate it when recipe books advertise that they are simple but really they aren't

One of the strong points of the MofF book is that they have short ingredient lists and the recipes really ARE simple. Mr Oliver is quite happy to use a jar of curry paste, for example, rather than ten individual spices. He also has some good curry recipes...for example his Chicken Tikka Masala is as fast as it gets, and also extremely tasty.

Mrs_Jojo

Read a book on weaning (seriously) because effectively you are introducing him to new tastes and textures! Take it slow, bit by bit and if all else fails get a juicer - stealth veggies are impossible to detect if they have been juiced first :-)

euronorris

I've been the fussy eater (still am in some respects).

Pointers:

Teach him to cook (I see you already are)- but let him choose some recipes he's comfortable with first. If he likes the sound of it before it's cooked, he's more likely to enjoy the meal, the experience and keep on trying.

Encourage him to try new things, but let him know there is NO problem if he doesn't like something. One of the biggest problems I have with trying new foods, is the expectations of other people. They have a tendancy to stare at you intently (sooo off-putting!), or make a big deal out of the fact you don't like something after trying, and the worst is trying something in a restaurant. The people you're with can tell you it doesn't matter to them all they like, but it certainly matters to the waiter/chef, if you don't eat your meal. They take it quite personally, even if you explain that you were trying something new, it isn't them etc etc. SO I avoid trying new stuff in restaurants!

And, if it's any consolation, I didn't eat chicken until I was 21/22 either. LOVE the stuff now! I never used to eat curries either, now I love curries! I enjoy cooking too, and trying out meals my way.

I don't like Mushrooms either, BUT....if they are chopped quite small and put into a meal, I will happily eat them.

Sausage casseroles are yum, and I add carrots and peas to mine, to bulk them out (and it's yummy).

I hope that helps.

xx

Flibsey

Mrs_Jojo wrote: »

Read a book on weaning (seriously) because effectively you are introducing him to new tastes and textures!

that's how I helped my oh when we started going out. he was 24. he's now 32 and eats most veg.
having eaten his mum's cooking though, I now see why he never ate veg.

euronorris

How about veggie egg pita's? They're yummy and easy. I just chop up some onions and peppers, heat them with a little oil until soft, and then add the scrambled eggs, and keep stirring until the egg is all cooked. Meanwhile, toast the pita's, slice open and then cram the veggie egg mix into the pita. YUM!

I never used to like peppers either, but have come around to them. It was tasting them after their cooked that won me over. Completely different taste. Now I like them both ways.

Stir fry's are also quick, easy, tasty and healthy. I know he doesn't like chicken, but does he like another meat that you could use instead? OH claims he can't cook, but he makes a brilliant stirfry!