Minimal Preparation Family Meals

Nicki

We are just about to have a complete kitchen refurb (starting on Wednesday) and because the space the kitchen is in is open plan, and we are revamping the whole space including rewiring and plastering, the work is likely to take 6-8 weeks in total :eek:. To complicate matters, our existing fridge freezer is on its last legs, so we are having a new fridge freezer, but there will be a period of a few days when there is neither on site, so freezing food in advance is not an option.

We are going to go and stay with relatives for about 10 days and I have been promised by the time we get back we will have as a minimum a working fridge freezer, cooker and washing machine/tumble drier, and running water. But the workmen will be in the room all day, generating a lot of dust and mess, so there will be very limited opportunity I would think for food preparation and I will need to rethink what we usually eat.

So am looking for lots and lots of ideas please for meals which don't require much preparation and can be cooked quite quickly in a dusty grungy kitchen every evening, to feed two adults, one teenager, one 11 year old and a 3 year old. We aren't veggies, no allergies and no one is very picky, though we don't usually eat very processed foods so 8 weeks of cook chills aren't going to be very well received and no one is likely to enjoy a pot noodle much

Owain_Moneysaver

Pasta. You need one clean pan to boil it in, use toppings from the fridge or tins which are already cooked (passata, slices of pepperoni sausage, tina, sweetcorn, soft cheese etc).

Pizza likewise - roll it out on a board covered with clingfilm, add toppings from fridge or tins and shove in oven for 10-15 mins.

You could get a big mince or steak pie, that'll go in the oven with a covered tray of veggies and need no prep.

Cover pans and plates with clingfilm when not using them so they don't get dusty, but builder's dust is usually 'clean dirt'.

babyshoes

Packs of pre-prepared veggies, although usually more expensive, may be a worthwhile investment for things like stir-fries, which are very quick to cook if you don't have to chop a load of veg.
Do you have a slow cooker? If so, you could perhaps do your prep and cooking of slow cooked meals in another room - you only need a small space to put a chopping board, and a space for the slow cooker, even under a table would do - or prep it in the kitchen the night before and leave it cooking in a lounge or bedroom while the workmen are around.
Days when supper needs to be quick and easy I often do grilled meat (usually chops or sausages), frozen mash and frozen/pre-prepped veggies. You can substitute microwaved 'baked' potatoes for variety! (they are nicer if you can put them in the oven for a while afterwards, but are quite acceptable on their own.)
Pasta and pesto with a side salad is an easy standby.

Regarding not being able to cook in advance and freeze, do you have friends/family/nice neighbours nearby who would lend you some freezer space for a while so you could do just that? Pasta sauces, stew type dishes, lasagne etc all freeze well. Perhaps you could also persuade them to invite you for supper once or twice a week in return for a favour like babysitting/car wash/gardening or even cooking the meal in their kitchen and washing up afterwards!

angeltreats

Just a quickie as I'm off to bed in a second, but what about couscous and bulgar wheat? Both only require soaking in boiling water so as long as you have access to a kettle that's all you need, and you can chop up some veggies (tomatoes, peppers, spring onion/red onion, rocket, pre-cooked beetroot, whatever you have really), feta, cooked meat or whatever, a few herbs or spices, and you have a very quick and filling meal.

Good luck! My in-laws had their kitchen done recently and they lived out of an upstairs bedroom with a microwave and a kettle and did the washing up in the bath, they got by without resorting to too many ready meals but they were extremely happy when it was all finished and they could get back to normal

vanoonoo

we managed early june to late august with a slocooker, a halogen oven (a!di have some at the moment for about £30 and they are brilliant - cook quicker than an oven, nicer than a slo cooker and brown properly unlike a microwave, best of all they are economical with fuel) and two microwaves (one would have done, we just happened to have two!) all of this was in the conservatory but could have been upstairs or in the hall.

my advice would be to decamp your cooking area away from the grime otherwise its even more of an effort. we had a washing up bowl in there too and filled from the outside tap and used the kettle to warm the water.

Gammon in the slo cookers with veggies done in the microwave - things like new potatoes and prepared veg (the budget may go out of the window in this time!)

Roast in the halogen oven. We could do a decent roast chicken in about an hour in ours with roasties cooking underneath on the lower level grill tray.

casseroles in the slo cooker - pre diced meat and veg and stock cubes with a bit of water
chili's in the slo cooker with microwave rice or cous cous or wedges (bung in mince, seasoning, pasata, drained and rinsed kidney beans dont need much else)
jacket spuds in the halogen or microwave and beans or tuna or cheese or chili
soups in the slocooker
curry in the slocooker with breads warmed in the microwave and rice or cous cous or jacket spuds
hunter chicken in the halogen
toad in the hole in the halogen if you are brave enough to make the batter
pizza didnt work so great in our halogen but I have heard reports elsewhere of it being a great success, just make sure if you buy a base or a pre made pizza that it will fit!
fish fingers chips and beans in the halogen on a night where you come straight from the shop (taking into account no freezer)
winter BBQ? if it's dry you could all wrap up and have a BBQ outside one weekend afternoon and give the neighbours a laugh

as we didnt have a hob we didnt do anything pasta based or that needed simmering or boiling. I have to admit that ready made chilled mash featured a few times (remember how cold it was this summer, we needed comfort food!).

try to plan a treat night or have lunch or dinner out occasionally too during the work - you deserve it - it's a nightmare living thru it so give yourselves a break and eat out somewhere that's running a deal or that you can get vouchers for!

sonastin

When I had my kitchen done, and then when I was living with my mum and she had her kitchen done, we had the following set up in the respective dining rooms:
camping stove
george foreman grill
combi-microwave

didn't really need to change what we ate much but there was a bit more of grilled meat/boiled pots/boiled veg options and pasta/sauce dishes than usual. Fewer oven dishes as the combi was only really big enough for meals for one.