Meal Advice Required For Shift Worker

moneypanicker

Hello all,
I've been lurking here for a while and have picked up some great ideas and tips - thanks!
My shopping bill has come down a lot and i'm am making a real effort to meal plan and cook (as much as I can) from scratch.
The problem that I have is that I work shifts nearly all lates 1.30 - 9.30 and i'm finding it difficult thinking of food for the family whilst I'm at work. I have 2 small children who go to nursery in the afternoons when i'm at work and at nursery the children have their main meal at lunchtime. I therefore have to cook them a main meal before they go. This ends as a real rush getting them fed, cleaning, bags ready etc as well as myself getting changed for work.

Until recently I was resorting to a quick easy freezer meal for the children (not very healthy) and taking a freezer meal out for DH to have in the evening and i was having a ready meal. Since stopping ready meals i have saved quite a bit of money but i am running out of ideas to cook. It has to be something the kids will eat and that heats up well in the microwave. I sometimes go without meal breaks at work and if i do get one it has be heated quickly. I end up cooking the same things all the time
LASAGNE
CHICKEN CASSEROLE
SAUSAGE AND MASH
POTATO AND BACON HOTPOT (i got the receipe from here - thanks!)

ideally i would love something i could cook first thing in the morning so it;s done and forgotten and i can pack it in my lock and lock box ready for work. I'm getting so stressed rushing around last minute. Please does anyone have any new ideas for meals for me.

Sorry if this a bit rambley (is that a word!!)

boo81

Curry
Ratatouille
Sausage casserole
Fish pie
Shepherds pie
Noodle stir fry
Pasta and meat or plain tomato sauce

You can also try a variation on lasagne, you dont have to use the standard beef. Try other mince or a veggie one instead.

odds-n-sods

what about hearty soups, would your kids eat them??

KittyKate

Off the top of my head you could do:

Frozen HM pizza bases, chuck on fresh toppings ham/pineapple/passata/pepperoni/mushroom etc and cook for 10min in oven

Frozen HM quiche (or just premade in fridge), with HM chips or baked pot

Frozen chilli, so you can make a quick potato and use that as the topping, or over nachos, chips or with rice/pasta

For the kiddies, how about premade mini meatballs, I just use mince, onion, a bit of salt and pepper and a bit of italian seasoning all whizzed up in the processor and either pan fried or chucked in a hot oven, lovely with gravy (like campbells) and mash, or tomato sauce and pasta (even Heinz tom sauce for kids!)

How about making a huge pasta bake - you can make a pepperoni one, tuna, throw in some premade chilli, bol, or leftover meat, 10 mins to prepare, browned/cooked through in the oven 15-20mins and will do the whole family (just microwave yourself a portion - its just as nice) with a bit of salad.

belfastgirl23

Spinach or roast veg lasagna are nice. Mousaka also freezes well. As does chilli (you can make it mild if necessary) - all you need are some tortillas to wrap around it. Soups freeze well too unless they're potato based. And there are also quiches and pies that can be made in advance. I say as one who has never made either sometimes I think it's getting the time to try it out that's the problem.

The other thing is that you could go back to your ready meals for inspiration on what can be frozen easily and work back from there...

Good luck

kittycat07

how about cous cous or bulgar wheat with roasted veg (and meat if you like) through it? HM burgers are fairly easy to make - can serve with salad instead of chips (or as well if feeling a bit naughty)?! Soups are great - so versatile - and a favourite in our house always. Fajitas are good - you could cook them hot for kids and take them cold in your box. Let us all know what foods your family do & don't do and I'm sure there'll be other ideas!

Psykicpup

Could DH not cook the main meal for himself & LO's in the evenings -just leaving you to sort your own food......

moneypanicker

Thanks for all your replys! There are some good ideas i will definately try. Yes my DH can cook for himself but then i still have to feed the children before i go!!
I have a habit of cooking the same things again and again and a bit reluctant to try new things. I am getting better thanks to all the ideas on here. I'm very very lucky with my DH in that he does a lot of the childcare always puts the kids to bed etc he also has the kids whilst i do 12 hour shifts at the weekend (most weekends) I am doing my best to become a 'domestic goddess' but it certainly does not come naturally. As my husband collects them from nursery and puts them to bed when i'm working I like to think that he doesn't have to bother with cooking - is that too old fashioned?

Other mums I would be grateful if you can tell me what you do when one child will eat something and the other won't. I would love to make a pasta bake and I used to but one child will not eat pasta!! Do you make seperate dishes? I have tryed and tryed but she does not like it, she also won't eat meat although loves her veg so can't grumble there.
More ideas will be gratefully received.
Thanks

rev229

When my kids were younger and I worked nights they would take our previous nights cooked meal with them to the childminders the next day for lunch she would just heat it in the microwave. They would have thing like spag bol, korma, sausage and mash, shepherd pie. If you have a slow cooker just make some extra portions and reheat for the kids as and when needed. Other quick meals could be omlettes, jacket spuds as you could put them in the oven and leave them to cook, these are good with leftover meat dishes, beans or tuna. Or you could make some pizzas I make some pizza dough make 1 family pizza then, using a large pastery cutter make individual pizzas part cook base and then put topping on and freeze. I then cook from frozen when needed take about 15 min. These can be served with raw veggies/new potatos. I also freeze partly roasted potatos which can be cooked from frozen. Although I don't work anymore I like to have some meals that can be put together without much effort it just takes a bit of planning in advance. Freezing child size portions of there favourite foods does mean thet each child can have a different meal without too much hassle. Good luck it is really difficult trying to juggle children with working shifts.

Poppy9

My DD takes pasta to school for lunch and OH is shift worker so make up a batch of pasta bake and freeze in smallish tuperware tubs. Just have to remember to take one out the night before and add some fresh cheese.
Don't kill yourself everyday making a meal for lunch. Little tums fill up quickly & egg on toast, a filled jacket potato or even a hotdog is a meal to them.
Sometimes my OH just takes cereal and milk to work when he's working nights as he finds eating a meal late at night hard on his stomach.
I think someone posted before about freezing jacket potatoes. I've never tried and with a microwave don't know if it would save much time.

CFC

Here's what I do.
Cook a big batch of mince overnight in the slow cooker in a tomato based sauce with a finely chopped onion or three. Take it out in the morning, stuff it in another dish and leave to cool, then bung into the fridge. It'll keep for several days, and you just take portions out and ring the changes like so:
spag bol - add garlic while bol is heating, simply cook pasta and add cheese. I always use fusilli cos I like it better.
Chili - take your mince portions, add a can of kidney beans, add some chili powder and cumin, and heat up while cooking rice.
CFCs Special Mince - add a tin of baked beans, and a very generous tablespoonful or two of curry paste while it's heating and simmer for 5 minutes.. Serve with spuds.
Cottage pie - heat the mince while the spuds are boiling, let it dry up a bit and then add some thick gravy. Bung mash on and brown at a high temp in oven for 15 mins.
Meat balls - add flour and a beaten egg or two dependent on amount, add whatever spices or herbs you fancy and fashion into balls and either shallow fry or finish off in hot oven for 20 = 25 mins.
Do portions of fresh/tinned/frozen veg with each meal to taste.