Losing my mojo :(

vexedprune

I have lurked for sometime and appreciate reading all the help and advice given on the boards and read with great interest.

Things have changed over the last few months, DH has got a job and we have moved and as I work nights and he works days we have a quick cross over. I am at home a make sure that everyone has a evening meal, all freshly cooked (packets and jars are used but all veg and meat is prepared). I currently have a time management issue and a food wastage issue (if it's in the fridge and looks like it will take time to prepared the DH will not touch it).

I have read the boards long enough to know I should be meal planning and bulk cooking however I just can not get started with it, I seem to have lost all motivation.

How did other people get started, any hints and tips would be welcomed. When I am working I make sure my daughter has some tea (she is addicted to jacket potato with cheese and beans) however my partner will only get the easiest thing something like pot noodle, he won't have the same meal as her on these nights, which in a week when I could be out the house for 5 nights is not really substantial.

How does anyone else organise themselves? Thanks in advance

craigywv

hi, maybe get a slow cooker lots of stewssoups/just about everything can be cooked in preparation and just switched on and left and your family can have that good nutritious food hth

RobotsinDisguse

To be honest, it dooesnt sound like you need much help, its your husband that needs it.

But if my husband were like that id use a slow cooker... Easy to thrown stuff in (veg, lentils, cheap cuts of meat) and gently cook over the night/day. So its hot (stew, curry etc) and ready to go whenever hes hungry and cant be bothered!

Somewhere there is a getting started in OS ways thread.

vexedprune

I have tried that but he complained that he had to cook the veg! The microwave is the only thing he wants to use. Today following reading another thread I am going to make a big sausage casserole and bulk it out with the veg and freeze the remainder. I think if I do that for the next few days I shall have a few home made ready meals. I think that I am finding it a daughting prospect making this change to the family. My DH is someone who does not want to do anything when he gets home, had a few arguments about it but nothing is changing.

JulieGeorgiana

When you make almost any meal you can cook 2 or 3 times the quantity and portion it into individual portions. That way DH can pop the lid on loose and nuke it to his hearts content...

I do this with pretty much everything now, so on slow days I've got full meals in the freezer.

You can freeze cooked pasta (and rice if you're VERY careful).

I find lasagne is great, have a salad made in the fridge and everyone can dip into it as needed.

If you remove the pot noodles from the house, your DH won't have much choice but to eat what's there x

Also, when I worked on a building site... We had a SC with curry/stew on and it was just left on for 12 hours or more to be dipped into by whoever wanted it as and when. Stew doesn't need extra prep on the side so your DH should just grab and eat...

vexedprune

Does the pasta not go rubbery?

pelirocco

let him go hungry

maman

pelirocco wrote: »

let him go hungry

I have to agree.

If your concern is that he's not eating properly because he CBA to cook anything then that's his problem not yours. Provided your daughter is happy to eat her healthy, filling jackets and she's not going without then leave him alone.

I'd suggest that on the days you will be at home in the evenings you make something in the SC that you can portion up for the freezer. So then you say to him: 'there's chilli in the freezer you can have that with a JP' or 'there's Bolognese and all you need to do is cook a bit of pasta'. If he'd rather Pot Noodle then that's up to him.

BUT....if he starts blowing the household budget buying snacks and take aways then you'll have to take him in hand. If he wants to eat rubbish he pays for the convenience from his own money.

Tough love.;)

JulieGeorgiana

We cook pasta bakes and freeze leftovers. After defrosting and reheating it tastes just fine. TBH we prefer the leftovers...

I do try not to freeze rice and pasta often though.

Jacket potatoes reheat well too, and as maman says chilli and bolognaise is very versatile...

I'm quite lucky, when I was really sick during my pregnancy with DD and during this one DH is the one who bulk cooks a meal on Saturday and Sunday and would make it feed the family during the week... And still cooked something seperate for me every day.

You need to get DH on board... If he could cook pasta or rice it'd help...

thefamousexcuse

Hey Vexedprune, first off I would say is take a deep breath and have a cuppa!

To second what other people have posted, the slow cooker can become your new best friend. If your OH is complaining that he doesn't want to cook some vegetables, stick them in with what ever your cooking. For example and whole chicken could but put in with what ever veg you like and then you have a simple chicken stew (sort of) then what ever is left can be turned into soup.

Also when your not a work and cooking double the quantities and freeze them. During both mine and the OH's time on shift work this was a complete life saver. You can even freeze the veg in the container then its only one tub in the microwave .... surely he could cope with that?

I know it seems like a daunting task at the minute, but stick with it. Hopefully he will get there in the end. :A

HTH

TFE
xxx

vexedprune

Hi, thanks all. I've had my cup of tea and now deliberating. I have done a slow cooker sausage casserole and thinking about doing a beef casserole tomorrow. I have been having a trawl through the cooking for the freezer section and one a month cooking (I found loads of stuff on the November grocery challenge). He is not completely useless however rice is a big cooking challenge for him and he never cooks pasta (not sure how he fed himself before he lived with me though looking at him now, and the Slim Jim he was then, I don't think he did). I think I would like it to be easier for both of us. I can see where he is coming from, he's not worked for 10 years and is coming home pretty knackered, DD is 11 now so she is happy to have anything she can cook herself although the baked beans are taking there toil on the air quality in the house. He would cook before and now only on weekends that I work until 8, Sundays tea was slightly over cooked but not on fire which was a bonus. My problem is getting started (this is with everything I do). I have got some good ideas and the pasta thing is good for me as I tend to take a ready meal to work with me which is usually a macaroni cheese or something similar however I would like to start making these sort of things myself.