Help our Family at meal time!

Runnerduck

a fast food meal i used to do for the kids on my night with least time was boil some pasta, drain the water off, add a jar of good tomato pasta sauce, a tin of drained sweetcorn and a tin of drained tuna chunks and heat through, ready in about 15 mins, only one saucepan to wash and cheaper and healthier than a takeaway

hoglet121

I stash the freezer with several portions of meat in a sauce type meals... Granted you do have to have time to make them in advance, but I make huge vats of the things and get at least 4 dinners done at a time. I have a freezer now with about 6 or 7 different meal options ready to go.

Then I take them out the night before (you do have to remember to do this bit!) and that's what we're having for dinner cos we haven't got anything else defrosted.

You do have to be strict with yourself if you want to stick to it, and say, 'well I've spent time and money making this, and yesterday I decided we'd eat it tonight, so too bad no takeaway for us, even though that's what I fancy...' 9 times out of 10 we stick to it, every so often it gets rolled over to the next night ;-)

moments_of_sanity

Meal planning doesn't start out very easy but honestly, once you get into the mindset that you have planned it so that is what you will have (also, having purchased the ingredients, I certainly don't want them going to waste) it is much less stressful than trying to decide late in the day and then rushing to get things done.

Today is a prime example of an 'I wish I hadn't planned that' day, on my menu plan was pork chops with all the veg and my darling eldest DD had an induction this morning that took 4 hours, so a drop off and pick up, that overran and it was a quick dash to her hospital appointment, dashed from there back to her work so she could pick up her shift pattern (had to wait in the car for her for an hour) and didn't get in until 6.30pm.....my Dad was due over at 7pm :eek:

Because I knew we were having pork chops with veg, I got the pork chops out last night and prepped the veg today whilst waiting for eldest DD to send me my next instructions for pick ups. Had I not planned the days meals I would have been so tempted to pop in for fish and chips as I really couldn't be bothered with cooking when I got in. As it was, dinner was cooked and served just before parents arrived and I saved £10 by not buying take out.

Stick with it, I promise it gets easier

Beckyy

Lasagne, cottage pie and chilli con carne will all freeze well so you could make one of those on a Sunday and have a few portions int eh freezer which you could just heat up in the microwave.

Pasta is a good one, cheap and simple.

Tortilla wraps can make many meals also, you can put loads in them. Chicken, veg & sauce. Melt cheese over them, add ham and fold for a quick quesadilla etc.

Baked potatoes with various toppings to stop them becoming boring.

krustylouise

Mummy+2 wrote: »

No need for that at all! I didn't say won't I said don't because my current planning doesn't work for us! I'm asking for help because I want to change and make it better! Yes I haven't done to well in the past but I'm hoping with better meals that I can manage and I look forward to I'll be more inclined to stick to it

Ps Didn't any one ever teach you if you have nothing nice to say don't say it?

Like I said - I wasn't being nasty, I was merely stating that your past efforts haven't succeeded, you've come here to ask for advice, and that's all fine and well, but if you decide you can't be bothered {like mentioned in your initial post} all our efforts and suggestions here are futile.

I really hope you get loads of helpful advice on this forum, as I often do, and it works for you and your little ones this time.

I work full time too and have 1 little one and know how stressful juggling things can be.

I meal plan each sunday for the week ahead, this weekend I meal planned for the next 2 weeks and made use of a £15 of £60 voucher for Sainsburys {2 weeks shopping for £45!}.

I bake lunch box cakes {chocolate sponge, lemon drizzle cake, flapjacks, short bread etc} on a sunday afternoon and leave pre cut in boxes to be transferred into lunchboxes the night before.

As far as cooking evening meals, do you have a slow cooker? These are great for the end of the day when you collapse through the door and aside from some potatoes/chips/rice/pasta your evening meal is ready, and if you've cooked enough you could have it for lunch/dinner the next few days in other forms.

I have some full chickens which I will roast, I will use some to go with a salad and the rest will go in either a curry/pie etc.

Hope my suggestions are of some use to you and as I said before, wasn't meant as nasty, was meant as a "gee up" more than anything.

terra_ferma

When I go through periods of working very long hours I find that meal planning really helps me.
Meal planning should fit around your lifestyle, not the other way round
The way I do it now is to build in some flexibility, I plan for 5 evening meals, but I can swap and change if I feel like it. Also if one evening plans change and for example I'm too tired or something comes up, I make sure I keep something ready in the freezer (e.g. curry that I can reheat and have with some rice).
The plan also often involves eating the same food twice (e.g. making pizza and freeze some to have a couple of days later).
There is nothing easier than coming home, and know exactly what you need to do (e.g. throw meat and veggies in the slow cooker, chop ingredients for a salad) without having to open the fridge, look at what is available, check it's still edible, and start thinking 'what shall I make?'. That's already 5 minutes off the 30 you've got left
Some means are very quick: e.g. curry with sweet potatoes and frozen spinach, grilled chicken, potato and ham salad, spinach roll made with ready made puff pastry. Even a roast chicken can take no time at all, one evening roast chicken with boiled pots/veggies, then nice roast veggies can be cooked the second day as the chicken is already done.
Once I developed a number of fast-food recipes, and got used to them, it takes literally 5 mins to chuck stuff in the pot.

Also using an electric pan with a timer, or something like an actifry means that you can do other things while the food cooks, that's even a better use of your time
An electric cooker or even a gas oven just get on with it and you check every 15 mins or so

BAGGY

I would make up a huge vat of savoury/tomato based mince on the day you have most time. You could construct a sheperds pie and a lasagne with this for the 'hurried' nights. Pasta with philly cheese, brocolli and bacon bits is quick and easy. I also do fried rice with left over roast meat, peppers, peas etc. Would you eat sweet and sour sauce? I make mine with basics pineapple tins. Yes, you do need to buy unusual ingredients but we have it once every 2 weeks so it doesnt go to waste. All day breakfast can be quick and needn't be a greasy blow out. Cous cous is super quick as is chinese noodles. Any dinner that you can wham into the oven all at once is ok now and then. Things like sausage, chips and a tin of baked beans. I can't get on with my slow cooker but my dad uses his all the time. I have portioned up bags with chicken breast (or stewing steak), onions and veg and put them in the freezer. All he has to do is take them out the night before and add a jar/packet of sauce and leave to defrost in the fridge. Bung it on in the morning with a can of potatoes and it's a one pot meal. There are slow cooker geniuses here. They should know what works well.
We dont do pudding on week nights other than fruit or youghurt. Sometimes tinned rice pud if it's on offer.

Mummy+2

Thanks Going to sit down tonight and start writing out a plan. I really want things to improve for money and health reasons x

kevana

Hi, do you like rice and pasta. These can be made into some really quick meals. The rice I cook in the microwave, 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of boiling water, microwave for 10 minutes. Then work out some basic easily customized sauces ie

Basic tomato sauce made with

Pasata
Meat - chopped bacon/sausage/chicken/mince
Veg - frozen mixed veg/peppers/courgette/mushrooms/onions etc
herbs & spices - garlic/oregano/worchester etc

Very Basic Cheese Sauce

Any cream cheese warmed in pan can make it runnier with either a touch of milk or water
Add whatever meat/veg/herbs/seasoning


Basic White Sauce

Made as a roux with butter or marg/flour and milk or with cornflour
Again add whatever you fancy.

Add pasta, rice or potatoes as you fancy.

Basic mince sauce made with gravy can be made into savoury mince (add veg and potatoes), shepherds pie, pie, mince and dumplings, mince and yorkshire puddings etc.


Most of the above will give you at least 2 servings if using pack sizes (1 carton pasata, bacon etc) and can be frozen either as sauce or with rice, pasta, potatoes.

One of the fastest, no fuss meals I sometimes serve for me, hubby, hollow legged son is -

1.5 cups of rice
Veg stock cube
1/2 bag frozen mixed veg
Sometimes add meat, sometimes don't
3/4 cups boiling water
microwave for 10/15 minutes
Mix together when cooked and serve

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Tink_04

How about one dish meals, when ever you have time chop your veg, meat add spices etc all in a dish in the fridge then when you come home just turn on the oven & whack it in?

Red & yellow pepper, red onion , chopped tomatoes - mix some chicken & piri piri spice all together

Or

Red pepper x 2, red onion chicken with tikka spice mix & some tomatoe - put in the oven & bake

Serve either of these with rice - pitta breads ect & a bit salad