i can't be bothered

chardonnay_2

hi claire, what we do is buy those plastic tubs (like the ones you get a takeaway in) from poundland / asda/ etc and reuse them. whenever we make a meal we make double etc by using extra meat and extra veg (tinned/ fresh/ frozen), we then freeze them in these tubs - labelling them with a permanent marker (comes of in the dishwasher as these tubs are reuseable).

these tubs of dinners are brilliant lifesavers. we used to resort to takeaways whenever we couldn't be bothered to cook , spending a fortune and regretting it later. now whenever we can't be bothered we dig out these home made ready meals from the freezer.

not everything has to be cordon bleu or totally made from scratch. basic home made meals will go down a treat without spending hours slaving. if it helps you get your goal of part home made use bought sauces or even packet rice etc for nights you can't be bothered.

cherrycokester

clairewp wrote: »

Thanks for the above i think i need to try when i am fully awake and alert to decide what we are going to eat for week, get it out , perhaps pre cook it and freeze if necessary for the week ahead. And what do i do if children don't like it , normally i would think of something else.

this is going to sound realy harsh, but if the kids don't like it tough! eat it or be hungry! that was the attitude my mum and grandma had, and if you have ever seen supernanny on channel 4 she thinks the same way.

clairewp

cherrycokester wrote: »

this is going to sound realy harsh, but if the kids don't like it tough! eat it or be hungry! that was the attitude my mum and grandma had, and if you have ever seen supernanny on channel 4 she thinks the same way.

I know what you r saying , do i need to be cruel to be kind.if they don't eat it though. It shows how bad it is when we say to kids What do you fancy for tea and their reply is takeaway..
thank you all for your responses i am going to really try to be more organized.

Zazen999

I just love the taste and love cooking; and will make more each time that I can for the next day's food. So more mash one day will be the topping on a cotage pie the next.

When I was really working the long long hours, I would cook a base [such as onions and peppers and garlic in olive oil] and keep it in the fridge. As most of my pasta dishes are based around this, plus all my curries and chillis - it means that I am halfway there each time. So - pop a spoonful in the pan, add other veg and cook on a medium heat; add tinned toms and whatever spices you need and by the time you have done the pasta/rice whatever you have a meal.

ceridwen

electric steamers are very well worthwhile in my opinion. I just shove prepared potatoes or other veg. or rice in there and leave it to cook - whilst I do something else (rest of the meal or what I want to). With that - then thats part of the meal I dont have to focus on getting

- and for those days when I REALLY REALLY cant stand the thought of bothering - my filler food/protein food/Vitamin C containing food formula works - eg proper porridge (for the filler food element), fresh fruit (for the Vitamin C element) and the milk in the porridge is the protein element. Alternatively - bread/cheese/salad and fresh fruit covers the same ground.

savvy

Ohhh I know where you're coming from Claire!! I used to get bored as heck with cooking because I had to, takes the fun out of it :rolleyes:

I'm lucky NOW, as my bf does a lot of the cooking, so I don't do as much as I used to. But some of the ways I've found to motivate myself is team cooking with my bf, or the kids. Obviously depends on how the kids are, but I think it's good at any age to start teaching them about cooking, and then letting the kids do the cooking when they are competent enough.

LittleTinker

cherrycokester wrote: »

this is going to sound realy harsh, but if the kids don't like it tough! eat it or be hungry! that was the attitude my mum and grandma had, and if you have ever seen supernanny on channel 4 she thinks the same way.

Exactly what I have done with my kids. And you know, not one of them is a fussy eater now.

stefejb

clairewp - how old are your kids. If they are that fussy and reject your efforts then suggest that they come up with some ideas and then help you cook it or even do it themselves. The rule in my house is that that's the dinner and if you don't like it there is always bread and cheese - that works for me too. many times I have accidentally made something that dd loves and I hate. I know it's hard when you come home from work and want to spend some time with the kids - I work four days too. I get dd11 to do some of the cooking with me and it's a great way to teach things like weights and measures, time telling etc. You may also find that your diet is ocntributing to your lack of motivation and energy and that cooking with nice fresh ingredients increases your energy. well that's a nice rosy picture I painted there but I totally failed with dds18 and 22 who always prefer the look of the "before" table on You Are What You Eat and are totally hopeless now they have left home. good luck

annie123

I used to think the same.
I leave home at 7.45 am and return between 7.10 and 8pm 5 days a week.
On 1 of my days off I cook for the freezer. It doesn't take long.

Last sunday I got 1.5kg bag of lean mince.
I made spag bol 5 portions frozen into some double and single portions.
Chilli con carne same
and sheppards pie 1 double and 1 single portion for the freezer and a fresh one to eat on the day.

This Sunday it will be free range chicken dishes
Nest Sunday pasta bakes. and anything else that needs useing up

When you have done this for a few weeks you build up a good selection of 'ready meals' that just need veg/spuds/rice added.

If I am standing at the cooker it has got to be worth it.:)

clairewp

annie123 wrote: »

I used to think the same.
I leave home at 7.45 am and return between 7.10 and 8pm 5 days a week.
On 1 of my days off I cook for the freezer. It doesn't take long.

Last sunday I got 1.5kg bag of lean mince.
I made spag bol 5 portions frozen into some double and single portions.
Chilli con carne same
and sheppards pie 1 double and 1 single portion for the freezer and a fresh one to eat on the day.

This Sunday it will be free range chicken dishes
Nest Sunday pasta bakes. and anything else that needs useing up

When you have done this for a few weeks you build up a good selection of 'ready meals' that just need veg/spuds/rice added.

If I am standing at the cooker it has got to be worth it.:)

Ii really want to agree with you this sounds fine but my children 7 and 11 don't like chilli, spag bol,shepards pie(unless its made with corned beef) so where do i go from here HHHHEELLPPPP