Takeaways every night !

Has anyone suggested the Cherrypick app yet? It has recipes (a lot of which if you choose are more the assembling end of things) and links to a supermarket shop for delivery. You can search by category (so under 30 min for example) and put dietary requirements in...You get everything added to your supermarket basket and can add additional bits (cereal, bread, milk etc) or take stuff out you already have. Currently, you can shop with Sainsburys's, Tesco and Asda, if you can afford it I'd sainsbo's casue they have lots more ready to cook meats, sauces etc (so easier....). Would have thought it cheaper than gusto or whatever the meal delivery things are.....

I don't want to have a go at you @Lookwhostalking25 so I will try not to. But I can't get my head around ANYONE who lives on takeaways. (And certainly not families with children!)

I know a woman who lives in my street who has takeaway food 5 times a week, sometimes 6 - which is pretty much almost all the time. Pizza, Chinese, Cantonese, and Indian Food, Maccies, Subway, Greggs, Chip Shop, kebab shop (Maccies and Subway and chippy and kebab shop don't deliver here in the sticks, so she or her partner drive to the market town 3-4 miles away and get it and bring it home!)

Me and DH seriously question if she even has an oven! In case anyone wonders how I know so much about all her takeaways, we can literally see her house from our window, she lives almost opposite!

I mean, I am not a very good cook, and I am not fond of cooking. But there are soooo many things you can produce as a meal, even if you CBA. Go to the Iceland store or something... Get turkey twizzlers, chicken nuggets, fish fingers, mac and cheese, frozen petit pois and sprouts and broccoli with breaded chicken fillets, pizza, pies, jars of pasta sauce so you can do pasta/spaghetti. (Spag bol is a meal a 6 year could do. That's why I do it so well LOL.)

Then there's chilli Con Carne, fish and chips, pukka pies, fish pies, salmon and new potatoes, baked potato and baked beans, cheese on toast etc... buy a freshly cooked chicken from the deli in Morrisons or Sainsburys, you can get quite a bit of mileage out of that...Or salads, soups, sandwiches, or beans on toast if you're not faffed to do much/spend time in the kitchen. Enlist other family members to do stuff sometimes too.

I worked 3 days a week - and had 2 kids close in age, and we only had takeaways every 6 weeks or so, and Maccies or Subway maybe once or twice a month. 95% of the time we would just eat at home. It's every shade of batshit to have takeaways every day, very unhealthy, and VERY expensive!

As others have said though, I am so sorry to hear you lost your husband. It must be very tough. But yeah, constant takeaways every night really needs to stop.

Something I heard on the radio by the guy that does "Just One Thing" Dr Mosely? I think?

His line was something about it building confidence, being relaxing, knowing that you're doing something positive, doing something good for your family.

Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley - Cook from Scratch - BBC Sounds

Planning at the weekend is essential. It's tedious but you'll be so glad you did it when the weekdays roll around. I often prep the next day's dinner after I've eaten in the evening so you can just shove everything in a pan or reheat it on the night. Lot less effort than starting from scratch after a tiring day at work when everyone is hungry.

There's so much great convenience food you can buy that's not actually unhealthy. Microwave sachets of rice, pre seasoned couscous, frozen mash, pre cooked chicken, pre prepped salad etc. the other day I bought a sachet of pre cooked dahl...I served it with a bought flat bread, some salad and mango chutney

@Lookwhostalking25 if you are anywhere near Glasgow I’d happily teach you to cook and help you meal plan

you sound like you are doing so well, the kids are lucky to have such a wonderful mum

What an disgraceful reply. You should be ashamed of yourself poster!

@SmudgeButt

why is it better for your mental health?!

For me the hardest part of getting meals on the table is deciding what to have then checking you’ve got the ingredients (ie often the things you forget or run out of like spices, soy sauce etc), and shopping for it all. Cooking is the easy bit! Meal delivery kits like Gousto or Hello Fresh were a game changer for me. Not cheap, but not too expensive, it’s all in there, easy to skip, most give you recipe cards so you can build up your “meal” library. Give it a go, I’m sure it’ll make a difference. Sit on the sofa one night and choose your meals for the following week- it really is very easy. Most take about half an hour or so to prep.

Slow cooker. Put a joint in on the morning and it will be ready when you get home. Pulled pork/beef are nice. Plus will last a couple of days in the fridge.

These are nice, and easy to throw in the microwave. Serve with some feta and bagged salad. Choice of orzo or giant couscous.

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/313377668?sc_cmp=ppcGHS+-+Grocery+-+NewMPX_PMAX_All_OT_Click%2BCollect_Online+Budget_1011017**313377668*&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADiyNas_PpPngQEz1iZcaO7fbsUn0&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI65nX18iFhgMVTKloCR34EAdhEAQYASABEgKgR_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

You're doing great OP, I'm so sorry for your loss.

I find that if I plan our meals for the week and shop around that then it's a million times easier to manage. I take one night a week to batch cook too. It's tedious but it definitely helps. Regulars are chilli (with rice or jacket potatoes or stuffed inside a pepper), stir fry s - I prep all the veg and stick it in a freezer bag so I just need to get it out and shove it in a pan, maybe have it with chicken and noodles, sausage and mash, no prep needed. Bolgnaise, pasta sauces etc.

Home cooking tens to be healthier both in terms of what you eat and mental health too. But don't knock yourself out if you don't have the time.

A well organised shop getting in ready meals and some simple things like jacket potatoes will be easy and significantly cheaper. Nowt the matter with an occasional take away but not every night.

Then once you master that see about cooking something on Saturday/Sunday that will do for a couple of days. Roast whatever with the leftovers for sandwiches to be served with soup the next night.

Op, I totally think you're not unreasonable - you have three young kids and have only just lost your spouse. Be kind to yourself .

Online shopping is great. I find it I'm needing a slot then next day there's usually a click and collect one free.

Keep simple dinners in freezer - we have emergency battered fish and a bag of chips or sweet potato fries on hand for a quick tea.

If you wanted to venture into cooking - I follow Taming Twins (Sarah Rossi) on Instagram. She has a book of meals under thirty mins and another that is one pot stuff. Tasty and easy.

Friday night here is always something that's dead easy - Goujons, wraps, potato wedges, salad or make your own pizza.

So sorry for your loss op, you are doing great and it is enough.

Like you cooking is my bugbear so;

I started an Ocado account, and set up a weekly delivery ( one hour timeslot) once l had my two under two Dcs. Now l also feed my elderly parents and a carer too...

It takes me 10-20 minutes in the evening the day before the delivery to meal plan a simple meal for every day of the week. Plus toiletries, cleaning products, batteries, Birthday items, cards etc....( I have a notepad in the kitchen for us to write what we are out of)

In the many years since, l have tried all the delivery options and none come close for freshness, our vegetables and fruit last a good 5-6 days, we waste nothing. Others may appear cheaper but the quality means more waste and l like the Ocado basics own vegetables, fruit and meat..

If you are able to do an early Saturday morning delivery, as an idea, all food can be put away in 30 minutes and maybe a whole load of vegetables prepped for several days in the fridge in an hour.
Then another hour on a Sunday and you could have meals for the week.

As l am the only one cooking and don't love it (AT ALL) Saturday night is Pizza night, teens do that plus make an omelette for me, and clean up as l am officially on strike on Saturdays!
Good luck op, you are amazing.

Chicken wraps with slices of pan fried chicken breasts, wholewheat wrap or pitta with mayo and whatever salady stuff they’ll eat (sweetcorn, cucumber etc)

Sausage, frozen Yorkshire puddings, veg and instant gravy

egg noodles, broccoli, chicken and soy sauce

sorry for your loss

Some quick and easy meals:

Microwave jacket potatoes (you can cook them from raw: no crispy skin but otherwise fine) with tuna or grated cheese. Sliced up tomatoes or peppers for a bit of veg.

Pesto pasta: sticky some frozen veg in with the pasta for the last couple of minutes, stir in pesto afterwards.

Veg stir fry with microwave rice (buy a stir fry pack of pre-chopped veg) - literally just fry the veg for a few minutes and add a bit of soy sauce or get a pack of sauce your kids like.

We sometimes just have tuna mayo with boiled potatoes and veg (peas, carrots etc) when DH is cooking. It's my daughter's favourite meal!

All of these can be on the table in 20 mins or less from a standing start and require very little skill or thought. Also all pretty cheap.

As others have said, you are doing amazingly, please be kind to yourself.

I would recommend Iceland home delivery for food shopping, free delivery if you spend over £40, although you have to pay £1.50 for bags. We are a fan of very quick and easy meals in our house for various reasons. Would recommend the following hacks:

Microwave jacket potatoes (McCain or similar)
As others have said, fresh pasta and sauce
Bags of microwave rice/grains that you can add bits to like cheese, cooked meats.
Fruit crumble with frozen fruits and ready made crumble mix, a fun way of boosting your fruit intake.

Yes I agree too. Sorry for your loss. X How about the frozen jackets potatoes. Nice and easy and can add beans and cheese. Iceland warehouse do big bags of things like pasta bake that are easy to cook.

Get yourself a slow cooker if you can afford it xx

Honestly I’d go and grab a shedload of Marks and Sparks ready meals and just go with them for a bit. It will be cheaper and healthier for you all but still really easy. Give yourself a break!

Firstly, you are amazing!! Wow. I am so sorry for your loss I cannot imagine how that was. Then to have a baby in the middle of it along with 2 other children. You are standing and for that well done.

Probably mentioned on here. I have a ninja 15 in 1. I absolutely love it. There are loads of varieties of pasta/ rice meals you can do in 1 pot and have on the table in 30 minutes.

Start building a freezer stash - so if you do a curry this week double the receipe so next week you have curry in the freezer.

Most supermarkets now do a much better variety of ready meal. They are usually in foil trays that you take the wrapper off and into the oven.

A week might be:
Spag bol - from the freezer this freezes so well
Chicken curry rice - all in 1 pot in the ninja
Boiled/ baked gammon - ninja. + salad/ bread
Cajun chicken pasta - all in 1 pot in the ninja
burgers from butcher or with high meat content + buns + pre pre'd salad
Pepperoni pasta bake - ninja
Chilli (again great for batching) + frozen jacket spuds
Beef stew - all in ninja
Whole chicken - in ninja + pre pre'd salad and roll/ tiger bread
Wrap pizza
Chicken goujons/ maryland from the butcher made with whole chicken pieces.
Mac and cheese - ninja
Toad in the hole
Jambayla - ninja
Fajitas made using the kit

I have some pyrex dishes that can go straight from the freezer to the oven - although I usually defrost over night as it'd be forever. If you fill one of those with a double dinner at least once a week that is dinner for 1 night sorted nxt week

Happy to expand on any of the recipies but my post is already getting long.

You sound like an amazing woman and a fantastic mum

I’m really sorry about the death of your husband. My mum died when I was a young child, so I know how it turns life upside down. She was the cook in our house too. My father made a lot of stews or similar, plus a lot of potatoes, veg and fish/meat. Pretty simple food but nutritious.

I manage with young children and am intense job by often serving the same thing two days in a row eg I’m make a decent bolognaise when they go to bed or put it on while playing with them, then they get that for dinner the next two days. I also use the slowcooker a lot, and do simple meals like pan-fried seabass, boiled or roasted veg and new potatoes or air-frier sweet potatoes.

but sometimes it’s even too much to think about that level of cooking and then honestly hellofresh or similar is great. Get the 20 min or simple recipes (hellofresh is also really great at teaching you how to cook). And then at least 3-4 days a week, you know you have a good, varied meal.