The batch cooking is underway - what else should I do?

[AprilSpring]

Oh wise MN’s give me your top tips for being a working mum.
I return to work, 4 days a week, in a few weeks after having my second beautiful dd.

Here’s my list of woes as to why I need to make my life as easy as possible (and hence this post)

• I’m still breastfeeding so am not getting lots and lots of sleep and can’t share the night time wake ups with my husband, although he does do as much as he can with his boobless body
• husband has mammoth commute so is late back every night, I need an evening meal that is easily re heat-able as I eat with the dd’s.
• will need pack lunch for youngest (age1) dd at childminders, I’ve bought a little hot food flask with the idea that she could take left overs
• I need a super quick evening meal as both girls we hangry when I picked them up from the childminders when doing KIT days
• for various reasons I carry the mental load of the household, I’m returning to a job where I hold significant responsibility.

I’m already in team tomm, but will eventually get a cleaner once I’m back earning more and can boost the savings again.

So hit me with it, how else can I get organised both physically and mentally. If I’m honest I’m not sure how long we are all going to be able to sustain it, but I want to give it all a bloody good go, and all that’s probably best in a different post.

Thank you!

Following as am in a near-identical situation albeit not back to work until August. I've been sorting dinner every day of my mat leave and find it quite difficult to meal plan!
One thing I know I need to do is get nursery outfits and bags ready the night before.

Get a slow cooker.

Prep the meal the night before, put it on in morning, come home to a home cooked meal ready to be eaten that DH can help himself to when he gets in. All you'd really have to do is make something to go with what you're having. A liner for the SC would cut washing up times too.

I’m already in love with my slow cooker, but didn’t realise you could get liners! Im away to google! Thanks

You can pre prep your slow cooker meals as well. Have a look on Pinterest for slow cooker dump bags

Sorry, you have to send a packed lunch to the childminders?

I'm back next week after DC3 () and I am finding meal planning is the way forward.

I'm back 3 days per week so my plans are two nights will be something I've batched cooked and frozen and one night will be something very easy like rotisserie chicken, gnocchi and pesto and salad (I get off the bus on my way home outside a big Sainsbury's so can grab a warm chicken)

My plan is to be easy going and not too precious. There are plenty of not too unhealthy treats (I've just discovered microwaveable veg!!) and we'll be having decent meals most of the week.

Treats should read cheats.

“AJPTaylor” yeah I know, it’s pretty much their only downside though. They are wonderful in every other way

Fajitas - can freeze the chicken, veg etc then leave to defrost in the day then only takes a short time to cook and children like to build their own with wraps and salad
Bolognaise
Chilli
Casserole - beef, chicken, pork etc
Stir fry is quick
Have you looked at TOMM meals the slow cooker arrabiatta sauce is lovely.

I’m in the same situation I’m filling the freezer with meals including frozen pizza the batch cooked:

Shepherds pie
Fish pie (in cheap trays from
Poundland)
Thai red curry (veggie) in pots
Chilli
Nigella cheats meatballs
Risotto frozen in freezer bags

Then I’m getting a sack of potatoes for the garage and stocking up on tins of beans

Keep in a few non freezer emergency meals. For example pasta and pesto with frozen veg, pasta sauce (home made or not) with cheese and veg.

Ask the cleaner for additional tasks which make your evening easier, such as prepping and folding sets Of pyjamas.

Loving the meal tips so far, thanks all.
I’m a confident and dare I say good cook, so I think this part is stressing me out the least. Like “crunchy” I’m giving myself a break and not stressing as much as I used to. Even while I’ve been off one of the best things I’ve done is Monday microwave meal night, it’s made dd1s post school activity rush much easier to deal with and I figure once a week isn’t going to hurt.

What works for you with regards to managing the mental load and other household tasks?
I’m trying to take a ‘just do it’ approach so that things don’t build up. All the bills are on direct debit already, I’ve re stocked the present stash for birthday parties, anything else?

Our dd takes a packed lunch to the childminder, it's not that unusual. Op for the lunchbox side of things I make things to freeze - eg pinwheels, healthy muffins, veggie fritters (dd isn't a massive fan of sandwiches unfortunately!)

What keeps me sane is:

My wall calendar with everyone's commitments on - I know that everyone keeps their calendars on their phones these days but the shared calendar is visible and clear and any clashes are immediately apparent.

My weekly housework routine which I am very non-negotiable with myself over - so beds get changed on x day, ironing happens on y day and so on. Even if we're not feeling like doing it, it's the day to do it so DH and I just get on with it. After a while, we barely notice, and because everything has its own day, we're not spending hours on housework on any one day.

Slow cooker & rice cooker are your friends. Work out a weekly plan, and an online shop for it maybe? Pasta takes 20 mins including boiling the water - even hungry kids can wait that long (my fav sauce is a can of chopped tomatoes, an onion finely chopped and sautéed, a couple of crushed cloves garlic, can anchovies, tsp dried oregano and (if I have it) fresh parsley at the end. So simple and quick.

www.spendwithpennies.com/slow-cooker-spaghetti-bolognese/ is a great bolognese recipe.

BBC website does a good chilli recipe.

Brisket with a few carrots, mushrooms, onions, beef stock, red wine and thyme does for a 'dinner' with the leftovers frozen for hot beef sandwiches.

Whole chicken with veg and some chicken stock. Lovely moist meat and wonderful gravy.

My husband creates lots of curries with chickpeas, sweet potatoes or roast butternut squash.

We use an app called timetree (it's free) as our calendar app, DH and I can both add/edit events and it allows multiple calendars as well as colour coding within a calendar. There's a separate calendar set up (with reminders that ping) for dates like car MOT, insurance renewals etc and that has revolutionised my life - so much more on top of those things.

Time tree you say...... that sounds like what I’ve been looking for. I’m already fed up of saying “remember Dd1 is at so and sos party after swimming” and it being met with @oh I said we meet mum for lunch”

Following this as although I returned to work six months ago, I've not cracked it yet!

Things I find helpful:

• Prep everything for the following morning the night before. Bags and lunches packed, outfits laid out, pushchair ready, I even pour milk over DS's porridge oats and put them in the fridge so they need less time in the microwave first thing.
• Make sure I'm up and dressed before DS wakes up! Doesn't always work as his wake time is quite variable (and means I have to get up v early!) but so much easier than trying to rough dry hair, put tights on etc while also wrestling bouncy toddler.
• Meal plan and online food shop. I tend to save my basket and add things as I notice them running low, then DH and I plan the week ahead (we have a 7-day whiteboard planner where we write up who's doing pickup/drop off, any nights either of us are out, dinner plans). Definitely easy meals eg pizza and salad or quick pasta for busy nights. I don't tend to batch cook for us (freezer not big enough really, and I don't have the energy!) but maybe that would help.
• Lots of batch cooking for DS. He takes packed lunches to nursery but also doesn't like sandwiches so I give him a lot of soup - fry onion plus whatever veg, simmer in a bit of stock, blend. I add tiny pasta shapes / lentils / pearl barley etc to make it more substantial, and leave it quite thick. Or he has pasta + sauce, yoghurt, fruit, snack bar etc. Discovered a while back that he'll happily eat (cooked!) fish fingers cold too, so he gets a lot of those in his lunches.
• Cleaner. We'd never had a cleaner before my return to work but it's been brilliant - she is worth every penny we pay her!

• DS also gets major hanger post nursery so I tend to go for either microwave meals only those days (and quickly boil up some veg to go on the side), or something super easy like egg on toast with beans.

Timetree sounds great! Ugh the mental load.

We have an egg night every week. So omelettes, scrambled eggs, egg and soldiers etc. It's so quick and hardly any mess which is a bonus. My dc love this!!

Major tip for the slow cooker is to get a timer plug that switches it on and off - that way your meal will be slow cooked and delicious but not a big lump of mush!

Slow cooker successes here

• meatballs (make them large) - don't cook in sauce (for sauce I blitz garlic basil and tinned tomatoes plus half a low salt stock cube and a teaspoon of brown sugar - make double or treble quantities as this tops pasta sauce or pizza - and can be frozen in freezer bags)

Whole Chicken - stuff with lemon quarters, or sprinkle with paprika and herbs

Ham in cola/ cider (get a large one and use the left overs for carbonara or pizza next day)

Beef - crushed garlic, chopped onion, herbs and tinned tomatoes - add cream to the sauce before serving with rice

Quinoa - I soak and make a large bowl at the weekend and throw in with stir fried veg plus and prawns / chicken / tofu and teraki sauce

And a cleaner is an absolute priority

Oh you gorgeous gorgeous lot! This has simultaneously made me feel less stressed and inspired about the impending doom of work and doing it all.
I’m actually looking forward to the challenge now!
Virtual high fives for all of you’

Birthday card in bulk. And wrapping paper rolls, and tape.

A whole side of salmon to cook for Sunday lunch. You can freeze the leftovers and just defrost in portions or use in other recipes, or packed lunches with salad.

Lots of tinned pulses.

A whole frozen lamb leg or similar for when you wanted to cook a large meal on Sunday or have people over, but just can't get out the day before.

And April, don't forget to buy some fish fingers, oven chips and those individual bags of mixed frozen veg. Sometimes life takes over , and you'll be less stressed if you just go with it when that happens.