People who love cooking for their families every single bloody day……

[Zippidydoodah]

…..and I’m sure there must be someone out there! 😜

Please could you inspire me? All I feel is seething resentment and verging on rage that I have to cook every. Single. Night.

I’ve tried “dump bags”- horrible name but amazing concept- nobody liked them.

The kids eat way too much beige and we don’t eat anywhere near enough vegetables. I’m genuinely scared for our future health!

Help us……please!

Great idea! How did you feel about this growing up? Were you ever bored?

'He works long hours and is pretty rubbish at home. I’m working on that.'

HE should be working on that not you.

Point taken! 😂

Why I don’t hate cooking… My DH loves to cook, I didn’t cook a thing when we first moved in together for over a year from living with parents. Gradually started messing around with cooking and starting to find stuff I liked to do, now I mainly do the cooking as work PT and enjoy it! I double/ triple a lot of stuff as I am a lazy chef vs DH who is a very fancy from-fresh-beautifully-presented type (and use every pan in the process lol), so this week I’m only cooking twice in 7 days. I do a meal plan every week and keep a shopping/meals list in my phone notes, this week as follows:

• Lentil Dahl & homemade naans (From fresh cos we have yoghurt to use)
• Red Thai chicken & turnip curry (frozen) & rice
• Sausage pasta bake (frozen) & asparagus that’s hanging round in the fridge
• Shepherds pie (frozen) & microwave frozen veg
• Spaghetti bolognaise (frozen sauce)
• Venison casserole (frozen) & microwave veg
• Belly pork & rice with microwave frozen veg (from fresh)

We have a mini chest freezer & lots of glass Pyrex type dishes. I’d hate to cook from fresh every night, we’d just end up eating easy stuff that requires minimal prep! All my recipes are generally from BBC Good Food, or if I get any kind of odd ingredients from the food surplus shop I go to I search for that and buy accordingly, it’s where the venison and turnip one came from :) I hope this helps! And that you can get DH on side to share the load!

Not at all bored! All of the meals were things we children liked, and it was just part of the routine that we'd have a certain food on a certain day. Looking back it seems quite limited, but it was mostly homecooked and pretty healthy (we had a takeaway once a week). Certainly there were many different types of food I'd never tried until I went to university, but I caught up quickly!
I actually keep meaning to implement this in my own household now but haven't got round to it yet.

One of the things I used to do when mine were a little younger (they're 22, 19 and 16 now) was a buffet tea. Mini pizzas, crudités, dips, mini sausages, sausage rolls and garlic bread. I'd lay it out on platters on a Friday and get them to help themselves. I still do it now sometimes and I can do most bits in the air fryer. It's just a little bit less soul destroying than cooking a 'proper' meal (for me at least - probably just psychological) and they liked being in charge of what they ate. They even ate the veggies!

Kids thrive on routine, don’t they? This might just work.

I have tried in the past to do a 3 week rotation as my youngest has school dinners and I didn’t want him to have sausages or pizza twice in one day, for example. Maybe I’ll try that again!

Food processor + slow cooker

fry meat (coated in flour for beef /lamb) in olive oil till brown dump in slow cooker

blitz onions, garlic, other things required by recipe (eg ginger) - fry with spices in the pan that used to have the meat (tablespoons of spices - I buy mine from international shops so I can add half a bag). add to slow cooker.

use slice function on food processor, slice carrots/ courgettes etc. this is the bulking veg

chuck in a tin of tomatoes if required & bit of cornflour and cold water mixed together.

you can make curries, tagines, pasta sauces, french style stews, English style stews, Spanish style stews… just change up the spices and the veggies used.

leave on low for a day. Depending on slow cooker style you may have enough to freeze.

serve with appropriate carbohydrate for the foodstuff.

gets me through winter but my child is too young to have opinions on what she will eat yet. (I’m still at the no salt phase)

What I find helpful is that we eat at the table, so we take our time and chat over our meals, and they’re always very appreciative of whatever I’ve cooked. I don’t do strict meal plan but I do cook the same meals in fairly frequent rotation.

I love it! But DC only actually likes about 10 meals I cook. I'm gradually trying to increase this.

Things that usually work for us all are -

Sausages (at least 90% pork ones), homemade oven chips (really easy), peas /beans

Meatballs (I just use pork mince), mash, broccoli

Roast chicken, roast carrots, roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, gravy, broccoli or peas

These, with sweet potato wedges and salad
https://www.kiddycharts.com/cook/cupboard-food-for-toddlers-tuna-and-sweetcorn-fritters/ (I add cheese and occasionally spring onion. I substitute Birdseye fish fingers if feeling lazy)

This, with noodles and stir fried veg. I was surprised DC liked this but they really did!
www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/mains/sticky-peanut-pork-with-stir-fried-purple-sprouting-broccoli

Spaghetti carbonara

This soup https://cookieandkate.com/best-lentil-soup-recipe/ (I don't bother with the kale, and blend it until smooth).

This tray bake. Any veg can be added https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/healthy/healthy-sausage-traybake/

This tray bake. Any veg can be added. Sometimes I use cream cheese instead of pesto. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/salmon-pesto-traybake-baby-roast-potatoes

Jacket potato and cheese, tuna, beans, salad

Pizza (either homemade or using Costa and Mollica bases).

This but with boursin instead of blue cheese https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/roast-mushroom-gnocchi

Fajitas - I put out left over chicken, rice, Greek yoghurt, black beans, red peppers, lettuce, avocado and we all make our own at the table.

I don't love it, but I don't mind it either. DH has taken over the cooking now as he got bored of my cooking after 20 years of it (fair enough).

My rule was never cook any week night meal that takes longer than 30 mins to prep, and twice a week have meals that take 5 mins or less to prep. But i did always fixate on giving them plenty of veg.

5 minute meals would be stuff like filled pastas with a tomato sauce or pesto, grated cheese, steamed peas and broccoli or side salad. Or oven baked fish and chips with steamed carrots, peas, sweetcorn.

The rest of the week I would do something like make a big batch of ragu and then have it one night as spag bol, freeze some then have it later in the week in a different recipe: add chilli beans and spices, serve with rice and guacamole or sour cream or both for chilli con carne, or slice and fry aubergines and layer with the ragu and mozzarella to make a sort of mega quick moussaka. Or fill tortillas with it a nd bake them with some grated cheese on to, served with salad.

Then a couple of tray bakes: chicken with sweet potatoes or baby new potatoes, peppers, baby tomatoes and onions or drizzled with with miso, homey and sesame seeds and baked with butternut squash, served with steamed broccoli. Or salmon roasted or pan fried with a bit of soy, sweet chilli and served with egg noodles or rice, sugar snap peas, carrots and baby corns.
Or gnocchi tomato and basil mozarella tray bake with salad.

All of these take about 15mins to prep and then go in the oven.

But it does get boring cooking every day. I don't miss it now DH does it. but I do miss the taste of my cooking which is less oily than DH's.

Amazing ideas! For some reason I’m not able to click on the “thanks” icon but rest assured, I am very thankful!

I feel your pain. I love food and used to love cooking, but the relentless chore of having to dish up decent dinners that everyone will eat is overwhelming. And then the guilt I feel if we eat badly for a week. If I ever get a night by myself I'll just eat a cheeseboard for dinner!

I meal plan, batch cook, keep a veggie tomato sauce portioned in the freezer.

I take one night off where we eat pick plates (plate of random food) or freezer food.

Do you have an Instant Pot or similar?

I've been making a yummy kedgeree in it recently. It's really easy as it's quick and all cooked together in one pot. Just wash the rice, add the spices and fish stock then pop a piece of frozen/fresh fish and some chopped spring onions on the top.

We've also done goulash, stroganoff and bourguignon of late! Making spätzle for the goulash was fun!

We have cooked lunch and dinner 7 days a week. DH does maybe three of those and I refuse to be a martyr to the stove. Most of our meals take 10 minutes of hands-on time then I leave it to do its own thing. I set a timer but I’m usually back before it rings (40+ years means you do a lot on autopilot!).

Weekly meal planning lightens the mental load and you can make sure vegetables/fried food/meat are spread through the week. I do mine over breakfast before a big shop and it includes any appointments that change our timing or plans during the week. Obviously it’s not set in stone and the order changes. Keep an eye on the school lunch menu. I put it on the fridge and send a photo to the family WhatsApp. No more “Muuuuuuum, what’s for dinner??”

Lunches are pasta, soup, sandwiches or wraps, salads, omelette, risotto or fried rice. Plus fresh fruit.
Dinners are fish fillets and veg, meat and roasted veg, chili or curry, beige food and carrot salad. I make a roast dinner once a week, steak and chips regularly and frozen pizza at the weekend. Quiche or cake (5 minute sponge or muffins) if the oven is going on.

My advice is: use your freezer A LOT for soup ingredients, frozen veg and potato products, batch and leftovers, ice cream, an emergency cheesecake for minor celebrations and fresh bread to defrost in the microwave so you never run out.

Have a pressure cooker, an air fryer and a microwave. I’m not a fan of slow cooking. An induction hob with a timer is a game changer. Set it and get on with your life.

Oh, and call for help with prep, laying the table and using the dishwasher.

Can you ask them to choose a meal? I mean set some rules or it'll be McDonald's but maybe write a list and they all pick one each
Then they will at least eat that

Well...until recently most mums cooked for their families every single day - it's just what you do, like showering in the morning.

When was “recently”?

I am nearing 50 and my mum didn’t cook every night… we had school lunches so mum felt “one hot meal a day” was ticked and we had sarnies for tea.

I love cooking, it's my de-stress. We do a meal plan at breakfast together before I go to the shop and everyone has to contribute an idea. Anytime we are doing something simple like pasta bake my 7yo has to make it, I feel like it shows him how much work it is and I get less chat back. Everything is served family style and if I can't think of any exciting veg to serve its corn on the cob and carrots and peas. If we do something like fajitas I just move some of the filling to another pan before adding spices so they are having the same meal with the same accompaniments but slightly less spicy. We also have a massive master list of the meals we enjoy when we have no inspiration. Every 4 weeks when I have a weekend off we do a themed dinner (like french/Italian etc) and everyone has to contribute a course, the kids love it and spend hours on Spotify choosing a playlist and drawing decorations.

Some meals we like;
www.jocooks.com/recipes/chicken-rice-pilaf/
https://www.asda.com/good-living/recipe/jambalaya?recipe_id=384dca42-2aff-11e9-8802-7daf07a34f81
https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/pork-tenderloin-mustard-glaze.html
https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/01/crunchy-baked-pork-chops/
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/sausage-ragu
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-steak-pie
Enchiladas/fajitas/tacos/chille con carne
There's always a bolognese at least once a fortnight
Curry with naan and poppadoms and mango chutney
Mince and tatties but add 2 white puddings to pan 10 mins before end and mix into mince.
A good macaroni or lasagne done before I do nightshift is a lifesaver and can last 3 days
Haggis neeps and tatties with mustard and or whiskey sauce
Stovies with leftover roast beef.
Meatballs and spaghetti
Quiche (super easy with a premade pastry case)
Taco pasta (can't find my recipe online but it's mince browned then add fajita seasoning and then a jar of salsa and then loads of cheddar and cooked pasta shells. It's a quick one to make and my child who won't eat cheese declares it his favourite, what he doesn't know won't hurt him!)

My lasagne recipe is from the 90s so no link but it's got veg in the ragu but it's quite creamy and the kids love it, it's a bit faffy but will last a few days. Can send you a picture of the recipe if you need.

Hope that's some inspiration!

@Butterbean21 wow, thank you for all the ideas and links! 😊👍

I have teenagers that aren't fussy anymore, weren't particularly fussy before. I just make something and hope they like it but if they don't then sadly it goes to waste. I didn't think enough veg was being eaten so I just cook whatever veg and put it with the meal, it doesn't bother me if it goes or not for example, I cooked a fish, mushroom sauce, soy sauce, ginger garlic lime dish the other day and I had peppers and sprouts in the fridge so we had them on the side. They found the sauce too bitter and watery so in all honesty I don't think the fish was a success but you live and you learn.

Friday was home cooked chicken Caesar salad but teenage DS who has much bigger appetite wasn't here so if he had been probably would have had to have pasta but with homemade sauce.

My two love pasta and noddles so if I have tomatoes and basil or oyster sauce, sauce sauce easy to produce meals. The veg is then on the side so perhaps cabbage and pasta.

DH loves cooking but works away mostly in the week but at the weekend he produces amazing stuff so we are lucky.

I’ve scribbled down the school dinner menu and am going to try and find meals to slot in for a 3 week plan. Wish me luck!

Frozen chopped onions, soffrito and garlic are a game changer. Eliminate the chopping stage and lots of recipes become 5/15 minute prep quick meals.

I love cooking and have always cooked from scratch and avoided UPFs but the mind space taken up with planning, shopping etc can kill the joy!

A repeating monthly meal plan with summer/winter adaptations and a preset online shopping list takes away all the slog of deciding what to cook. I swap things in and out most weeks if I fancy cooking something different or anyone has a special request but it’s a choice to do that, it’s not a chore any more.

Have some super quick recipes (eg carbonara and salad, stir fry, pasta pesto with peas and broccoli), and prepared meals (home batch cooked or the odd beige meal, pizza etc) every week.

If you don’t want to spend an evening batch cooking every week, at least double up on recipes that freeze well eg spag bol so you have some ready made meals in the freezer.

Try cooking 2 meals in one some nights so you have a low or no prep dinner for the next day (or the day after that, if you want more variety) eg
roast chicken then chicken Caesar salad, cold chicken and bubble and squeak, chicken ramen, curry (the 5 minute Spice Tailor kits are good if you aren’t confident), chicken fried rice etc
Make a spag bol, chilli, cottage pie filling, lasagne at the same time eg fry off the mince, garlic and soffrito then split into two and make a cottage pie filling and one of the others, or split after you have added tomatoes to make spag bol/chilli/lasagne.
While dinner is simmering and you can’t really leave the kitchen, brown off ingredients for a casserole or pie filling to chuck in the slow cooker or oven and cook ready for another evening or to freeze.
Don’t forget simple meat/fish and 2 veg recipes that are low prep, quick and easy. You can add a marinade, glaze or sauce to make it less boring eg peri peri chicken, honey and soy salmon, steak hache and peppercorn sauce (fresh non UPF burgers work instead of steak hache 😂).

Wow @Mipil , thank you!

I wouldn't say I love it... But I don't hate it either. I've really pared back my meals since having a toddler and keep it simple on a rotation. I have a four week meal plan but some meals appear more than once so probably about 20 different options across the month. I don't follow it slavishly and sometimes try something different but it's always there to fall back on when I have no energy to think of anything!

Weekends I do stuff that takes more time i.e roast chicken, chicken pie, fish pie, katsu curry, cottage pie, casseroles etc.
Weeknights we have stuff that can be done quickly or heated from the batch cooking stash - Bolognese, chilli, macaroni cheese, pasta bakes.
Friday nights we do pizza or the Spice Tailor meal kits. Sweet and sour and korma are our favourites at the moment with microwave rice and sometimes with extra sides from M&S. Cheaper than a takeaway and very tasty.

I have a slightly different plan for the summer months with fewer stews and more grilled meat/halloumi, salad and wrap type meals. Been doing this about 6 months and so far we haven't got bored!