I'm a terrible cook and need meal ideas for self catering holiday please

[kate1277]

Help!

I am just not a great cook at all, and struggle for ideas and time.

I'm taking 4 children away on my own to Tenerife next month... I've never done a self catering holiday before but booked this as it was cheap and the only way I will afford a holiday this year.

So will have a small fridge, 2 burner hob and a microwave in the kitchen. No oven.

Will probably eat out a few nights, but trying to keep costs down.

Breakfast and lunches are fine. It's dinner ideas I will struggle for.

Youngest child is 2 (eats anything). Eldest 14 (eats most things).

Middle 2 are a bit more picky and would like to just eat chips and pasta the whole time. Can't even do chips without an oven though

Been to Spain many times but not Tenerife... there will be a supermarket very close by.

Thanks for any help x

Build your own fajitas and tacos (two different meals).

Sounds like a lovely chance to get away

with a hob (this was me all week due to storm) I would cook chicken fillets with peppers etc and near the end of cooking add rice ( you know the microwave rice) or ready to wok noodles / this would be very handy when you don’t want to be slaving over a stove

They're on holiday nothing wrong with chips and pasta for a week!

Is there access to a bbq?

Fajitas and tacos great idea, I think I can manage that. Microwave rice will absolutely work too

I'd happily give them chips but no oven, I use my oven for most "cooking" that I do, if you can even call it that.
Pasta I can make as I will have a hob

Could you take or buy a small airfyer?

Microwave chips!

Enjoy the holiday and give them pasta and whatever is easiest for YOU. They will be delighted to eat whatever and whenever and it won't kill them. It's a holiday for everyone.

Plenty of bread, butter, jam, cheese, ham, tomatoes, cucumber etc. and a bit of fruit all for grazing on. Pasta every night you don't go out with garlic bread toasted on a pan. Tins of beans, toast made on the pan. Whatever is easy.

Enjoy your well deserved holiday.

The Mercadona supermarket off the Golf del Sur roundabout have a hot food counter (others probably do too, but I know that one). Hot meals at very reasonable prices (the sliced potatoes are very nice, and gluten free for anyone that needs that). You can also buy a nice tortilla there (cheaper if you buy the ones near but not on the hot food counter).

They also do a nice big mixed salad box on the fruit and veg section for a couple of euro.

Could you do a mushroom risotto on the hob?

When our DC were younger and we had self catering caravan holidays we’d have things like ‘hotdog night’ tinned or frankfurter sausage on the hob with onions and the kids could load up with sauces and grated cheese. Not healthy but easy and the kids still talk about how much they looked forward to hotdog night on holiday.

Other nights we’d do pasta and sauce or microwaved jacket potatoes with chilli or just baked beans. On holiday you want quick and easy so you can spend the rest of the time having fun.

I would have no idea how to make risotto? Is there an easy recipe anyone could direct me too

I never thought to do garlic bread on the hob, great idea that will go with pasta.

Never knew you could microwave chips? Or do you have to buy a particular type? My kids will be made up if that's the case

That's great, thank you! X

Eating out on Tenerife is a lot cheaper than the UK, too.

You'll find lots of cafes with really good breakfast deals and a different plato del dia (dish of the day) each day, which are incredibly cheap.

Hope you all have the best time 😊

Pasta pesto

Fish finger sandwiches

Rotisserie chicken from the supermarket with fresh tomatoes and potato salad

Tins of soup with fresh bread/sandwiches

To he honest the prices in the small supermarkets in touristy areas isnt mich different to getting a takeaway or eating out!

Oh really! I didn't know this- thanks

We love a cooked chicken from the supermarket and crusty bread and salad, wasn't sure if a rotisserie chicken was a thing in Tenerife as silly as it sounds.

I know I can look in the supermarket when I'm there but I don't want to be totally stressing with 4 kids so wanted some ideas before I go x

kate1277 · Today 19:04

We love a cooked chicken from the supermarket and crusty bread and salad ….

Salad stuff there is just out of this world. So fresh and tasty.
Might be a fun morning to take the kids to a street market to buy ingredients.

What do you cook them at home???
Is there a freezer or just a fridge? Here, you can find entire stir fry/paella/pasta meals in the frozen section (in a bag, not a ready meal) that just need re-heating in a saucepan. See pics for an idea of what I mean. You can pimp them up with other veg/meat if desired. I don't know if similar is available there though?

Aldi and lidl do tortellini like this that don't need a fridge to store. They have mushroom, cheese or spinach/ricotta flavours. If you has space, you could pack 2/3 packets and then just buy a jar of sauce there. They are more filling and quicker than buying plain pasta and then having to find extra veg to add into the sauce. https://groceries.aldi.co.uk/en-GB/p-cucina-three-cheese-tortelloni-250g/4061462578489

If the kids have a favourite squash, you can get mini, concentrated ones like Robinsons. Cheaper than soft drinks and I often don't like taste of squash from different countries.

Remember that cold food is just as nutritious as hot food, they don’t have to have a cooked meal everyday.
Buy wraps. Have fajitas as mentioned above, then have quesadillas the next day - put a wrap in a frying pan, add cheese/ham/ketchup/whatever, put another wrap on top then fry it, flip it after about a minute. Cut into slices and serve.

At home I would use the term "cook" very loosely. I would do things like pesto pasta, spaghetti, some sort of meat and 3 veg... that type of thing. Extremely boring!

The younger ones are in full-time childcare/wrap around during the week and a lot of times just want a light dinner in the evening.

I wanted to try and make some "nicer" or a bit more exciting things on holiday but easy to do and with my limited cooking facilities.

I think there is a Lidl very close by to where we are staying,

Spanish egg tortillas. They're giant potato (+- chorizo and cheese) omlettes that you heat up in a pan, sold in the fridge section. You can get paella in the fridge or freezer section too that you warm up in a pan or microwave. Beef burgers and hot dogs are easy too.

If you're there for a week let each child choose a meal (out of your planned selection) and then eat out the other nights or have "picky teas" - picnic stuff!