To want to start feeding my family microwave meals?!

[graceflorence]

I always cook from scratch, things like fish with couscous and salad, stew and dumplings, spag bol, pizza, pasta, chicken and rice, fajitas. Every night someone does not like their meal. I spend 30 minutes plus each night cooking and then do all the cleaning up. It annoys me so much to spend my time doing this when someone moans about what I cook. I tell them not to be so ungrateful but they keep doing it. E.g. DD love spag bol, DP moans when I cook it, DP loves stew, DD wont touch it (she is only 3 I think the meat is a bit tough for her). In the new year it will be time to start weaning DD2 and I will then have 3 of them potentially not liking what I make. I am faced with more piles of washing up tonight from a meal no one liked (chicken, rice and salad). I told them to go to mcdonalds tomorrow and save me the trouble (DD liked this idea!!). I feel like just giving them a microwave meal each night, no cooking time and not much cleaning up. I am so fed up of cooking meals for them when no one likes them apart from me. I don't fancy eating microwave meals though as I care about my health (and DDs!) so not sure what to do. Are there any healthy meals I can make that require hardly any preparation or cleaning up so I am not wasting between 1 and 2 hours a night on cooking and cleaning up for people who do not appreciate it??

Well, your DP is a grownup. If he doesn't like what you cook he can do it himself, surely?

Cook what you and DD will like, get him to sort himself out.

I can understand the odd moan from children, but your adult partner really ought to know better.

Do you meal plan? Could everyone choose one meal each per week? Might feel fair and stop the rudeness.

I suspect if your partner stopped complaining your children would stop too!

Batch cook so not cooking every single night

things that use minimal pans we often have roasted veg so chopped new potatoes peppers onions courgette garlic n mushrooms with splash olive oil n sprinkle paprika bunged in oven 30mins along with whatever meat we are having in another tray.

Batch cook stew and spag Bol and freeze it. Then you can heat up spag Bol for dd and stew for DH and everyone is happy.

Yanbu and make them use disposable forks to eat it!

YANBU, but why isn't your DP clearing/washing up if you've done all the blimmin cooking?

Hehe, I love the disposable fork idea!! I have already threatened paper plates!

I do meal plan but no one will help me, when I ask DD what she would like she says chocolate, and DP says he doesn't mind (which he surely does from all the moaning he makes) or he says something that will take me ages to cook like roast beef with all the trimmings which I am not prepared to do with a small baby and 3 year old at my feet! The problem is he will happily sought himself out which results in a trip to KFC from our joint account which is annoying in itself when I try so hard to save pennies on the supermarket shop.

Maybe batch cooking is the answer then, only have to spend every other week cooking then. I just need 7 healthy meals that I can make super quick without much mess!

Because he works a day job and is then self employed from home in the evenings so everything in the evenings like dinner, cleaning, bath, bed, bottles is up to me :( But that's another thread!!

baked potatoes. every day.

With regards to the KFC, why not try doing what we do? We are on a budget so take out our monthly spends in cash at the start of each month. The only things that then go on the joint account are the weekly shop and fuel. If he then chooses to spend his money on KFC that's up to him.

But then you'll spend lots of money on microwave meals (if you want decent ones) and someone will still complain that they don't like theirs.

There's also the bloody faff of microwaving the things. Fine if it's just one meal for one person, but three, four?

30 mins is not (imo) a massive or disproportionate amount of time to put together a family dinner. Perhaps just aim for simpler meals to slap together? Easy tray bakes or fish in an oven bag?

Or what about preparing more meals in a slow cooker? Minimal effort. Rice cookers are quite good too.

I don't think you need to seek your DC's approval in meal planning. Cook whatever you think is best. I think it's disgraceful if your DP would opt for KFC over something you've cooked for him!

Meals that you can batch cook and freeze:
Chilli
Curry- you can buy premixed spice blends or pastes, then add passata and coconut milk and done.
Pies/pasties- if you have a food processor it's really quick and easy to make pastry, and it freezes well.
Shepherd's pie
Fish pie
Lasagne

If you look in pound shops you can often find little foil takeaway style containers, they're just right for freezing a single portion of dinner and can be put straight in the oven to reheat. Or plastic takeaway containers are useful for things like chilli that you might want to microwave.

Really quick meals:
Omelette
Pasta with passata and herb sauce (add whatever veg you like too, and a little chicken or tuna if you have some)
Stir fry- you can buy packs of frozen veg, then all you need is a simple sauce made with sesame oil, soy sauce and a little peanut butter or sweet chilli for flavour

Thanks CrohnicallyTired they are some good meal ideas.

Chronicallytired we do that as well with our money, a certain amount each month each in cash to spend on what we like, I spend mine on getting my hair dyed and beauty products (would also buy clothes if our budget was a bit more!). He spends his on mcdonalds for lunch at work as he wont eat the pack lunches I (used) to make him. I am guilty of using the joint account for taking DD to soft play and buying me and her a meal there (dont fancy using my beauty money for this!) and also drinks in cafes if I need to feed DD2 while out. I guess if I stop doing this and think of free activities for DD and take our own food with us I can ask him to stop buying KFC in the evening (it doesn't help its a 1 minute drive away!).

poocatcherchampion baked potato on a paper plate with plastic cutlery every night sound like a plan!! hehe

Let them each veto one ingredient they really hate and then ignore all the moaning.

It's not just about the money though, IMO, it's the fact that he's sending a message to your DC's that it's fine to opt out of family dinner.

In my house you are allowed one genuine dislike, other than that, you eat what goes on the table and if you don't you go without or make yourself toast if you're old enough.

Heh, I've only just managed to get DS to eat veg. And meat without breadcrumbs. One night of fussing, I said he could eat it or go without. He chose not to eat it. He'd eaten well during the day, so I wasn't worried.

Next night, he wolfs down his (reheated from night before) shepards pie. No complaints. Win!

DP only complained about my cooking once. I told him he can bloody cook for himself then while wielding a wooden spoon. Not a peep since

Allergies are catered for in this house. Silly food fussiness is not.

I cook meals for the kids everyday, yesterdays bolognese becomes into todays lasagnes, they like fish so the same happens, fish, potatoes, peas, next day fish pie - morrocan lamb, moussaka next day - I could continue -

But that's more to do with my love of cooking, and i'm very lucky the kids eat everything.

There's still nothing wrong with a ready meal, or beans on toast! Its just everything in moderation!! Asda meatballs and spaghetti still my oldest fave, as hard as i try to cook the same lol!!

I batch cook and the takeaway food around here comes in plastic containers with lids so I have loads for freezing individual portions (dp likes a chinese at the weekend).
I do casserole, bolognase, mince, lasagna and also do frozen shop bought like battered fish or chicken portions but serve with fresh new potatoes and fresh veg to balance things out.
Saying that its not so much to give them choice it just makes my life easier. Im a bit eat it or starve weilding a rolling pin.

looking hahaha!! Good for you, that made me laugh!!!

I actually need to confess that I no longer cook at all for dp as he used to complain, he was warned to button it but is a bit of a moany git by nature.
he now needs to go to his mums for his dinner on the way home from work.
I now need to listen to him moaning about her cooking, I have threatened to tell her if he doesn't stop !! She is apparently appalled at me.

don't do it, stick to healthy cooking

Headsdownthumbsup- I'd forgotten about that game!- no, it's not just about the money. But I have a feeling that, same as my DH, once he has to pay for KFC from 'his' money (and therefore go without something else to pay for it) rather than 'our' money, he'll suddenly realise OP's cooking isn't actually that bad.

Do what I do :)

They eat it or go without. If dp doesn't like it he knows where the fridge is.