To wonder how you eat well for cheap when at work FT with two small dc?

[NapQueen]

I need your tips! Or at least justification that shoving a pizza in the oven is the best I can expect?

Dh and I both work ft. Leave at 7.45, drop dcs at CMs. Collected between 5.30-6 (dcs eat dinner at Cms), home for bath, play, stories and bed by seven. They are 2 and 5 and shattered as 2yo has dropped their nap.

Dh and I attempt to muster some energy to make food and we are just ending up grabbing frozen pizzas / shoving some cooled pasta and sauce together etc.

Is this what people do in our situation?

Meal plan and online food shop dor the week during the commute (I have half an hour each way on the train, would be harder if I was driving!)

One of my lazy but cheap meals is chicken thighs and some roast veg, all cooked on one tray so minimal clean up, enough for leftovers and you can do other stuff whilst the food is cooking.

I have a similar schedule to you, I worse I eat the tireder I am in the evenings.

Batch cooking and make large quantities of a "base" which can be turned into multiple dishes: for example, I cook lean steak mince with loads of frozen veg (onions, spinach, mushrooms, peppers) and passata. That can then quickly and easily become ragu, curry, chili con carne or fajita mix just by adding additional tomatoes or spices or beans.) Cheap, healthy and variety.

Struggling with this too OP. Single parent of 3 and eldest doesn't do 'mix up food' like bolognese or chilli so I always feel swamped! Looking forward to some inspiration here!

In addition to batch cooking have a few very quick meals in your repertoire - ours are meat skewers with variety of marinades basically oil+garlic/ginger+spice (dry or paste like harissa/thai curry), marinade night before then grill for 10/15 mins and shove in pitta with salad.

Or as you have plenty of time between getting in and eating you can prep traybake type stuff and bung in the oven while you do bathtime.

Salmon cooked in foil parcel with some teriyaki marinade is good too. Serve with noodles, steam veg over the noodles.

It's hard to eat cheaply and healthily if you want quick food and don't have a lot of time. The quickest cuts are also the most expensive. Organisation is the key though. I meal plan - my plan goes up to next Wednesday.

I got home about 30 minutes ago - I finish work at 8pm but have a short commute. We're having fried veal escalopes with a quick sauce made from tinned tomatoes, oregano and garlic, fried courgettes and roast potatoes. I bought the meat reduced and stashed it in the freezer and got it out this morning.

I've put the potatoes in the oven and have bashed the veal. We'll probably eat about 10.15pm. We could be eating now but I just wanted to sit down.

But we're two adults with no responsibilities. If I had children to wrangle I'd be phoning for a pizza rather than putting one in the oven, so I think you're doing all right there.

I really like casseroles and love cooking - I'll be doing a lamb tagine tomorrow because I have time. I don't use a slow cooker. Maybe they work for other people but they've never appealed to me.

Precookes whole grain rice with chopped toms, feta, olives, cucumber and spring onions. Dash of balsamic and olive oil. Hey presto! Takes literally 5 mins and one chopping board.

Sweet potatoes cut in half take 30 mins to bake in oven with a little drizzle of oil on top. Eat with some salmon and prepacked salad. You could pop the bakers on whilst you get kids to bed.

Frozen/tinned 'stock' vegetables, as they can be added to anything. Lots of curries/stews/quick soups.

My meal plan is:

Saturday - lamb tagine with couscous - takes about three hours in total.

Sunday: chicken livers fried with bacon, onions, marsala and either mash or spinach depending on the weather and how hungry we are - I get home from work about 7pm on Sundays and it takes about 45 mins. A very cheap meal.

Monday: peppered poussin roasted with rice and salad. The chicken is the Gressingham brand and I always look out for it reduced. It's bloody delicious.

Tuesday: Chicken in black bean sauce, egg fried rice - both ready meals bought reduced from Waitrose, stashed in the freezer and cooked from frozen in 30 mins

Weds: Pork chops marinaded in Indian spices and yogurt with rice and salad - about 30 mins

All this stuff is in the freezer and I just have to remember to get it out and defrost it and possibly do a bit of prep. Weekdays I get home at about 8.30pm

I don't really like batch cooking. I have frozen bags of ragu, but that's about it. I like my ragu but I don't want to live off it.

I shop in Sainsburys, basic pasta 50p, two cartons of basic chopped tomatoes, 30p each, pack of two portions of chopped cooking chorizo approx £2...I always keep frozen peas, frozen diced onion, and frozen spinach...stick whole bag of pasta on, (i put a bit of olive oil in the water to stop from sticking together as I'm going to refrigerate)..in saucepan, small amount of oil and fry off onion, peas and spinich, and one portion of chorizo, add tomatoes, I throw some gravy granules in to thicken, stir in pasta...portion out for work. I keep a jar of pesto £1, and basics cream cheese 80p in work...heat up portion in work and add spoonful of pesto and spoonful of cream cheese...lovely lunch

There's a load of dinners you can make that take less than 10 mins to prep and cook in 30-35 mins. I'd work around those.
Turn oven on as soon as you get in with DC.
When it's hot put in:

salmon slices drizzled with soy and sweet chilli
or chicken thighs tossed in garlic paste and sprinkled with rosemary and salt
or chicken thighs rubbed with jerk seasoning and chunks of sweet potato in their skins
or pork steaks in apple juice with chunky sliced fennel and pear
or frozen mediterreanean roast veg and chunks of halloumi

Do bath while they're cooking - all take about 30 mins.

If you need to add carbs, serve with crusty bread or quick noodles or microwaved rice. For 5 a day, add salad or steamed veg (use frozen veg that's already prepped) and have fruit afterwards.

Any of these are 10 mins max preparation. All are healthy and if you buy from Tesco or a similar big supermarket, not expensive.

You can also do cheese and herb omlette with salad and bread in 10 mins.

Or sliced chicken breast in satay sauce ( coconut milk beaten together with peanut butter and sweet chilli, with mange tout, sliced peppers and baby corns added as you cook them on the stove top. This is fine with 3 min noodles too.

I try never to dirty more than two pans on a school night so the washing up can all be fitted in the dishwasher.

Just about to go vegetarian but my GGM used to buy a big piece of beef and (looking after 6 kids) roast it Sunday, cold beef and fried veg from meal (carrots/parsnips/potatoes) Mon, cold beef and baked potatoes tues, shepherds pie weds. , Ham and salad and boiled potatoes thurs and .. ta da ... fish on Fridays. Sausages Sat ... and begin again. All done with fruit from the garden as pudding. Bought from the butcher at today's prices it would be a £20 joint, but it was still £1.00 pp a meal with all the veg and fruit. And apart from the kerfuffle on Sunday and mincing the beef on Weds, not bad.

They all sat round the table and lived to a ripe old age. But agree with PPs - pre plan. Stirfries Spanish Omelette, salads - just get a good cook book and organise.

I suppose boiled or microwaved potatoes with frozen veg. (mushrooms and peppers are cheaper frozen than fresh)

I have crushed garlic cubes inthe freezer, you can get ginger as well.

tins of chopped tomatoes as sauce base with garlic or herbs or spices or a combination and frozen veg and pasta.

batch cook at the weekend so you have one or two meal s for the week.

Honestly I try to do cooked lunch at work - stuff Iv batch cooked and frozen. Then tea is salad bag and something or cheese and crackers.

I am a working lone parent. As others have said, it's a combination of batch cooking, quick meals and lots of planning ! A pizza is ok from time to time, but it can become a bad habit.

Just make double/triple amounts and freeze