To be fed up of cooking and no ideas what to cook!

[Redruby2020]

Now lol, I know there was a thread recently that had me in stitches recently about what kind of food Mumsnetters recommend or would be horrified about 😆

But I need simple easy meal ideas, more so for my DS. I have a small kitchen and very short on time and patience at the moment as moved in a few months ago, and first time being on my own, so it is all catching up with me, no one was lying when they said single parenting is hard work. And I am fed up of hearing people say oh but you only have a flat, oh but you only have one DS, so what! It's still hard work, but we still need to eat as healthily as we can but not to be the be all and end all of the day.
I have one or two people close to me who mention having cooked all day, and making things from scratch, that's not for me, certainly not at the moment!

Thanking in advance ☺️

Have you got a decent sized freezer? What do you like to eat?

Jamie’s 15/30 minute meals are great. Lots are on his website.
The Bbc good food website is great for quick and easy food.

It would be perfectly acceptable to punch anyone minimising how much work it takes to be a single parent, regardless of whether you’ve got a flat!

Slow cooker could also be your friend. I’m veggie but my meat eating friends absolutely swear by them-Chuck in some meat and veg in the morning and you’ve got lovely stews/curries/pulled pork etc by dinner time having done nothing all day. Then you just need to cook a carb to go with it.

We started getting gousto boxes last year. We love them.

I can get bored of cooking an evening meal and I am a chef🤣Monday I made chilli beef and jacket potato today reheated the other half with rice and garlic bread.
I agree slow cookers are cheap to use.
If u don't want to cook from scratch a shop bought steak pie mash and veg is good.
Omelettes are good with various fillings like peppers cheese ham or mushrooms.
I would try to avoid shop bought lasagne etc.This as they are packed full of fat and salt.

• Monday not today

I recently found this site which looks great, have a few meals planned from here and they seem easy enough www.kitchensanctuary.com/
might give you some more inspiration :)

This week iv gave up as oh away. We had beans on toast last night and scrambled eggs tonight. So quick and easy

Microwave mug lasagne realfood.tesco.com/recipes/crispy-bacon-lasagne.html

Microwave mug quiche recipes.sainsburys.co.uk/recipes/snacks/microwave-quiche-in-a-cup

Microwave jambalaya www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/microwave_jambalaya_72083

Cheats toad in the hole recipes.sainsburys.co.uk/recipes/main-courses/toad-in-the-hole-vegetables

Easy fish pie for two recipes.sainsburys.co.uk/recipes/fish/easy-fish-pie-1 or fish finger pie www.asdagoodliving.co.uk/food/recipes/simple-fish-finger-pie-for-two

Naan/pitta pizzas

How fussy is your DS? I find that really impacts on the cooking. I have one VERY fussy 8 year old who won't eat any of my cooking except plain veg, plain rice, plain pasta and freezer food. Drives me potty. Being a single parent as well means if I cook I cook for me alone, no joy in it :(

If you have a decent sized freezer, I'd recommend cooking in bulk, to freeze e.g. I make big quantities of beef casserole and we can have it once per week for 8 weeks. One less meal to think about

You might think this is disgusting but it's very easy but healthy too. And it feels varied.
Day 1 bolognaise, all the veg, simmering with tin of tomatoes (counts as a veg portion!)
Day 2, leftover bol reheated with kidney beans and chilli and smoked paprika, boil rice

Day 3. Plain Chicken casserole, all the veg etc, mash and greens.
Day 4. Chick casserole reheated with curry paste and tin tomatoes/coconut milk, creme fraiche & more rice.
Day 4

I’ve started getting a Simply Cook box each month. I know it works out overpriced when you consider the amounts that you get but it’s brilliant for taking the thought out of cooking, and getting out of a rut.
I really recommend the A Girl Called Jack book for quick and easy meals too.

I used to batch cook and now can’t be bothered
My 3.5 year old and I are currently enjoying boards you see on Pinterest, tonight’s had tomato, cucumber, cheese, cold sausages, continental meats, houmous, nachos, grapes, pepper slices. ALL arranged nicely way before dinner we also had potato wedges
Other favourites pate on toast with salad
Sausage and mash
Spag Bol
Egg and chips
Egg and bacon
Avocado on toast
Fish fingers and waffles
Pancakes with a selection of fruit, all chopped up
Pie and mushy peas- shop bought
Jacket potato

We have good quality bread and always plenty of fruit and salad stuff in. I also love those birds eye microwave vegetables just enough for one adult and a toddler.
Write all your ideas down aim for about 21 meals and then cycle them.

We use bbcgoodfood.co.uk for the majority of our recipes. They have different categories and plenty of one-pot meals (which I’m a fan of for minimal washing up and, generally, easy preparation).
When mine were younger I found the Dinner Lady book a great resource too.
www.amazon.co.uk/Dinner-Lady-Change-Children-Forever-ebook/dp/B01FJ5WB4S?tag=mumsnetforu03-21
Alternatively, cook books aimed for children can be good.

I’d also double the quantity for some meals to freeze half for use on busy/can’t be arsed days!

Batch of bolognaise. Est as Spag bol, Bolognese with jackets, make into a lasagne.

Big batch of soup. Eat with baguette and cheese, or cheese toasties sandwiches.

Make a chicken casserole. Add chicken stock to the leftovers, blend into a soup. Add rice, lentils to thicken.

I was the same so I joined healthy mummy. They send you a weekly menu plan which is easy to customise and swap out things you don't like, meals are generally quick and easy. It does a plan for the whole day but I usually just use it for dinner. Saves me trying to think of something everyday. there is a cost though but for convenience and new ideas I would recommend :)

Yes to the slow cooker! Also good if you cook the meat in the slow cooker and then stick it in a dish with puff pastry on top for a super easy pie. This is a good way to use chicken thighs/legs.

You need to say what your budget is - no point recommending Gousto if you're on a tight budget for example.

Also do you have a decent sized freezer? By that I just mean a normal fridge freezer about 5-6 foot tall, around 50/50 fridge and freezer, but I see lots of comments on here from people who seem to think this rather aspirational rather than a standard kitchen appliance, so it's worth asking.

Also, what sorts of things do you and DS like to eat? What different people like to eat and consider 'normal family food' varies enormously. How old is DS? If he's secondary age or above, he can take part in the thinking, making suggestions and cooking, to give you a break.

One thing I've liked recently for a quick easy healthy meal is a pack of prepped stir fry veg from the supermarket, which they all do.

We always have spices, soy sauce, frozen ginger and garlic cubes and chicken and prawns in the freezer, so I just use a mix of those, but often the supermarkets do a bundle offer with a pack of sauce and tray of sliced meat (the M&S one is good, but a bit more pricey for what you get at £6, but good if you don't have everything in).

Oh, and there's no shame in having meals like omelette and salad, or fishfingers, oven chips and beans each week. So with the stir fry, that's 3 easy quick ideas already, all reasonably healthy if you're in the real world and not a Mumsnet 'quinoa and kale' enthusiast.

Or what about instant cous cous with peppers, spring onions, cucumber mixed through. Also stir in some feta, prawns or serve with fried halloumi.

Have a look at recipes on food packets. They are usually bombproof and straightforward.

A packet of puff pastry in the freezer is good. Keep it simple - maybe cherry toms and goats cheese on it.

Put a piece of feta in an oven dish. Add loads of cherry tomatoes, some olive oil and crushed garlic. Bake till done then stir in some pasta. No effort at all.

@whatisforteamum

I can get bored of cooking an evening meal and I am a chef🤣Monday I made chilli beef and jacket potato today reheated the other half with rice and garlic bread. I agree slow cookers are cheap to use. If u don't want to cook from scratch a shop bought steak pie mash and veg is good. Omelettes are good with various fillings like peppers cheese ham or mushrooms. I would try to avoid shop bought lasagne etc.This as they are packed full of fat and salt.

I can’t believe a chef would suggest shop bought meat pies and omelettes to someone who is fed up of cooking!

Fish finger wrap
Beans on toast
Stuff on toast
Pizza toast or Quesadilla . Spring onion chopped, bit of ham or cooked chicken, cheese, red pepper.

Tray bakes I find v easy, no faffing. Also, roast a chicken or boil a ham. Takes v little of your time, have with pre prepared mash or frozen roasties, then sandwiches next day.

Marks and spencer curry in a tin is really nice.

Nigel slater real fast food is aimed at people cooking for one o two every day and how to relieve the tedium. Very cheap on Amazon.

I can’t believe a chef would suggest shop bought meat pies and omelettes to someone who is fed up of cooking

That's exactly the sort of food that many chefs eat at home, ie when they're not being fed at work.

They spend all day thinking about food and cooking, plus usually work long hours, so easy and plain as possible is their usual go to outside work.

Quiche! I just buy a ready made short crust then its eggs, milk and throw in whatever your kids will eat. Bake for 20 minutes ish and done.
Also gnocchi, with a tomato sauce or pesto and some kind of cheese is quick and easy.