Takeaways every night !

[Lookwhostalking25]

I am sure I will be absolutely jumped on
but I just cannot get the hang of sorting dinner out 😂😂🙈
single mum of 3 ( baby and 2 primary school kids, one of which is disabled ) widowed nearly a year now.
I can juggle about everything else but food I struggled before returning back to work but wasn’t too bad but since returning I just haven’t managed it.
today was day 14 of takeouts after going back to work 2 weeks ago 😂😂
please send me tips because I’m sure the kids will come accustomed very shortly to take our lives haha !

Gousto or Hello Fresh or one of those would probably be better and you'd pick up new recipes which you might like. All the ingredients are sent to you and you can quickly put dinner together.

Lots to choose from too. I use Simply Cook now which is just the base seasoning and sauce/condiments that I get once a month - again, lots of choice but you buy your meat/fish, vegetables and any potatoes/rice/pasta that you need. I like this method best.

Takeaways are great once in a while but really high in salt most of them and you never can be sure of the fat content or what else is in there?

Hope you find a way that works for you. For me, if in doubt and I don't want to really cook - omelettes or beans on toast all the way.

Have you thought about getting a slow cooker? You can just chuck everything in, put it on a timer switch so it comes on at the right and you walk back in with tea ready.

Gosh how can you afford that? Can you batch cook?
or make simple dishes like pasta, omelettes, put some salmon in the oven and boil some veg? Jacket potatoes?

Well I could defo use the money in other ways that’s for sure !!!

Make a big pot of Bolognese and freeze small portions. Could you manage that? Maybe cook that one eve when kids are in bed?

Sorry for your loss. Well done for managing work and three kids after being widowed x

Now with the warm weather would the kids eat a mixed platter? Cheese, cucumber, pitta or bagel, grapes, ham or chicken, peppers, tomatoes, cream cheese, carrot sticks that sort of thing?

So I keep going towards this as I see others batch cook and freeze it for the weeks meal but I just can’t find the evening / time it takes to do it all at once.

will have a look at hello fresh.

Indeed! Well done Op. x

Have a series of easy to put together / everyone will eat meals for at least a few nights of the week. Even if becomes boring at least everyone is getting fed !

Our fast rotation staples are:

• pasta and jar tomato sauce
• wraps sometimes with packet rice or salad
• batch meal from freezer with rice or pasta
• pizza and veg sticks
• waffles / beans with chicken nuggets or fish fingers
• sausages and either ready made mash or frozen home made mash
• soup and toasties
• scrambled egg beans and toast

I try to do a slow cooker batch meal every week or so - a chilli, spag Bol, chicken curry etc and then there’s a tea for that night and left overs for the freezer which can be used on another mid week night

Bless you, I am actually learning to cook atm because takeaway round here is gross. Give yourself a break yaou have just started work. Why not ready meals though? A lot more affordable.

Meal planning helps me too and then doing the online shop accordingly. Don’t over complicate things especially of they have one hot meal already at school/nursery.

Pick an hour when kids are in bed to write a list of easy dinners. Could be freezer dinners, stuff you just bung in the oven, eg frozen fish and chips plus frozen peas. Then do an online shop, buy what you need from your list, and stick to your list of dinners through the week. Keep them simple though - don’t go for cook book recipes where you need a million ingredients and two hours to chef. So long as you’ve got some veg and protein you’re all good.

Ditto on wondering how you can afford it!!

Do you have relatives who could perhaps do a bit of batch cooking for you whilst you find your feet and routine again? Just simple things like bolognese, mild curry to suit the kids, stew etc that are quick and easy to heat up. Even a beige freezer dinner that you can just throw in the oven and forget about for 20 mins will be far better nutrition wise than a takeaway and still super easy

Be patient with yourself. You've got a lot on your plate.

But in terms of tips

Batch cook at a weekend and freeze is what people will come along to say, but that's still a lot of work.

Ready meals eg a lasagne or fish pie plus frozen peas is super easy.
Frozen pizza
Beans or egg on toast
Bag of salad plus tin of tuna and tin of sweetcorn

This is the problem I have got in the routine of grabbing the kids, grabbing something on the way home and then abolishing it in the car 😂
apart from the whole money that’s being spent my car also smells like one of those food halls 😂😂😂

I don't see this as a bad thing, you're feeding your kids. I'm so sorry for your loss, you're doing bloody amazing.

I used to do simple dinners like pasta or jackets or toast and something or eggs. Then fruit and yogurt for dessert.

If you want pre prepped stuff then try shop brought lasagne,
ready made curry sauce and pre cooked chicken
Noodles and pre chopped stir fry veg

My actifry is great for bung in mince and frozen veg to do tacos as you just leave it.

Otherwise it's a batch cooking and freezing on weekend

I’ve been there OP so no judgement.

Start with just simple freezer stuff (same food you’d get in a takeaway anyway) - chips, pizzas, chicken dippers, garlic bread. Potato waffles, beans, cheese toasties. Soup and bread (cheese toasties?) can be tasty and easy.

Can you do simple dinners but up the fruit and veg intake by offering those as snacks - berries, banana, carrots, celery, with hummus etc.

As soon as you get home just put stuff in the oven, before even sitting down. Sometimes I find if I sit on the couch it’s game over and a takeaway is ordered. Once you break the habit and see how much money you’re saving you won’t turn back. Bluntly you don’t want your kids to suffer with obesity either purely because of bad food every day, there’s no need for them to have that struggle.

The M&S kids ready meals are especially good and on the healthier side of things - when DD was younger and I was working full time whilst solo parenting she ate them more than I care to admit…

So sorry for your loss.

I’d make expectations of dinner really easy for now… beans on toast, baked potatoes with tuna/cheese, omelette, eggs on toast, fish cakes, peas/sweetcorn and wedges/chips, pasta tortellini and garlic bread etc… And maybe still allow a takeaway or two whilst you get into the groove.

Not quite as much veg as you might want in long term but all quick, easy, better than takeaways and hopefully kids will eat…
Batch cooking etc can creep in when you have the energy.

Maybe a delivery of these kind of things once a week and see how you get on.

I have a repeating meal plan and shopping list required for that meal plan. You can plan for the fortnight or month if you don't want to eat the same thing every week. Takes a while to set up but saves a load of time and money once you have it.

Also, the bored of lunch slow cooker books are good to save time in the evening.

Oh I will have a look at these !!

DP did all the cooking ( I bought other skills to the household but cooking was and Is not one of them )

Fresh pasta is good as litelly takes 3 mins and just bung a jar of sauce in it

Well, you sound like a bloody rockstar for being back at work at ALL. But some ideas, in case they help:

Pasta, jar of pesto, bag grated cheese

Ready cooked roast chicken, pot potato salad, bag salad leaves

Oven nuggets/ fish and chips

Jacket potatoes (can microwave from frozen) with tuna mayo sandwich filler

Beans and cheese on toast

French bread pizza