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 !

If you’re based in the UK, Iceland’s ‘meal in a bag’ are really useful for when you don’t have time to cook!

They do a variety of meals such as pasta, chicken and rice, noodles etc and feed 2 per bag so depending on portion size you could maybe feed you and the kids from one bag?

You can either microwave them or heat them on the hob for 15 minutes and I think they’re a lot nicer than typical ready meals!

Don't push yourself too much.

You’ve been through such a lot in this last year. Perhaps batch cook or get hello fresh or similar to deliver …got to be cheaper and healthier than the takeaways.

Yes, I havent read the whole thread but I get a bit tired of this narrative all the time that any and all 'ready meals' are likely to cause you to drop dead within weeks.

There are some fairly ok quality ready meals, some fantastic, some obviously dire, if you have the money for Cook, or some of the M+S ones or Waitrose etc, I think they're fine when everything else has to be juggled. Nothing wrong with that at all.

Yes, totally agree.

Don’t be too hard on yourself - you’re coping with a lot more than most of us are.

My friend was raised by a widowed single father. (My awesome friend who went on to study in Cambridge)

She says they ate jacket potatoes for dinner every single night. Sometimes they had fancy toppings and side salad. Other times it was potato/ butter/ cheese.

She was happy with that; said it really worked for them.

My oven has a feature where I can put the jacket potatoes on a timer to be ready for when I want to eat.

some people find it hard easier having a set menu. Eg; Monday: pasta, Tuesday: Soup, Wednesday: chicken, vegetables, Thursday: Fish; etc. There are so many easy recipes but if you are too busy and tired to shop everything is a big tasks

We have a few books with last minute meals that don’t take that long; but as a si parent working with young children I don’t blame you for not having the energy, mental space and time yo cook.

Definitely take one of your days off and cook on that day for a few hours or less, invest in some containers.
Also, don't fall into the trap of avoiding convenience foods in the market because the other is cheaper when you know the alternative is a much more expensive takeout.
For example. don't avoid buying pre-cooked pasta or rice because it costs 4x as much as dry when the food you will order will cost 10x as much.
Buy foods that cook in the oven. Yes, they often take longer than foods on the stovetop, but most of the time is hands-off while most stove top foods require stirring anywhere from constantly to intermittently.
No one ever died from having a microwaved potato, peas, and some sort of quick meat like sausage, hot dogs, or pre-cooked ham.

Sorry for your loss.
Slow cookers are great prepare the night before doesn't take half an hour. Whack it in the fridge overnight. Just have to remember to stick on in the morning. Baked potatoes are great if kids will eat them. If you've got an air fryer they are quick to do part microwave then finish in air fryer. You could just take the potato out and mash it for the baby.

Just wanted to say this as well xx

Give yourself a break!! It takes strength and willpower to parent such young children alone❤️ hello fresh and the like are brilliant if you have the time to stand and prepare etc...get yourself an iceland delivery and just cover meals for a couple of nights, every step is a step in a positive direction.

You are doing brilliantly,after your bereavement...no one would be expecting you to do everything. I was widowed with 2 young teens and a 3 year old,it's hard! I used quite a few ready meals and pasta sauce etc in jars The kids all learned to cook early on. They don't seem to remember me struggling with the cooking and don't hold it against me!
We're all really proud of you,take it as easy as you can.

If you can afford it, what is the problem? Provided you do 'portion control', it is fine. I am amazed at the number of people going on about 'healthy home-made food', when on closer scrutiny you see how awful their home cooking is, both in terms of health benefits and taste. Personally, if I could afford it, I would do Wagamama takeaways 3 or more times a week, I just can't afford it. Or the local Fat Turk grills - not an ounce of fat, and great meat too.

This pan is also one of the best items I have ever bought. It's huge can use it on the hob for shepherds pie pasta bake lasagne etc without having to transfer it to a separate oven dish. So just have to put the mash on stick it in the oven.

It sounds like you're doing great. In your situation I would ease myself in by buying healthy 'round the edge' stuff - salads, fruit, steamed veg, high-quality bread, nuts & dried fruit etc - and then buying the main and chicken takeaway dishes like Nando's to put with them. Then learn some easy things like foil-baked salmon, tomato sauce to freeze in batches, omelettes, stir-fries etc as you go along.

I don't think takeaway every night can be a good idea? Really?

A favourite of ours - 3 adults . Is corned beef hash . Big casserole dish , tin of copped tomatoes and tin of baked beans in bottom . 2packs instant mash (we like Idaho) make up the mash and add a knob of butter open a can of corned beef and mash it in to the potato . Layer on top of the beans/ tomato mix and sprinkle a layer of ready grated cheese on top . Half an hour at 170 in oven till top is slightly browned. This can do us for a dinner and a lunch. Also chilli. Frozen lamb mince , chopped tomatoes , kidney beans in chilli sauce. Pack of chilli seasoning - add instant rice or pasta to make it go further . Serve with grated cheese or in tortillas 170 for 45 minutes.

Get some nice ready meals in- much cheaper than takeaways. Also have a cupboard full of things that last for ages, like dried pasta and jars of pesto and pasta sauce. Then if you have a bit more time one evening, you can do that instead of the ready meal.

Also chop up some tomatoes/cucumber/carrot to go with whatever meal you're having, and give your kids a piece of fruit for pudding; that way, they're getting fresh fruit and veg even if the rest of the meal isn't massively nutritious.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

For veggies and vegans, allplants ready meals are delicious. We lived on them for months after our baby was born!

Have a routine for example, plan to have takeaway once a week. Friday might be the best day, as it’s the furthest from the weekend, therefore the one you’re most likely not to have planned for. On Wednesdays and Thursdays have something quick and easy like scrambled eggs on toast or stirfry. Aim to make a few nice home-cooked dishes that can stretch you over from the weekend for Monday and Tuesday. I might do a Bolognese on a Sunday night, cook extra Bolognese and add black beans and cheese and turn it into a burrito with salad for Monday.
Batch cooking soups and sauces is a good way of making sure the kids still get a bit of veg and they freeze well.
Be easy on yourself too. It’s great to have a plan to do things better but don’t beat yourself up if it takes awhile.

Well done you for juggling such while dealing with a loss. I agree with the other posters. Just start small. Make sure you have a few freezer dinners nugget, fishfingers etc. if you don’t have an airfryer get one & a couple of silicone liners from Amazon. Freezer food cooks much quicker in the airfryer & it turns off when it’s done.

then look at pasta meals. You can buy a jar if it’s quicker on make a simple sauce using pasatta & herbs. You can add cream, mascarpone or cream cheese to make it richer. Those fresh pasta sauces that microwave are really yummy too. Have jacket potatoes one night. Then sausages or burgers. We always have frozen pizza on a Friday because I’m shattered. I tend to use the weekends to make something a bit more time consuming like a lasagne

i wouldn’t bother with batch cooking because it feels overwhelming. But you can double up on things. For example make a bigger pasta sauce & freeze half so you have a dinner for the next week.
i use Pinterest a lot to find delicious easy recipes. I’ve found loads of Italian, Spanish, Indian & Chinese recipes as they are favourites in my house.

lets be clear you’re flipping brilliant. Raising a family on your own. The batch cooking do it At weekend , put on iPad watch a show while you cook. You’re a ⭐️

I’m so sorry for your loss xxx I find this hard and I only have one child and I have a partner to help too.

What I’ve found helps is choosing meals that are quick. Like 15 mins max. I will marinate chicken the evening before then just cook it and some rice/veg the next evening. I’ve done a bolognese tonight and it’s taken about 20 mins of prep then I’ve just left it on for about an hour. We’ve bought an airfryer too which makes cooking chicken etc quicker and obviously it’s hands free, my little one usually needs my attention!

Do you have family nearby? We go to family’s for tea one evening a week too.

Good luck, it’s so hard to keep on top of everything. Xxx

I’d try a few Of the m&s meal deals, the pizza and pasta ones are super easy and quick. Then they have curries/bistro meals

I could live on our local Turkish, Greek and Lebanese takeaways. We havent ordered for ages but we used to get hummous, fatoush, tabbuleh, yoghurt and spinach, baba ganoush, breads, filled vine leaves, mumahara, haloumi, chicken wings and it would keep us going for a week.

That is pretty much my diet anyway, all fresh stuff but its a faff with all the chopping, things going off in the fridge if you dont get to them in time, nicer to have it delived. Its reminded me we probably should start again!