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 !

Graze board sounds great. My quick go-to for my daughter is a ‘platter’, which sounds similar. Raw veg - carrots, peppers, baby cucumbers, celery, plus houmous, bread, cheese. Other additions include wedges of warm Spanish omelette (bought from the supermarket, cooked in the microwave), falafels, roast chicken slices etc. Another quick and tasty option could be quesadillas, they can be customised to kids’ preferences. Corn tortillas, grated cheese, spring onion, red pepper and sweetcorn, maybe a bit of tinned tuna or chorizo, if liked, cut into generous wedges when cooked. It also sounds like rice and noodles are popular with your children, so perhaps some Wagamama-style kids meals? I used to make a version of their plain noodles with roast chicken slices, sweetcorn and grated carrot with Amai sauce when my girl was younger.

A great quick dinner is pick up a roasted chicken from the supermarket and some Jersey royals to serve with them, you can just boil them whole so no faffing about and omg they're so good with just butter and salt.

@Lookwhostalking25 I think you are doing brilliantly!

Just to reiterate what others have said:
In the winter a slow cooker might be really helpful. You can bung everything in and it does its magic during the day and you get home to a hot meal.

I use Hello Fresh and there are some quick and easy meals you could order. Maybe three or four every other week. You don't have to have them every week and can skip weeks.

Baked sweet potatoes, baked beans and cheese on top are good.

Can you book them hot meals at lunchtime in their childcare settings? Or schools and then some nights do a sandwich?

Result!

Yes exactly. Hats off to you OP, I think you’re doing amazingly xx

Well done OP you are doing amazing!!

Ignore all the nasty comments on here - you've done what you needed to do to survive.

Hopefully between all the men's messages you've found some useful suggestions.

I hope you enjoy your airfryer - I love mine.

I would also suggest meal planning and doing an online shop once a week to be delivered over the weekend - much easier than taking the kids to the supermarket

Keep smashing it and keep us all posted x

You are doing your best op and that’s what counts. But I would try not to let the kids get too used to eating in the car. Some habits are hard to break. My go to for my 3 boys when they were little was pasta/tuna/sweetcorn. Just cook pasta, penne or spirals work best, then mix a small tin of tuna in spring water, a small tin of sweetcorn and either a tin of tomatoes or a carton a single cream And heat. Just mix in the pasta and top with a bit of grated cheese. All 3 boys are in their 20’s now living away from home mostly, and still eat it regularly. They are a bit competitive in how they ‘fancy it up’.

We add sliced leeks to ours too, it’s a family favourite. One adult son likes it with sweet chilli sauce!

Grazing boards and buddha bowls are so brilliant - I would eat that way all the time by choice and be happy knowing I was eating healthily.

I’m so sorry for your loss. You have so much to cope with it’s not surprising you don’t find time to cook.
Try COOK Frozen meals instead of take outs. They are low in salt, high in protein and fibre, the best ready meals out there. Stock the freezer and add extra veggies, rice etc. We lived on them during lockdown and they are cheaper than take outs.
I’ve tried several weekly boxes and would second Simply Cook as you can use anything you have in the fridge, although some may be too spicy for the kids.
Try to dedicate an afternoon to getting organised and decide on a quick menu. Is there anyone who can help you? My cleaner would do some food prep instead of cleaning in the past.
Well stocked freezer with chopped onions, range of veg and fish, prawns, all of which can be cooked from frozen.
Stick salmon in foil cook in oven for 10 mins with veg and pre prepared mash
Our recipe for “Lockdown Pasta”, 70g of frozen peas, carrots and sweetcorn, boil 3 mins then add Philadelphia cheese, season, add to 80g pasta (dry weight) with grated fresh Parmesan per person.
Stock up on fresh ravioli, last a good 2 weeks in fridge or just freeze.
add tin of tuna, or cannellini beans or prawns to ready fresh tomato sauce with pasta.
Seasoned Pioneers are our favourite for a quick dinner. The dhals aren’t spicy and you can add a bag of spinach and/or cauliflower and serve with shop bought fresh pilau or Tilda bag rice.
Use one of their Kormas with frozen cod or coley or prawns and add peas and green beans
buy prepared stir fry veggies, fresh noodles and a sauce for another 10 min meal.
All above are under 15 minutes
GOOD LUCK!! 🍀🧧

You are handling so much. I love your spirit and how you’re asking for tips. Some great ideas here for you to try. Wishing you all the strength and happiness ❤️

Getting ready meals would be cheaperxxx

@Lookwhostalking25 you are doing an amazing job. Don’t allow the “perfect” parents to create any doubt. I can absolutely see why it is easier to grab a takeout. Sometimes we all have to give ourselves a break.

My tips would be to spend one weekend day batch cooking. Get the kids to “help”. They can chop a pepper- even if it takes them an hour!

Get loads of batch cooking done and before you go to work, throw them in a slow cooker or get them out to defrost. You will be much less likely to take the drive through route when you know something is at home.
Curry, Chilli, Ratatouille- slow cooker
shepherd’s pie, fish pie, lasagne- defrost
Also, don’t feel bad about buying microwave rice, mash etc-it is just as good as fresh and takes minutes.

Precook a chicken- you would be amazed how many meals the Mumsnet vultures can get out of one bird 😂.

Wash and chop salad sticks every time you have a shop. Cucumber, tomatoes, pepper, carrot, celery etc all last a few days. All junk dinners can be jazzed up with salad sticks-
Quesadillas take minutes!

Keep going and doing your best for your kids. Fuck everyone else who wants to judge. I challenge them all to walk a mile in your shoes. X

I agree with this - hello fresh is delicious but took quite a lot of concentration for each new recipe, which you may find hard with three kids to juggle. I prefer to have an arsenal of meals I can cook from scratch without a recipe - from the really simple like scrambled egg or beige freezer food, to lasagna, soups and risottos. The simpler the better!

Give yourself a break. I would think the suggestion in one of the earlier posts of writing an easy food list is a good idea.

A menu also means you don’t have to think about what to cook when you walk through the door - just follow the menu/ list!

Even if you write one list and repeat it for now… just check what you need to reorder for the next week.

Only other things I can think of are;

Book a food shop collection on your way home from work, one you can collect in Carpark easier than getting kids in and out of car etc!

For now aim for ready meals, maybe not the healthiest line up, but cheaper than takeaway and maybe carrot sticks, fruit, etc to go with them?

In a couple of weeks time aim to cook one larger (batch meal) on a Sunday (assuming you work Mon- Fri). Start with something simple your children are likely to eat!

When my kids were young I often made a slow cooker dinner on a Sunday. In the morning (I used to let them ‘help’ with the prep)… littlest ones in high chairs etc… making it play might make it easier and take stress out of cooking. We used to go out in the day and come back to lovely dinner!

It will get easier I am sure.

Well done on taking first steps

Slow cooker- put the veg in the night before and switch on in the morning.

Have you looked at Cook or Charlie Bingham meals, loads of wonderful ready cooked meals but sooooo much cheaper than take away. You’re doing amazingly though so don’t forget that. I think the fact that you took the time to write this post shows how much you care and your kids will me just fine whatever you do because you’re an amazing mum doing your best for them xx!

Stir fries are quick & easy. Cook a kilo of chicken or beef. Buy a big bag of mixed frozen veggies and stir fry that with some of the meat. For the sauce buy a bottle of whatever flavour you like from the shops (open & pour).
You can then either steam some rice in a rice cooker (super easy) or use some rice noodles (soak in boiling water - easy). Freeze any left overs or eat the following night. Hope this helps.

Yes, you've received a lot of good advice already to pick through what works for you.
Easy for me to say, I'm single and an experienced chef so don't have the little ones to juggle., not literally!!.
My additional suggested ideas would be planning ahead, do a plan for the week. Check what you already have and try to use it up like pasta, rice tinned tuna and sweetcorn etc.
If you try this and still can't make it work I think the Hello Fresh as suggested would be your next best thing.
Best wishes

If you wanted to save money and eat more healthy than usual take aways, the Too Good To Go app sometimes has ready cooked left overs from local restsurants such as a carvery, which you could add other healthy things too, such as vegetables.

Take care of yourself. You are doing an amazing job in raising 3 children alone whilst dealing with the loss of your partner