To make frozen pizza every night?

[Cinocino]

Yes, I think that’s an obvious yet. But between cooking healthy meals and snacks for toddler and freshly weaning baby I’m spent at the end of the day and running out of ideas and energy for adult dinners.
Dinners have to be separate during the week as kids eat about 4:30/5pm but DH doesn’t get in from work until 7:30.

What are your go to 1 step more than shoving a pizza in but incredibly low effort dinners?
Im struggling to have the time to plan out meals, do them on the food shop and then cook the meals in the evening at the minute due to sheer exhaustion of waking up a lot at night and the mental exhaustion of a whingey baby and toddler.

I’ll probably start this and not be able to read it for ages due to said high maintenance baby 🤦‍♀️

Something else I just remembered is fresh pasta that only takes 3 minutes to cook. I used to throw some frozen peas in with it and we'd have it either with a pre-made sauce or frankly, just some olive oil and a bit of parmesan. The kids liked this too actually so they'd often hvae theirs at 5pm and DH and I would cook ours later.

I think the key thing is you’ve said “we”. If I wasn’t on my own until 7:30 a dinner probably could be ready by 5:30, as it is it’s just a nightmare task every night on my own and now really worth the stress that ignoring the kids causes.

Hi OP, when my children were your age, they generally had hot meal at lunch time and then a “tea” so sandwiches and veg sticks, fish fingers, pasta and veg ( can make a batch of veg sticks and, pasta with dollop of red pesto for a side and stick in fridge, use for 2-3 days lunch or dinner and can be eaten hot or cold).

Quick grown up dinners:
-jacket potato (can cook extra and freeze)
-omelette and rice
-lamb chops, or pork or steak with baked aubergine /courgette, tomatoes (halve the veg and wrap in foil with a dollop of butter, bake 20 mins)
-spag Bol/chilli (make double , freeze half)
-smoked mackerel salad (ready to eat mackerel filets, boiled pots and salad/tinned beans/ olives/capers)
-mussels with fresh bread (mussel in garlic & white wine sauce is cheap and available in lots of supermarkets, bung in microwave or pan to heat up), takes 5 mins max
-cheese and biscuits ( if in real rush!)
-potato salad with cold meat (posh up with a lovely filling quick salad (boiled eggs, olives, etc)

Onc children were older, we switched to one meal option for all. Sadly that means some of our grown up favourites are out but (very) occasionally I will make the kids quick favourites (potato waffles, etc) and we have ours. If the green up meal options are likely to be turned down, I add something that I know they will eat on the side to make sure they don’t starve e.g chopped raw veg. If they don’t eat enough what they are offered, I make sure that I offer them something utterly boring (buttered bread etc) that has to be eaten before any desserts.

@suki1964 You know you can roast in a slow cooker?

What? No!
This is the info I needed. Everything I had been doing in the slow cooker was stew/curry/chillli/ other sloppy textured thing. This has opened up a whole new world!

Yeah, I would absolutely embrace the ready meals if I were you! In fact, DP is out tonight (though to be fair so is the baby) so the toddler and I will be having readymade tortellini. One thing that has made our lives easier (though I realise not everyone finds it easier!) is that we do baby-led weaning so there is no spoonfeeding involved, which means whichever parent has both kids can eat their own food at the same time.

You need a slow cooker, stick it on at any spare moment you have during the day, curries, chilli, bolognaise, stews, casseroles, then come 4pm when toddler and baby is hungry you just have to plate it up. Re-warm for you and DH later.

I HIGHLY recommend the ninja, it has a searing function so can brown meat, mince etc before putting it on to slow cook, also has a keep warm function so you don’t even have to reheat later on. It’s expensive but so so so worth it. https://ninjakitchen.co.uk/product/ninja-foodi-possiblecooker-8-in-1-slow-cooker-sea-salt-grey-mc1001uk-zidMC1001UK?utm_source=awin&utm_medium=176013&utm_campaign=Redbrain+Ltd&sv1=affiliate&sv_campaign_id=176013&awc=8059_1721727080_4ea8c6c2c1c0c7f066273b156caea91f

one of my favourite quick easy recipes is brown some good quality, low salt sausages in the slow cooker, bung in some garlic, Italian herbs, chopped tomatoes, frozen chanteney carrots, and cook on high for a couple of hours, then put some frozen peas half an hour before serving. Serve with some roast potatoes and we add some Parmesan. No chopping, no prepping and a reasonably healthy dinner the full family can eat.

you need a handful of recipes like this, it literally takes less than 5 minutes to put together, and I can do it with one hand with baby on my hip.

Cardiff Mum on Insta has lots of good ideas and money saving too.

True batch cooking is not so easy, but when you do get time to do a simple sauce or protein in a sauce for dinner that night, I do an extra couple of portions and freeze them. If DH comes in hungry you will need to make sure he does realise what you have done and doesn't just have extra for his dinner, but its not an addtional task and after doing it a few times, you will have a nice little stash. I live alone, have busy days and often get to the ravenous stage without having planned anything so those extra portions are very handy.

Slow cooker and air fryer recipes

www.instagram.com/boredoflunch?igsh=Nmk0ZGRrYm1vd2lv

Make the most of the prepped stuff in the supermarket - trays of roasted veg, frozen mash, rotisserie chicken, packs of merchant gourmet grains, fresh soups etc etc

My big tip is always cook at least double of everything so you can freeze half for another meal. We have always had a drawer of our freezer full of meals because of that. We take one out before bed and let it defrost ready for dinner then next day.

Now we often just prep double for the slow cooker, cook one half all day and freeze the other half. Defrost that the night before it's needed and slow cook it from the morning.

When mine were small they would eat early with me sitting with them like you do, and their dad and I would eat the same meal once they had gone to bed.

Why can't the DC eat what you eat?

Those tortellini type pasta from the supermarket chiller cabinet with a tub of the fresh tomato sauce. Serve with garlic bread and / or salad.
I have an air fryer with two compartments, so scampi in one side, chips in the other, heat a can of mushy peas. Ready in less than 15 minutes. Serve with tartare sauce and lemon wedges if you have some, and it’s like a nice pub type meal.
I also cook salmon fillets in the air fryer.. season and then cook at 180 for around 12-15 minutes (or to your taste). Those microwave trays of new potatoes with herb butter go nicely, and then a simple vegetable.

I do that too. I have a packed freezer ATM (got carried away batch cooking pre baby!) but most weeks I try to fill 2 of these and stick them in for super easy dinner the following week. I also freeze single left over portions and we either have lucky dip or my mum robs them!

Batch cook at a weekend. Get at least 3 meals in the freezer.

Curry
Shepherds Pie
Spag Bol/ Chili
Soups
Casseroles

Quick evening meals...

Pasta and a sauce with canned toms, throw in some mushrooms, etc.

Omelettes, salad and jacket spuds

Filled jacket spuds - cheese, tuna, prawns, bag of salad

Macaroni cheese

There is LOADS you can do and most can be reheated or made in a flash.

😁 I remember these days! I ruined a few saucepans (thick black burnt on slodge at the bottom) because of trying to cook a half decent dinner.
Just go with the pizza, things will change again in a few months.

Sausage or chicken thigh/drumstick tray bake

• roasting pan, put in a drizzle of oil, your pack of meat, some baby new potatoes still in skins, ready sliced or frozen chopped onion, peppers and some cherry tomatoes, seasoning then bung in the oven for 45mins-1hr. Shake every now and then if you remember. Cook till it's the level of brown and crispy that you like.

Buy big packs of chicken breast/pork loin steaks/turkey chunks. When you're unpacking the shopping break the tray down into portion sizes with each portion in a ziplock bag and then pour in some kind of marinade or seasoning.

• honey & mustard
• bbq sauce
• sundried tomatoes and pesto
• honey, soy and ginger

Whatever you like, then freeze. The night before take a bag out and put it in the fridge then half an hour before you want to eat pour it onto a baking tray, on another baking tray put green beans, tenderstem broccoli, corn on the cob, cauliflower or whatever veg you like, a drizzle of olive oil, some garlic or seasoning and bake it all for 30 minutes. Add a bag of microwave rice if you need to bulk it up.

Check out Jon Watts on Instagram, he has delicious recipes that can be done in minutes.

Look at immersion circulators (also called sous vide)

You bung some meat in a airtight bag, fill a deep saucepan with water, clip it on the edge and set it going at the correct temp about 2-4 hrs before you want to eat. It can hang out in the water for ages if need be.
When you are ready to eat, open the bag, dump the liquid, dry the meat with kitchen paper, season with salt and any spices/herbs you fancy and flash fry it on each side for 30 seconds..just enough to give it some color.
serve with a salad and baguette or jacket potato or new potatoes you have microwaved while dealing with the meat

clean up is throw the meaty bag away and wash the frying pan

I have an Anova, but Im sure there are less expensive ones that are also v good.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07QM5R11R/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pf_rd_p=7b0d8b34-54be-4fd2-9baf-2d658b11dc53&pf_rd_r=HCY4PRWDFWW9P53WM769&pd_rd_wg=ZW3WE&pd_rd_w=n8WmO&content-id=amzn1.sym.7b0d8b34-54be-4fd2-9baf-2d658b11dc53&pd_rd_r=2170322f-5145-41b0-9563-60316cf3ae9a&s=kitchen&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWM

www.seriouseats.com has good timing and temp charts

You need to plan more.

Ask your partner to look after the children at a weekend and you do the batch cooking (or get him to do it.)

Then create a menu once a week, get the food in (do an online shop if it's easier).

You can even look at recipes on supermarket websites and add the ingredients to your basket for delivery or collection.

They have sections of recipes like '30 minute meals' or 'Quick dinners'.

@mitogoshi

but then she’ll be eating her dinner at 4pm! Or 5pm perhaps. Still way too early for most adults and then she’ll probably be hungry later on and have more to eat and so could end up gaining weight.

Oh yes- the Roasting Tin cook books are good.

Throw in some protein - fish, chicken, meat - add some veg to roast alongside, some kind of sauce/ herbs/ spices and bung in the oven.

You can do the prep during the day and keep the tray in the fridge, all ready fo later.

Can't you just focus on the children and then your husband cooks the adults dinner when he gets in? I often don't get in from work until 7 - 8pm and cook dinner most nights (no young children though).

Are you using online deliveries?

There is no way with a baby and a toddler I'd be going to the supermarket.

My DD has a young baby. She and her partner meal-plan over the week, do an online shop once a week and it's all delivered on a Saturday.

Whichever one of them does the cooking, makes double the amount and then freezes it, or they have it for lunch/dinner another day.

Have you looked at the Cook website? https://www.cookfood.net/
They have some pretty good meals.

I have a similar problem with finishing work, having a dog to walk and needing to feed the DC by a reasonable time (DH not home til later). The oven is my friend. I look for traybakes where all elements go in the oven at the same time, it gives me 45 minutes to walk the dog while it's cooking.

I also make sauces in the oven in a big Pyrex jug. Pasta sauce is very roughly chopped red onion, tomatoes (5 big ones or lots of small), a red pepper, 2 cloves garlic, basil, salt, pepper and tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for 40 minutes or so at 180. Squirt of ketchup 😅 then blend it. Can adapt the same recipe with spices/paste in place of the basil for curry.

For pasta bake instead of making cheese sauce, Boursin works well. Oven roast the veg first.

I do a lot of homemade wedges, potato or sweet potato, basically anything that can be left alone in the oven for 40 minutes is my friend. 🤣

I'd rather eat a ready meal than frozen pizza every day.