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 🤦‍♀️

Pack of lentils or rice and grains (Spanish or French seasoning from Aldi. Open, put in oven dish, put salmon fillets on top, skin side up. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle skin with smoked paprika and sea salt. Add some vine tomatoes to dish.
Hot oven, 200fan, for 13-15 minutes depending on size of fillets. Serve.

Prep takes less than two minutes, delicious, nutritious meal. Serve with salad leaves if you like.

I haven't RTFT, but... has anyone pointed out that your husband can cook for you both when he gets in from work?

Sounds like you have your hands full, maybe husband can do the evening meal or he can batch cook at the weekend? X

Gousto or Hello Fresh (cuts out all the thinking and buying), and get husband to make it when he gets in.

It’s the same issue. Cooking only begins after 7:30/7:45 when either the babies are down or DH is home so it still needs to be a very quick and easy meal as I’m starving, shattered and am desperate to start winding down for bed.

I was getting so bored of my go to lazy dinners but there has been a nice mix on this thread.

My three go-to "ah yes, dinner" quick meals are:

1. Pasta and a jar of sauce
2. Bag of tortellini (...and a jar of sauce...)
3. Oven veggies and couscous (veggies can be prepped whenever then shoved in the oven for 30mins, coucous takes 15 minutes in boiled water and none of it needs watching)

But I am also a big fan of an oven pizza if your OH isn't willing/able to cook when they get home (understandable in your case as home time isn't until quite late). Are there other "shove in the oven" meals you'd like, to break up the monotony but maintain the simplicity? Salmon en-croute type things? Vegetable patties and chips?

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/one-pot-recipes

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chicken-chorizo-jambalaya

Totally agree about slow cooker stew @Cinocino

Microwaveable baked potatoes, they are a bit on the expensive side but you can have them with beans, chilli, whatever. Or a fresh stirfry only takes a few minutes and very little washing up. I think those frozen pizzas are just nutritionally void, you aren't doing yourself any favours, you'll run out of energy eating those every night.

@Caspianberg I would eat later with the children. 4.30pm is like mid afternoon surely?
Ds is now 4, but he’s always eaten with us around 6.30pm.
6.30pm would be a better time for you to eat with them, and then your dh can reheat at 7.30pm.

No it’s evening time for a 2 year old and a baby who are tired and ready to slow down for bed after a long day. Holding off their dinner until 6:30 when they are really tired and whingey would only make it harder to cook at that time.

Cooking while looking after a 4 year old who can entertain herself or sit and watch tv is not the same as a baby and a 2 year old who can’t be left to their own devices and are in prime witching hour.

Ah, I remember the pizza for dinner every night phase too. I know exactly how you feel. DH started really packing on the weight around the stomach doing this, so we made a change. I'd look at your life also and see if there's something about the comfort of the fatty cheese dinner that's doing some emotional work for you - I know it was for us...

Slow cooker chili. Empty tins of chopped tomatoes, beans, spice sachet and mince (we have veggie mince) and set to high for a few hours. I cook too much and the next day I microwave jacket potatoes and have jacket potato's with chili topping. We have a soup machine and fill it with frozen veg, stock and water. Then when it's finished at cream and wizz again for perfect filling soup. We nake simple pasta with loads of frozen veg and tomato sauce then add a bit of cheese for some fat afterwards.

We don't have a lot of time for shopping so all of our food comes from cans or frozen but it's still nice and healthy. I add lentils (tinned) to everything I can to make it more filling.

Good luck, one day you'll all be sitting eating together so make sure you have good eating habits ready for that lovely time!!!

Cook dinner in the morning, or whenever there's a period of relative peace.

Cook one big pot of something everyday that covers dinner for all.

Breakfast is eggy bread, porridge with an egg, or chia seed pudding.

Lunch we always just do random stuff on a plate or a sandwich + whatever.

I now buy frozen chopped onions, garlic, cubed sweet potato, and a mix of chopped onion, celery & carrot which is the base for so many things. Called soffritto in Waitrose.

I have a 16mo age gap so I feel your pain!

@Cinocino well yes he’s 4 now, but he was 2 and a baby also not that long ago. He’s always eaten at 6.30pm, even at 8months and 2 years. I haven’t time to cook twice and like you said by 8pm you’re busy with evening bedtime so don’t want to cook again.

Ds never napped. Ever. Only in sling or pram walking. I usually made dinner when he was younger by spreading out cooking throughout the day. Cut some veg to roast whilst in highchair at breakfast, or prep stuff early afternoon so it’s easy in oven or pan later. It’s easier to have kids in bouncer/ sling/ highchair or play dough toddler for 5-10 mins stints that 30 min blocks.

Roast veg makes healthy easy tomato pasta sauce. Roast whenever in day. Blitz in nutribullet. Just cook pasta as needed.

@Sallyh87 Totally empathise *. It’s a hard stage particularly with two. My eldest was so needy. I wouldn’t have been able to cook while they were awake if my husband isn’t there. I was so tired and I didnt feel up to batch cooking as if I had time to do that, I would have had a nap instead.

Life is a bit easier now that youngest is over one.*

I was starting to think it’s just me! Counting down until the youngest is a bit more independent.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2022/jan/24/cumin-butter-tomato-sauce-recipe-for-noodles-by-anja-dunk

This is my go to quick meal at the moment, with some cooked prawns chucked in for the last 10 minutes. Delicious and my 4 year old also loves it.

I always think those microwaveable potatoes are a waste of money seeing as it's just as easy and a lot cheaper to microwave a potato yourself then stick it into the air fryer for 10 mins to crisp up! I suppose it's a bit more hassle if you don't have an air fryer though!

https://www.srnutrition.co.uk/2021/03/ricotta-pasta-bake-recipe/

This is good too as a quick meal that works for the whole family - can add cooked chicken/spinach/pre-sliced olives, and some extra parmesan

Oooh I love this, I do it with lentils, add some curry powder or sauce and also rub a bit onto the salmon filled, and wilt some salmon in at the end.

I would only cook one dinner. Slow cooker is my friend. Or dh to heat up later etc. Or you eat with the kids sometimes. Dh eat later.

I'm trying to eat healthy but I'm very ill, and my husband who does most of the cooking has severe mental health issues so I try to have food in that's low effort to prepare. It is hard because a lot of processed foods really turn my stomach, even things like quiches or pies from the supermarket I find pretty gross. So I eat:

• "cook" frozen ready meals. Yes expensive ish, but so much yummier and healthier than other ready meals which just make me feel sick.

-frozen baked potatoes. Can be topped with salad, beans, cheese, left-over/ tinned chilli or bolognase.

-stir fry vegetables can come frozen. Or if I want something specific like Aubergine I roast like 4 or 5 together and put it in the freezer so it can be chucked into a sir fry easily. Straight to wok noodles or microwave rice

• protein like quorn can be eaten cold or quickly heated in oven

Obviously add meat if you're not veggie!

I used to eat pizza every single day . When I was a child being raised by mentally ill father, thats what dinner was. It's not good for you all the time, but at least your feeding it to yourself not your kids! maybe try and cut it down to twice a week and mix in other easy options if you can!

fish fingers peas and boiled broccoli something like that. One frozen food or main dish and just simple salad or fresh vegetable.

And brocolli can even be roasted so can go on the same tray as whatever is in the oven to make it easier!

Jacket potato is just as easy as frozen pizza.

To clarify again, I’m not cooking 2 meals…

I am similar to you, with a baby and two year old. I cook a curry on a Monday that will do everyone for two days and a chilli or cous cous on a Tuesday which will do another two days.
my top tip is buy all the veg frozen so you don’t have to chop it up just chuck it all in the pan/slow cooker. Chuck in the spices and tinned tomatoes (and coconut milk for a curry) and everyone has the same healthy meal even if the little ones have it earlier in the day.

Cook double the amount on the weekend when you have time, and freeze half? I've only got myself to feed but I don't have time / can't be bothered most days. I currently have about 20 "ready meals" in the freezer that just have to be heated and have pasta, potatoes, or rice added. I eat like a picky toddler but normal adults could add some frozen veg or pre-packed salad to make a proper meal. Oh and fresh pasta freezes well and only needs 3 minutes in boiling water, it's barely more hassle than making a cup of tea 😄