How can I feed my kids?

[Larsz]

Sorry for the bait-y title. Just needing suggestions.

I have a surgery coming up very soon on my right arm. I will not be able to properly cook for a while. I’ve meal prepped some casseroles in advance but our freezer is quite small.

I am a single mum and will struggle to cook without my dominant hand. I really don’t want to use the hob as I fear I would not really be much good if anything went wrong and I needed to act.

Please can you suggest things I can pop in my air fryer for meals.

So far I have got:

kievs
frozen fish
fresh soup (carton)
fishcakes
gyoza
jackets
sausages
frozen pizza as a treat
beans on toast

will serve with salad, microwaveable sides/veg

If I buy weekly freezer space shouldn’t be an issue

I want to feed my kids so don’t mind leaning on upf right now. But would love to know what aren’t the worst options.

I do have friends and a sister who will drop off meals here and there. But I do like being self reliant.

Kids are 5 and 6 so can’t really help

Be careful of weight, I’m guessing you might not be able to lift anything heavier than a kettle of water. We’ve got a slow cooker, and it’s great, but the cooking dish is really heavy, even when empty. Similarly, one big pasta bake for the three of you could be pretty weighty; if you have individual pots, they’ll be far easier for you to wrangle single-handed.

M&S do family sized ready meals like cottage pie, pasta bakes ect that are quite reasonable in price. You could just add salad or micro veg (they also do loads of ready prepped veg that go in the microwave)

Would your kids eat rice? If so, I’d look at those microwaveable rice pouches. And couscous, as well as any pre-prepared potato that can be put on a tray in the oven or heated in the microwave.

I’d try to minimise the need to drain things, though the suggestion above about using a spoon to lift stuff out of hot water is an excellent one.

What age are your children?

There are lots of pre chopped veg options available in fresh and frozen options. Take a look at Delia how to cheat at cooking for ideas.

Frozen green beans and Brussel sprouts are surprisingly tasty cooked in the air fryer, if your children will eat them. I have them most days, sometimes with garlic, sometimes with mozzarella over the top.

lots of supermarkets do bags of pre-chopped ingredients you can just throw in a slow cooker. For example beef stew - bag of pre-chopped mixed winter veg and potatoes, packet of pre-chopped beef, packet of casserole mix and some water.

5 and 6

It's in the OP! What's the point of getting involved in a thread if you don't even read the starting post?

you can always use a food processor to chop veg for meals, just don't leave it too long so it becomes a puree.

Just order ready meals like Frive for a while

Burgers in the air fryer, we do veggie ones even though we’re meat eaters for a slightly healthier option!

Corn on the cob goes lovely in there.

Also most supermarkets have a good range of chopped potatoes, med veg style bake things etc that you could just bung in.

Also you can often get these on reduced to clear and then just freeze them until the day you want to use them!

Batch cook some pasta sauces and pop them into ice cube trays, freeze and pop them into bags. Then it’s easy to grab and defrost depending on how hungry the kids are. I try to do this with hidden veg sauces so I feel slightly better!

Frozen lasange is another good one.

Can you use prechopped frozen veg? I use that all the time for currys/chilli in the slow cooker. Really easy to just chuck in

@Isittimeformynapyet
Excuse me?? Is there any need to be so fucking rude??

@Larsz
My dd did a cookery course when she was 5 (her older brother was 8 and the teacher said she could do it too).
She was well able to wash fruit and vegetables, chop them and stir saucepans. The teacher said that we completely underestimate children and their abilities.
Allow them to help you.

It wasn't strictly rude, it was more incredulous, but I can understand it might have stung a bit.

Chopped frozen veg is easy. Onions (red and white) are regulars in my house.
A food processor can help you cut things up if you've got the right attachment. But it's extra washing up.
Bags of salad are good for real veg.

If you don't want to use the hob those microwavable sachets of pasta will do. They're a bit carp but better than nothing, and only take just over a minute! Dolmio ones, probably in the pasta sauce isle.

I wouldn't want to try taking a pasta bake or similar out the oven with one hand nevermind my non-dominant hand. Having broken a finger on my dominant hand recently I found even lifting a kettle with my left hand was more challenging than I expected. And cleaning up was tricky with one hand. The less pots/plates etc used the better.

Old school meat/fish, potatoes and veg is easy one handed (if not very exciting) if you want to avoid UPF eg roast chicken breasts or thighs, oven cooked sausages, fish fillets cooked in the oven or microwave with microwaved new potatoes or jacket potatoes (premade mash or chips are processed but not necessarily UPF), with microwaved or roast prepared veg. I avoid UPF so I just kept things very simple when I broke my arm.

Frozen chopped veg is a godsend - I'm extremely clumsy with knives! I use very sharp knives to reduce the risk of it slipping on food, but my grip on the food I'm chopping is terrible & whilst the knife is stable, the food often isn't.
We use frozen onions, peppers, mushrooms, spinach (amongst others) in most things.
If you're not convinced, what about one of those boxes with different blades to chop veg? (No idea what they're called though)

You can buy frozen chopped vegetables.

You are my spirit animal.