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

I also make cottage pies/lasagne/sweet & sour chicken type dishes and decant into those long thin type tin foil dishes to freezer as they fit in my Air fryer draw.

How is she going to get them out?!

I recently had emergency surgery on my non dominant hand but not able to use it at all. i prepared meals like you for the freezer including mash luckily due to a different planned op I also had 2 weeks with no oven or hob I found that fajita/ taco filling can be done in there minimal prep required.

nothing the matter with ready meals for a couple of weeks to get you through this. Not every meal has to be premium quality.

You can buy already chopped onions, mushroom, peppers and bags of casserole mix in the freezer section for an easy casserole and diced chicken. Good luck with your op and frozen pizza is great when you’re recovering don’t be to hard on yourself! X

Can't quite figure out the tone of most of the posts on this thread, but maybe that's just me.

I was thinking with the other hand.

chicken thighs/ strips... bung them together with a tin of chicken/mushroom soup
casserole in oven/slow cooker....with either rice or mash. Put veg ?peas in the carrerole too. One pot, saves on washing up too.Mash can be bought frozen ...or mix up "smash" with water( and a blob of butter for extra creaminess.
Bulk cook and freeze.
Soup?? Got a soup maker?
PS Your kids will survive and maybe enjoy helping you. Most tinned/ frozen food is just as nutricious. Puddings, yoghurt, jelly, ice cream, tinned custard, tinned fruit etc
Good luck, it'll be a breeze!

My son's favourite easy meal is pot pie (steak or chicken) and chips - pop both in the air fryer.

Look the batch lady. She freezes stuff flat so it hardly takes up any space.

Pre chopped frozen veg is your friend too.

I’d probably just do ready meals

Or nuggets/fish fingers/waffles/microwaveable veg packets/microwave rice/frozen pizza

Definitely not making casserole from scratch, getting out soup makers and slow cookers etc

I would get some of those child friendly knives and get your kids practising chopping stuff, grating things and making things like toast and pitta bread pizza.

Also why is frozen pizza a treat? Can’t be any unhealthier than say sausages or carton soup which are both on your list

I agree, chopped veg and slow cooker.

Do you have a soup maker?
You can make really easy tomato sauce and of course several types of soup.... to make soup more filling add lentils or quinoa. Serve with read sliced bread.

Mock McDonald's wraps

Tortilla wraps
Lettuce
Back bacon (grill)
Cucumber
Tomato
Cheese (if liked)
Breaded chicken strips (air fry)- Iceland do loads of different flavours

Garlic mayo/BBQ/sweet chilli sauce/chilli jam/whatever you like

Cook and prep into bowls and let the kids make their own

If you can afford it, maybe one or two of the nicer ready meals per week?
Tesco do the Charlie Bigham's ones which are fairly decent. Me and my son had one tonight (please don't judge - DH has been unwell and in/out of A&E).

My son is 10 so older than your kids and has a massive appetite. There was plenty for both of us with sweet potato fries and we managed to have a bit left, so one would likely do the three of you with some fries/other bits on the side.

I understand what you mean about being self sufficient but please do let your friends/sister help where they can.

If you and your kids like pasta, or you like to boil vegetables, you could get a noodle strainer/pasta basket (or a couple of them). They are like little steel baskets with holes in them that you sit in a saucepan of boiling water or broth - so when you want to take the noodles or pasta, you’re just lifting the weight of the noodles, not the water. You could then leave the hot water on the back burner of the stovetop and empty it once it’s cold and you can use you arm and body to help take some of the weight rather than relying just on your hands and wrists.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CKSYX6F4/ref=sspa_mb_hqp_detail_mobile_aax_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9ocXBfcGhvbmVfc2hhcmVk

this kind of thing

Frozen mash has been a game changer for me. It is literally just mashed potatoes with some butter and seasoning. So handy when in a hurry just chuck in microwave for a few minutes. I often use it top shepherds pie.

If you did want to do it you can buy pre chopped versions.

It’s good to be prepared OP. I think you need to expect to be more tired so go for really easy and quick? Do you have a microwave? My kids would be happy with scarmbled eggs, beans and toast.

After most surgeries it’s important to eat lots of protein, it speeds up healing so make sure you think of yourself. I’m thinking pre cooked chicken breasts with micro veg packets for lunch.

Prepared casserole veg is an excellent option, bought a pack in Asda today, only £1.50 served 4 (3 generous portions) just add chicken or diced stewing beef, couple of stock cubes, dried herbs, couple of spoons dried pearl barley, frozen garlic cube (highly recommended so easy, world food freezer section) and cook for an hour for a hearty healthy meal. Prepared veg in general is your friend

Slow cooker is a good idea - you can but almost anything chopped and use meat balls or cut chicken etc.

That’s all rather expensive
I would as pp suggested do pasta

gets a sieve type label so you can take the pasta out instead of having to drain the water

Can you borrow any equipment that can chop for you - so a food processor of the type with slicing and dicing?

Things in wraps are good, diced chicken and veg fried off - use corn or peas or tinned/frozen veg?

If you get mince from the butcher it needs less effort to cook than the vacuum packed ones

Always cook double where you can/when you cook, sounds like you are doing some of this already but i would have chili, bolognaise and savoury mince in the freezer already. I would also either buy grated cheese or grate a load and freeze in portions - great for pizza bases, bolognaise, pasta bakes etc. DOnt be afraid to serve them variations on a these for a few days either.

Pizza bases, with some dolmio sauce and cheese then bits of whatever they like, they at 5 or 6 could prob do this one.

Nothing wrong with beans or scrambled eggs (or both) on toast or bakers and cheese and beans.

Hope it all goes well, perhaps friends etc could have you all to tea in turn as well, maybe payback later etc

I saw a tiktok where the pasta was cooked in a submerged sieve which I thought was a good way of doing it

Pasta bake can go in dry with a tin of water and the bake mix

Batxh cook casseroles stews curries chili and freeze and microwave