Returning to work and seeking inspiration ...

[Millie1]

After 4 years as a SAHM I may be returning to work in a few weeks and just cannot think how I will deal with getting in at 5.30pm with two tired and hungry children .... and dinner! I'll only be working 2/3 days a week but would love some ideas from all the super-organised Mumsnetters of meals that I can have prepared in advance and reheat quickly ... or cook really quickly.

Keeping in mind that I have two very very fussy eaters - DS1 in particular will turn his nose up at more things than he will eat.

Things I have thought of are casseroles (which DS1 doesn't really like but ... tough luck!), bolognese, maybe chilli (can't really reheat rice safely though?). Any others .. quick and easy please!

Oh and lunch ideas for fussy DS1 please ... the nursery will reheat food but he won't eat sandwiches. I'll send sausage rolls, baked beans and cold sausages but would love some other ideas. DS2 is easy - leftovers, soup, sandwiches.

Thanks!

Meals involving eggs are usually quick ie omelette, scrambled egg on toast. Or how about cauliflower cheese, that's quick too

Thanks Compo ... a couple of things for the list though tbh I was thinking more along the lines of including meat/fish etc.

Anyone else ... pretty please

anything with pasta and huge quantities of pre cooked and then frozen in adequate portion sauces

Millie, you can freeze rice and reheat from frozen.

pittabread pizza.
Make a huge vat of tomato sauce in advance and sneak in some grated carrot , pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, courgette. Blitz the lot in liquidiser. freeze in ice cube trays.(will make enough to last a few weeks).You will only need to defrost 3 or 4 cubes in microwave, spread on halved pitta, add a few mushrooms, grate some cheese on top , 10 - 15mins in oven. My kids love it even the 14mth old, great finger food!
Tomato sauce , great with pasta or base for other dishes. Very useful indeed.
Dishes which freeze well are homemade salmon burgers, beanburgers. I have a great recipe for chicken in tomato sauce with apricots,sultanas and spices.
You can cook rice quickly in a rice steamer for the microwave.Only takes 7 mins.

Stab a potato a few times with a sharp knife and cook on high in the microwave for 3 minutes. Turn it over and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes. Meanwhile run a bit of cold water into the sink and grate a pile of cheese. When the potato is cooked, tip it into the cold water. This cools it down quickly and makes the skin shrink off and peels easier. Peel the potato (the skin should just slide off) put it in a bowl and mash the cheese into it. That's your carbs and protein sorted. The sluglet likes this with cherry tomatoes which she can pop in her mouth, celery sticks and cucumber. If it is rejected, don't throw it away. Roll it into little balls and dry fry in a non-stick frypan the next day.

On winter evenings my mum used to always have a pot of soup on the stove when we came home from school. Try pupmkin, tomato (made with tinned tomatoes) or mixed veg. I often make a sort of pottage, lots of chopped up sausages, bacon, lentis etc. This can be frozen or just left in the fridge

If worst comes to worst, is there really anything wrong with hummous and pitta bread if you really can't be bothered cooking?

Thanks all for some great ideas ... good to know about the rice ... I used to freeze it when it was just DH and I who would potentially get food poisoning but then read something (maybe on Mumsnet?) about how rice can be dangerous if re-heated. Anyway, am thinking of having a reserve of meals in the freezer for the 'can't be bothered' nights and am making a list of 'quick meals' for other nights.

Salmon pasta and cream. I have started buying fresh pasta now because it takes two minutes to cook, once its done mix it with a tin of drained salmon or tuna add a small carton of single cream mix and warm through and serve. Five minutes max.

Oh fresh pasta's a good idea, hadn't thought of that. Can't face salmon & cream at the moment ... we've done it for so many weeks now that DS2 won't touch it either !

You could also re-heat the chilli with jacket potatoes (either microwaved or cooked in oven using timer). I work 3 days a week and always cook double when not working. Assuming once a week have poeple over (so they eat the extra half!)/visit people/go out this works out fine. Tonight we are having shepherd's pie which was in the freezer and I will cook fresh veg. Try making spag bol recipe but use bacon instead of mince as an alternative dish. Lasagne freezes OK. I make jambalaya (I use chicken and sausage as the meat component) and that freezes fine. Also make a mushroom risotto which freezes (if I manage to make enough!). Annabel Karmel's one pot chicken and rice slightly spiced up for adult tastes. Turkey meatloaf.