Help - working mum really struggling to cook decent meals

[wangle99]

Please help. I'm a full time working mum, DH works full time. Two children (DD 14 and DS 8). I'm really struggling to get something reasonably nutritious on the table every day.

DH and I don't get in till just after 5pm each day I bring DD home with me so she can't get stuff ready before we get home. DS is intolerant to wheat/gluten/dairy.

Please help me with some quickish meals that are good for us, seem all i'm dishing up at the moment is chips and junk which i hate to do but we need to eat. Don't really want to spend weekend batch cooking as a) i have my own business as well and b) I already spend the weekend making food for DS pack lunches through the week!

Any help appreciated Thank you

I was going to suggest quick pasta dishes, but ds is allergic. Could the children not have school dinners and then just a supper type thing in the evening? Soup, sandwiches, salad or something. Easy and quick to produce and nutricious. Can ds have some gluten/wheat free bread?
I have gone through phases of doing ready meals with microwave packets of veg. It's not ideal but it's not going to kill them.
Good luck with it. It's hard.

DD does have school meals, DS was having them but they were giving him the same food every day and quite clearly contaminating him as well because of the symptoms he had, we put him back on packed lunches to help his digestion heal itself.

I feel so crap as I do love cooking but getting something on the table quickly on a week night is proving a real challenge.

Bags of sympathy - I only work PT but DH works shifts and we have similar issues. I'll list a few easy ones, but you may need to adapt for allergies.

Roast veg - sweet potato, peppers, red onion, squash, carrots, chopped to 1" or so to cook quickly. In a hot oven the whole lot cooks in 40 minutes. Serve with decent sausages.

Fajitas - could you use corn tortillas?

Slow cooker chilli - prep the night before or in the morning if you're an early bird.

Soup and pudding - I made leek and potato soup in less than half an hour this morning. Finish off with a fruit salad or maybe a sorbet or something. We might have sponge puddings or ice cream but neither would work for you!

Risotto, made with whatever you've got in the fridge.

Frittata or Spanish omelettes

Cook a stew or casserole one evening and heat up to eat the next day

Salmon and noodles (I think you can get gluten free ones but apologise if you can't), takes 15 minutes, chop up salmon, fry in tbsp oil, add pack stir fry veggies and a pack fresh noodles, stir and add splash soy sauce and shake pepper.

Wrap white fish fillet in bacon, drizzle with oil and bake in oven. Serve with veggies.

Slow cooker for stews and soup may be an idea.

I like stirfrys for a quick healthy meal for the family - jacket potatoes with chilli (from slow cooker) are a good idea too.

Really meal plan and cook the night before then reheat so at least your eating earlier, we sometimes set the oven to come on for jacket pots.

I do feel your pain. I've been there and it's exhausting. My uncle was in a similar position too; single dad and gluten intolerant with coeliac disease. He used to do a large roast chicken/lamb cut on a Sunday then use the meat as the week went on til about Wednesday. Stir fries, curries, sometimes pasta dish with the gluten free pasta. The first two with rice/quinoa plus steamed veg. Fish also really quick to cook and season - some of the sprinkle on seasonings are lovely with salmon or trout. The Schwartz Cajun one is our massive favourite but I'm not sure if this is gluten free.

I know it might sound a bit odd too but on occasion I don't think there's much wrong with a fry up for tea - ours love egg/ham/bacon and chips - as long as there's veg too that's a valid meal at ours!

Agree with the oven timer thing too - my friend has one and it has made a massive difference.

Try looking for inspiration in magazines like BBC Good Food or Sainsbury's magazine. They always have a section devoted to quick mid week suppers. Try some of the simple quick recipes and adopt a few of them into your repertoire.

Then meal plan! I plan a list of meals before I shop. I then write a list of all the meals we could do, and put it on the front of the fridge. I don't insist on specific meals on specific days, I just cross out each meal as we have done it.

Some really quick and simple ones (avoiding my pasta ones!) are:

• Chicken and veg stir fry served with rice
• Salmon fillets with potatoes and broccoli
• Avocado and bacon salad
• Chicken pieces coated in Reggae sauce and roasted, served with oven chips and coleslaw (bought coleslaw to save chopping time)

Diced /Jacket potatoes - 15 mnts in microwave. served with fish - 15 minutes baked and frozen spinach chucked in the bottom tray with a spot of garlic.

Chicken curry and rice -rice in microwave or a rice cooker, chicken - fry up a can of tomatoes with tea spoon of garam masala, ginger and garlic for about 5 minutes. Toss in chicken breast diced and simmer for 20 minutes.

I second a slow cooker, prep the night before and turn on before you leave in the morning.

We generally prep the night before so all we have to do is throw things in the oven or pan. Stir fry, pan fried meat or baked fish and steamed veg. I get in at 1750 and dinner is on the table by 1830 at the latest every night.