Meal planning tips.... need help !!

[mumtosp]

Hi all,

I need your help with meal planning as I have recently realised that we are relying more and more on takeaways which just isn't healthy !!

DH and I used to be pretty good at having home cooked healthy meals... but a few things have changed over the past year. We've had a DS :) and moved away from the city so our commute is longer. By the time I get home from work and put DS to bed it's 7:30 pm and DH gets home by 7 pm. We both have demanding jobs and at the end of the day we just cannot bring ourselves to cook dinner ! Also, we mostly cook Indian food which usually takes longer...

I need to start batch cooking and also move away from Indian cooking - atleast not all the time. Are there any recipe books that you would recommend for quick healthy dinners? Should I buy a food processor?

Having read a few thread on here, I know quite a few of you use a slow cooker, but I'm very apprehensive about leaving on a slow cooker while I'm not at home....

TIA :)

the bbc good food books (easy meals, slow cooker meals, vegetarian..) are amazing, all quick and easy and so tasty!

if you enjoy cooking (i do!) then i spend a day off doing some batch cooking of wonderful food id never have a chance to cook during the week (in your case indian!) and freezing it in portions.

all you have to do is heat it up and do rice!

hth!

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/freezable

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/batch-cooking

I am also planning to so the same. I have been meal planning but often find I am too tired to cook it so I am planning on using some recipes from the links above so on some nights I can just grab something from the freezer.

When you do cook, cook lots extra and freeze. We got home late tonight and I defrosted a chilli, so just put the rice on while I sorted the DC out.

Things like carbonara are very quick, you could have roast ham on Sunday and do the carbonara on Monday.

About every 3rd sunday afternoon, i shut myself away in the kitchen with loud music and a bottle of wine and cook... lots! Fill the freezer with portions of allsorts. It makes life so much easier mon-fri when i'm working weird shifts. And i really enjoy my time alone with wine!!

Thanks all :)

HobbitWorrier That sounds like fun :)

www.amazon.co.uk/Jamies-Ministry-Food-Anyone-Learn/dp/0718148622/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389025389&sr=1-1&keywords=jamie+oliver+ministry+of+food

This Jamie book has some decent recipes, on evenings where we don't have much time we always rely on a precooked and frozen bolognaise sauce or curry sauce. A food processor is a good idea, you could do some simple soups and freeze.