Hate cooking - help!

[Haahoooo]

Really don't know what to do about this... DH and I have a DD (16 months) and DS will arrive in April.

We both work but I have better hours - I leave work at 5pm, pick up DD and am home by 6pm. DH normally doesn't get home until after 8pm.

This means it's the logical thing for me to do the cooking, but I just don't like it! I like food, and I want our family to eat healthily - limited ready made meals / sauces etc.

But when DD and I are home I'd rather just play with her... And when she's in bed I'll happily (ok not happily but it's fine) do some tidying / laundry / organising but I can't bear to have to cook.

Does anyone have any solutions for me? It's so tempting to get quick and easy meals (pasta with sauce from a jar) but I'm sure they are full of bad things!

Thanks for any ideas

Slow cooker? Bung ingredients in, and 6-8 hours ish later they're cooked. By magic.

Or electricity.

I second the idea of getting a slow cooker... and don't rule out things like ready-prepared or chopped fresh veg if it makes life easier!

One eve/ weekend make a few things for the freezer. Most things last 6 months in the freezer. Make 10 ish portions of each. Then you can just take one out in the morning.

Tomato sauce - tomatoes/ carrots/ courgette/ onion/ herbs/ spices/ garlic. Can just add to pasta and still get some veg in

Bolognaise

Buy pre prepped chopped veg, ready mash, microwave plain rice, fresh pasta, etc, and just add some grilled chicken/ fish most days

Hmm yes, I think I'm just about ok on the veg and rice / pasta front actually with the pre-prepared things, where it all falls down is the meat / sauce. Plain rice or pasta with just a piece of chicken of fish doesn't taste great (ime) so it needs something, but I don't want to have to make a sauce nor do I want to use a jar.

Is this where the slow cooker comes in? I have read about them but am a bit nervous about leaving something cooking while I'm not in the house (I'm gone for about 10 hours) and also don't you still need to do all the work the night before?

Agree we should do more batch cooking but it always goes wrong... Usually we forget we've done it and have to throw things away.

Ahh I wish meals would just appear..

'Cooking' is a broad church. You don't have to be making hearty casseroles every day. Jars and other ready-made stuff are an OK short-cut from time to time - won't kill anyone. There's lots of quick stuff you can do and still have time to play with children. Assembling a salad and grilling something to put on it counts as cooking. A stir-fry only takes minutes as does a frittata or omelette. Ainsey Harriet's book 'Meals in Minutes' is worth a look.

Batch cooking requires a little planning, some containers and a freezer but it is a good way to save time and eat decent food. Perhaps DH could take on that role at the weekends? Some people find it more satisfying producing a catering-size vat of a dish than messing about with piddly little portions.

Ultimately, like any other task, you have to be motivated and enthusiastic or it won't happen. TBH you don't sound very enthusiastic.

Nope, definitely not enthusiastic . But thanks for the tips - will definitely check out that 'meals in minutes' book!

If you live in Surrey or the surrounding area, my business offers another solution. :) I don't want to get in trouble with MN advertising guidelines but if you PM me, I'll direct you to my website. In a nutshell, I plan your meals based on your family's preferences, shop for the ingredients and then either prepare the meals in my hygiene certified kitchen, or come to yours for a few hours and do it there. Food is chilled properly and then left in your fridge for you to reheat and enjoy at a convenient time for you and your family. Another option to consider?

Definitely get a slow cooker. One with an auto warm and sear/saute function is good if you can afford more than a basic one. With auto warm you set a timer and if you're running late it automatically switches it to a keep warm setting so you can leave it and eat when ready. The sear or saute function means you can brown things in the pot on the hob and then use the same pot in the slow cooker. Saves on washing up!! I don't brown much but I do brown fatty meats so I can drain the fat off and also sausages to keep them crispy.

If not Tesco and Argos both do one under £20.

The easiest thing to do in a slow cooker is a cheap joint of meat (whole chicken, gammon, pork shoulder, beef brisket, lamb breast etc) Rub in herbs, garlic, mustard powder, black peppercorns, mustard. Add 200ml of wine or fizzy pop (the carbonation tenderizes the meat) and some banana shallots. You can have the sauce created it as it is, reduce and bubble it on the hob or whizz the sauce up in a blender to make a smoother, thicker sauce/gravy.

Sainsbury's often have their digital 4.5 litre one on offer for £19.99. It has the auto keep warm function.

The Morphy Richards Flavour Savour 4.5 litre is cheapest digital saute/sear one I have seen at Morphy Richards £48.99

The Crock Pot Countdown Saute 5.7 litre one is £54.94 with postage

What i would do is cook a vat of mince mixture once a month to make any of the following: bolognaise, chilli, savoury mince, curried mince with rice and peas or cottage pie mix. I usually make a basic mince, portion and freeze and then whip one out each week abduction adapt accordingly. Okay so that's one meal.

Do the same with a slowcooker, have leftovers, portion and freeze. That's two meals. If you can stomache cooking two times in one month and make enough for a month then you're half way there.

Have an easy food night, beans on toast, soup, jacket potato (slow cooker) etc. Or even soup one night and jackets the next. Easy.

Then (my favourite) chicken thighs (sainsburys frozen are the best I've found) bung in roasting tray, chop some potatoes into wedges (skin on), chop red onion and chorizo, sprinkle paprika and thyme. Bung in oven on 180. Shake every 15 mins til done. Serve with mayo . Best Friday night dinner ever! 5 mins prep.

Saturday pizza and salad or picnic tea, anything quick and easy. I know it's hard when you work full time but you have to figure out what works best for you.I batch cook as i go along, i cook proper meals a couple of times a month and live off frozen leftovers. It's so easy just to whip something out of the freezer.

Leave post it notes out so you don't forget.

Thank you all! Some really good suggestions here. Sounds like I will need to look into a slow cooker. I like the sound of that chicken / oven recipe too Lizzy, how long (approx) does it need to go in for?

Thanks again

Dairymoo, please pm me!

I know a lot of people swear by their slow cookers but I am a keen cook and they just don't appeal to me.

There are quite a lot of minimal cooking things we do, and we don't often cook huge batches of food (it does take a while I find) but we often make double.

The tins or packets of chopped tomato with basil/onion/whatever make a great base for pasta sauce - just add mince, another veg, or bacon for older children/adults.

DH usually does sausages, fish cakes, or similar with Delia's potato wedges or mash, and a quick microwave veg.

We've just started doing korma with a paste, with chicken, or carrot/parsnip/cauliflower (any chunky winter veg), it's mild enough for DS, it really doesn't take much more time to make than the rice to cook.

Same with a quick stir fry, use a bit of sesame oil, five spice powder, or rice vinegar for flavour for DCs if you don't want to use ready sauces (they can be v salty).

We have stir fry/curry/fajitas 3 nights a week. Takes about 15 mins in a frying pan or wok. On a Saturday night we often have steak. We have it rare so along with steaming some veg takes about 10 mins. On a Friday I will do something with frozen basa fillets and bake them in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

We use the slow cooker for sunday "roast." And the other night we use it to have a minced based meal (bolognese, chilli, burritos, tacos, shepherds pie - add some very thinly sliced potato/swede with butter and cheese and put under the grill for 10-15 minutes)

Have a look at Jamie Oliver's 15 minute meals book too.

Apparently that Morphy Richards slow cooker I linked to has been on offer for £20 so have a look around.

I love cooking but hate housework. There must be scope for a swap somewhere!

I think there are plenty of meals that you could cook. Use frozen veg to save on chopping which can be a real chore if you don't have a good knife or the right technique. Things like prawn Thai curry, chop an onion fry add some paste add some coconut milk, frozen veg and frozen prawns. Easy!

I'd choose an easy recipe to try out at the weekend, if if works slot it in to the week.

Roast chicken is very easy, not much needs to be done to it, add a bit of mash and some frozen peas.

Jarred tomato sauce is really not so bad, check the ingredients but thee are worse things you could eat. Fry some chorizo and chopped onion, add can of tomatoes, cook a little more and then add a can of chickpeas.

Sausage and mash requires very little cooking - bake sausages they don't require so much watching. Serve with frozen veg.

Thank you everyone. I have made a list of easy recipes to try! Made cod with prawns, boiled egg and melted butter, plus asparagus, in about 15 minutes on Saturday, very pleased with that and cold meatball sandwiches this evening