Im so bored of food, hate cooking but need to eat

[SurlyCue]

Long back story but i'll cut it down.

I have childhood food issues, textures mainly, but i dont eat any fruit, very very bland palate. Diet consists of what i call "yellow" foods. Pasta, bread/toast, chips, sausage rolls. Basically all the lazy unhealthy stuff.

DCs eat at CMers 3 evenings a week, their grandmoter's one evening a fortnight and their dad's one evening a fortnight. On the weekends they are with me we get take out. The weekday evenings i "cook" for them i usually do a pasta dish (from a jar) or something like fish fingers. When i'm feeding just myself i will either have toast, a sandwich, quick pasta stir or a ready meal from supervalu. (Which work out quite expensive)

I hate cooking, food has such horrible associations for me that i take no joy in preparing it, its a real chore that i would happily never do again. But obviously i need to eat and i am so bored with toast/bread/pasta.

I need to get out of this rut. I need some variety but it has to be minimal prep as a) i just wont put the effort in and b) in the evenings i just want to walk in and switch the oven on while i do washing/homeworks etc. and also- i'm scared of trying new things so i dont waste time cooking new things i mightnt like. I have seen myself cooking a full meal only to bin it before tasting as it smelled bad.

I'm expecting to be told to grow up and just eat my veg like an adult but unless youve grown up with the association i have with food then you just wont get it. Ive seen Paediatricians as a child and had hypnotherapy as an adult to try and conquer this but it hasnt happened.

So i need advice/recipes/tips for not too scary meals that are easy prepped and wont cost a fortune in food i mightnt eat. Even something like a meal plan of basic meals i could rotate, especially stuff i could prepare in advance and freeze or stick in the fridge.

Thanks in advance.

Poor you. I haven't many ideas, but I wanted to get your thread started.

Do you eat eggs? Baking an egg with cheese in a ramekin is an easy way to do them, many variations on this idea would add veg, but I can think of some that involve smoked salmon or fish.

I dont eat eggs but that is one of the things i would like to be eating as they seem quick/easy to do.

That's the first way I started to eat them as a young adult, now I eat them several ways.

www.food.com/recipe/northumberland-pan-haggerty-vegetarian-cheese-and-potato-bake-423399

How about pan haggerty? It's just potatoes cheese and onion but might offer some variety for you.

Baked potato and cheese/ beans/ suitable topping

Roast potatoes, parsnips and carrots for and hour adding in some sausages for the last forty mins? Bus to gravy or ketchup to suit. If your up to it add herbs/ garlic to the roast- if not it's a plain Basic weekday roast

I don't know of these suggestions will help but I hope things get easier for you

Bisto gravy obv

On the egg side if you eat potatoes it's worth keeping a few cooked potatoes for tomorrow to be sliced and added to fried onions to make a tortilla.

Where do you stand on pizza? My dc love adding their own toppings to pizza bases- usually grated carrot some tomato puree and cheese?

If you are open to pizza how would if pastry tarts fare? Ready roll puff is a pound a sheet- top with tomato puree and cheese- add in extra ham, onions etc as you build up. Again my children love these.

Toasties can be healthy too- again grated carrot is you friend- it's indistinguishable from the cheese once cooked. I usually do ham cheese and carrot, or red onion but I suspect red onion may be a step too far if you have a blander palette.

What about soup? I find soup texturally displeasing but if you don't then soup is stupidly easy and as bland as the veg and seasoning you choose to put in it. A country veg soup of potato parsnip and carrot ( based on the idea if you made the earlier roast this could be the recipe to use the end of the veg up) will take about half and hour on the hob. Just chuck veg in stock leave to cook and blend. Again I would add herbs / onion / celery but don't know where you tastes stand on these as they're stronger.

Thank you for all these suggestions. Yes i do eat potatoes but rarely as i dont really know how to cook them.

Soup i can have if it is blended, although i really only stick with tomato soup.

Pizza i do eat but im not really keen on it.

You can make potato bake by just slicing your potatoes, adding either stock and or cream or , if easier a jar of potato bake sauce and shove in the oven for 50minutes.

Baked potatoes can be done by either baking for hours on low- or microwaving for ten minutes and then baking for another ten to crisp up the skins. Left over baked potatoes can be sliced into wedges and fried or baked again the next day for potato wedges.

Perhaps try to start adding more by just adding one different thing a week. There's no point making a plan to eat different things all at once and get overwhelmed and give up. So have you usual food and add a potato bake on a Wednesday. Next week have a soup ( as above - if you have a hand blender of course ) and so on. It'll be less intimidating.

Which ready meals have you enjoyed? Maybe we could give you an idea of easy ways to make some of your favourites? I think a helpful thing to do is have a 'theme' each night e.g.

• Monday: Italian (pasta, risotto or pizza)
• Tuesday: Mexican (chilli, fajitas)
• Wednesday: Jacket potato (cheese, beans, tuna mayo)
• Thursday: Soup
• Friday: Fish (fish fingers, fish cakes, cod & chips)
• Saturday: Curry/Stir-Fry (homemade)
• Sunday: Roast/Stew

Then you have a starting point, and you can keep the dishes pretty much the same each week or experiment a bit with just one of those, perhaps try a different pasta each week for a while.

Pizza - is it the dough or the topping? Or the general mix of textures? If it's either the dough or the toppings then you can make mini 'pizzas' bu topping pitta breads or flatbreads and baking which have a different texture than pizza dough, as does the puff pastry mentioned earlier. If it's the toppings then you can adjust them- It doesn't have to have tomato or cheese - top with things you like. If it's the general mix of textures option then just ignore this post.

You appear to be asking the impossible.

You need to address your food issues rather urgently - would you consider hypnosis, counselling or one of the newer therapies like NLP or cognitive behaviour therapy?

No one on Mumsnet is going to be able to sort you out!

Mintyy, she says she has tried hypnosis.

OP - what do you get when you get takeout? We may be able to help you cook a healthier, cheaper version?
Ditto the ready meals - what do you have?

I think its the dough with pizzas. I dont know really, i always buy them as an easy dinner but when it comes to eating them i'll have half a slice and then give up.

The ready meals i buy are things like chicken with mozzarella and bacon bits in a creamy sauce, stuffed sausages wrapped in bacon, (i'll buy a ready made mashed potato with it) lasagnes (which are always a let down actually and the ones i make with jars are no better)

Take out is always chips with sausages or chicken.

Can you tell us any other foods you will eat, meat, any veg? I worry that your diet is so unhealthy that it will make you ill. Sorry you have had such difficult issues with food, it must make life very hard and stressful for you. I can't imagine what that must be like but happy to try and help if you can tell us more. X

Thanks minty i have been through hypnosis with several different practitioners and got myself into a right state each time when it didnt work and i felt like i was letting them and everyone who knew about it down. It really still is quite upsetting when i think of how i felt then. I think i'd rather try myself in small steps with a few basic meals. Less pressure and chance of failure.

Again, jacket potatoes are really easy and you can have them with cheese, beans, chilli, egg mayonnaise, tuna. You can pop them in the microwave and finish them off in the oven.

Spaghetti bolognese is quite easy to do. Shepherds pie?

What about cooking for your children but not eating any of it yourself?

I've spent years doing this (cooking them things they like that I don't like) ... can you manage that?

Op have you anyone in rl who can show you the basics to build up from. Maybe a how to cook book from the library ( Delia smith) don't wish to patronise but Im assuming if you are not sure on cooking potatoes then you may not have a wise range of cooking skills. Maybe gaining skills might help you enjoy food?

I can eat veg if it is mixed in with something like a bolognaise or stew. But i couldnt eat something like peas or sweetcorn if just on its own. I cant eat rice at all.

Meat i eat chicken turkey ham beef sausage/bacon.

How about something like this creamy chicken bacon pasta, you could leave out the basil if it's not to your taste.

Mashed potatoes are pretty easy to make, no need to buy them ready made, but not the worst thing to do if you like them, apart from the cost.

No its not patronising at all, i cant cook. I heat things up as per instructions on the packet or jar but i wouldnt even know how long to boil an egg for.

Toad in the hole might be good, you could cook say 12 sausages and freeze portions of 2. Is there anyone in RL who might give you a crash course in cooking a few basics like baked/mashed potatoes? I really recommend Delia Smith's Basic Cookery Course book (I think it's called that) for stuff like cottage pie, she keeps things very simple.