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.

I was just thinking Delia's How to Cook
She has loads of recipes online :)

X-post babsmam

There isnt really anyone who could talk me through the basics. Tbh i dont really want to let anyone know i'm 'branching out' as ive been there before and it feels like such a pressure to be eating everything all of a sudden and it isnt going to happen like that.

I will get the delia book though- thanks for that recommendation.

It's Delia's Complete Cookery Course £10 on Amazon - worth the investment, you'll save that on ready meals in a week! You could even just work your way through it skipping things you know you won't like. It even tells you how to cook a perfect boiled egg.

Well I'm sure between us and Delia we can help.
No point in adding any pressure that you dont have to.

One step at a timeb

Could you start gently- I think one pot roast things would be great for you.

For example roast a chicken with all the veg and potatoes underneath- the veg comes out not feeling or tasting like boiled veg, it's really lovely.

So you'd peel and cut up the veg, put in a roasting tin, put the whole chicken or chicken thighs on top, pour over some oil and cook on for about an hour for the thighs or according to the packet instructions for a whole chicken.
You can make sandwiches with any left over chicken. Or have with salad.

You can do the same for sausages. They are both delicious, take minutes to prepare and you can be doing other things as they cook.

Sorry OP feel like I added some pressure there myself, got over excited. Hopefully you will totally ignore my silliness. Good luck.

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/hit-n-run-traybaked-chicken/

This is quite a simple one, you can leave out the garlic, paprica if you want to, just use salt and pepper.

Oh love I feel so sad for you. I couldn't even begin to imagine what your issues are but I really hope we can help you. I love food and cooking, it's one of the great joys in life but if it is a struggle for you then that's just how it is. Baby steps, keep asking questions and we'll give you all the support we can. That's one of the joys of an anonymous forum I guess. Hugs and to you and well done for asking! X

Op- I have no real input for you, but im a trained chef and I still can't cook the perfect egg! Lower your goals!

You've mentioned a few times about potatoes

mash

Peep potatoes, and chop into inch size peices. Put into cold water, with a lid on with a teaspoon of salt.
Boil until you can push a knife through the middle of the biggest one you can see easily.
Drain in a colander.

Add a small amount of butter, salt and pepper. Mash together. If it looks a bit bitty and isn't really creamy then add more butter. If it's still not coming together add a tiny splash of milk.

I think your making a massive step, you should be proud of yourself!

Also agree with pp, maybe start to cook for your children- even if it's stuff your unlikely to eat- to gain some skills?

And by peep I obviously mean peel

What about Jamie Oliver's ministry of food book? Some nice recipes in there but I think some ask for too much water (sauces etc).

How do you stand on omelettes? Very quick and easy and can add mushrooms, peppers etc.

What about using prepared fresh or frozen veg - eg the steam bags that you just have to microwave so can keep in the freezer until you feel like eating them.

Grilled or fried chicken or steak with salad leaves from a bag?

Thanks all again. This is really helping. I think i'll try and master the mash potatoes first as i already know i like them but would be good to be able to cook. Are they freezable? How long do they keep for in the fridge?

For your kids:

Frozen corn on the cob. Just chuck them in a pan of boiling water and serve with fish fingers

Buy them the Birdseye frozen veg bags. You pop them in the microwave.

Buy wraps. Give the kids ham, tomatoes and sliced cucumber on a plate. Let them make up their own wrap.

Hth

If you can eat veg etc in a stew, make lots of stews and casseroles. If you make large quantities, you can freeze in bags/pots then just have as and when you feel like it. After a few weeks of cooking extra, you'll have a variety of things in the freezer to choose from.

It may be worth looking at the SNparts of MN, because lots of children with AS/ASD have food issues, and lots of parents on here have spent years trying to overcome them. Read jimjams' description of how she (and family/support) got her son to eat- made me well-up the first time I read it.

Stews and casseroles can be as bland as you like. Kallo do low/no-salt stock cubes, so you can go really really beige
Good luck!

I think learning to do the mash is a great idea, just do one thing at a time, get confident with it then try something else you like. Good luck!

Delia Smith also has a 'how to cheat at cooking' book, lots of shortcuts and tips for you to try.

Pataks also do great curry pastes, very easy to do!

I agree mash sounds like a plan and can be frozen. In fact frozen ingredients are great too if you can afford them. Such as garlic, onion. Veg. Saves chopping time and full of nutrients.

Do you have on particular thing you want to focus on Op.. Is it healthy eating, feeling you kids better or overcoming your food issues. They all seem interlinked but maybe easier to work towards by breaking them down.

It may be worth looking at the SNparts of MN, because lots of children with AS/ASD have food issues, and lots of parents on here have spent years trying to overcome them. Read jimjams' description of how she (and family/support) got her son to eat- made me well-up the first time I read it.

Oh good idea! Thank you.

I have ordered delias cooker course on amazon.

Is it silly to say the thought of a curry terrifies me? I know people say you can have mild ones but how mild are they?

Also i have tried to make stew (from internet recipes) a few times in the slow cooker (which has so far only ever successfully produced porridge for the DCs ) but it has never been nice. I have asked my mum to write down how she does hers as it is nice but she just reams off a list of ingredients and says its easy. It probably is but not if i dont know amounts or times. And im not asking her again.

Tbh at the minute babsmam i would be happy to have several basic meals to come home to in the evenings rather than coming in, realising there is nothing and settling for toast again. Ive ended up going to the shop on the way home every evening to get a ready meal or a pasta packet.

You could try getting a slow cooker and cook a batch of stew. Freeze some portions, you can then eat them later but only have the hassle of cooking once. Slow cookers also tend to keep the smells in.

A slow cooker also means you can prep in the morning and then by evening its ready to eat.

Ah well, if you have a slow cooker I'm sure we can find something - there's always a slow cooker thread on the go on Mumsnet, and there are some mega ones in the archives.
Can't do it now but will find you some in the morning :)