please help WOHM, full time school, dinner recipes, no time, HELP ME PLEASE

[DaveOHara]

please please help me.. I'll try and explain my dilemma

after easter dd will be at school full time (currently she gets her meals at CM's). I am WOHM, we get home at 6pm (on a good day). at the momnent dd (4.5) goes to bed about 7-7:30.

Now, after easter I'm going to have to squeeze in cooking a healthy balanced main meal into the evening routine. Obviously dd's bedtime will have to be pushed out to about 8-8:30 but I don't want to spend the little time I get with her in the evening cooking... and what about baths etc... oh god just the thought of how I'm going to do this is turning my stomach!

I've been thinking maybe I could get a repatiore of meals I could make one night and serve up the next evening etc but I don't know what.. I'm not great in the kitchen... so at the moment that would be cottage pie, lasagne etc but need meals that aren't just variations on mince..

easter is sooo soon, HEEELP.... please, I'll love you forever.

We like haddock (dressed at the fishmongers) and dry fried - takes 2 mins each side, and Tesco Finest oven chips - they are the best.
You could batch cook at the weekends - big pot of curry, big pot of chilli/bolognese- freeze in little portions. Then have mini naans in freezer. Chilli you can put with pasta, mashed potatoes or nachos or pittas.
I also buy margerhita pizzas, freeze then add chopped yellow peppers, chicken or sausage and corn.

How about fishfingers, oven chips and peas?

Pizza? Buy a ready made basic one and add your own toppings plus a bit of salad.

Veggie or meat sausages with mash (can be pe-made and frozen - but not for long) and peas/carrots/broccoli

Sardines on toast

Stir fry is good too - veggie or meat with rice or noodles.

Tomorrow we're having SPAGHETTI MARINARA

Boil water.
Add pasta (cooks for about 9mins usually)
Melt large tablespoon of butter in saucepan.
Stir in about 2g of flour, about another tablespoon's worth
Cook for a min
Add 125ml of white wine and 125ml of stock
Beat till thickened.
Add about 50g prawns and 2 salmon fillets that you would have cut into bits.
Stir fish in and simmer for 5 mins.
Drain pasta and add fish to pasta and serve.

Buy a pasta recipe book, there are 100's of things you can do with pasta that take 10/15mins!...I can post a few recipes if you like?

I make jars of fresh tomato sauce & add it to several dishes along with other ingredients.

Risotto, Home made burgers, Sausages, Vegetable bake.

Don't panic, you'll manage just fine!

LOW FAT CASSOULET IN A HURRY

olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
250g lamb or pork, chopped up into small bits
400g can chopped toms
2 carrots, diced
150ml red wine
150ml lamb stock
teaspoon each of dried rosemary, thyme & parsley
400g can haricot beans
2 tablespoons fresh white breadcrumbs

green beans to serve

Heat oil and cook onion & garlic for 3-4mins
Add lamb or pork and stir-fry for 5 mins
Stit in toms, carrots, wine, stock & herbs, cover and cook for 25 mins
Preheat grill.
Stir beans in pan, season, transfer to heatproof serving dish
Sprinkle over breadcrumbs and grill for few mins.
Serve with fine green beans.

Also don't forget jacket potatoes. Whack them in the microwave for 8-10 mins, put the oven on high, then put them in to crisp up for 10-15 minutes.

Whilst you're waiting make your filling -
cheese and coleslaw?
cheese and beans?
tuna and sweetcorn?

or

homemade tomato sauce - tin of toms, herbs, fry an onion, peppers and mushrooms, chuck in tin of toms, herbs and simmer for 10 mins, sprinkle of cheese of top - quick and healthy.

I've worked every day this week when usually I work 2.5 days. Boy my hat is OFF to full-time working mums. But being organised is the key and also not worrying if dinner isn't a home cooked gourmet but a ready steady cook instead!

chicken in breadcrumbs
sausage and mash
pasta and pasta sauce
macaroni cheese and oven chips
beans on toast
fish fingers
heinz tomato soup and sandwiches
egg fried rice with any old gubbins chucked in
potato ommelette
corn on cob

To make it quicker I usually serve most of above with no-cook carrot/pepper/cucumber sticks.

Not sure of your budget but I think a couple of M&S things are var tasty and a good price including their steak pies and their crispbake things (often on special offer)

All these things can be made in half an hour, some of them in 15. Nothing poncy of faffy.

and to be honest all this cook something the night before sounds horrific. Do want to be cooking all evening and weekend? No.

Just make really simple quick stuff and be done with it. Have yoghurts, fruit and a biscuit to fill up if needed. I would never attemopt lasagne on a week night.

eat with dd otherwise you'll be cooking all night.

try and get dd to take school dinners so you're not making sandwiches aggressively every morning or evening. It's the little things you resent most.

i am sure if you asked your cm would supply a cooked meal, if not, go for school diners, i finish work at 6.30 - 7 most nights (am childminder) i cook full dinner for mindees but am so unorganised when comes to my own family.

Thanks folks.. picked up a menu from school this morning (not looked at it yet though)

Right I am in an easier position than you because I only work Tues-Thurs, but this is what I do.

Order shopping at work to be delivered Thurs eve.
Fri-Mon cook double of 3 meals. Freeze/fridge these and reheat with pasta/veg/pots as appropriate.
DS has school dinners but still eats a dinner with us apart from on Tues when he has a swimming lesson so has a sandwich at the CM.

So next week's plan is:
Fri - turkey meat loaf (this should make enough for four meals, and I will serve it with roast potatoes on Friday but either boiled potatoes or pasta one day next week)
Sat - toad in the hole (but will not double this)
Sun - lasasgne (will make 2 meals of this, with some left over sauce that I will feeze to have as spag bol
Mon - some sort of homemade soup with crusty rolls

Quite often when I get home the first thing I do is put the kettle on, before I take off my coat even, then I have hot water for potatoes/pasta/veg.

You could roast a chicken on a Sunday and then you would have left over meat on a Monday. I make a spag bol type dish, only I use bacon instead of mince. This is quick and easy.

It's really all about whether you'll be eating with DD or whether she eats at school.
My 2 eat at childminders afyter school and then I just put them to bed and cook. I like cooking and couldn't live on beans on toast and fishfinger type teas every night of the week. Nothing wrong with those kind of meals but imo they are are for just now and then.

I'm happy to make a big type of meal at some point over the weekend and freeze some for later on in the coming weeks.

I also do extra if I make a roast so we have leftovers on the Monday.

I like going through my recipe books finding quick, easyish, healthy meals to make during the week. I like food!

Let me know if you want anymore recipes DaveoHara or if you're happy with beans on toast type options.

Agree with tc - you have to decide how you are going to work it. I would not be happy with toast/fishfingers all week. But my solution has always been to be really strict about planning ahead and cooking double. I do not want to start cooking when the children go to bed at 7.30. Although if they have friends for tea DH and I will eat later, but I will usually have cooked for us with the children.

Hi,
Don't worry it might seem daunting now but will get better ( honest I've been there)

The key is planning

IMO school measl are the way to go. It will save a job ( making sandwiches) and ensure she gets a hot meal.

Meal plan and shop ahead

At the weekend could you find the time to make a double cassarole and freeze into two portions? - that is two meals out of five sorted. You can heat up a portion of casserole as quick as it takes to cook pasta

Make one of your weekend meals the type you can cook double of and freeze a portion: ie bolognese - then that is one more evening is taken care of.
Do you have a timer on your oven? - if so pre-set it for jacket potatoes then serve with a quick filling: Baked beans and cheese, tuna and sweetcorn.

Stirfry is quick and easy - chicken, beef, veg etc

Chicken or fish baked in foil parcels takes about 20 to 30 mins.

The trick is to get in, turn oven on, bung food in oven before you get distracted by anything else

Good luck!

I've found my food twin in Bozza!

Dave - had an idea - if DD eats with you you could cook with her and make things like fahitas, and buy pizza bases and make your own toppings. So healthy, easy and time spent together.

Are you still doing the low GI stuff teecee? I have been poorly (bad cold, lingering cough) and been cooking hearty food like chicken and mushroom pie with puff pastry topping, and chicken dinners etc.

I also did that thing of lisalisa's with the lasagne stuffed with spinach and feta (although used mozarella) was lovely and tasty but my lasagne sheets all split. I made double though and stuck one in the freezer. Then I just reheated portions in the microwave and served with crusty bread.

I'm not strict Bozza, try and cut out carbs in the evening but we do still have pasta dishes now nad then. Having seafood linguine tonight. I do try and buy wholemeal pasta where I can and we have the odd rice dish but gain buy brown rice (much to annoyance of DP! )

I just try and be healthy and low fat, low GI where i can but not over the top with it.

Last night we had grilled lemon sole and steamed veg, but i poured some double cream and grated cheese over the leeks!

I haven't time to read the whole thread - but in my mind it's just something you get used to - and planning is key! Sometimes I'll use the slow cooker - but quite often I just start cooking the minute I get in around 6 .p.m.
Stir fries, pasta bolognese, baked or steamed fish, mince & pots, chicken paprika, lentil casserole (used tinned lentils) etc etc can all be done from scratch and on teh table in under 1 hour. Make soup / stews at weekends so it will do more than 1 day. Put a chicken in the oven on the timer before you leave for work - again it will do at least 2 days meals.
Get an electric steamer - you can bung in veg and potatoes and leave it to cook for 30 mins while you paly with your dd. (then do grilled chicken - takes minutes)
We eat at 7 - bath (every 2 days!) around 8 - bed 8.30. Playing with the kids happens when things are cooking - and on the non bath nights.
I find if I don't stress too much regarding bedtimes - and make sure on the non-bath nights that we play a game, or bake brownies etc, it isn't too bad.

I prepare my dinner's in the morning before work and put them in the fridge and then when I get in just have to stick them in the oven.

DS goes to bed at 7.30 and there is no way we could make it later because he has to be up at 7. It depnds on the child though.

I would if you can spare a day a month for a baking/cooking day to freeze ahead.

I do the following:

Spag bog
cottage pie
Chicken & Mush pie (I just do Filling)
Meat & Potato Pie
Casseroles and stews.
I also make batches of yorkshire pudding i admit they don't look like aunt bessies, but taste just as good.

I also cook joints of pork, and beef slice down and freese in batches enough for meal then re-heat in gravy, which along with pork chops,pies can be cooked in the same time as your potato's and veg.

I would get some small plastic pots which are a portion size for you dd i have some which Like these .
www.woolworths.co.uk/ww_p2/product/index.jhtml?pid=50614174

You then can reheat portion of stew,spag bog for your dd in minutes.

You could get things like frozen rice so you could have dd meal ready in 15 mins.

Thank you all for this.. I'm going to print it off and digest it properly over the weekend then try and work out some sort of game plan..

Keep an eye out for me a week into next turn and a thread title along the lines of "I'm such a bad mummy my dd has eaten nothing but beans on toast for a week" lol (I hope)

My life saver which I always have in the cupboard is Ragu sauce sachets - or it may be Dolmio, not sure. Big smiley tomato on packet.

Made for children, no salt or sugar or bits!

Sachet takes no time to heat up, pasta, done.

Saved my arse many a time when I have been home late.

We cook from scratch 99% of the time but both mine go to bed around 6.45pm so time is of the essence in this house.

Don't stress and when you do nuggets and beans one night don't post on here fgs, you will set off the hounds.

xx