Family / weekplan Cookery Book?

[OperaPanda]

Hi all,

Ok, so, I'm not great at cooking on a daily basis and neither is DH.

I grew up in a house with parents who hated cooking, making pasta and sausages most of the week without any real interest in nutrition either. I LOVE cooking and have several great recipes for when we entertain but these take hours. DH is the same. So when it comes down to making every day food in the evening, we're uninspired. I used to alternate poached salmon with steamed spinach and cheese omelettes (not that it would really get us far with kids) but even that has gone out of the window now and we rely on ready made soups which is bad.

I'm starting the third trimester of pregnancy and want to start new good habits now. I think it will be easier if I already look into things in the next 3months (and freeze some healthy stuff) and get into a routine now. Obviously, LO will throw our routines out of the window when he/she arrives but hopefully I'll be back on it sooner rather than later.

I'm looking for a cookery book that has quick/easy/healthy family meals put together (loads of vegs but also tasty). Something I could open and just do one recipe a day for 5 days without thinking too much. If it had sections by seasons it would be even better. Something that basically teaches me what to put together easily in 20min when I come home in the evening. I wish my parents had taught me that.

Anybody know of a book like this?

I can also just scout the internet and make my own, which I'll do if I can't find a book that has already done it for me :)

Thanks everyone!

Jamie Oliver's Superfood Family Classics. Perfect for families, quick, healthy, and a twist on well loved recipes.

Thanks, will check it in!

I found Jamie's Ministry of Food helpful when I was starting to cook family food. Lots of classics / basics to get you going.

I second the Jamie Oliver recommendations - both of the above are excellent for this. I've cooked my way through a lot of both and learned a lot on the way.

Ideas for ways to get things on the table are the principle behind Jamie's 15 minute meals though you have to change a lot of the quantities for 2.

I'd also think about building on variations of what you know - egg dishes can be more exciting and can quick - there are some great ideas for frittatas, egg foo ting, egg fried rice in things like the Hairy Dieters and then any Chinese cookbooks (my favorite is Gok cooks Chinese). Also noodle dishes etc

Save with Jamie also has some great ideas how to feed a family across the week - use leftovers and stretch out your meals

I've just bought this after seeing the author on Sunday Brunch today: www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0008219516/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforum-21

The basic premise is 5 base recipes that make large portions which she then uses in other recipes to make a quick week night tea. Might be worth a look for you