No prep meals - feeding family while kitchen is out of action!

[Indecisivelurcher]

We've got building works underway. I thought we would be ok because we've still got the oven, the gas hob and the sink. But am struggling now! There is no space at all to prep food and the dust is EVERYWHERE! School have emailed to say no hot lunch all week due to staff shortages. And next week is half term. What can I feed everyone that doesn't require prep space?! Have set up microwave and slow cooker on kiddies table in the living room. Kids are 6 and 4, annoyingly they are not good with things cooked in a sauce or tomato. We are so sick of pizza...

Aldi and Lidl have pre prepped whole chicken in a tray and the ones in bags too...we got them when we were self catering. Very easy

Sausage and mash...just chuck sausages on a baking tray and cook in oven. Buy frozen or chilled mash and microwave

Chickpea curry with a coconut based sauce and microwave rice? Slow cooker risotto (minimal not zero prep required)?

^^ sorry, curry in slow cooker

@Comedycook

Sausage and mash...just chuck sausages on a baking tray and cook in oven. Buy frozen or chilled mash and microwave

Oh I think our local supermarket might have these on the deli bit (Sounds posh but isn't) - good idea!

Misquote there was meaning chicken !!

If you can afford a £35 spend, the IKEA portable induction hob is brilliant. We used it during our kitchen renovation and still pull it out occasionally for big meals.

Fish cakes and peas
Hot dogs
Burgers
Quiche and bagged green salad
Jacket potato

We're in the same boat. So far we've had slow cooker gammon, slow cooker chilli chicken with microwave rice, sausage and microwave mash, and lots of oven stuff and chips. Kitchen not being delivered until mid-november.

Ours is mud Nov too, but counting down until the flooring is laid which will help work the dust and dirt situation. Gammon slow cooker is defo a winner, had forgotten that too. Just need to get my brain in gear.

A lot of the supermarkets sell bags of frozen chopped peppers and onions, may not be quite as good as freshness but in your situation I’d give it a go. Would make for an easy way to do fajitas with some ready chopped chicken breasts, fajita spices, wraps and multi pack of tex mex dips. More cheats then you may normally go for but for a few weeks would do no harm. Could also be used for things like sausage and veg tray bake of fritata.
If you have a dining table else where could you do your prep there and just take to the kitchen to cook?
Ready chopped stir fry veg, chicken and a quick stirfry sauce.
Omelettes
Ready made quiche and a bag of salad
Jacket potatoes with coleslaw (buy in), beans, (ready) grated cheese, tuna mayo etc

Microwave meals?

Slow cooker curry, spag bol or chilli if you buy pre chopped veg in bags to limit prep.

Oh sorry just seen the part where you said they arent good with sauces...

We have no oven or hob at the moment, just a microwave and slow cooker, plus kettle and toaster.

We have stews and curries in the slow cooker, beans on toast, soup and toast. Pasta and rice cook well in the microwave so all sorts of pasta and sauces, rice cooked with veg or egg fried rice (scramble the egg first then stir into the cooked rice and veg afterwards and add soy sauce). Baked potatoes with beans and cheese or tuna and sweetcorn mayo, lots of cold food like coleslaw, salad, bread, cheese, cold meat. Sometimes I buy a pre made quiche to have with salad or veg and baked potatoes.

I've actually found that there's a lot I can cook, initially I was really worried about it. I've even made a loaf of bread in the slow cooker, and microwave fudge!

Slow cooked gammon with coleslaw and french bread.

Mince cooked on the hob with pasta or tacos and salad.

Stir fries but using frozen stir fry veg, straight to wok noodles and frozen prawns.

Egg, oven chips and beans.

Then resort to ready meals and take aways.

I didn't know you could cook pasta in microwave?!

Tried a ready meal tonight but neither child would touch it, even though I told them it was a treat! I didn't have them down as fussy, but I suppose they just eat what they're used to!

Unfortunately no dining table either so really nowhere to prep. I can hopefully access the cooker tomorrow though as the builders are doing the roof, so outside.

This is how I cook in general as we don’t often have the time mid-week!
Get everything prepped or frozen, then it feels more like an assembly than cooking. From what you’ve said it’s the prep which is problematic at the moment.

Definitely agree with jacket potatoes.

Winners here are:
ready made root veg mash, peas and veggie sausages. Sausages need an oven. Takes 15 mins as everything else goes in the microwave, also limited washing up required.

Fresh pasta and sauce / we just get the fusilli and a bolognaise sauce from the fridge but and we’ve with garlic bread. Or a plain sauce with chucked in chopped veg.

Diced pancetta and chorizo for pasta or risotto dishes.

Mediterranean veg in a tray (you buy it like this), add in some baby potatoes and toast. Add some feta about 10 mins before serving with a roast chicken in a bag. Amazing.

Fresh soup and crusty bread always goes down well. If I make soup from scratch I like to prep it myself, as for some reason the chopped up veg for soup just never tastes as good.

When we know we are having an exceptionally busy period or go away self catering, we order homemade ready meals from here www.cookfood.net/

@Indecisivelurcher

Pasta in microwave - yes I hadn't realised either. Just cover with water and cook on high for the same amount of time you would boil it. Check it's cooked through as it may need a minute or two extra. Works really well! Add to a sauce made in your slow cooker and you have a lovely dinner.

Op do you have a costco that you're a member of? They do fresh good quality meals that you put in the oven.

Same boat here - Frozen and tinned veg is a godsend!

Tinned sweetcorn (served hot or cold)
Frozen peas
Frozen green beans
Baked beans / mushy peas
Frozen corn on the cob

Tinned potatoes have also been enjoyed by the kids too, surprisingly!

Also the frozen mixed veg with peas, carrot and sweet corn etc

We plugged in our air fryer quite a bit during renovations which produced reasonably decent chips from frozen (especially the thin ones) and then fried some eggs in a non stick pan. It also fries fish well and we paired that with trays of veg baked in the oven. A good tip is to use a glass jar of new potatoes which imho are far superior to tinned potatoes in this sort of emergency cooking/chuck it all on a tray in the oven scenario.

Another good emergency dish: one large pan on hob, dissolve chicken stock cube in hot water, add cut up chicken breast or pre prepped chicken dumplings or similar, simmer until done, add combo of spring onions, baby sweetcorn, broccoli florets, peas , chilli, ginger and add ramen or rice noodles and cook for three-five mins.

I meant to say that the food in an air fryer is totally contained in a drawer so that solves the dust problem but obvs depends on length of renovations whether you want to invest or not.