Meals to cook when you are sick.

[DaisyWaldron]

I have a nasty cold and just want to lie under a duvet and watch old films. But I have a family to feed and need to plan the meals for the week. What are your suggestions for meals that are soothing, nutritious and really easy to cook when you don't feel like cooking? Chicken soup and salad are already on the list. Maybe a sausage traybake. What are you sick day easy comfort food go-tos for family meals?

I might make eggs Florentine which I love and the rest of the household hate, and tell them I need it for the sake of my health.

Bolognese is something I can whip up with very little brain input and generally pleases everyone in the family.

Chilli. Easy to make and it has decongestant, anti inflammatory and anaesthetic/pain relief properties (and anti bacterial). Actually anything with chilli and lots of garlic.

Omelettes
Jacket spuds

I'm disabled + the slow cooker is awesome when u feel rubbish, because it lets you pace yourself. Many things don't need the meat precooked. Bolognaise, chilli. Rotiserie style roast chicken. Pulled pork. Brisket. Gammon. Casseroles. My kids are very picky + their favourite is bbq chicken casserole. A homepride jar, raw chicken chunks + veg (mine is pre-chopped from the freezer). 3hrs on high + tea is done.

Also trying ovening things you'd normally fry, like sausages, meatballs, burgers. Very little difference to the food but less effort to cook, less clearing up. I also like Homepride pasta bakes as a great back up, as there is no-precooking the pasta.

Another vote for chilli
Risotto is also really easy
And traybakes. Throw everything in a roasting dish and bung in the oven.

If you are super unwell you could buy pre chopped veg too

Lentil stew because it's easy, doesn't take long and you can chuck anything in it. Plus lots of anti-inflammatories - chilli, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin.

Or pre-filled tortellini with tomato soup over it.

Chicken breasts in the oven, when half cooked put them in a dish with condensed cream of mushroom sauce and finish cooking. Proper comfort food served with jacket potatoes

When I have a cold I always want either pastina or something really spicy like noodles in a spicy broth or a really hot curry.

Spicy ramen, pastina with lots of garlic and extra virgin olive oil or egg in a cup with marmite soldiers.

Spaghetti carbonara is quick, easy and tasty.
Or even simpler, bacon, egg & beans is a perfectly acceptable meal.
Stir fry.

Make a massive vat of basic bolognaise. Split into 4.

Also buy pasta, rice, a can of kidney beans in chilli sauce, an aubergine, a jar of cheese sauce and some cheese, and some wraps.

Day 1 - Serve with spaghetti as a Bolognaise
Day 2 - Add the chilli beans to half of the remaining the mix, serve 1/2 of that with rice, call it chilli con carne
Day 3 - Day 3, layer remaining bologanise with sliced aubergine and cheese sauce, topped with cheese, as Moussaka.
Day 4 - Use remainder of the chilli, put in wraps in an oven dish, top with cheese - enchiladas.

If you're all congested, it will all taste the same anyway, the different textures and appearance will be sufficient and they're all people-pleasing dishes (provided they'll eat the aubergine - if not skip that day)!

I use a lot of frozen and tin things when I’m unwell: pasta with frozen vegs, grated cheese and prawns; eggs with baked beans, tuna mayo with jacket potatoes; pizza from frozen.
I aldo agree about traybakes e.g chicken drumsticks or chicken mini fillets roasted in the oven plus chips ( from frozen again) and vegs.
Meatballs with pasta and tomato sauce ( using ready meatballs rather then mince)

Unwell food is baked beans on toast, soup, or if I can get it together, macaroni cheese.

Alternatively, it's a hot curry or chilli in the instant pot to sweat it out of us.

Instant things involving no effort like baked potatoes with beans and cheese, or tortellini with butter and parmesan. Chicken breasts wrapped with prosciutto and cooked in the oven with potato wedges. Or just soup and butties.

You need to take it easy, it's exhausting making food when you're ill.

Salad?! Salad ain’t no comfort food op. I assume you’re delirious and that’s why you’ve put salad on your list 😁

macaroni cheese?
fish pie?
jacket potato with butter and cheese

tomato soup and a cheese toastie.

Assume family is all small children, no other adults or teens? Because they should cook if so

It would be oven food here.

taming twins slow cooker recipes

Garlic bomb soup mission-food.com/cesnecka-czech-garlic-soup-aka-hangover/

@TomatoSandwiches those all sound wonderful. I think you are my salty/spicy carbs sickness twin.

@BitOutOfPractice salad was a bizarre autocorrect for dhal.

Thank goodness for that @DaisyWaldron I was about to stage an intervention

Pasta bake - make an easy tomato sauce (or use passatta with some added chopped peppers, add some shredded cooked chicken and pasta, Chuck some cheese on top and bake.

This has been me for the past few days although I’m over the worst of it now. I had leftover pulled pork and chilli in the freezer so one night was burritos using those, a big ready made lasagne the next and super easy pepperoni pasta and garlic bread last night.

I’ve just made a big pot of spicy lentil soup to try and blast the last of it away and I think I have gone a bit overboard with the chilli! 🥵I hope you feel better soon.