Busy single mum seeks quick and healthy recipes!!

[Proudmaryxo]

I'm a single mum to a 7y/o and an older teen who basically refuses to help at home. I work full time and have my youngest full time also. By the time I've worked a full day, come home to the mess the older son has created, put on a wash, got the youngest homework out, done the chores, I don't have the energy to cook a massively complicated meal, or one that takes up too much time!

I've found myself falling into the habit of getting a takeaway to give me one less thing to do, or chucking some oven based meal in the cooker such as chips and pizza. I really do actually love to cook, but at the end of the day when I've been running around for 10 hours, I just don't have the energy every night to switch on my master chef mode.

I'd love to hear your go to recipes for good, quick yet healthy meals? We have a slow cooker that I did get way too into using last year, so although I'm not opposed to using it, I would be grateful for other suggestions.

Thank you

You need the batch lady as it's all
About easy to access stuff from
Freezer
Less waste and fewer takeaways

Egg fried rice.
Mix eggs with soy sauce & fry in a wok while microwaving some rice.
Break up the omelette, chuck in the rice and some frozen peas or whatever veg you have around, maybe some sirracha or herbs if you have any.
Done.

My kids like bbc good food no fuss shepherds pie. Quick and easy. They have it with pasta, not mash so it’s less effort. Just do it on the stove, no need to transfer to oven.

Very quick:

• Fresh spaghetti or filled tortelloni or ravioli or gnocchi, tossed in pesto with steamed broccoli (5 mins total)
• Fresh spaghetti in a chill-counter fresh tomat oand chilli sauce with olives and basil on top for those who want it, and salad on the side (5 mins again)
• Egg fried rice - use sachets of precooked rice. Chop a bunch of spring onions and fry in a bit of sesame oil, with some grated fresh ginger and garlic (or garlic paste or lazy garlic and ginger) add cooked rice and frozen petit pois and break eggs into it, stir until the egg and peas are cooked through (5-10 mins)

Easy Tray bakes

• Mediterranean chicken. Put the oven on as soon as you get in so it can heat up while you are sorting laundry and homework. Toss chicken thighs (on the bone, with skin on) and a bag of baby potatoes in their skins in a roasting tray with a tablespoon of olive oil, garlic paste, rosemary and thyme. Cover with foil and put in the oven. Meanwhile, wash and chunky chop red and yellow peppers, courgettes, aubergines, red onions. Toss them lightly in a bowl with the same herby garlicky oil (only a tablespoonful. Take the chicken out, remove the foil, add the veg, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper or chilli flakes. Bake for 35-40 more minutes. (Total time about 1 hr but prep time is about 10-15 mins max)
• Coat salmon fillets with some soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce. Cut Toss long stem broccoli, asparagus and sugar snaps in a bit of sesame oil, honey and lime or lemon. Lay them in a roasting tray (on baking paper so they don't stick) with the salmon on top and cook for 20-25 mins in the oven. Serve with pre cooked pouches rice or cook some rice in the microwave (10 mins) or cook some egg noodles (5 mins) tossed in soy with fine chopped fresh chilli and/or spring onion on top.

OP can you teach your teenager to cook one meal a week. Put recipe on ipad or write on card.Start off simply. I found the key with motivating teenagers was to give them autonomy which meant they bought and cooked the food they wanted and we just had to be emcouraging and grateful. They hate being controlled and it’s such a great skill for later, uni, flatsharing etc. now both DC ab fab cooks.

Start with something you know he loves like wraps, make your own pizza topping and salad or baked potatoes cheese and beans. Once he has ten different meals sorted-leave him to do it once a week.

Ideas for meals for you to do: chicken and roast eg traybake, put in oven with olive oil, herbs, lemons and garlic, we use aubergine, toms,courgette, small carrot, new pots, peppers.

Prawn nasi goreng(fast 800) is super quick and v tasty just bulk out with salad, quinoa, rice or crusty bread on side.

Baked potato ( cook while doing homework) cheese and beans, salad

Pan fried white fish with spinach, creme fraiche and peas

Fry up bacon eggs mushrooms toms beans.

When you do feellike cooking more creatively say once a week, can you cook as if for 12 then youll build up a greatstock in freezer.

Just made my youngest a sausage sandwich with sliced apple and green grapes on side for dinner, and he seems happy. With yoghurt or ice cream for pud, I think that is an acceptably rounded and quick meal. 😀

I like things that you can assemble in one dish then bung in the oven. The Roasting Tin Cookbook is good for these.

Salmon cooked in foil parcels in the oven with tinned or microwave veg.

Slow cooker chilli con carne (you just shove all the raw ingredients in, don't bother softening onion or anything) and leave for a few hours. Ditto bolognese.

Sweet potato hash browns (can go in the toaster/under grill from freezer) with a fried egg on top and baked beans. Add ham if you like.

Stir fry using the supermarket bags of chopped veg, pre cooked noodles etc.

What helped me was having a few 15-minute staples: stir-fry with frozen veg, wraps with rotisserie chicken, or eggs with toast and salad. Sheet-pan meals are lifesavers too, everything in one tray. Batch cooking once or twice a week helps take pressure off. Healthy food doesn’t have to mean big effort, just something real on the plate that keeps everyone going.