The "Help Shiny To Feed Her Family" thread...

[ShinyHappyPeopleHoldingHands]

..if I may be so self-centred!

From today it's just me and the kids for the first time ever, and DH always did all the cooking and was rather good at it whereas I think I may be rather crap - in fact I know I am - because it wasn't/isn't something I've had to do, ever really.. or since DS1 was small... and I was no good at it then!

So I was wondering if I could tap into the vast amount of Mumsnet knowledge in this area and people could maybe post me some recipes/ideas/Idiot Proof instructions for family meals..

They need to be..

• Easy (don't underestimate the extent of my ineptitude (sp?) in the kitchen, but I imagine I will improve.. I need to - FAST!
• As inexpensive as possible. We have a small budget. (But years of being fed by DH means I won't/don't intend to feed us all the cheapest of stuff.. eg Asda SmartPrice full of hydrogenated rubbish..
• Varied. I am very afraid we will end up eating the same few things every week because I am unable to cook anything else! Please help me to avoid that..
• Quick - or quickish. Although I have never cooked, I have always been very busy doing lots of other things.. so I have never had to fit this into my day before - and I don't anticipate becoming an earth mother any time soon - I just want to be competent and ABLE to feed them adqequately, without using Crispy Pancakes (I have bought some ) every day!

The kids are quite nervous about this aspect of our new family arrangement.. they know I am crap in the kitchen. When they were smaller they used to cry if I cooked.. before I even put it on the table and their taste buds confirmed their suspicions!!

They are no very special dietary requirements anymore. DS2 (8) used to be dairy/egg intolerant but is very newly, not, apparently!
DS1 (16) (who has cystic fibrosis) needs lots of fat and callories but I know how to bump up his calorie/fat content in his portions and he supplments heavily with "junk" food (not junk to him, he needs it)
DD (9) and I aren't fussy at all.

If you have an easy/nutritious recipe, please would you post indiot proof instructions to help me to become a self sufficent independant single mum!

Thanking you in advance Do appeciate it. Had been putting the cooking aspect out of my mind, what with the trauma-aspect of his moving out.. but today he goes.. and I have to think about it!

...how are you getting on Shiny?
Any culinary successes over the weekend?

Hi there

Soup is always a good standby - my rule of thumb is 1 pound (weight) of vegetables chopped up, plus 1 small onion diced - sweat in pan and add 2 pints of hot stock (I use Knorr chicken stock granules). Simmer. Whizz with hand blender. If doing tomato soup then do 1lb of carrots (and the onion) plus one tin of chopped tomatoes. Add lentils if you like. Eat with lots of bread, cheese, fruit etc.

A basic tomato sauce is great for many things (including on it's own over pasta plus/minus cheese sprinkled on top). Sweat small onion and some garlic; add tin chopped tomatoes, sprinkle of mixed herbs, salt, pepper, teaspoon of sugar and sprinkling of red wine or balsamic vinegar; simmer for a while; whizz with handblender. We eat this on it's own, with meatballs, as the base for bolognese etc.

One I got from here a very long time ago from someone called Tigger goes as follows:

diced chicken (or lamb or pork)
minced garlic
diced onion
diced carrot
diced courgette
tin baked beans
tin chopped tomatoes

Put all in large pot with lid on. Put in oven for 40 minutes at 180. Eat with cous cous. It's delicious.

I find it's worth paying for decent chopped tomatoes (we get Sainsbury's premium chopped tomatoes). More tomato, less juice so better (and more) sauce etc.