Please help me with my family's diet, its terrible

[xxxJess123xxx]

Hi all, I have a 2 year old and a 5 year old. Both typically fussy. No allergies.
Our diets are absolutely terrible as I seriously can't cook. I'm the type of person who can't make an omelette or burn pasta for christ sake.
We eat shit basically. Ready meals, nuggets and chips, pizza. Lunches are sarnies crisps and some grapes etc.
I'm feeling like an absolute rubbish mum and I want to change but I seriously can't cook.
Does anyone have any stupidly easy, cheap to make, fool proof recipes for dinners for my family.
I am slightly overweight. Kids are good weights and take a multi vitamin each day. Eat far too much chocolate etc
I feel so ashamed 😞
Thanks x

You could even start with prepared veg for the roast. Small steps!!

Get hello fresh or similar .. it seems expensive but youlll save money in the supermarket !

@huuuuunnnndderrricks

Get hello fresh or similar .. it seems expensive but youlll save money in the supermarket !

You won’t save money. I really like the hello fresh boxes but it’s nuts to pretend it’s a cheaper option.

Last time I did frozen veg I think I overdone it as it was mushy. Told u I'm crap!

You can microwave them, either in the packet or in a pyrex dish, just add a few spoons of water and start with 4 mins, then see if you need more.

Do you have an Iceland near?

They do small joints you can cook from frozen, add frozen roast potatoes and some frozen veg, maybe a packet of Yorkshire puddings, check the times, most of the joints are 1 hour so cook the meat for 30 mins, add the roast potatoes, 15 mins later put the veg in a pan with boiling water after 10 mins put the YPs in - one very easy roast dinner.

This time next year you will be able to choose to do an Iceland roast or your own roast from scratch.

Have you got a knife sharpener? I can' afford really nice knives but I have a Sabatier cooks knife and I've had it for at least 25 years.

If you don't know how to use a steel to sharpen your knife then ask your local butcher to sharpen it.

Jacket potatoes are an easy dinner. My son loves a spud with a tin of tuna, half a tin of sweetcorn, a few spring onions and a big dollop of mayo. Dead easy!

Stop saying you cant cook
If you can read basic English you can read!
Delia smith I think ( but im sure there's loads )goes a cookbook that starts with omelette

Follow people online that do kids meals

Check out hidden veggie meals where you add in extra veggies into favs like span Bol

Another one saying get a copy of Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food- that’s all about getting families cooking. His website in general is a goldmine of recipes. I learnt to cook with Jamie at uni and his recipes have kept me going for 20 years, from fancy meals to family staples.

@thanksamillion

Another good basics book is Nosh for Busy Mums and Dad's. It takes you through some basic recipes and doesn't assume you know what you're doing

I second this book. It has a large variety in it and loads of tips.

It took me years to learn to cook properly! My DM did all the cooking when I lived at home so when I moved out i was clueless! Burnt everything, couldn't season anything and like you lived on microwave meals and takeaways but I kept practicing and practicing. You can learn to get better at cooking you just need to keep trying. As other people suggested, start simple and work your way up from there. Maybe dedicate one day a week to trying to cook a meal from scratch to begin with. Maybe start with something like a spagetti bologenese or cottage pie.

There have been studies that show that if you give children veg before their meal, they eat more veg with their meal. For weekend lunches I put a plate in the middle of the table with sliced carrots, cucumber, peppers, mange tout / sugar snaps and cherry tomatoes. Probably only 3 of the things each meal. The kids then choose what they want. Same with veg that goes with a meal. They have to try things, but I always serve a veg they like as well. So my son will only have one slice of leek as he isn't keen, but he will have loads of peas. My daughter gets a tiny portion of peas, and a decent portion of leeks. That way they feel listened to and in control, and I'm happy as they eat veg without a fuss!

A book my DH and DD learned to cook with which is even easier that Jamie Oliver's ministry of food is Mary Berry's The New Cook. They call it the "this is a spoon" book as she explains everything with pictures at the start and several recipes are explained in massive detail. However, DH used it in the very late 90s, before YouTube was available!

You are nit a shit mum, your dcs are fed! Practice, I don’t believe anyone can’t cook. You just need a basic cookbook and time. Start with one new neal a week. Good luck!

@PurpleDaisies .. I didn't say it was cheaper , I said you would save money in the supermarket . I spend about £500 a month and after moving to 5 x meals from hello fresh I spend the same across the board on food . The portions are big so it works for lunches the best day too !

Don't forget that tinned and frozen fruit and veg count too. We had crumble last night, drained tin of peaches with crumble mix over the top, in the oven for 30 minutes. Add custard as a source of dairy. If you don't have them, invest in / look in a charity shop for a kitchen timer and some scales then you'll be good to go for most recipes.

@roundtable

www.dk.com/uk/book/9780241196885-complete-childrens-cookbook/

Although it's a children's cookbook, there are a variety of good recipes in here with step by step picture and written instructions which might help if you're not sure what something should look like as you're making it. To help get your confidence up.

Well done for not accepting it and trying to change it.

We have this book also and it is really good. The step by step pictures are fantastic and really help.

One thing which helped me was gousto, I tried it for a few weeks and then cancelled and it meant I still had the recipe cards with very simple instructions on so I could make it again. They are simple to follow and I preferred to pick the meals which take a short time to make (30 mins or less)
I'll grab a referral code in case you want to try it. Another tip would be before you start to make something which might seem overwhelming, get all the ingredients out ready, sounds obvious but I used to start something then be rooting round the cupboard for a tin of tomatoes when it was time to add it to the pan, which I found stressful. Also look at the timings of everything first to try and time it to be ready together. I usually set a timer on my phone for the thing that takes longers eg a chicken in the oven, then when there's 30 minutes left put potatos in oven, when there's 10 mins left get veg on hob.
Hope that helps a bit, here's my gousto code for a half price box ( and I get £15 credit too)
cook.gousto.co.uk/raf?promo_code=LAURA42290675&utm_source=androidapp

@xxxJess123xxx

Last time I did frozen veg I think I overdone it as it was mushy. Told u I'm crap!

Nah you're not crap! It's easily done.

They sometimes take slightly longer or less long than the packet says. If you're boiling them: if the packet has a range of times, start with the lowest, or else start with one minute less than the packet estimate. At that point, have a taste of each kind of veg (run it under cold water so you don't burn your mouth) or stick a fork through them to check mushiness. Then if not yet ready, keep rechecking about once a minute.

Some kinds of frozen veg like carrots seem to naturally taste slightly different than cooked from fresh, but way more convenient on the other hand!

Oh on the subject of sweet potatos, my favourite sweet pot side dish is roasted. Then cut lengthways in half. Add some butter, a pinch of cinnamon and then a little spoonful of tinned chopped pineapple chunks on the top as a kind of garnish. It's really good.

@xxxJess123xxx

A have a couple of big knifes, 2 chopping boards, cheese grater, mixing bowl, saucepans and frying pans x

This sounds perfect. I'd add a wooden spoon and a big plastic serving spoon.

You might want the following things as you branch out, but no rush:

• roasting tray, for any kind of roasting in the oven
• measuring jug and kitchen scales, for baking, and certain kinds of sauces that need to be precise

Dont beat yourself up. Your kids are getting fed and nuggets nuggets chips haven't killed mine yet!

Going forward, it would be good to maybe involve them in picking meals and helping you cook if they are old enough. Like a few others, BBC good food app or website. Have a look through the categories like Budget, Quick and Easy, Family etc and pick maybe one a week to start with and build up gradually.
I have a list on the fridge of meals which I know everyone will eat - pick 7 off it and there is my meal plan for the week

I've just been watching the Thrifty cooking in the doctors kitchen programmes on bbc. They're very inspiring when you see what nice things you can make quite easily. Even if you don't make any of the things right away, you might feel more inspired to keep having a go!

I'm making my dinner soon, let u know how it goes! X

How did you get on@xxxJess123xxx ? Hope you enjoyed dinner.

My best tip for improving kids diet is to give them veg crudités just before a meal when they’re very hungry. Perhaps even when they’re watching telly as we all know how easy it is to eat a lot without noticing in front of the tv. Start with one that they’ll accept, (carrot, pepper, cucumber, even peas) or if they won’t have veg start with fruit and try and add some veg later.
In terms of quick ideas for cooking- start very easy and work up - boiled eggs are very healthy and pretty much fool proof.

Can I also suggest (easier said than done with children about) - stay in the kitchen while you're cooking. Concentrate on it as best you can. Use timers if necessary and follow the instructions on packets/recipes.
There's an old saying about love being an intrinsic part of cooking and I do think there is something in that.
Try to cook mindfully and enjoy the process. I'm not a natural cook but I've got better over the years. There has been a lot of trial and error!