Share your tips for ways to stress less with HelloFresh - £300 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

Modern family life can be very busy - and this might mean that otherwise simple tasks like thinking about what to have for dinner or getting out of the door in the morning can become overwhelming or stressful. HelloFresh would like to hear about the tips you have for stressing less, whether this is in the kitchen or elsewhere in your family life.

Here’s what HelloFresh has to say: “HelloFresh is on a mission to help families stress less when it comes to mealtimes with the launch of its new Family Box, offering an all new range of tailor-made family-friendly recipes designed to appeal to kids, teenagers and adults alike and bring variety to dinner time. The HelloFresh Family Box has been created to reduce stress levels and help save parents time and energy. The focus in development has been to make meal planning and preparation as easy as possible, whilst serving meals that guarantee to make family mealtimes delicious, but most importantly totally fuss and hassle-free. Want to give it a try? We've got a special offer for you with 50% off your first two boxes with the code HELLOMUMS.”

Do you have tips that mean sitting down to a family dinner in the evening is an enjoyable rather than hectic experience? Perhaps you’re a pro at making tiny changes to meals so that fussy eaters are catered for? Do you and your family cook together to reduce the stress of preparing an evening meal? Maybe you ensure you’re making time for ‘me-time’ every day so that you can wind down?

Share the ways you #StressLess with HelloFresh below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

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i meal plan for the week, choosing quicker meals for days when there are school clubs or swimming and try to prepare as much as i can while they are at school

I keep meals simple during the week, they tend not to take more than 10-20 minutes to make so as to have an easy life in the evenings

Boring I know but Meal Planning is vital - you know what you need from the shops so no last minute wandering up and down the supermarket aisles trying to decide what to have for dinner

Planning is key! My eldest daughter doesnt like a lot of things where as my son and my other daughter would eat almost anything. It not too much trouble though as i just slightly change what i do but the main art will be the same. They love chicken wrapped in bacon with cheese on the top. My eldest will have that but without the cheese, my son has it as is and my youngest daughter will have the chicken, the bacon separate and no cheese.

We always try and eat together but with two at high school and one at primary, all in at different times too its not as easy as i would like it to be

We cook together and the cooking is entertainment rather than a chore. The planning and then cooking with a great playlist is really enjoyable and then eating the results is good too!

the kids love getting involvee in preparing our evenng meal, they know we allow no tech at the table and that afterwards we will play a board game or cards

Bulk cooking on a Sunday makes the week much less stressful

I spent an entire day working out around 40 meals and then asked my family which they liked the most and made a monthly menu plan. This has saved time because I freeze some of it and get in a rhythm eg. Cooking pasta for the next night whilst we eat our evening meal etc. I also make huge batches of tomato sauce which are used in multiple dishes. The children know what they are eating and have had a say in the menu so it avoids arguments. I also got the children to come up with a box of questions and we sometimes take turns in picking and answering them. I also tend to start each meal asking if anyone has anything pressing to tell us/ask for advice/share etc. We eat at the same time each night so they know to organise their time around this which saves arguments.

I make everything from scratch - Two of my children are very good eaters, my youngest isn't and is quite picky.
I always make sure the children have biscuits and a drink before bed!

I always bulk cook wherever possible and freeze lots in individual sizes - easy to cater for everyone then. Love my slow cooker as well!

I iron the school uniforms the night before so I have one less thing to worry about in the morning - having 3 children, this is a must!

I tend to batch cook things I can freeze on days where I have that extra time, to use on days when I don't have much time at all. The slow cooker is fantastic too, making sure the food is ready to eat when I get home from work without too much effort. If my daughter is being fussy, I have a batch of her favourite food ready, just so she can enjoy her dinner too and not feel left out

My partner is the only one who loves his food incredibly spicy, so I cook dinner without much spice or too many peppers and then portion out all but his portion, cooking it for just a tad longer with added chillies and then sprinkling fresh chillies on top just for him. He's happy!

I do lots of batch cooking which is great for weeknight speedy dinners. On a more general not I try and keep in the moment, being rather than doing.

Cook things in advance and try to be as prepared as possible so that you can be relaxed.

I'm the main cook in the family, and I start before OH and kids come in, which means everyone comes in to the kitchen to catch up on their day whilst I'm preparing, this usually involves lots of arms directional movements(get out of the way style). My two kids like completely different things, and my OH is watching what they eat, so invariably I have to cook four different meals, but I do try to match as many side's as possible, this makes it a little bit easier.

I think if I take some time out for myself I am a happier person to be with and a better mum! Because if I am less stressed I am much more patient with toddler tantrums and constant questions!! I'm going on a spa day soon by myself and can't wait. I think I will come back refreshed as mum's don't get much time by themselves.

Planning is essential my freezer always has a weeks worth of meals in it. Stews, Bolognese, Lasagne I always make plenty to last. We try to all eat together though sometimes it is hard to work around school clubs and matches.

I try to plan ahead with a meal plan or at least have easy quick meals in the fridge so I can #StressLess, but I am very lucky that for 2-3 days of the week my mum cooks for the whole family. She looks after the kids before school, takes them and collects them from school. I finish work at 4 and go straight round to collect the kids where she has dinner ready for us all so I only have to take them home, bathe and put them to be bed!

We like to eat our dishes 'family style' - like fajitas, where lots of ingredients are on the table and everyone can pick and choose what they have!

Menu planning, batch cooking and the slow cooker are my stress savers. Also making sandwiches for packed lunches the night before and keeping them in the fridge. Take away style foil cartons with cardboard lids are great for freezing batches as they are easy to stack in the freezer and you can write on the lids.

I find using the slow cooker helps me destress. I prefer to sort food in the morning as I'm knackered at night!

As a family we have always sat down to a family meal together. I think our children would find it strange if we didn't! When the children are reluctant to finish their meals (only ever an issue with our youngest) we just remind them of whats for dessert.

I make a lot of meals in a slowcooker to save time and let everyone plate up themselves. This makes my son feel more involved and grown up and tends to get him to eat more if he's served himself.

I always have music on in the background so it is not a silent place to sit, and I make sure that the table is set with all the cutlery and sauces I need. We have special plates with our names on (which was a gift from my sister) but it has proved a really good idea as my two are fussy(ish) eaters and I then put the vegetables on one segment of the plate which uncovers a little rhyme, then the other meal items on the other segments of the plate, it has made mealtimes more interesting, and the battles over carrots have gone as the calm dining room and special plates has been a massive success.