How do you cook dinner for the family?

[wildflower79]

Does anybody else find this so difficult? I seem to have lost all enthusiasm and just trying to think of different things to cook that we'll all like to eat makes me so stressed.

I have a 5 year old and a nearly 18 month old and a hubby who's at work 7-7 most days. Late afternoons are so stressful, what with trying to help DD1 with reading/homework, and generally spending a bit of time with her playing. Dd2 is usually starting to get tired and cranky and wanting to be held or cuddled or read to. Dd1 also has activities she needs taking to and picking up from, so there never seems to be much time to do any cooking.

On the odd days I actually get chance to make dinner, we never seem to have stuff in and I can never think what to make. It doesn't help that I'm vegetarian, hubby likes meat and the girls are pretty fussy. Everyone wants something different!

What are dinner times like in your house? How often do you cook from scratch? Any tips/tricks to make cooking dinner easier.

I used to love cooking, but now it just seems like a right chore!
.

 

[Scout]

I hate to cook! I'm single and so it's just me and daughter who is 4. Honestly, I don't usually eat dinner, so I cook for dd....or I heat up for dd. I try to make some things that I can freeze which makes it a bit easier.

 

[george83]

Our meals are pretty boring so not much help on that front but I have found the only way I get to cook proper meals is to cook earlier in the day and then just re-heat in the evening.

 

[Bevziibubble]

I find it difficult to cook for us all as we are all so different. I tend to eat quite healthy, whereas my husband hates the sight of a vegetable! My daughter is quite fussy and limited in her tastes and won't have anything mixed or with sauces on. Luckily my son eats everything. I find I make three different meals most days and it's very time consuming and frustrating!

 

[loeylo]

I'm a take it or leave it cook. I do a meal plan on Sunday, but what we need, and I usually make extra and freeze a few portions. If my partner doesn't want a meal from the list, he can grab something from the freezer. My daughter gets what we give her and if she doesn't eat it then she goes hungry, there has never been an alternative. If we are eating different meals, she gets a bit of each. She eats 99% of our meals, the only ones she won't eat are ones with a lot of dairy (she can only tolerate a small amount) or one curry I make that is so hot nobody other than my partner and I can eat it. If we are having something she can't have then I do beans on toast or another easy meal.

Have a freezer stash. It's a lifesaver!

 

[lau86]

1) I have a kitchen diner so I can see the children while I cook
2) the children eat at nannys 2 days a week as we both work late
3) they have simple pasta with sweet corn, peas (all boiled in one pan) with grated cheese about once a week
4) I wing it!!

 

[Rainbow82]

Not so much help now but in the winter the slow cooker is my best friend, I just chop everything I. The mornings And throw it in with some kind of meat for OH and DS and I have a smaller slowcooker for myself that I won't add meet to as I'm a vegetarian.
If I get a chance on weekends or something I will also batch cook. Yesterday DS napped for longer than usual so I made a batch of Quorn mince with tomatoes, onions peppers and mushrooms with garlic in. I froze some into bolognese portions, made a quick lasagne with some then made cannelloni the test for dinner yesterday and topped with the white sauce I made for the lasagne. If I make a batch of mixed beans I'll do the same and make some into lasagne or add chill is to a portion to make a chilli and freeze the extra portions.

If I'm making a sauce for pasta (Pasata, garlic, onions, chill is etc) I will freeze some into ice cubes too. I always have pita bread in the freezer so I can make a quick meal of outa pizzas, defrost an ice cube of sauce, add grated cheese and ping a bag of steam fresh veg.

 

[MindUtopia]

I think the key is really all about planning and having the expectation that everyone eats the same thing as a family, so there's no faffing around trying to make different things to please everyone. It's a bit different as I work full-time and we both work long hours, but I imagine I wouldn't do things much differently if I was still at home (other then I'd have more time for planning and shopping, which I used to be able to do more of during the week days). I do two shops a week, Saturday and Tuesday (Tuesday one is online delivery though). On Saturday morning, I sit down for 30 minutes and plan out the meals for Saturday through Tuesday, and on Sunday I do the same for Tuesday through Friday. I cook nearly everything from scratch, though we might have the occassional like meal for 2 type ready meal on a Saturday night just for the 2 of us, or like I buy ready made fish cakes, but then make the chips and veg from scratch, that sort of thing. But it's 90% made from scratch every day. I plan it so I get double use out of certain things, so we might make bolongnese on a Monday to have with pasta and then it doubles in cottage pie the next night. Or I'll make a big batch of something everyone really likes enough to have two days in a row (lentil stew) and then I don't have to cook the next day. The planning is really key. We live 30 minutes from our closest shop, so no chance of running out to get something I forgot or because everyone changed their minds and wants something different.

Then I set aside an hour every night for meal prep. It doesn't mean I'm doing nothing else during that hour, but I know I have at least that. I get done work at pick my daughter up at 5. Then from 5:30/5:45-6:30/6:45 I cook dinner. She often helps with some of the prep so we get to spend time together and talk about her day (she's 4). She's helped me from about 20 months or so. Or if she doesn't want to, she can sit and draw at the table. Often from 6-6:30, she'll watch some tv or videos. About half the work week (2-3 days) I work 6am-7pm, so my husband does the same on those days. It means we don't do much else besides cook and do dishes in the late afternoons, but I imagine that's what most people have to do because life is busy and you have to get those things done. If you're home during the day, you might have a bit more flexibility to carve out time when you can do those sorts of tasks though so the afternoons aren't so manic. It's amazing what you can get done if you just take 15 minutes while your younger one plays with something on the floor in the kitchen, then it's all prepped and ready to go for later. Definitely second a slow cooker or an instant pot, and making extra and freezing if you don't want to eat exactly the same the next day.

And the other thing is just not driving yourself insane making special meals for everyone. When my daughter was a baby (up til about 18-20 months), she did eat separately from us because she went to bed earlier, but she still mostly ate the same things (leftovers from dinner the night before, which I used to cook for the two of us after I put her to bed). I only occasionally made her a different meal (like if we had a spicy curry). Now we all eat together and we all eat the same things. I've never made a big deal about her eating food, but if she doesn't eat, she doesn't get something else. I don't have time to be catering to everyone's wants. I make healthy, tasty meals and everyone can eat what they like or not if they don't, and that's mostly worked. Same with my husband. I also used to be a vegetarian (I do eat meat now as I found my diet just needed to change after I had my daughter). But though I eat meat now, I didn't for like the 6 years we were together including up til about when our daughter turned 2. The rule was, I did most of the cooking, if he didn't like eating vegetarian, he was welcome to cook something else to supplement the main meal. So if I made a vegetarian pasta, sometimes he would come home from work and cook his own sausages or chicken to go with it. Everyone was happy that way. He got what he liked, but I wasn't running around stressed making 3 different meals every night.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Me and my OH but eat to live so food is not a big deal. I'd eat toast everyday and so would he lol. We usually have pasta x2,mash and sausages, chippy, curry. He cooks a few times a week. If I don't get a chance to coOK we have jacket spuds. No one minds here. No big deal x

 

[loeylo]

I think the key is really all about planning and having the expectation that everyone eats the same thing as a family, so there's no faffing around trying to make different things to please everyone. It's a bit different as I work full-time and we both work long hours, but I imagine I wouldn't do things much differently if I was still at home (other then I'd have more time for planning and shopping, which I used to be able to do more of during the week days). I do two shops a week, Saturday and Tuesday (Tuesday one is online delivery though). On Saturday morning, I sit down for 30 minutes and plan out the meals for Saturday through Tuesday, and on Sunday I do the same for Tuesday through Friday. I cook nearly everything from scratch, though we might have the occassional like meal for 2 type ready meal on a Saturday night just for the 2 of us, or like I buy ready made fish cakes, but then make the chips and veg from scratch, that sort of thing. But it's 90% made from scratch every day. I plan it so I get double use out of certain things, so we might make bolongnese on a Monday to have with pasta and then it doubles in cottage pie the next night. Or I'll make a big batch of something everyone really likes enough to have two days in a row (lentil stew) and then I don't have to cook the next day. The planning is really key. We live 30 minutes from our closest shop, so no chance of running out to get something I forgot or because everyone changed their minds and wants something different.

Then I set aside an hour every night for meal prep. It doesn't mean I'm doing nothing else during that hour, but I know I have at least that. I get done work at pick my daughter up at 5. Then from 5:30/5:45-6:30/6:45 I cook dinner. She often helps with some of the prep so we get to spend time together and talk about her day (she's 4). She's helped me from about 20 months or so. Or if she doesn't want to, she can sit and draw at the table. Often from 6-6:30, she'll watch some tv or videos. About half the work week (2-3 days) I work 6am-7pm, so my husband does the same on those days. It means we don't do much else besides cook and do dishes in the late afternoons, but I imagine that's what most people have to do because life is busy and you have to get those things done. If you're home during the day, you might have a bit more flexibility to carve out time when you can do those sorts of tasks though so the afternoons aren't so manic. It's amazing what you can get done if you just take 15 minutes while your younger one plays with something on the floor in the kitchen, then it's all prepped and ready to go for later. Definitely second a slow cooker or an instant pot, and making extra and freezing if you don't want to eat exactly the same the next day.

And the other thing is just not driving yourself insane making special meals for everyone. When my daughter was a baby (up til about 18-20 months), she did eat separately from us because she went to bed earlier, but she still mostly ate the same things (leftovers from dinner the night before, which I used to cook for the two of us after I put her to bed). I only occasionally made her a different meal (like if we had a spicy curry). Now we all eat together and we all eat the same things. I've never made a big deal about her eating food, but if she doesn't eat, she doesn't get something else. I don't have time to be catering to everyone's wants. I make healthy, tasty meals and everyone can eat what they like or not if they don't, and that's mostly worked. Same with my husband. I also used to be a vegetarian (I do eat meat now as I found my diet just needed to change after I had my daughter). But though I eat meat now, I didn't for like the 6 years we were together including up til about when our daughter turned 2. The rule was, I did most of the cooking, if he didn't like eating vegetarian, he was welcome to cook something else to supplement the main meal. So if I made a vegetarian pasta, sometimes he would come home from work and cook his own sausages or chicken to go with it. Everyone was happy that way. He got what he liked, but I wasn't running around stressed making 3 different meals every night.

I actually think it was some of your posts which inspired my attitude to feeding my daughter! She's an amazing eater now, she even eats things like olives and sushi! I honestly think it's just because she was never offered alternatives, except when she was younger she would get a bottle if she didn't eat.

 

[wildflower79]

Thanks for all the suggestions ladies. I'm definitely going to try and get more organised and think making just one meal for everybody is going to be the way to go.

Quick question - if your children won't eat much of the dinner you've made, do you give them any supper later on? Dd1 is always asking for food at bedtime.

 

[loeylo]

Thanks for all the suggestions ladies. I'm definitely going to try and get more organised and think making just one meal for everybody is going to be the way to go.

Quick question - if your children won't eat much of the dinner you've made, do you give them any supper later on? Dd1 is always asking for food at bedtime.

My daughter gets one small slice of wholemeal toast with banana, spreading cheese or butter on top just before bed no matter what she eats. She's good at only eating until she is full and she's easier to get to sleep when she is well fed.

 

[OnErth&InHvn]

What about crock pot recipes or frozen casseroles?

Can your daughter help you cook? Can you wear your other daughter while cooking?

 

[kirstybumx3]

1) I have a kitchen diner so I can see the children while I cook
2) the children eat at nannys 2 days a week as we both work late
3) they have simple pasta with sweet corn, peas (all boiled in one pan) with grated cheese about once a week
4) I wing it!!

After reading this I've thrown pasta, sweet corn, peas and broccoli all in the same pan to boil this afternoon then just added soft cheese and grated cheese on top and it went down SO well with zero effort at all! Will definitely be doing it more often.

To the OP, I feel you. I struggle too honestly. I like to eat healthy, OH is ridiculously fussy and won't even look at a vegetable, Rio doesn't like anything with sauce over. So I'm constantly preparing and cooking 3 separate things. I rarely eat at the same time as them because I get their stuff sorted before mine and sort myself out after, which often involves me just settling for something quick so I can sit down! In the colder months for us the slow cooker is our saviour. But I honestly dread when the baby is older and weaned, I can't make 4 separate meals!

 

[sequeena]

I hate it. My son is so fussy and my husband works nights so when he gets up he's not particularly hungry. I think it's just pointless cooking when it's only really me that will eat it! I'm trying to do one pot meals more but it's just a faff some days. My son needs so much attention as soon as he's home. I really need to use my slow cooker more.

 

[.Mrs.B.]

I don't make different meals but I've learned how to separate a meal into what people like.
For example; I'll make a stew but serve it to my son without the sauce. I'll make a mixed salad but keep aside large chunks of plain cucumber and tomato for the kids. I'll make cous cous with tuna and salad but I don't mix the kids food up, so they have plain cous cous, and plain tuna.

I find generally separating the kids food works well to make them eat it. Sometimes they will only eat one part of it but it's better than nothing and saves on cooking time.

I also let the kids load readymade margherita pizzas with their own veg. They end up eating tonnes of veg because they 'made it'.

 

[babyv13]

I don't make different meals but I've learned how to separate a meal into what people like.
For example; I'll make a stew but serve it to my son without the sauce. I'll make a mixed salad but keep aside large chunks of plain cucumber and tomato for the kids. I'll make cous cous with tuna and salad but I don't mix the kids food up, so they have plain cous cous, and plain tuna.

I find generally separating the kids food works well to make them eat it. Sometimes they will only eat one part of it but it's better than nothing and saves on cooking time.

I also let the kids load readymade margherita pizzas with their own veg. They end up eating tonnes of veg because they 'made it'.

this is what i do too, and it really works! like if we're having fajitas, which DD turns her nose up at, i make her a 'snack plate' with some wholemeal wrap, cheese, quorn chicken, raw pepper, and anything else plus some fruit. she loves this. she'll eat anything off a snack plate gives her the control over what to eat first and stuff! she always has at least one meal a day as a snack plate, it's her favourite thing ever regardless of what's on it!

i struggle with mealtimes too though because my OH eats meat and i don't, though we are getting better and finding more shared meals! also we both work shifts so i find my meal planning quite complicated if all else fails i make my DD fish fingers with lots of different veg.

 

[babyv13]

oh and my DD doesn't get any supper if she doesn't eat dinner. she's not a fussy eater and never has been so when she refuses something then she must not be hungry or is just being awkward so that's up to her!

 

[Missbb2591]

The girls tend to eat early than me and OH on weekdays so I cook for them and then I cook for me and OH after they are in bed. On weekends though we all eat together and it's a case of you either eat what I've made or not but I do tend to stick to things I know that they like and I'm lucky because they aren't fussy kids and will eat most things or at least try them. Of course like all kids they go through phases of picking things out but it never lasts long.

 

[zorak]

I'm a take it or leave it cook. I cook from scratch everyday. I meal plan so I have a rough idea of the weeks menu. My kids will occupy themselves now (3 and 2) I just need to keep a loose eye on them. When they were tiny they'd be in the kitchen with me in bouncer, jymperoo, high chair or mat on floor. My go to menu items are chilli, slow cooked casseroles, slow cooked curry, pasta (sauce always made from scratch) etc. My kids will eat pretty much anything that's put down to them but I've always stuck to having at least one thing on their plate that I know they like, even if it's just a small amount of rice or something like that.