I’m in somewhat of a cooking rut and I need your help. Does anyone else feel like they literally spend their life preparing food and loading the dishwasher?! I swear it’s one meal after the next after the next…and I only have one child! The worst thing is that I seem to cook the same meals week in and week out.
The thing is I really enjoy cooking and feel much better about life if I’m putting healthy home cooked food on the table for Matt and Elle, but sometimes everything gets on top of me and I find myself relying on oven chips a little bit too often.
When this happens, these are the things that help…
Meal Planning
When I’m being organised, early on in the week, I try to plan the meals for the following week. I don’t always write it down and I definitely don’t always execute it, but having 10 minutes where I actually think about what meals we’d like to eat, rather than just throwing things into a real/virtual basket really helps. I must admit this doesn’t often result in me trying out new dishes. So for 2017 I’d really like to start cooking a new dish (or even just a side dish) every other week.
Food Box Scheme
The reason I meal plan early in the week is that I order the bulk of my weekly shop through The Cornish Food Box website. It’s been a revelation in terms of the quality of ingredients we eat – the vegetables actually taste earthy, the fish is caught just days before we eat it, the meat is juicy and succulent and it’s genuinely a joy to open our boxes each weekend. The Cornish Food Box are so much more than a food box scheme, as I can adjust my order each week and select every single item we receive. So no weird and wonderful vegetables that end up rotting at the back of my fridge or a glut of carrots that I’m peeling for months. I still do a supermarket shop – for cereals, tins and family requests (Salt & Vinegar Squares, Cheerios and Nutella, obvs)…But choosing our food on a Tuesday evening and knowing what’s coming on the Saturday morning has made it much easier to be organised and on top of what we’re eating.
Batch Cooking
When possible, I do try to spend a few hours on a Sunday cooking food for the week ahead. We usually have a roast dinner, so this will create a lovely load of chicken to throw into dishes and lots of veggies and potatoes too. I also try to mash or roast some root veg too and prep some cooked onions, garlic and mushrooms, as these tend to make a base for lots of the meals we eat. I really HATE chopping, so anything that means I have to do it less frequently is great. I also try to ‘get ahead’ so if I’m cooking, I’ll always do extra to try to make the next day’s meal easier to prepare. (FYI if you’ve got the oven on, cook extra baked potatoes and keep in the fridge, they can be chopped into wedges and fried in olive oil for the yummiest skin on chips).
Internet Recipe Inspiration
I really have no excuses, as there are so many amazing recipes out there. I regularly cook the meals in the images above (although must admit my food rarely looks like that and I don’t actually follow those recipes)…
This article written by Franky at Love Audrey about cooking from scratch when you’re tired also really helped me to be more organised about cooking. I know we all know these things, but sometimes a reminder is needed.
I’d really like to improve on the variety of recipes I cook, so if anyone has any lovely recipes they’d like to share please feel free – I’m looking for healthy, hearty meals now that the winter months are here. Veggie recipes are welcome too 🙂 And if anyone has any genius tips for prepping meals more efficiently I’m all ears!
(This post isn’t sponsored, I just really love ordering fresh, local food and it genuinely helps us to eat and feel better as a family. Recipes above: Apple, Pear & Blackberry Crumble, Fish Fingers, Sweet Potato Soup).
I’ve just started ordering Abel and Cole boxes and I love it when they arrive. Just veg so far but I think we might branch out to the meat ones as well. Trying to tailor what we eat so we use all the veg has made me think about my meals a bit more. As has the dusting off of the slow cooker which is a godsend on the days I work.
However, the thing I’m really struggling with is evening food for Juliet who is 20 months old. She’s totally refusing to eat evening meals and it’s sole destroying! We keep persevering with offering her things we’re eating but 90% of the time she ends up eating baked beans or houmous for dinner.. so if people have some toddler friendly meal recommendations that would be great too!
Jennifer, I’m a bit strict on she eats what we eat or she doesn’t. She usually gets bored of watching us eat and tucks in eventually.
If I’m just cooking for her I am a big fan of the following:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1508645/pasta-with-tomato-and-hidden-veg-sauce
Pasta with wilted spinach and ricotta
http://www.madeformums.com/baby/aubergine-and-red-pepper-curry/16930.html (Served with either rice or pasta or pitta bread)
I freeze in small portions which I can whip out and defrost whilst the pasta/rice is cooking.
I really need a slow cooker, everyone raves about them and I’m yet to jump on the band wagon!
On the fussy toddler thing – Elle is exactly the same at the moment, only really eating toast and yogurt and the occasional banana. It’s hard not to get annoyed when you’ve slaved over a hot stove and it’s usually something she’d destroy ? Jacket potatos, cheese and beans, spaghetti bolognase and fish fingers are normal favourites here. We’re trying to persevere too and not make a big deal out of it – but I do worry that she’s not getting any nutritional value from anything. Although she will eat at nursery sometimes so at least that’s something. I might do some savoury muffins this weekend as she can’t resist anything in a cake wrapper ?
Let’s just hope they get over it soon!!! Xx
Oh Fern I hear you. Hector is really not fussed about food unless it’s cheese, milk, spikelets, strawberries and smoked salmon. Anything else and it’s a battle to get it down his neck. I hate cooking anyway so it’s especially demoralising when you have slaved away over a stove to produce something yummy and he just spits it all out. I admit to having sobbed at dinner time before. It’s not a pretty sight. I’m hoping that eventually he’ll grow to love everything just like he did when we first weaned him….
There have been tears shed here too Lolly – what is it about nourishing them that really gets to us?!?! Xx
Well it’s good to know I’m not the only one! She’s brilliant at breakfast, average at lunch and terrible in the evenings. Friday night saw me slumped in the corner of the kitchen despairing last week.. persevere I will! And get a slow cooker. They’re very handy. Not life changing but handy!
We bought an Aldi slow cooker this weekend – it’s massive and was £16.99. Just need to get a good few recipes sorted now!!
Ohh at that price I may not have to wait until Christmas ?
Jennifer try onehandedcooks.com: lots of great ideas. I used to introduce new things at lunch where I could be more laid back on my boy not eating much-and then go for the evening inclusion when he was on board with new stuff!
I would highly recommend gousto! Fab recipe box with great service and has finally meant I don’t Cook the same thing every week as the recipes are easy to replicate! I have a voucher code for £25 off so worthwhile giving it a try! Xx
Have seen these guys advertising everywhere and often wondered about the quality of ingredients/provenance so it’s good to know they are recommended! My food box people are starting to do recipe boxes which I think will help – it’s just the ease of having everything in a box ready for you that makes a difference isn’t it? X
Yummmm, crumble. I must make this every week and have to resist eating it myself. Alice requests it most days you see. Despite being a wizz of sweets I am a bit rubbish at savoury foods. As Edd is away most of the week I don’t really cook so make stuff for the girls which I sometimes eat. I make a lot of sheperds pie, bolognaise etc for them. Now it’s getting colder it’s casserole time. The Jamie Oliver beef stew is the best and really easy as you don’t need need to bother peeling most of the veg and it goes in in huge chunks. We have also been using the Jamie’s 30 minute meals book to cook something new each weekend. Unfortunately the girls don’t always eat it but we are trying. I also use a lot of butternut squash. Roast lots of it in the oven and keep it to add to things like a squash and chorizo risotto or you can make butternut squash gnocchi. This is also a favourite recipe of mine (https://www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/home/recipes/recipe_directory/l/lentils_with_rosemaryroastedsquashhamhockandsunflowerseeds.html) My mum make a yummy chicken dish which you cook chicken thighs on top of a load of chopped veg and stock. You add in some orzo pasta and then towards the end stir in pesto. It’s delicious. Luckily mum is an AMAZING cook so we always bring dinners back when we’ve been over there for the day. So my tip is get your mum to do the cooking!! xxx
That’s the beef stew recipe we use too Lottie ? and I absolutely LOVE butternut squash so willl definitely be cooking some of your recommendations! Haha, wish my Mum was closer, although my mother in law is amazing at this and always sends us off with huge vats of food, we just don’t see her often enough ?
Hi Fern, I really enjoyed this post, I love cooking but admit since having our little boy and working full time this area seems to have really suffered. I am quite an organised person so I am not sure why I haven’t tried meal planning really, your tips have made me think I really must do this! The Cornish food box scheme looks lovely as well. Thank you for the recipes! 🙂
Morning Nicola, it was Franky’s article that gave me the kick I needed to start getting on top of cooking again so just wanted to share the love! If it’s something you actually enjoy then you can make it fun again rather than a chore. Eating well makes such a difference to how you feel too! Let me know if you have any lovely recipes you’d recommend xxx
Have you read the blog Dinner: a Love Story? It’s from the US but there are lots of transferable ideas. I’m in a bit of a rut too, not helped by the fact that pregnancy sickness has put me off lots of our staple fall back meals. Really hear you on meal planning- makes a huge difference.
With fussy toddler, I find it helpful to remind myself that it is normal and evolutionarily necessary- they have to mistrust foods as they become independent to avoid poisoning themselves. So no fuss and no pleading- but I must admit I don’t offer an alternative if food is refused. I was a really fussy child, and I’ve grown up ok! They will come round in their own sweet time….
Definitely needed to hear this today Lucy – thank you. I do try to not offer alternatives but it’s tough. I’m going to be strong today though! Bring on lunchtime ??
I’m finding my slow cooker essential with a little one! Especially now it’s so cold! So easy to throw everything in at breakfast and kitchen smells great all day! I make a lot of tagines and curries at the moment, very lucky my 11 month old will eat anything! Praying she stays that way! Really recommend Miss Souths slow cooker recipe book, the garlic, mint and anchovy lamb and Dr Pepper pulled pork have become BBQ staples!
Thanks Charlotte – will check that recipe book out! Do you have a tagine recipe you use? So lovely to have a house smelling of delicious food!
Jamie Oliver’s beef and butternut squash tagine goes down very well with husband and baby! I use half the amount of vegetable stock in the recipe and just slow cook for 8 hours on low once I’ve fried the beef and onion.
Fern, you absolutely need a slow cooker. I love mine, especially in the winter time. Also, the freezer is your friend. I batch cook spag bol, chilli, mince and veg, chicken curry etc and freeze them for easy weekday dinners. I usually separate out smaller kid friendly portions in case we’re eating something that I know Zoe won’t have (and it’s good for if we’re having takeaway!). Mostly though, I give her what we’re eating. If she doesn’t eat it, I try not to worry too much as she eats everything at nursery so I know she won’t starve.
And if you hate chopping, frozen veg all the way! Frozen chopped garlic and chunks of butternut squash are particularly useful time savers. I also love frozen spinach for chucking into pasta and stews. I recently bought bags of frozen rice and veg which you can heat in the microwave. It’s pretty good for emergency quick dinners, as are the bags of microwave rice from Uncle Bens or Tilda. Tilda actually do kiddie ones as well – Zoe loves the curry flavour one (which I give her when we’re getting a Chinese!).
I do your baked potato trick too, I think it’s so much nicer than chips. All the photos in your post are making me hungry. That fish finger sandwich looks epic! Can you guess I could talk about food all day? 🙂
Ok it’s going on my Christmas list!!! I think I possibly just need to start doing larger quantities of batch cooking and certainly utilise the freezer more. Will certainly be adding Spanich to dishes now too, I always forget it freezes well and is great for bulking up meals. And yes totally love the microwave rice pouches – I never get normal rice to a nice consistency so these are fab. I’m ravenous too, although I demolished a bowl of porridge not that long ago…
When you get your slow cooker, you need to do a post on everyone’s favourite slow cooker recipes please. I have a few staples but I’d like to steal everyone else’s ideas! I have a rule for the slow cooker though – I only like recipes which require no pre-cooking of ingredients. So many of them tell you to brown the meat first, etc, which I think totally defeats the purpose. What’s convenient about all the prep time and dirty dishes?!
Good plan! And yes totally agree, I’m not faffing around with meat browning!!!
Food ruts are the worst! We are very organised at meal planning and shopping and found it def saves time and money only going shopping once. But it’s such a chore to sit down and decide what to eat that week. My mum gave me a subscription to Good Food magazine which has been amazing for ideas each month even the husband gets involved deciding on new recipes to try (although why is it they choose the ones with the most ingredients and complicated steps and then are late home that night?!) Def recommended tho, esp with Christmas coming up….!
This is a great idea! My mum always wants to buy me a magazine subscription for Christmas ? If I’m ever in Waitrose I always pick up their magazine too as it’s really good. And It’s free if you have a My Waitrose card!
I’m putting a slow cooker on my Christmas list – is that really sad?! I’m awful at forward planning but I’ve designed a really pretty meal planner which I fill out and stick on the fridge and that is helping. We prep packs of veg for evening meals to save some time, and we pack smoothie grab bags, portioned out bags of fruit to whizz up so we get a burst of goodness in the morning. My little likes this! I’m pretty bad at varying the meals we eat and tend to have a few on rotation, but I’ve made a point of picking up recipe cards from Waitrose and Sainsburys when I pop in and they’re helping me try new things. Lamb and Apricot Biryani tonight! X
Totally hear everything you are saying! With three small children dinner time can be incredibly hard work. That’s why i started my blog http://www.cleanlittletummieshappymummies.com to put together family friendly ideas to keep us mums sane and the children nourished. It’s not a miracle solution but take a look if you like.
Meal planning for the week is definitely a great way to stay on top of cooking but can be hard work too after school, work, clubs etc. I love http://www.mylovelylittlelunchbox.com too, an Australian sight with a fantastic range of recipes using fresh colourful ingredients. Everything I have tried from there has gone down a treat with my three.
And I need to invest in a slow cooker too…might call at Aldi this afternoon!
Bon Appetit
Great post Fern, a couple of tips get a ‘sizzle and stir’ slow cooker. I just have a normal slow cooker which is great but my friend has one of these snazzy slow cookers that you can fry in and then pop straight on slow cook- no extra washing up! I hate chopping too and my sister got me a mini chopper last Christmas and it’s fab, would recommend!
I’m a meal planning enthusiast now and actually really look forward to sitting down with a cup of tea and a few cook books to plan the weeks food. Since doing it we eat better and have def saved money on the food shop.
Seeing Lottie’s crumble comment reminded me there is a great Cranks vegetable crumble recipe- might be good for little ones too! Aside from that homemade pizzas always a hit in our house. I tend to make a double batch of dough and sauce and then have an easy and fun meal at hand for the weekends. Look forward to some more food inspiration on RMF hopefully! x
I’m so glad you found my post useful Fern, thanks for sharing.
I get into a rut every now and then too, especially when there’s a lot of other stuff going on in life and planning meals feels like one chore too many. I tend to start with a single ingredient and work from there. I ask myself what’s in season and what I feel like eating and then head to google. It’s a good way to find new ways to eat veg. I’m hoping to do something interesting with swede this week 😉