Quick Healthy Meal Ideas For 2 Exhausted Parents?

Kintarō Hattori · 20-03-2019 12:43pm #1

Hey Folks,

Since our daughter came into our lives eating home cooked meals has generally gone out the window (for us, she gets freshly cooked meals) as we're very much so time poor these days. For example I'm up at 6am this morning, I'll get home about 4:30 this afternoon and will take over looking after the little one while Mam heads out to do an evening shift. I'll play with our daughter, get her her supper and put her to bed. Head downstairs clean up the toys, wash dishes etc.

So it doesn't leave much time to cook and when there is, the energy really isn't there which means we've both been eating very badly and having far too many takeaway meals. I've always enjoyed cooking and we'd have eaten home cooked dinners pre-daughter most nights. They tend to be very ingredient rich and time consuming to make so my go to dishes really are no more.

We are cooking more meals that we can all eat but the range is limited at the moment, something I know we need to work on.

I'd really appreciate some ideas. I've put on quite a bit of weight!

rawn · 20-03-2019 12:49pm

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

Hey Folks,

Since our daughter came into our lives eating home cooked meals has generally gone out the window (for us, she gets freshly cooked meals) as we're very much so time poor these days. For example I'm up at 6am this morning, I'll get home about 4:30 this afternoon and will take over looking after the little one while Mam heads out to do an evening shift. I'll play with our daughter, get her her supper and put her to bed. Head downstairs clean up the toys, wash dishes etc.

So it doesn't leave much time to cook and when there is, the energy really isn't there which means we've both been eating very badly and having far too many takeaway meals. I've always enjoyed cooking and we'd have eaten home cooked dinners pre-daughter most nights. They tend to be very ingredient rich and time consuming to make so my go to dishes really are no more.

We are cooking more meals that we can all eat but the range is limited at the moment, something I know we need to work on.

I'd really appreciate some ideas. I've put on quite a bit of weight!

Preaching to the choir!

It's all about preparation. If you're spending most of the time cooking your daughter's meals from scratch, why not eat the same meals? We usually eat the same thing - shepherds pie, mash + fish with veg etc, but we cook our sons in a separate pot without salt/spices. I also try to cook large pots of food that can be reheated the next day or frozen. Lasagne, chilli con carne, shepherd's pie, fish pie all freeze well and reheat even better! Pies are easiest for us as our son prefers the texture and we can hide pretty much anything in it.

grahamor · 20-03-2019 1:28pm

+1 for batch cooking, it takes time but you can have meals in the freezer for 2/3 people ready to go. Just take out to thaw before work and heat up in the evening.

Also, i find that getting small amounts of prep done a day in advance help a-lot :

Chicken or Prawn stirfry with mange tout and carrots:
Shred the mange tout, cut the carrots into match sticks and slice an onion the day before and store in a Tupperware,. Then when you want to make it you just need to cook the diced meat/fish, throw in the prepped veg and add soy/sweet chili sauce, garlic, ginger etc.

Frittata with sweet potato, feta cheese, spinach and chorizo :
Peel, dice and roast the sweet potato while your stir-fry is cooking, wilt the spinach in a wok, slice the chorizo into half moons and crisp up in a frying pan. The next day all you need to do is warm all the above ingredients in a large frying pan, whisk 6-8 eggs, season and add to the mix and finally add diced feta, add into a 180c oven until firm and that's dinner for 2 nights at least

Kintarō Hattori · 20-03-2019 2:13pm

rawn wrote: »

Preaching to the choir!

It's all about preparation. If you're spending most of the time cooking your daughter's meals from scratch, why not eat the same meals? We usually eat the same thing - shepherds pie, mash + fish with veg etc, but we cook our sons in a separate pot without salt/spices. I also try to cook large pots of food that can be reheated the next day or frozen. Lasagne, chilli con carne, shepherd's pie, fish pie all freeze well and reheat even better! Pies are easiest for us as our son prefers the texture and we can hide pretty much anything in it.

We've started that so we can all eat chicken pie, chicken tikka masala... we're looking for more things we can eat. She's a good eater but unless meat is shredded to nothing or slathered in a sauce she'll chew it and spit it out. In the meantime I'm looking for quick dishes that Mam and Dad can eat.

rawn · 20-03-2019 2:19pm

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

We've started that so we can all eat chicken pie, chicken tikka masala... we're looking for more things we can eat. She's a good eater but unless meat is shredded to nothing or slathered in a sauce she'll chew it and spit it out. In the meantime I'm looking for quick dishes that Mam and Dad can eat.

Well that's what I was suggesting, instead of one meal for her and one for you, eat the one meal. My son is picky too, so he'll have the same meal but in a separate dish with no salt and everything cut up smaller than ours. Otherwise, invest in an airfryer. Cooks food quicker than an oven (no preheating) and there's so much you can cook in it. There's a great thread here in boards with food ideas.

Muahahaha · 22-03-2019 5:09pm

Batch cooking definitely a good way to go. I normally put aside one day a month for cooking big quantities of chilli, lasagne/shepherds pie, ragu and then freeze 90% of it. Important to make sure you've all your ingredients lined up the day before as it can turn into a nightmare otherwise. This is where I find Tesco delivery a big time saver as you don't need to be wasting time rushing around s supermarket gathering all the ingredients for a monster cook. Last two times I used them I got delivery for only €3 which is a bargain for saving a couple of hours of time.

With Sunday roasts buy more than you'll need and freeze the remainder in portions. It only takes a few minutes in the microwave to reheat. And if you use quick boil veg like peas and sweetcorn you can have it all on the plate in under 5 or 6 minutes.

For more healthy I'd say stir frys. Cheat on the time consuming ginger and garlic prep by instead buying ready made pastes. Have mixed frozen veggies on hand to fry off with your meat, egg noodles boil really quick and can be added to the stir fry at the last minute.

Any number of soups fits the bill of quick and healthy (again best done by batch cooking). I make seafood chowder with everything but the fish and then freeze it into portions. Once defrosted it takes 4 minutes in the pot to warm up, then I add the fish mix that Aldi/Lidl sell in 2 portion packs- it is usually salmon, haddock and cod. Its done in another 3 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

Fresh pasta is another ingredient that boils in 2 or 3 minutes. Add pesto and heated chicken, toss it all together in a bowl and serve with some grated parmesan on top.

Loveinapril · 22-03-2019 5:33pm

I am in a similar situation, two busy parents, a 16 month old and I am pregnant. I agree with everything Muahahaha says. I batch cook for about a day every three weeks and freeze the main part of our dinners and maybe 4 nights a week all I need to do is cook pasta, rice or potatoes. I do Tesco Click and Collect because I pass the Tesco by on my way home from work. I was off today so pretty much spent all day cooking. I made beef stew (cooked slow for hours so the meat falls apart, you could do the same with mince or lamb), lasagne, spaghetti bolognaise and shepherds pie. I often do a chicken and brocolli bake and when we get in all we do is microwave baby potatoes or boil pasta. I roasted a chicken this morning and shredded it for quesadilla and pizza for my son's lunches when I am at work but they are obviously adult friendly too so you can all share these. I will use the rest of the chicken in a stirfry for tomorrow because I will have time to faff with all the veg. Sometimes when I roast a chicken I will throw some in a curry and some in enchiladas. My son loves all of these. I know it is a pain but if you sit down and plan a weekly menu for two/ three weeks, organise your shopping and lock yourself in the kitchen for a day, you will be delighted when you are knackered on a Tuesday evening but remember you have homemade burgers made or whatever.

igCorcaigh · 23-03-2019 8:16pm

+1 for batch cooking. I love my chest freezer.

But also, I'm big into changing the mindset of how and what we eat.

A home is not a restaurant; I don't think in terms of meals you would find on a menu (pasta dish, curry, fish and chips etc).

Focus on ingredients, and mix and match whatever you have prepared.

Roasted Mediterranean vegetables. Keeps in the fridge for a few days. Add that to whatever cupboard ingredient that's quick to cook, say, couscous.

You need some protein, so canned fish like tuna and mackerel are instant, cheap and healthy. Canned beans too.

Frozen peas are the job. Mix up with some fried onion and ham.

Put some humous on toast.

Have a mixture of tasty things that you can just add together randomly.

Nothing wrong with having a bowl of soup for dinner, with some quick salad and a toasted pitta bread.

Think picnic style.

BaZmO* · 25-03-2019 12:24pm

Yeah I'd agree with most of what's been said already. Batch cooking is king imo. It's just a case of putting the time aside once maybe twice a month. Curries, Chillies, Stews etc. Anything that's particularly hot or spicy, just make without the chillies, you can add them after they are heated back in the form of dried chilli flakes.

igCorcaigh is on the money when it comes to changing the way you think about what dinner is. When you combine that mindset with the likes of batch cooking you can knock up dinner really quickly. Chilli and nachos, chilli on a baked potato, stew with bread. Houmous with toasted Pita Bread and a selection of veg.

Frozen veg is a great timesaver too, peas, sweetcorn, etc. Just use them in a steamer when you're boiling some potatoes.

Vicarious Function · 25-03-2019 12:36pm

IMO, the greatest gift you can give yourself and your family is the time it takes to prepare meals at home.

miamee · 25-03-2019 4:11pm

I find some of the Happy Pear 5 minute recipes good, although they take a bit longer than 5 minutes (maybe 15 or so for your average human without a twin helper). Off the top of my head, the Chickpea curry and the Kale stir fry are both tasty and simple to do.

I have followed the videos on Youtube but they also have some 5 minute recipes on their site here. They are good for when you want to cook something healthy but don't have the time or energy for anything complicated.

25-03-2019 8:29pm

Big fan of batch cooking, but in s simpler format. Make batches of pasta sauces, or pizza sauces and that's a simple quick dinner when you're all home.

I'd normally buy pizza bases from Dunnes, defrost pizza sauce in the microwave, add mozzarella, meat, other veg, oregano and parmesan. Takes a couple of minutes and is damn tasty.

Jubo · 27-03-2019 11:32am

Hi OP
I'm a great fan of my slow cooker as (without too much thought) you can sling in chicken or any other meat, various veg (whatever you've got) early in the day when you have more energy and leave it do its thing. Everything tastes nice when its cooked slowly and for a long time. Lots of good recipes on BBC Good Food

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/search/recipes?query=slow+cooker

Also if you can do your shopping online and get it delivered you can work out a menu plan for the week and not be short any ingredients.

Another plus with the slow cooker is it can be left on warm and eaten when you're ready if you're busy with your daughter.

RocketRaccoon · 27-03-2019 11:34am

Myself and my wife have 3 kids and recently started slimming World, all of our dinners are healthy and take a relatively short amount of time. Have a look at recipes online and give them a go.

Quick Healthy Meal Ideas For 2 Exhausted Parents?

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