working mother cooking advice please!

[canela]

would really appreciate some tips about to provide healthy tasty food whilst working full time. i always cook the night before or early morning as i cannot cook in a rush. tight budget too. i do a lot of until steps and even i am getting bored - plus things complicated by fussy 3 year old. still hiding veg and would really like to stop but no time to do complicated by dishes.

[Curmudgeon]

Do you have a slow cooker?

[canela]

no - i read that it's not great for vegetarian and we eat mostly veg food. meat once a week. we eat a lot of pulses.

[Curmudgeon]

This is a good blog

http://www.theskintfoodie.com/about.html

And fairly local too

[canela]

thanks. it looks great. but not speedy . i need recipes that are quick and easy too. but looks good for cheapNess!

[EmilyE]

When I've got a hassly week I cook a few things at a time one evening or at the weekend-

e.g. make a basic tomato sauce (chop onion and garlic finely, cook over very slow heat for 10mins-ish add tinned toms, cook for at least 30mins - maybe with a bit of sugar if the tomatoes aren't great,)

then with the tomato sauce take some and add a tin of beans, maybe cannellini and a tin of tuna and, say, oregano to have with rice

take some more basic tomato sauce and add cooked lentils and add basil, for a veg bolognese

some more and boil with soup pasta, and veg stock and a tin of mixed beans for a soup-y stew thing

more tomato sauce and add cooked carrots (and blend for fussy 3 yr old!) for a sweet pasta sauce

Obviously quantities will vary according to quite how many meals you're planning to get out of it, but you get the idea.

[canela]

thank you! I'll give it a go. I think the problem for me is also the fussy kids.....

[womanofdulwich]

mince is your saviour. Batch cook a load of mince with onion and cut up small other veg/pulses and tomatoes/ passata. them divide up in plastic containers . freexe and you can leave as is/ add chilli beans/ curry powder as you will. this does not take a lot of space up. Another goodone is a pasta bake/ shepherds pie. I make a big one of each of these and 2 small indiv ones and freeze them. I always have a little container of frozen breadcrums with parmesan cheese in the freezer to sprinkle over at the last minute.

Cassroles too- just cut the veg up small.

[canela]

I am inspired! This is cooking weekend!