Super Quick Suppers

Nobody can be perfect all the time. Modern life is busy and often stressful. There will be days when even someone who absolutely loves cooking will get home and think “I really can’t be bothered to make supper for everyone.” The great Nigella Lawson herself readily admits to ordering in the odd pizza when she’s too tired to chop! With children taking part in so many after-school activities, it can also sometimes be tricky to physically find the time to cook a meal and get little ones to eat up before everyone has to go out again!
If your child has school dinners this needn’t be such a problem. If they’ve had a proper hot lunch, you can get away with what I’d call a party tea (little bits like sandwiches, popcorn, yogurt, fruit) or something warm but quick on toast, such as scrambled eggs or baked beans. Houmous, pitta bread and some cut up veggies usually go down pretty well and only takes a few minutes to get together.
But if your little one has just had a packed lunch, they’ll probably need something more substantial for their tea. Quick cook pasta can be a lifesaver here, as can baked spuds done in the microwave. I usually try to cook extra if I’m making something like lasagne or fish pie and pop leftovers in the freezer to be defrosted and heated up another day.
No harm will come to any child who has the occasional tea consisting of fish fingers, waffles and baked beans or even a sausage and chips from the local chippy. They’ll love it and there is nothing to feel guilty about. It might not be a great idea to serve this every evening, but once in a while it’s fine. Add some ready prepared fruit salad and count the ketchup as a veg if it makes you happier! Use the time you save to have a cuddle and read your little ones an extra long bedtime story, or watch a film together and everyone will be fed and happy!

Eating Out

A while ago I read an article about a family who try to fit as many activities in after the children finish school and before they go to bed. They call it the ‘5 to 9’ (5pm to 9pm).
Having a look at the blog they write, they’re very keen on eating outside. They pack up a camping stove, a saucepan and some ingredients, and cook their meal in the fresh air in all sorts of different locations. Their exploits can be followed on: http://www.dotrythisathome.com/
I thought this all sounded like great fun, so we’ve been ‘eating out’ about once a week since the summer. I must admit it takes us a while to get everything together, and then to put it all away again afterwards, but we’re getting better at it! Sometimes we take a little gas camping stove, other times we cook on an open fire.

 

We’ve tried lots of different settings for our meals: the seaside (sand EVERYWHERE!), woods and hills… Our favourites usually contain lots of interesting climby things for the boys to explore and are very peaceful and quiet. An added bonus is if you can park the car close to where you’re going to cook so you don’t have to lug everything for miles!
The food can be as simple as hotdogs or pasta with pesto, but we usually try to make something a little more complicated, like a goulash or a chilli con carne. The different setting might be a good chance to try your Picky Picker on something new, but make sure you take plenty of bread, apples and biscuits to fill them up if they’re still a little unsure of what you create!
Whatever you choose to make, the whole process of cooking and eating outside is great fun, and the fresh air really seems to increase little appetites!

Pick Up Sticks!

When my boys had their first stir fry I was really surprised by how much they all enjoyed it: they literally woofed it down, cabbage, cashew nuts, ginger and all. The reason? The sheer delight of being allowed to eat a meal with two sticks! How this can be so much fun is a little beyond me, but my Picky Pickers just loved it, and the forks and spoons I also set out were left untouched.

So, sometimes for a treat, and obviously if their meal isn’t soup, we let them eat any meal with chopsticks. Using them takes the focus away from the actual food a little, and makes them concentrate on the process of eating itself. Plus, it’s a handy skill, and none of them will ever have to ask for a fork in a Chinese restaurant!