Cooking food when you are exhausted in the evening is hot. But as adults, if we decide to only eat burgers or cereals delivered directly from the package, it is our problem, our health problem. On the other hand, when it comes to our children’s diet, the situation is different. We want them to eat properly, healthily, as much as possible. But the problem is that between work, picking up the younger child from daycare, the older child from school daycare, all while having two cars to run and showers to take, time (and motivation) is running out. Even when you share household chores with your partner (who, let’s remember, shouldn’t help us, but do his part) it’s hot.
The days pass quickly, the hours fly by, time is running out and fatigue increases. If we can’t handle your kids for you (we already have enough to do with ours, you’ll agree), we can also share with you our three tips that help us save time, at least when it comes to eating.
Batch cooking, to plan ahead
The idea, far from new, consists of preparing on Sunday, for two hours or less, all the dishes that will be consumed on the following evenings of the week. In concrete terms, we sacrifice a few hours of our weekend to anticipate the next meals, and we save time during the week. We put all the dishes we have prepared in the refrigerator or freezer and immediately reheat them when the time comes. The idea is excellent, it’s not too complicated to set up, you just need to find the time to do everything, and organize yourself well. It’s not something for everyone, but it’s a good way to anticipate and free up time when the evening tunnel arrives.
If you lack inspiration for recipes to prepare in advance that everyone can enjoy, there are many books, including the famous one I batch cook all year round by Sandra Thomann published by Hachette.
Ready meals
In addition to the saucepans given with a spoon and which unfortunately do not match in terms of taste and consistency (some, not all) we have found two brands that are changing and innovating in terms of taste.
Yooji, organic products grown in France
The first is Yooji : aimed at the little ones, for those who are fully diversifying their diet. The concept is fantastic: very small portions of different shapes that can be frozen and reheated at meal time. As far as the quantity to give is concerned, you can adjust it according to your heir’s appetite and as far as the taste is concerned it’s not really bad. The products are organic and grown in France and steamed before being frozen. You can also mix different flavors together to really vary the meals. It is a valid aid from the beginning of food diversification and up to approximately 12 months. You can find these products in many stores, or have them delivered directly to your home by Chronofresh. The price is reasonable: starting from €3.95 for a package, which allows you to prepare around 3 meals. Handy for helping out on lazy evenings!
Paupiettes, dishes to put in the fridge
The second brand we wanted to talk to you about is Paupiette. This time it’s for the older kids! The dishes are complete, delivered directly to your home, in trays to put directly in the fridge. The meals are varied and above all very good: even adults want to try their hand at it. Each plate weighs around 250g, which is great for a child aged 6 to 10. I personally tried it with my 2 year old and he swallowed the whole thing, but I think he’s an ogre, not a baby, which maybe explains it. But it is possible, if you have younger children, to divide the meal in two if the quantities seem excessive (and eat the rest in clay). From a price point of view, it is more expensive: 6 dishes for €48, or €8 per dish. You can buy more and the prices decrease depending on the quantity.
HelloFresh, to cook recipes easily
HelloFresh is also a home delivery service. Except that with them you have to mess around a little more, but it’s not really annoying. Concretely, it’s very simple: you go to their site, select the number of dishes you would like to cook for a certain number of people, indicate whether you want ideas for vegetarian, family, quick recipes… And immediately, you are presented with a whole small range of recipes. We go to checkout and a few days later you receive a huge package full of ingredients and a recipe book to help you make them. The concept is great because it takes a lot of the mental load off of you of “what are we eating tonight” by bringing the ingredients needed to make the recipes you previously chose directly into your fridge.
From an economic point of view it has a cost, but it is justified by the quantity of ingredients offered: for 5 meals for 3 people per week, for example, it costs you 79.99 euros, delivery included.
Don’t feel guilty and accept the fact that you can’t be everywhere
Last tip, but not the simplest: accept that you can’t handle everything. Yes, a good diet is important. It is important for many reasons, growth, development, the relationship with food, health. But do you also know what’s important? Your mental health and its impact on the atmosphere at home. If your head is underwater because there’s too much to handle, and alone or together it’s already enough, don’t feel guilty if you call yourself a bad mother because, this week, your child didn’t eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day. It happens, we do what we can, as best we can, and the next week could be better. If Jean-Edouard eats cheese shells 5 nights a week, he won’t even turn into a guinea pig, I promise. Not to mention the fact that if he eats lunch in kindergarten or in the canteen, he still receives part of his nutritional intake.
Stop beating yourself up, opt for the options that seem most convenient to you based on your living conditions, and do what you can to keep the boat afloat.
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
