I have an expression I use when a fellow parent brings up in conversation that they are fighting with their partners, or their kids are acting out, or they are trying to “cook better” for their family. I say to them, “Life is hard enough. It doesn’t need to be any harder”. Somewhere between our generation of parenting and our parents’ we have let go of “doing our best” and replaced it with “doing the best”. Yet we are all working more, owning our homes less, we seem to have less quality time, yet on the other hand social media has brought about a fairly unhealthy picture perfect bragging to the parenting world. perfectly co-ordinated Montessori play ideas, kids playing happily together, rainbow pizzas….you get the idea.
don’t get me wrong, social media can be great in many ways, i have discovered a lot of fantastic things parenting related through instagram, Facebook etc. but on a superficial level, a lot of what is presented to us is highly curated, non-realistic, influencer spam, carefully disguised as parenting. they are there to sell you something – their cook book, clothing label, or even just the notion that they are the perfect parent.
don’t believe it! it’s just not true!! at the very least it’s not the full picture.
ok….i digress. my point is, life is hard enough as it is. on top of it we are meant to make healthy, appetising, quick and affordable meals for our family. now, there is nothing wrong with cooking a nice meal. and healthy is obviously good. but usually this takes time, or can take time.
so then we end up going with option B) – frozen pizza, packaged meals etc. and we are meant to feel bad about that, certainly wouldn’t be posting it on instagram, that’s for sure! but my point is, put aside others judging you and cut yourself some slack.
here’s where I come in. I’m going to help you out. really. I think……
ok. i actually do love frozen pizza. they’re easy, quick, and surprisingly yummy. but here’s the thing. they’re not very nutrient dense, certainly not fresh, not customizable – you get what you get. surely, there must be something in between – not frozen pizza, but not a fully cooked from scratch meal. a nice balance. sacrificing time but not quality.
so i’ve created a list here of alternatives to this instant meal, plus many others, which are nearly as quick to prepare as frozen pizza. like, meals where by the time the pasta is cooked the sauce or sides are ready. only they’re fresher, most likely healthier, probably cheaper and definitely tastier.
what i want add before this list is, you should never feel guilty about the food you serve your family. feed them and you’ve done your job. mconalds happy meal in a pinch? sure. it’s still food and your kids are still fed, just try not to do it every day!!
YOU’RE MAKING THIS IS NEARLY AS EASY
| Ready Made Meal | Try this Instead |
|---|---|
| FROZEN PIZZA | buy ready made pizza dough and add your own toppings. Make a quick red sauce using pureed tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, oregano & salt |
| MAC & CHEESE | home made easy vegan sweet potato mac and cheese |
| PASTA with JAR PESTO or JAR SAUCE | leftover soup (broccoli? pumpkin? etc.) as pasta sauce with yeast extract and olive oil on top. TIP: a few minutes before the water is ready, chuck some veggies into the pasta water and they’ll cook nicely. it adds a bit of nutrition to the meal when just using pesto, without needing an extra pot or that extra work of stirring. use leftover soup from the night before. Pureed soups work best! My kids love broccoli soup best, i top it off with some nutritional yeast. olive oil and fresh herbs and it’s a family favourite! |
| PASTIES | Pre-made puff pastry filled with left over curry |
| CHINESE TAKE AWAY | Take leftover rice (tip: when making rice, always make double) from the fridge and make your own hack job fried rice. use what you already have! the chopping/prep will take 5 minutes max. must haves for me are ginger and garlic, plus i usually have some smoked tofu in the fridge which is a great bacon substitute! Tahini Noodles. Fry up some veggies |
| FRIES/STORE BOUGHT POTATO CASSEROLE | Jacket potatoes. Wash then pat dry some large potatoes, and put them in the oven (ok, you need quite a bit of time to do this. My Hack – Microwave them first for 25 minutes, then finish them off in the oven – total time 30-35 minutes!). Take all your leftover bits and bops from the fridge and use them as topping. Think – slice up unused paprika/capsicum, greek yoghurt, cheese, day old salads, unused baked beans. Think of a baked potato as a blank canvas – pretty much anything goes!! Always add butter and cheese first to melt inside the potato before adding your toppings – that’s my only rule!! |
