I feel like such a bad mother....

amother

Yellow

Wed, Feb 22 2017, 7:08 pm

The past few weeks have been super stressful, between work, college and other family
responsibilities... During the week, I usually give my kids either pizza, bagels and spreads or turkey sandwiches. I usually throw together a bagged lettuce salad or cut up veggies. I just feel so guilty that I don't make more nutritious suppers. I probably make one normal supper a week, plus shabbos normal food. Is that enough for my kids to get their nutritional needs met?

amother

Scarlet

Wed, Feb 22 2017, 7:12 pm

Come on, how many of us are actually cooking perfectly balanced dinners every night. Sunday-leftovers, monday-noodles, tuesday-salmon and rice-wednesday-french toast, thrusday-pizza. yep, thats what it looks like in my house, and I dont feel bad. If I would push myself to cook, none of the kids would eat it anyway.

Jeanette

Wed, Feb 22 2017, 7:14 pm

Nutritious suppers can be very easy but I would try to vary the menu a little bit. Do you have any time at all for cooking?
WHole wheat pasta, jarred pasta sauce, cottage cheese, frozen broccoli on the side
Tuna caserole--cans of tuna or salmon mixed with eggs and frozen veg, pop in oven with tomato sauce on top.
scrambled eggs with cottage cheese and cut up veggies.
Chicken can be very quick and easy if you just remove the skin. Pop in the oven for an hour. Rice or potatoes on the side.
I'd also recommend getting a crock pot. Throw in the ingredients in the morning, come home to a freshly cooked hot meal.

allthingsblue

Wed, Feb 22 2017, 7:19 pm

I don't think it's the end of the world (and I'm pretty health-minded), but truth is that cooking healthy is not difficult.
Roasted chicken: just put chicken in pan (I cook it wih the skin to seal the moisture; I remove the skin before eating); sprinkle with spices and Pam, roast for 1 hr 15 min. Serve with salad/cut up veggies. Dinner is done!

Salmon is just as simple- sprinkle with spices, drizzle lemon juice and olive oil, serve with salad or veggies.

Frozen veggies are also great- just toss with olive oil and spices and roast along with your main dish.

flowerpower

Wed, Feb 22 2017, 7:27 pm

How old are the kids? It's not the end of the world. I learnt how to make easy to prepare suppers. Brown rice in the oven... Baked chicken in the oven- many different versions..... Pasta and meat sauce is fast and easy... Squash soup takes seconds to make and you can freeze it. Eden sells frozen veggies. All you have to do is pop in the microwave.

Last edited by flowerpower on Wed, Feb 22 2017, 7:37 pm; edited 1 time in total

Water Stones

Wed, Feb 22 2017, 7:35 pm

amother wrote:

You're not a bad mother!

brkn

Wed, Feb 22 2017, 7:38 pm

Do your kids have health problems? Are they overweight or something? If not, why go looking for problems? Not every meal has to be made 100% from scratch in order to be healthy, and none of the foods you listed are terrible. It just depends on how often/how much they have.

One tip I learned from my mother: always have a backup meal in the freezer. A frozen lasagna that just needs to be popped in the oven is great for hectic nights.