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Ignite by love of cooking..

I'm having a moan, but does anyone else feel a bit overwhelmed with all the cooking, food shopping and food-thinking/planning that you have to do once you have a baby/toddler. 

I use to love cooking, baking and playing with food before I had Annabel, but now I just feel like I spend my whole life in the kitchen or getting ready to go into the kitchen. Before motherhood my favourite day off was planning a meal, listening to radio 2 whilst I lovingly prepared it - now this seems to be my life! lol. 

I feel that I need to ignite my love of cooking and food again, any suggestions? Have any other foodies experienced this? image

Replies

  • I LOVE food but can't say I'm overly adventurous in the kitchen. So when myself and hubbie have a date night I tend to try and put some real effort into the food that is going on our plates rather than a food that we can all eat together as a family. Sometimes this will just mean a really nice steak thats is still a bit bloody or a spicy curry.

    As Annabel gets older she will also be more willing to try new things and you can start your love affair with your kitchen and food again. In the meantime give yourself a break. Being a mother and wife is hard work, you are no longer just responsible for yourself but for this small person too. That is so tiring and yes very rewarding but still very tiring. In the next month or so you will find Annabel playing more on her own and being happy to potter around you rather than wanting your full interaction. When this happens you have a little more time to enjoy the kitchen again.

    Be kind to yourself and you will fall in love with food again soon xx

  • Get the slow cooker out! image... Chuck everything into it in the morning with minimal prep, turn it on & leave all day... Then you have a yummy dinner when you want it without being chained to the kitchen... If you do something like that maybe a few times a week then other times you can choose a nice old favourite or a new / more adventurous dish to plan & cook which you might enjoy doing more like you used to because the chore of cooking every day will be lessened.

     

  • Thanks ladies, I was just having a moan. I went back to work in January and things have been pretty full on since. I have always loved cooking and deep down still do, but it is definitely not as much fun as it use to be. It is also quite soul destroying when you spend ages making a dish and your toddler throws it on the floor or spits it out!! I am a really scrooge and hate food waste, with a toddler you have to accept that a lot of lovingly made (and expensive) food will indeed be wasted. 

    the slow cooker idea I have indeed embraced and you are right it makes preparing meals a lot quicker and easier, but my point is is that I use to enjoy the preparing just as much as the eating!! lol. 

    Annabel enjoys being in the kitchen with me, I let her stir her big wooden spoon into pots and pans. I am really excited about cooking and baking together once she is a bit older! 

    I'll stop moaning and get back in my kitchen. Thanks x x

     

  • I'm going back to work in August and am thinking the same things! Cooking cleaning washing all have to be done as well as trying to be super mum. I'm negotiating with hubby to let me have a cleaner so I can concentrate on the kids and making sure we all eat properly. X x
  • Deb Tad, I got a cleaner, she comes on Monday or 2 hours about 3 times a month. I love her, I really do it is such a big help and worth every single penny!!!! Get one! image

  • Oh really! Will start looking into this nearer the time thanks x
  • Nicola where did you find your cleaner? I'm back to work 2 weeks tomorrow and I really need to find one but I've no clue even where to start. I don't really know anyone local that could help word of mouth wise. Thanks

  • If your on Facebook ask on there, better to use a private person rather than a company. I got a quote of ??14 an hour from a company, but ??9 from a private person x
  • It's so hard when you begin to lose your love of cooking because life is so hectic and theres so much to do. I feel your pain - I am obsessed with food and cooking, but sometimes you just need to be kind to yourself. Can your husband take charge and cook one or two nights per week? Can you organise some quick dinners like stir fry one night a week that takes the pressure off? And maybe batch cook and freeze some meals when you have more time (at the weekend maybe) such as lasagne - or just the meat sauce - then you can turn in into spag bol/lasagne/mince pasties/cottage pie/chilli without too much work? 

    I haven't got to the toddler tantrums of throwing food on the floor yet, but I imagine I'm going to find that bit really hard - it is bad enough if my husband dares to criticise my cooking haha!xx

     

  • So true!  I work full time which sucks but it does mean that for 5 days out of 7 I don't have to think about what they're eating and drinking and being pregnant this makes my life so much easier.  I have a friend who's child goes to a childminder and she has to prepare all her meals to take with her and with everything else going on I don't think I could do it.

    When we have guests come I like to cook and often they ask if they can help but it's so nice if there are people there who can entertain the children meaning that I can be in the kitchen cooking something nice for adults with no interruptions - I think my mum in law thinks I'm rude / a control freak when it comes to my kitchen but I so rarely get to spend a nice amount of time in there doing something for me that I want to make the most of it!

  • I'm like that with cooking too (I think I actually am quite controlling in the kitchen, hehe!) it really feels like my domain as I do all of the cooking on the whole. I love it when my husband gets home and can watch Bert while I cross train/shower and then cook - this has become our daily routine and I so look forward to that bit of time to myself - I watch FRIENDS while I cross train, or chat to my mum on the phone as I workout - then after I shower I shut myself into the kitchen and cook up a storm. I really hope to share my love of cooking with Bert and regularly imagine what it'll be like to teach Bert how to cook different things - image exciting. i'm trying a new recipe today - slow cooked pulled gammon (in the slow cooker) then I'm using some of it to make homemade quiche lorraine, then a homemade spaghetti carbonara tomorrow, and the rest for sandwiches! I can't wait xx

  • Hi Ladies,

    Sorry for late reply. I was recommended my cleaner by a friend of a friend who loves close by. I got talking to her on the 'mummy circuit' she has twins. I love her, it was one of the best things we did, I love how the house looks and smells every Monday once she has been round. it really does take the pressure off. being back at work and having a toddler running around can be really hard.

    My love for cooking is defiantly returning, you are all right you sometimes just need to take a step back, and take a rest. Like you Lucy I really can't wait for Annabel to be old enough to help/play in the kitchen with me. I look forward to when she can explore food by baking or cooking.

    Fundamentally I love food and in order to eat good food one has to actually make good food!! Ha Ha x  

  • Absolutely Nicola - I'm sure it gets easier in one sense once they can understand and enjoy the making process as well as the eating! I also really believe it helps children to eat a varied diet and be daring with what they try if they are involved in the cooking and even growing/picking process as well. Exciting times ahead! x

  • Yes definitely looking forward to cooking with the kids. Love baking with them as that's easy although look forward to doing some healthier foods too!

  • Mummy Swan I didn't know you were pregnant, Congratulations xx I remember being pregnant with my second and working full time and a 1 year old at home. Dear God it was exhausting but I wouldn't change it for the world image When are you due? How exciting xx

     

    I went back to work full time last week and we got our cleaner (not a godsend just yet but fingers crossed in a week or 2 I'll start to notice a differenceimage I'm not quite sure how but we have managed to have a home cooked meal everynight but gosh im shattered. I hope when I settle back into work and everything else I'll have more time to be adventurous in the evenings. Tonight its chicken curry from a jar image BUT still no takeaways this month which I am patting myself on the back image

    The love of cooking will take a back seat for a while in this house unfortunatley xx

     

  • Some of the jars are ok, don't beat yourself up about it. As long as there aren't any nasties in them then I can't see the problem. Both mine love a curry either home cooked or jar made x x
  • Yeah, I think thats what we have to concentrate on - the jars and pouches have the strictest guidelines to ensure they are safe, full of goodness and organic veggies etc used a lot. They are so convenient and my son truly really happily eats them, and gets a variety of flavours that I would never be able make for the same budget at home. The thing I also think is that they are eating these jars for such a small amount of time, before I know it he will be eating what we eat exclusively…so I really don't think it will do any harm. 

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