For those who "don't cook"

[Anonymous]

I know a few parents with kids that say they "don't cook." I always wonder what this means. When DH and I don't cook, we end up eating too much food at a restaurant or getting unhealthy takeout. And unfortunately, there are many nights when we don't cook. So if you are one of those families that doesn't cook, how do you and your kids get a healthy, balanced diet that's not too high in calories?

[Anonymous]

I say this and what I mean is that I rarely cook from scratch. We eat pasta, or soup and grilled cheese, or frozen entrees, or sandwiches, etc. We actually don't eat much takeout or eat out much.

[Anonymous]

I do cook - always have. But, with three kids under the age of 6, I do what I used to do. I'm relying heavily on Cook's Illustrated Best 30 Minute Cookbook. They've got fantastic recipes. Everyone we've tried, we'd serve to company - and have! They always take more than 30 minutes the first time you do them but they're simple and very tasty. The more you do them, the faster you get. I'm eating a Moroccan Soup right now that is scrumptious and it really did take me 30 minutes!

But, we still eat a lot of pizza, PB&J, grilled cheese, etc. Just no getting around it for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I say this and what I mean is that I rarely cook from scratch. We eat pasta, or soup and grilled cheese, or frozen entrees, or sandwiches, etc. We actually don't eat much takeout or eat out much.

How do your kids get fresh fruits & vegetables then?

[Anonymous]

I recommend the Martha Stewart Everyday Food cookbook and magazine subscription for non cooks.

Everything is pretty quick- its martha-lite for slackers.

[Anonymous]

I say this and what I mean is that I rarely cook from scratch. We eat pasta, or soup and grilled cheese, or frozen entrees, or sandwiches, etc. We actually don't eat much takeout or eat out much.

Do you mean mostly prepared/prepackaged foods? That sounds really unhealthy. Prepackaged foods are loaded with excess sodium, too much fat, and other not-good-for-you ingredients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I say this and what I mean is that I rarely cook from scratch. We eat pasta, or soup and grilled cheese, or frozen entrees, or sandwiches, etc. We actually don't eat much takeout or eat out much.

Do you mean mostly prepared/prepackaged foods? That sounds really unhealthy. Prepackaged foods are loaded with excess sodium, too much fat, and other not-good-for-you ingredients.

Okay, I'm one of those healthy-eating-organic/cook my own food mamas and I don't understand the need for this post. Are you just here to criticize other people? Surely there are some choices you make that other people would judge you for.

[Anonymous]

I don't 'cook' per se. For DH and I--I buy fresh fish or meat and broil, and steam veggies in the microwave. It is healthiest meal around for 'not cooking'.

Kids are small---I sometimes buy prepared chicken, meats at whole foods, grocery stores and do frozen corn or peas. I warm up alot of stuff. They do get oatmeal with fresh fruit from scratch (not instant) mornings..lunches are sandwiches. They get tons of fresh berries, apples and bananas (every day). Veggies are hard to get them to eat...they'll eat corn no problem ---the greens are a struggle everyday.
We do pancake mix from whole foods on the weekends with lots of berries and bananas

I am not a 'recipe' person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't 'cook' per se. For DH and I--I buy fresh fish or meat and broil, and steam veggies in the microwave. It is healthiest meal around for 'not cooking'.

Kids are small---I sometimes buy prepared chicken, meats at whole foods, grocery stores and do frozen corn or peas. I warm up alot of stuff. They do get oatmeal with fresh fruit from scratch (not instant) mornings..lunches are sandwiches. They get tons of fresh berries, apples and bananas (every day). Veggies are hard to get them to eat...they'll eat corn no problem ---the greens are a struggle everyday.
We do pancake mix from whole foods on the weekends with lots of berries and bananas

I am not a 'recipe' person.

it's 10pm at night...our fresh mahimahi with a little olive oil and pepper just came out of the broiler after 15 min...and fresh asparagus steamed in the microwave in 4 min. It's a meal! I 2 blocks to wholefoods so it's easy to run in and grab fresh fish at the seafood counter

[Anonymous]

Okay, I'm one of those healthy-eating-organic/cook my own food mamas and I don't understand the need for this post. Are you just here to criticize other people? Surely there are some choices you make that other people would judge you for.

OK, perhaps it wasn't worded well. But I honestly think a lot of people don't realize how unhealthy those packaged foods are compared to foods made from scratch. I was just trying to point that out. There really are people who don't read food labels and who don't know how to discern healthy from unhealthy foods and who think that a can of soup is healthy because it has vegetables in it, no matter how much fat and sodium it has. If the PP feeds her family that stuff every single night, maybe she doesn't realize it's not good for them.

And as we all know, if you put it out there on DCUM, you can be sure someone's going to criticize you for it.

[Anonymous]

Really, OP, you don't think we realize that it's not the healthiest to feed our kids take out or packaged food? Thanks for being the one to enlighten us.

[Anonymous]

Husband has been out of town for 10 days now, so its just me (full time working mom), my 3 yo DD, and our 80 lb lab in our 800 sq apartment. I usually cook a lot but in this situation, by the time we get back home from work/preschool (6 pm), walk the dog, do bath, and change, its 7:30-8. Tonight it was grilled chicken breast (literally just threw a chicken breast on a skillet) and steamed broccoli/peas/bean (came from a frozen bag in Whole Foods). It was healthy, fast, and easy. Last night I made penne pasta with broccoli, a little cream and parmesan cheese, and the night before we had couscous with some sauteed veggies in a wok (it took 10 mins total). So I just get by with lots of veggies, rice. couscous, pasta, chicken, and fish. All those meats you can broil/grill in a few minutes, and veggies steam in less than 5 mins.

If you can't make something like that or don't like it, adding fresh fruit/cheese/milk to any pre-prepared meal should make it healthier. Whole Food has lots of great pre-made stuff that's healthy and easy, although more expensive... I can ndever get out of there spending less than $100 no matter how little I intend to shop...

[Anonymous]

I "didn't cook" before I had kids, but it didn't mean I didn't eat healthy. It meant I nuked a baked potato and frozen veggies. Or we just ate salad. Things that fly with adults, but not neccesarily with kids (which is why I am now "cooking").

I've certainly heard people claim to not cook, when what they mean is they don't cook gourmet meals.

As far as health, my mom "cooked" every night and we had red meat, loaded with salt, and potatoes (think french fries and mashed with tons of butter). So cooking doesn't always mean more healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I "didn't cook" before I had kids, but it didn't mean I didn't eat healthy. It meant I nuked a baked potato and frozen veggies. Or we just ate salad. Things that fly with adults, but not neccesarily with kids (which is why I am now "cooking").

I've certainly heard people claim to not cook, when what they mean is they don't cook gourmet meals.

As far as health, my mom "cooked" every night and we had red meat, loaded with salt, and potatoes (think french fries and mashed with tons of butter). So cooking doesn't always mean more healthy.

so agreed....alot of the 'cooks' i know are making lasangas and chicken parm and casseroles loaded with calories and fat....I am the broiler/steamer poster and this way is so much healthier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Okay, I'm one of those healthy-eating-organic/cook my own food mamas and I don't understand the need for this post. Are you just here to criticize other people? Surely there are some choices you make that other people would judge you for.

OK, perhaps it wasn't worded well. But I honestly think a lot of people don't realize how unhealthy those packaged foods are compared to foods made from scratch. I was just trying to point that out. There really are people who don't read food labels and who don't know how to discern healthy from unhealthy foods and who think that a can of soup is healthy because it has vegetables in it, no matter how much fat and sodium it has. If the PP feeds her family that stuff every single night, maybe she doesn't realize it's not good for them.

And as we all know, if you put it out there on DCUM, you can be sure someone's going to criticize you for it.

"Scratch" doesn't make it necessarily better, either. Prepared foods are often high in sodium. But cooks tend to go for larger portions, more red meat, and lots of fat when they cook. Prepared foods are mostly guilty of high sodium content. That's not universally true but I know few cooks who put three chicken dinners, three fish dinners, and one meat dinner together in a week. Take a look at the average chef and you'll see that cooking from scratch does not necessarily indicate a healthy diet. And take a look at the calorie count at a nice restaurant and you will see again that "scratch" does not equal healthy. FWIW I cook six days a week and DW cooks on Sundays. We eat good home-cooked meals, but I can say that we still have to watch ourselves.