For a long time, being the mother of one child, I thought that there was no difference in how many children to feed one or several, and the problem was solved by increasing the size of the pan, however, in practice it turned out differently. Each of my children   due to age features, your daily routine, your nutritional needs, as well as “love” and “I will not”, between which maneuver.

It has become a necessity for me to strike a balance between convenience of kitchen for me, the taste and benefits of dishes for children, as well as the special feeling for every member of my family that you are at home, that here the food you love, and which is nowhere else.

And the first was adopted simple principle: children should eat the same as adults, and adults should prepare such food so that children can eat it.

Cooking food every day in small portions, while I spend in the kitchen no more than an hour and a half a day. Almost everything I do is getting ready quickly very fast  or by itself. My main helpers in the kitchen are oven and slow cooker.

Slow cooker  helps to prepare cereals for breakfast in the evening, by the specified time, spending no more than 5 minutes on it. In addition, porridge is very convenient to keep warm if all family members have breakfast at different times.

Right after breakfast for all dishes of today's menu  I clean and cut vegetables. I clean those for dinner in a sealed container in the refrigerator. I spend no more than 10 minutes on manipulating meat, chicken or fish for the evening and also clean the semi-finished product in the refrigerator. Be sure to cook a small saucepan of soup only for today. Sometimes I make a blank for a vegetable salad.

Children are always happy jelly or compote, in between you can bake some cookies, chocolate muffin, or knead the dough for the pie. All my baking recipes with minimal cooking time. A bread machine does a great job of kneading the dough, and I like to bake cookies such that it is baked as one layer and cut into portioned pieces after it has cooled. Baking cakes, the smell from the kitchen - makes the house lively and cozy, and the children are very fond of pastries. All these operations take up   no more than 1 hour.

At midday I prepare for children various smoothies and smoothies from cottage cheese, natural yogurt, fruits. At the same time goes to the oven or to the slow cooker dinnerwho is preparing for the appointed time without my participation.  If the dough comes up in the bread maker, I make one pie on a medium-sized baking sheet and also send it to the oven. In total, it takes me no more than 20-25 minutes. Total i spend no more than 1.5 hours in the kitchen per day.

Unfortunately, we rarely sit at the table with the whole family, because of completely different work schedules, studies and other matters of my household. But when we still find ourselves at the same table, it happens to us very fun and tasty. I have big family, I have someone to try for - and this is important!

Cooking for a large family is a serious test for the psyche of mom cooks. Three generations, one does not eat the liver, the other does not tolerate the taste of onions, and each has its own schedule. How to make your life easier and cook for a large family many times faster?

Congenital philanthropy does not command a famine to keep a crowd of household members, but nerves are gradually losing and a conflict of interests is growing. We will tell you how to cook so that everyone is happy. And mom too.

The main life hacks

  Kitchen appliances

• Even the simplest food processor will make life much more bearable. It’s better to spend money and buy a quality one and more expensive than once a month to discover that the assistant has broken again.
•   , and the rice cooker is convenient because it allows you not to stand next to the stove, for fear of burning the dish - you can just fill up the right foods in the evening and set the timer for the right time.
• The freezer will allow you to stock up on the necessary number of semi-finished products - practice shows that a conventional freezer in the refrigerator is clearly not enough.

Semi-finished products

There is almost no difference - chop one kilogram of minced meat or five at once. But five times per kilogram will definitely take much more time (at least taking into account the assemble, disassemble the meat grinder, go to the store for meat, peel vegetables). It is easier and more reasonable to procure such things in batches several times and freeze portionwise.

The same goes for frying for soups (carrot-onion), fish fillet for fish soup or mashed puree for soups, berries and fruits for stewed pies or pies. Just set aside the day when someone at home will be able to help at home - and prepare semi-finished products for the future for the whole week.

Snacks and canned food

Another option is cookies and homemade crackers. It is very simple to prepare a baking tray of ordinary shortbread cookies or to utilize the remaining bread. They can be eaten by those who are hungry at inopportune times (when you have not yet begun preparing lunch or dinner).

How to plan a dinner so that everyone remains full (or more does not mean better)

It is a mistake to think that in large families a ton of soup is prepared for the whole week ahead. Soup, salad, hot and dessert (at the rate of about 300 grams per person) will saturate even an adult. Therefore, it is better to cook several dishes in medium portions than to cook one large pot of soup and find that half the family is suddenly not hungry or suddenly does not eat about all of the ingredients. This often happens with children and adolescents - in this case, it helps to attract them to cooking. The fact that small picks are cooked on their own or in the company of mom is eaten perfectly.

Our heroines have proven that, while pursuing a career, you can remain an exemplary hostess and cook for your family quickly, tasty and healthy!

The experts

Mikhail Zeygarnik
candidate of Medical Sciences, Head Physician of the Clinic “Nutrition and Health”

Farm Food Menu

Who!Elena Korneeva, translator, 35 years old:""We buy as many products as we need, and thanks to a clear menu, it takes a little time to cook."

What?  Our family has completely switched to organic farm products. Along with this, we systematized the preparation of food, starting to make a menu for a week. Thus, we buy products exactly as much as necessary, and it takes a little time to cook.

Why?   We, like everyone else, bought food in supermarkets. But once I noticed that we do not eat about a third of the products, but throw them out. Too much was bought, and it spoiled, something turned out to be unnecessary, because we did not know in advance what we would cook. Often inattention was taken to the products on the verge of expiration date, and then the meat smelling of potassium permanganate did not inspire confidence and ended up in a garbage can. And then I thought - maybe it’s worth buying less, but focus on better products?

How? When they first went to the farmers website, their products seemed insanely expensive. Eggs are two times more expensive than store eggs, and potatoes are three. It became even interesting why such a difference, and on the weekend we went to the farm to get to know each other. We saw with our own eyes the production, bought some products for testing. It turned out that if you know a person who has grown this tomato and trust him, then the perception of food changes completely. The process of eating ceases to be a simple assimilation of calories, you begin to enjoy the taste.

In order not to go broke, we decided to make a clear menu for the week. I used to go home and wondered what to cook, I did not remember exactly what was in the refrigerator. I had to drop into the store and pick up the trolley. And at home it turned out that there were already two cans of sour cream in the refrigerator, but there was not enough oil. Now, once a week, we sit with my husband and daughter at the table, write a list of desired dishes, then buy products for them — what we need, and not what we want to sell. I do not spend time on shops, and after work I spend 30-40 minutes at the stove - and I have dinner ready. Sometimes I cook for two days. Our usual breakfast is porridge, eggs, pancakes, sandwiches or cottage cheese. Be sure to buy kefir and ryazhenka. We dine at home together only on the weekend. I cook soup and a main course for two days. I make salads by season, in winter and spring these are root crops and pickles. For the second, we usually have meat or fish with a side dish. On weekends, I bake apple pie or cottage cheese cookies, well, homemade compote.

Bonus!  It turned out that if you buy the products necessary for specific dishes from farmers, then it is quite possible to meet the same money that we left in the supermarket. Eating a family of three costs us 10 thousand rubles a week - quite a typical amount for Moscow. But we have become much tastier and better: chicken stock smells like chicken, and in a sour cream there is a spoon.

Menu for the week from Elena

MONDAY

Breakfast:Oatmeal with jam, herbal tea with sandwiches

Dinner:  Oven-baked chicken noodle soup, cod with potatoes

Dinner:Oven baked potatoes with potatoes

TUESDAY

Breakfast:  Cottage cheese with dried fruits

Lunch:Chicken noodle soup, beef patties with stewed cabbage

Dinner:  Boiled Chicken and Cheese Salad

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast:Omelet with sausage and cheese

Dinner:Vinaigrette, beef patties with mashed potatoes

Dinner:Beef Stroganoff with buckwheat

THURSDAY

Breakfast:  Oatmeal with dried fruits and sandwiches with cheese or doctor's sausage

Dinner:Vinaigrette, pumpkin gratin with cheese and veal

Dinner: Beef Stroganoff with buckwheat

FRIDAY

Breakfast:Cheesecakes with sour cream

Dinner:  Vinaigrette, pumpkin gratin with cheese and veal

Dinner:Seasonal vegetable salad, pumpkin and parsnip pancakes with sour cream

SATURDAY

Breakfast:  Buckwheat porridge with milk

Lunch -for a walk in a cafe

Dinner:Cottage cheese casserole with sour cream

SUNDAY

Breakfast:Pancakes with jam

Dinner:  Daily cabbage sauerkraut, herring under a fur coat

Dinner:Baked chicken with apples. Baked root vegetables: potatoes, parsnips, scorzonera garnished.

Expert Commentary:

I have no complaints about this approach of the heroine: if family income allows and there is easy access to farm products, I am for it. The diet proposed by Elena looks quite balanced and can even be called diverse (given the fact that employment does not allow her to cook different dishes every day - there’s nothing wrong with the repetitions). The only “but”: if someone in the family has a tendency to be overweight, then she can manifest herself, since the diet has a lot of carbohydrates (root vegetables, potatoes, bread) and fats (butter, cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese). But if such a problem is not worth it, then continue in the same vein. Elena very rightly said that food should not be a simple assimilation of calories, it is necessary to enjoy the taste.

Freeze for future use

Who!  Ekaterina Sukhova, managing company, 40 years: "The essence of the strategy is to cook only once or twice a month, followed by heating the finished dishes in the microwave or oven."

What?   I make blanks for a month using the freezing cooking system, which is quite common in the West. I do not buy semi-finished products in the store, but I do them myself. And in the evening I need a maximum of 30 minutes to bring the frozen dish to readiness.

Why?   I naively believed that I would be able to combine a leadership position with household chores, but in reality this did not work. I hired a cleaning lady, a nanny for my youngest son, but I decided to keep cooking for my family because I really like to cook and take into account the tastes of each family member. True, through traffic jams, I return home at best by 9 pm. If you still need to drop by the groceries and stand for an hour at the stove, there is no time for life at all. As a result, I was left without strength, and my hungry family ate sandwiches with sausage. Then I found a master class in preparing dishes for the future. It has its own nuances, so it is better to study everything thoroughly.

How? The essence of the strategy is to cook only once or twice a month, followed by heating the finished dishes in a microwave or oven. A radical option is to cook your favorite foods from start to finish and freeze. Then the children will be able to reheat the food themselves. A simplified version is the primary processing of products and the manufacture of semi-finished products. It is enough to set aside one or two days for work. We cook with the whole family, and also mom comes to help. We freeze boiled vegetables, dumplings, stuffed pancakes, casseroles, turkey cutlets, meat hedgehogs, cabbage rolls, a mixture of grated carrots and chopped onions, tomatoes, fish dishes, dishes with rice and mushrooms, etc. In the evening, I put vegetables on one pan and cutlets on another. After 15 minutes, the food is on the table!

By the way, useful semi-finished products can not only be prepared, but also bought. Supermarkets sell boiled and already peeled vegetables in a vacuum package - they can be stored for months. Boiled cereals are perfectly stored in the refrigerator for four to five days. I keep rice, buckwheat, lentils in containers - they can be added to salads or eat as a side dish.

Bonus!  Of course, it is important to have a spacious freezer, portioned dishes suitable for a microwave oven. And indeed, not all dishes lend themselves to freezing, without losing their taste. Nevertheless, the strategy works. I am very pleased that I was able to find a tricky way that allows me to feed my family delicious home-made food when I am busy.

What can be frozen:

• meat broth (used for making soups and sauces)
• boiled meat (in a vacuum container; you can make sandwiches with it, add to salads or just warm and eat)
• boiled beans, rice, potatoes in a peel (can be stored in the refrigerator, if not for long).
• “Frying” from onions with carrots (for cooking soups)
• pickled onions (for salads and hot dishes)
• raw meat and poultry (sliced \u200b\u200bportioned and pickled)

What should not be frozen:

• raw onions (taste changes)
• fresh vegetables with a high moisture content (dramatically change the consistency)
• mayonnaise and other sauces based on fat emulsions (exfoliate)
• dairy products (change the consistency)
• cooked and boiled-smoked sausage, especially already sliced \u200b\u200b(the consistency changes, then can be used only in hot form)
• ready-made cold salads (change the taste)

After a working day, few people want to spend a lot of time at the stove. This article will tell you some simple recipes and tricks with which you can prepare a delicious dinner in a short time.

Pasta. Most pasta is cooked for 10 minutes. Bologna sauce is also quickly prepared for them: fry the onion and garlic, add the minced meat and fry until golden brown. Mix with tomatoes or tomato paste and add oregano or your favorite mixture of herbs. Simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes and serve with pasta. Bologna sauce is combined with red wine. Mushrooms, bell peppers and corn are good for this dish. Cheese sauce for pasta is prepared even faster: mix grated cheese with cream, add slices of bacon or mushrooms. On culinary sites you can easily find many recipes for pasta sauces.

Canned concentrated soups can be the basis for sauces for meat and pasta.

Fast pizza. Fry onions, garlic and mushrooms, cut along the French bun, lay mashed potatoes on top, pour mushroom sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and grill or microwave.

Omelette. This dish of eggs, milk (or cream) and flour is easy and quick to prepare. Omelet is especially tasty with salad, crisp or jacket potatoes.

Slow cooker - a device that can be called in Russian a slow-cooker or a slow-cooker, an analogue of a pot in a Russian oven, where food is cooked for a long time. With the help of a cooker, you can get a delicious hot dinner in the evening by placing meat and vegetables in it in the morning.

Potato wedges. Instead of frying or boiling the potatoes, cut it into slices of a wedge-shaped shape, cook until half cooked for 7-10 minutes, drain the water, drizzle with olive oil and bake in a hot oven for 20-30 minutes. This dish is suitable for fish, meat and meatballs.

Light fish dish. Rub the fish fillet with spices and salt, wrap in foil and bake for 15-20 minutes in a hot oven.

Curry or chili. If you add red pepper to the recipe for Bologna sauce above, you get curry or chili that goes with rice.

Rice requires constant attention if cooked in a saucepan. In a special rice cooker or double boiler, friable rice can be cooked simultaneously with other dishes.

A hen. Chicken breasts can be pre-marinated in the morning and baked in the oven in the evening. Jacket chicken with salad and jacket potatoes is a healthy and nutritious dish.

Jacketed potatoes can be the main or second course. Cheese, mayonnaise, beans, curry, chili, bacon, mushrooms, shrimp, Bologna sauce, cottage cheese and olives can be used as a side dish for baked or boiled potatoes.

Pork cutlets are quick and easy to grill or bake. You will get an original taste if you grease cutlets with a mixture of orange jam and soy sauce and bake in the oven.

Large portions. Chili and other sauces can be prepared immediately in large quantities and stored in the refrigerator.

Semi-prepared dishes, such as salads, pizza and vegetable mixes, will significantly reduce the time you spend in the kitchen.

Rating. Make a list of quick recipes and after cooking, evaluate them. In a few weeks, you will collect a large number of your favorite recipes that you can always rely on. Experiment with new recipes when you have free time.

Regardless of our income, we all tighten our belts harder when it comes to our refrigerators. One third of all food products worldwide are lost in production and consumption systems. Using these losses, you can save money saved for other needs of your family, creating new standards of nutrition, maintaining physical health and family pastime.

Steps

Preparation for success

Make lists and do not buy too much.  When you go shopping, do not bring anyone with you who might prevent you from following the list.

Set a budget.  Take only cash with you, and leave the cards at home. If you have a limited amount of money, then only you can spend it. Grocery stores often try to add a few extra things to your cart; it's very easy to be seduced. With a limited amount of cash, you can stay within your budget.

Plan ahead with the whole family.  Think about how much you can afford to spend and what you no longer need to spend on. Consider the most attractive options for your family and try to find a balance between them. Compromise is the key to changing your buying habits.

Look for sales announcements. It may seem counterintuitive to make purchases long before cooking, but you will save more if you plan your dishes based on those products that are on sale. If something interesting appears on sale for a great price, but you don’t know what to make of it, look for new and exciting recipes for you and your family.

Cut / print coupons.  Look for food coupons in newspapers and the Internet on special websites covering the latest food promotions.

Shop less and save more.  Try to limit yourself to one productive shopping trip per week. This will give you enough time to make a list, check on available products and collect coupons. The more you take care of your future while shopping, the more you will save money, as well as time and energy, because you will not be able (or do not want) to purchase “one more extra thing”.

Go to several stores.  Some stores offer better prices for eggs, milk and cheese compared to others. Others may have the best prices for toilet paper, while your favorite vegetable stall offers the best prices compared to all the other fruit and vegetable suppliers in your area. Do your research and ask your friends about their personal experience in saving.

• Take advantage of each store, but remember to consider the distance between them. It makes no sense to save on toilet paper if you spend more on gasoline.

1. Track your expenses.  Control how much you spend at the grocery store. This way you will keep your budget under control. Do not throw away checks. Save them to avoid unnecessary waste in the future!

Cook at home with your family

Cooking with your children will arouse their interest in healthy foods.  Although due to childhood they still have a love of snacking, the most important thing is how they eat most of the time.

Bake bread yourself with your loved ones.  Bread is fun and easy to make at home, you only need a few simple ingredients. Look for recipes and attract your loved ones. So you save money, and your home will be filled with the wonderful aroma of freshly baked bread!

Cook large meals such as stews, soups, casseroles and so on. Meals that can be eaten for a week will ease the load. You do not have to think about what to cook for lunch. Dinner will be ready.

• Broaden your horizons! Some cuisines, such as Mexican, Peruvian, and Italian, use inexpensive ingredients to feed large families and communities. Introduce your family to other cuisines and take the opportunity to discover new places.

1. Cook with cheaper meat.  The right sauce or the right sauce can turn a dish from a less expensive meat tenderloin into an unexpectedly fantastic one. Just keep in mind that some clippings in the finished form are tougher than others, so consider cooking in a slow cooker (you can buy a new or used cheaper) to make the dish more flavorful.

   Try once a week to arrange a fasting day.  Cooking with vegetables and cereals is cheaper without meat, and is also an excellent experiment. Such dishes are good for the health of your family, your wallet and the environment.