Help me love my thermomix

[Therminator]

How about getting Liam involved (and less scared of Thermie)  by making some playdough?  The recipe is in the EDC.

While it's not cooking a meal, it may help him get used to Thermie and keep him occupied while you are trying out all these fab new recipes!

Hang in there, it will be worth it x

[Frozzie]

oh wow that wouldnt work in europe...they finsih school at 4.30 and that is time for their afternoon tea and we eat at 7.30 but europe eats alot later than places like oz etc...i remember when my parents come over they have alot of trouble with our meal times....breakfast, lunch, gouter or afternoon tea and dinner...and in summer we can eat very late as the sun often doesnt go down until very late and its often quite bright outside until 11pm

[Cuilidh]

I'm not a mum so can't hope to improve on the comments already posted on here, but the one thing I did catch on to and which I don't think has had any follow up is that you said that you weren't very organised.  With a TMX you really need to have everything under control (it's the one aspect that I am still not very good at).

If you can, at some stage before you start cooking, start preparing - pre-measure and prepare everything (or as much as you can) before you start cooking, then it's just a matter of adding everything in the correct order, knowing that it is all the correct weight, volume, etc. and the cooking will go much more smoothly.

[fundj&e]

 I hope your DH doesn’t say things like, i don’t like this or that, this is too hot it’s too cold in front of the kids , oh yes my dear frank did say that ONCE!!!!!!!!!!!

all you need to do is to cook 1 main meal a day right?

is DH a fussy eater?

what veggies does DS eat?

how about raw veg and salad ?

what type of fast foods does he like pizza,pies,bugers,mcdonalds ?.

keep it plain and simple for now

i know  he will eat chicken, spaghetti, egg, rice, which is a good start

i see a chicken spaghetti carbonara as i type.

the noise is a little problem with me to  My kitchen window is like a foot away from my neighbours (attached buildings on both sides), i get up very early so i don’t like to make any noise.
 I do the nosier stuff later on in the day. you could ask DH to have a play with the kids outside or in a other room while, you
make some noise 
i have
a container full of chopped and cooked onion and garlic in the fridge and in the freezer , i start most of my dishes with onion or garlic and or with both

when you are slicing, let’s  just say  tomatoes don’t cut just 1   try 3 or 4
   
have salad dressing all ready to go in  a bottle

cook heaps of rice

1/2 cook your pasta thats how the restaurants do it

i could go on and on and on

i am in syd too any time you need any advice on any type cooking (but no baked dinners) TM or not
just give me a call 

[Denzelmum]

Pizza is great for little ones. My 6yo and 2yo are very keen to help and enjoy our home made pizza.  We love sorbet and particularly my toddler will come to me eagerly with empty cup when he hear the noises making smoothie in the morning.    I'm in Sydney too.

[meganjane]

Gorgeous photo denzelmum. Your kids will be expert cooks when they grow up and leave home!

[Meagan]

I haven't read all of the replies but have you considered getting Liam some ear muffs? I always warn my boys that the Tm will be noisy with something like a little bit of noise or block your ears for a minute so they know to expect it. Also check out the flylady link in the bottom of my signature for trying to set up routines and organization in your life. And the last thing be kind to yourself! You are more than likely doing a much better job than you think you are!!

[Cuilidh]

Ear muffs are good for everyone, I think.  After months of nagging from my DH, I finally bought a pair this week and they really do make a difference - they don't cut out all the noise by any means, but they do bring it down to a comfortable level.  There are sure to be different levels of nosie reduction ear muffs available as well, I just bought a pair from Kathmandu as they had them on sale.

[chocymoose]

Hi,

Earmuffs are a fabulous idea! Thanks   I finally had a chance to turn on the computer and the baby woke up just on cue, managed to resettle him so fingers crossed.

I made the chicken croquettes yesterday, still felt the way i usually do in the kitchen, a bit haphazard but they turned out well. I've frozen some to see if i can bake them in the oven from frozen to make easy dinners at the end of a long day. Took longer than i thought it would with having to let the mash and chicken cool and the crumbing step so i don't think i would make this unless i had DH around to help with the kids. I hadn't steamed any meat before, so that was new and worked out well. I like Judydawn's suggestion of making the mash the day before and letting it set in the fridge. Liam at them despite them being potato based, though he was quite hungry and I put some aside and pureed for the baby, which he ate a bit of then refused but did eat a bit as finger food so works well on both fronts.

Thanks Cuilidh, i think organisation is a big part of it. It would help if i started organising or at least thinking about dinner in the morning or the day before, not at 3pm when time becomes more of an issue. I've also started a recipe folder so bits of paper don't get buried under clutter and i can't find them when I'm stuck for ideas.

I guess its a matter of practice and learning things along the way, meal planning and cooking meals to use up the ingredients you buy before they go off is so common sense but I didn't really do it before. I always have left over celery that wilts even if i buy half a bunch and then get stuck with how to use it up. And with more experience i'll better know how to organise myself to do the noisy chopping or grinding etc when the kids are still awake instead of getting stuck half way through a recipe because i don't want to wake them during a nap.

fundj - DH isn't fussy but sometimes gets reflux and skips meals altogether, hes happy to eat cheese and crackers or toast if nothing is available. Sometimes hes had those in preference to what I've made  DS will eat broccoli, corn, diced carrot, diced celery, spinach and sometimes chinese greens. He doesn't like raw veg or salad, i probably didn't introduce it to him early enough. Fast food he has is pizza occasionally, isn't a huge fan or red rooster, he likes bbq chicken.

How do you half cook pasta? Do you do it earlier in the day and then store it in the fridge and then recook it just before serving?

Great way to get the kids to eat their dinner debbiebillg   From now on when i introduce anything new I'll make sure DS is very hungry before dinnertime.

Off to find the recipe for creamy chicken and veg. Thank you everyone, you're so wonderfully supportive!!

[faffa_70]

CONGRATULATIONS Chocymoose!! Remember be kind to yourself and take one step at a time, when you master one at a time it stops you feeling so overwhelmed and it gets that bit easier every time 

[Cuilidh]

Try to start menu planning as well, that way you will have everything you need on hand so no last minute panics - even if you plan A for Monday night and B for Tuesday night, but don't quite manage to make them in that order, you'll still have all the ingredients for A and B for Wednesday and Thursday (or whenever you feel in the mood to make them)!!  You'll soon pick up on all the tricks and things will start going more smoothly for you.

[Vivaroo]

Hi Chocymoose - it's so hard to function when you don't get enough sleep.  I don't think I had a full nights sleep for 3 years when mine were babies.  I hated those mothers that said "my baby slept from 6 weeks old" seriously I wanted to punch them.  Sounds so terrible when I say it now but I was so angry about the whole mothering thing, lack of sleep, I probably had depression.  Anyway later I found there were experts around that can help with getting babies to sleep, and although I was not really in that frame of mind to admit 'defeat' at the time, if I had my time again I'd definitely pay for some expert help in this area.  Those early years were so so hard, and everyone else seemed to be so good at it!  If you can get help from anyone/anywhere don't just take it; ask for it, seek it, pay for it.  Your sanity is the most important thing, everything else falls into place when Mum's happy.  And eventually it does get better 

My DS was into anything from Bunnings when he was a little boy, we used to buy him tool belts, reflective vests and safety ear muffs. Your DS will probably even press Turbo if you get him kitted out with ear muffs and safety goggles (for the onions!).

Wish you the best of luck.  If it's any consolation I haven't yet been happy with many of my main meal attempts either, only had mine for 3 months too, but I'm making good use of Thermie for smoothies, custards, sauces and grinding things.  It's just practise and trying not to read too many recipes at once (my problem).

[pippa]

Hi Chocymoose -I have 3 kids under 4 1/2 and the youngest 2 have been terrible sleepers, so I know how you feel.  Menu planning is my saviour.  I started by writing a list of all the meals that the kids ate, then I could make a plan for the week ahead (I use a magnetic planner and write it on the bottom, but a calendar would work fine too).  I really only have a list of about 10 meals that rotate through the week, then I make one new meal a week.....sometimes......

My list is so simple that I usually have all the ingredients in the house as they are so basic so I don't even need to shop specifically for those meals.

Our stock standard meals are:
basic risotto (380g arborio rice:1100g liquid - this can be stock, tinned tomato or just plain water; then add seasoning, vegies and/or meat - chicken or mince to taste.  Follow the directions in the EDC, but I find it takes about 20-25 minutes to cook)
pasta with cheese sauce
basic fried rice
chicken wingettes/drumettes
scrambled eggs or baked beans
home made pizza
sausages and chops
chicken nuggets
chicken and cashews

Once you have a list, you are halfway there.  I find that when I have had more sleep, I am better equipped to try new things, think about cooking new foods too.

In desperate times, I have also used my magnetic planner/calendar to plan the cleaning and jobs that need to be done.  I write one job per day that HAS to be done eg wash the nappies or sweep the floor. This list also helps DH - if wants to do a job, then the one I need done is staring him in the face.

It does get easier, but the sleeplessness is the worst part.  Hang in there

[judydawn]

I always have left over celery that wilts even if i buy half a bunch and then get stuck with how to use it up.

Chocymoose, celery wilts so quickly because of its high water content and I have found if you separate the stalks, wash and dry them then cut into slices and place into a ziplock bag, it will last in the crisper.  Mine has been in there for 2 weeks and the last few pieces are still very crisp.

[faffa_70]

If you cut a small amount off the end of the stalk or even a bunch of celery and stand them in a jug of water they will refresh in a couple of hours