Attwell - Were Hungry! Batch Cooking Your Family Will Love 100 Fuss-Free Meals to Save You Time & Money

For seven years now, Ive shared my journey online from reluctant to a more enthusiastic home cook. Ive documented the early years of feeding struggles with my children, from the overwhelming weaning stage through to the fussy toddler years, sharing the recipes, tips and tricks that have worked for me. My kids are now ten and seven, and, although I still deal with picky-eaters on a daily basis (one day they will eat broccoli for me!), the way in which I cook and we eat as a family has changed somewhat in the past couple of years. Like most families, our day-to-day life is pretty hectic with school runs, clubs and playdates for the kids and busy work schedules for myself and my husband. Whilst I love nothing more than pottering around the kitchen creating new recipes, the reality is that most family meals are thrown together in haste without a whole lot of planning or preparation. Meal planning is fantastic.

It can do so much to help alleviate the stress of shopping and cooking and cut down on food waste. But, personally, I find it difficult to plan more than a couple of days in advance and a lot of my online followers have said the same. No two weeks are the same in our house and plans regularly change from day to day. I needed a system for cooking that was simple but easily adaptable, that could alleviate some of the weekday meal panic but not require me to spend hours in the kitchen on a Sunday prepping food for the week. I knew batch cooking was the key but I also knew that it needed to be more than just cooking double of everything, chucking it in the freezer and hoping that one day you remember to defrost it! The aim of this book is to redefine batch cooking for the modern family, giving you recipes that can be matched to your most busy and least busy days. The kitchen equipment has been pared back to a minimum and all ingredients can be easily found at a local shop or supermarket.

There are no complicated cooking instructions or methods. Simple family meals made fuss-free is the key. This book is going to save you time, money and stress and I cant wait for you to get started!

This book contains 100 recipes broken down into nine chapters. Along with chapters for Breakfast, Lunch and Stock, Sides & Sauces, there are five chapters devoted to family meals. Each recipe will tell you roughly how long you will need to spend prepping and cooking along with a list of the equipment that you will need. Breakfast is usually the least-thought-out meal of the day, but these simple and easy recipes will give you options other than cereal or toast to reach for on busy mornings. Breakfast is usually the least-thought-out meal of the day, but these simple and easy recipes will give you options other than cereal or toast to reach for on busy mornings.

Whether you have young children at home or teenagers who need a grab-and-go breakfast, I have recipes to suit the whole family.

Whether you are looking for ideas for lunch at home or foods that can be packed up for school or the office, these recipes will help to liven up your midday meal and give you something to look forward to other than a boring sandwich! These are my ultimate 5pm panic meals. Days when you have nothing planned or prepared but you need to get dinner on the table fast! All of these recipes can be cooked on the hob in around thirty minutes using just one saucepan or pot. Minimum stress, minimum washing up, but maximum taste and satisfaction! My one-pot meals make ideal leftovers for the fridge. Whether you save a portion or cook extra, pop the leftovers into the fridge for lunch or dinner within the next couple of days. This chapter contains classic family-friendly meals that might take a bit more time to cook but are ideal to make in batches and freeze for another day.

If youre going to make the effort to cook foods like chicken goujons, vegetable pies and meatballs from scratch, then it really is worth adding just a few extra minutes to your prep and making a double batch.

I took a poll of my followers online last year and over eighty per cent said they owned and used a slow cooker, which I was so pleased about. I absolutely love my slow cooker and it has played a vital part in my fuss-free approach to family meals. All of these recipes can be prepped in just a few minutes in the morning, leaving you to get on with work, school runs and the general day-to-day chaos of family life. If you dont already own a slow cooker then I would one hundred per cent recommend getting one and I give a bit more advice about this on page 15. Leftovers are fantastic for an instant meal the next day, but I know that not everyone wants to eat the same dinner two days in a row.

So my Cook Once, Eat Twice chapter shows you how you can turn your leftovers into a brand-new tasty meal the next day with just a couple of new ingredients and a few minutes extra prep.

My Freezer Stash Bags will make you feel like a food prep master. These are bags of ingredients prepped and filled ahead of time and frozen. On busy days they just need to be defrosted and either popped into the slow cooker in the morning or cooked in the oven or on the hob later that evening. This chapter contains my favourite basic stocks, sides and sauces that I always have to hand to complement or complete a family meal on busy days. In my opinion, no family cookbook is complete without a substantial chapter on snacks! As parents, most of us are probably asked for a snack at least three times a day and the cost of shop-bought snacks soon adds up.

Finding a balance between treats for the kids and healthy, filling ingredients can be difficult. Most of my snacks are relatively low in sugar but still kid-friendly. Most are also freezable and lots are suitable for lunch boxes too.

Included in each recipe are the above icons to show allergy information. However, all recipes are easily adaptable to make them more allergy-friendly. All flour and pasta can be substituted for gluten-free versions and milk and butter for dairy-free alternatives.

Dairy-free cheese can also be used, but just be aware that it doesnt always resemble normal cheese in that it doesnt brown or become stringy. Substitute stock cubes, soy sauce etc. for gluten- and dairy-free alternatives. Note some shop-bought pastas may also contain egg. There is also veggie Parmesan widely available for using in the recipes too.