If I give up cooking altogether -- does that make me a bad mom?

[robinb]

This is what I do. I go once a month (or sometimes I let them make it when they are offering free delivery).

What is the name of the place you go to? I wanted to do that for my mom who really can't cook anymore and couldn't find a single place in the Chicago area online.

 

[Christine]

What is the name of the place you go to? I wanted to do that for my mom who really can't cook anymore and couldn't find a single place in the Chicago area online.

I go to a place called "Dinner Done." It is a chain of only 3 locations (two in Florida and one in Virginia). The national chains are "Dream Dinners" and "Let's Dish." There are probably more but I don't know the names.

 

[robinb]

I go to a place called "Dinner Done." It is a chain of only 3 locates (two in Florida and one in Virginia). The national chains are "Dream Dinners" and "Let's Dish." There are probably more but I don't know the names.

Thanks for the quick answer! I looked high and low a couple of months ago.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

OP here, I went to the website for Let's Dish, although we don't have one by me, and felt like the food was less healthy than what I've been serving -- a bunch of the entrees had almost 700 mg of salt, whereas my tuna had 180. I don't know how the prices compare, because I'm buying entrees solo whereas they seem to have one veggie included a lot of the time, but my tuna steaks cost less than 5 bucks for two. Theirs are $25 for 6. Also, a lot of their recipes seem to take 30 minutes or longer to cook once you get home. If I had 30 minutes, I could probably make something from scratch. Having said that, I will definitely check out their local equivalent since I'm sure we'll get tired of the limited selection at TJ's. So, thanks for the idea!

I'm also laughing at the idea of asking my mom to cook for us. Her terrible cooking is probably a factor in why I never learned how to do it. We love going to her house because we love her, but half the time my son's begging me to scramble him some eggs when we get home because he's still hungry. Maybe I should buy her a Trader Joe's gift card.

I also like the Wholefood suggestion, but not the price tag. I could eat exclusively from Wholefoods and feel like a princess, but their prices aren't any better than eating at a nice restaurant.

Tonight menu: Chile-lime chicken burgers, with guacamole and pico de gallo, on a bed of wilted baby spinach (or maybe raw? any opinions?), and some corn on the cob. Watermelon and sliced kiwi on the side. Sounds yummy huh?

Thanks for making me feel better about my choice!

 

[clutter]

Two more words for your vocabulary. Rice cooker. The programmable kind. Single mom to a solo kid with a busy schedule, too (but I"m not in school). Couldn't live without my rice cooker. (I am getting a bit tired of rice, but that's another story. My dd13 is a huge dinner eater, all 97 lbs of her at 5'6" and it helps keep her happy!)

Do you have a costco? I'm a big fan of the frozen Perdue chicken breasts. They can be freezer to table very quickly.

We've tried Lets Dish, and aren't that fond of it. Food has to be defrosted, so I have to pull it out the night before. Well, I don't always know that i have time to cook the next day or not.

Second choice, we have some really really good carryout places that aren't too bad health-wise!

 

[minkydog]

I think you're doing fine. If you can afford to have someone else put the meals together, go for it. Better to eat that than stuff from fast food places. Food is food, as long as it's low in fat, salt and unnecessary fillers. Entree, veggies, whole grains, and fruit is all you need. Eliminate liquid sugars, like soda and juice, and forego the sweets & bread except on special occasions. Just keep your carbs and fat under control and you'll be fine.

 

[Micca]

I think you're doing pretty good. Any chance your DS is ready to learn to cook?

 

[golfgal]

The other option might be a personal chef. Chances are they aren't any more expensive then Trader Joe's and a heck of a lot more healthy. Do a search for personal chef's in your area and see what comes up. I know of a couple in our area and they will make meals for a week at a time, put them in tv dinner type trays and freeze them. All you have to do is pop them in the oven. Since they are prepared and frozen right away they don't have a lot of salt or preservatives.

 

[msjprincess]

Thanks for the quick answer! I looked high and low a couple of months ago.

Dream Dinners has a Chicago location
http://dreamdinners.com/main.php?page=locations&store_id=279&state=Illinois

 

[robinb]

Dream Dinners has a Chicago location
http://dreamdinners.com/main.php?page=locations&store_id=279&state=Illinois

Awesome!

 

[Liberty Belle]

Awesome!

Where's your surfboard?

 

[marcyinPA]

Yes it is fine.

As a former solo Mom, mine is now 25, we did this for years. My DS played baseball on 4 teams at once so our time for meals was limited. I did do the mega sauce once in awhile with him, he likes to cook and that was fun.

For the most part we did as you are doing, gave us more time together since I wasn't spending hours preparing meals. He was happy & healthy.

If you can afford it, I was lucky enough to be able to, it is fine. You sound like you have great balanced meals that is all that matters not who made them first.

Have fun going to his games and enjoy him now, they get old fast.

This. (bolded in red).

 

[Christine]

OP here, I went to the website for Let's Dish, although we don't have one by me, and felt like the food was less healthy than what I've been serving -- a bunch of the entrees had almost 700 mg of salt, whereas my tuna had 180. I don't know how the prices compare, because I'm buying entrees solo whereas they seem to have one veggie included a lot of the time, but my tuna steaks cost less than 5 bucks for two.

My coworker used to work part-time at Let's Dish and she didn't like the food there as much as Dinner Done. She felt the Let's Dish stuff was more processed. I don't know as I've never been. I did review their menus once and much did not appeal to me so I didn't choose that place. I also don't go to Dream Dinners because someone told me that a lot or all of the meats are frozen when you are making up the dish.

Where I go, I have total control of how much sodium/fat go into my dishes. The recipes at Dinner Done do not call for a lot of added salt while you are making it so any large amount of sodium I might get comes from tomato based sauces in some of the dishes. Other than that, they are very plain. For instance, tomorrow night I'm having beef tenderloins that have been rubbed with Italian spices. I then made a bean salad with fresh cherry tomatoes, white beans, corn, onions, and Italian spices that is warmed up and served over the beef.

I'm certainly no food nazi and I buy a lot for Trader Joe's. I personally found the Chili-Lime Chicken Burgers or whatever they are called to taste kinda salty to me (don't know if they are) and they also have those marinated beef/chicken things that you can grill that taste great but are LOADED with sodium. I eat them once awhile, I just don't do it regularly.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

The other option might be a personal chef. Chances are they aren't any more expensive then Trader Joe's and a heck of a lot more healthy. Do a search for personal chef's in your area and see what comes up. I know of a couple in our area and they will make meals for a week at a time, put them in tv dinner type trays and freeze them. All you have to do is pop them in the oven. Since they are prepared and frozen right away they don't have a lot of salt or preservatives.

I wonder if you have a Trader Joe's near you, or if you're envisioning something different than what it really is.

I looked up personal chef's, and the one I found near me costs $230 plus the cost of groceries for 4 meals a week. Of course they're cooking super yummy things such as orange duck and rack of lamb, and give you an appetizer, entree, side, and desert. My child would think he'd gone to heaven.

I spend a lot on groceries, mainly because I buy a lot of produce, but a personal chef wouldn't help with that, because I'd expect them to use produce too. The entrees I'm buying seem to cost between $4 and $8 for the two of us, sometimes a little less. Now, I know I could buy hamburger meat for $2.00 a lb or something, and get 2 meals out of it, so let's assume entree costs $1.00 a day, I'm still only adding on average $5 a day or $30 bucks a week by buying premade stuff, way less than $230 for 4 days.

Also, TJ's apparently doesn't use artificial preservatives. I do worry about salt, but I think as long as I read labels carefully it won't be horrible. The entrees I've served this week have ranged from about 150 to 700 mg of salt, and from about 180 to 300 calories. This is in addition to any salt (minimal since I'm buying fresh or frozen and don't add any) or calories that come from fruit and veggies.

It's funny, I started this thread feeling guilty, but every time I research an option that other people suggest, I end up feeling better about my choice.

You guys are probably starting to think I work in the marketing division of Trader Joe's aren't you? I assure you that I don't.

 

[StitchFanZ]

Don't forget the deli - you can make smart choices at lots of grocery store delis.
Also, if its in your budget can you have someone come clean and do laundry once a week? Once you do this you will wonder how you ever survived before the maid. You already have 2 full time jobs -working and being a mom.

 

[goodeats]

I don't like the premarinaded fish or meats from TJs for health reasons. I think buying the plain fish/meat and adding your own spices is healthier. Even their bottled marinades used sparingly would be healthier.

I will admit to loving the orange chicken though. I know it's not healthy, but it's so yummy!

 

[rewok]

I think what you're serving is perfect! Now I love to cook, but weekdays are often hectic, with DH & I working quite a bit in the last months, so I had to choose my battles (DH doesn't cook, he cleans the house instead): eating take-out (got old pretty fast), or simple meals at home (lighter on us). Often I buy plain or marinated meats (small portions) that I serve with pre-packaged salad or I quickly cut cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and sometimes heat frozen veggies. Simple, lots of vitamins from the vegetables (aiming for my 5 portions a day here), and quick. As we've lost quite a few pounds last year eating tons of vegetables & downsizing carbs, the heavy take out made us feel real bad, so this was my compromise.

Another thing that should make you feel better, many "homemade" meals that people serve are full of fat, salt, and devoid of vitamins! Fried chicken with fries, baked macaroni and cheese, ... all those things are much worse! Sure when comparing a homemade beef stew to a store bought one it would (probably) has less salt, but choosing the type of thing you serve is where you have the most control.

Good luck!

 

[kirstenb1]

Sounds yummy to me!! No way are you a bad mommy!!

 

[golfgal]

I wonder if you have a Trader Joe's near you, or if you're envisioning something different than what it really is.

I looked up personal chef's, and the one I found near me costs $230 plus the cost of groceries for 4 meals a week. Of course they're cooking super yummy things such as orange duck and rack of lamb, and give you an appetizer, entree, side, and desert. My child would think he'd gone to heaven.

I spend a lot on groceries, mainly because I buy a lot of produce, but a personal chef wouldn't help with that, because I'd expect them to use produce too. The entrees I'm buying seem to cost between $4 and $8 for the two of us, sometimes a little less. Now, I know I could buy hamburger meat for $2.00 a lb or something, and get 2 meals out of it, so let's assume entree costs $1.00 a day, I'm still only adding on average $5 a day or $30 bucks a week by buying premade stuff, way less than $230 for 4 days.

Also, TJ's apparently doesn't use artificial preservatives. I do worry about salt, but I think as long as I read labels carefully it won't be horrible. The entrees I've served this week have ranged from about 150 to 700 mg of salt, and from about 180 to 300 calories. This is in addition to any salt (minimal since I'm buying fresh or frozen and don't add any) or calories that come from fruit and veggies.

It's funny, I started this thread feeling guilty, but every time I research an option that other people suggest, I end up feeling better about my choice.

You guys are probably starting to think I work in the marketing division of Trader Joe's aren't you? I assure you that I don't.

I know what Trader Joe's is. I suggested the personal chef route because I know of a couple people that do that and I know they charge about $250 for 12 meals (I priced them out for us to use). That would be for a family of 5. They make more basic meals, almost like a Let's Dish place that comes to your house. They can do fancier meals for parties and whatnot too.

 

[Evi]

I think its important to know how to cook. Unless that is your in a position to have a personal chef for ever. Honestly though it would be good for your kid to learn how to cook also. I'd say cook a few nights a week and pick healthy alternatives for the other nights. You can also cook a few large batch items once in awhile and freeze them for future meals. Make it a family affair.