No-Cook Recipes?

[MrsK]

I need help. I'm exhausted in the late afternoon/evenings and the aromas from hot foods have been making me ill. Up until about a week ago, I'd suffer through making dinner for my family and then go to bed while they ate and tidied the kitchen. In the last week or so, it's gotten worse and I cannot expect DrK to bring in dinner/take us out for the next 7 months or so. (Besides, the expense, going out is a hardship for me too.) I need some simple kid-friendly meal suggestions that require minimal effort, preferably things that don't require a whole lot of heating. Any ideas?

[Pollyanna]

Call Schwans. They have a ton of kid friendly items that are very easy to prepare and yummy to boot. I know it is more expensive than grocery shopping but it is a huge help and cheaper than eating out, plus the Schwans man will load and organize your freezer.

[MrsK]

Funny, I saw their truck in my neighborhood last week and thought it was a great idea. Is it just frozen food? Is there a minimum order? We have an itty bitty freezer.

[Pollyanna]

No, no minimum. If you go online you can see all they have. Yes, it's all frozen but they can pack your freezer efficiently. We used to store our items in the upper freezer of an 18 cu ft frig. and had plenty items for nearly a month. The reviews are typically right on so use them as a guide. Our driver used to be great too about telling me what not to order. FYI: if you order the Schwans choc/van swirl ice cream and let it soften and then mix it it tastes just like a Wendy's frosty (they supply Wendy's with their ice cream)

[ides]

Cheese and crackers- whole wheat type. Or peanut butter sandwiches. Cut up apples, pears, oranges, bananas, raw vegetables, plain rinsed canned beans. They will get what they need. You don't need to cook.

[MrsK]

Cheese and crackers- whole wheat type. Or peanut butter sandwiches. Cut up apples, pears, oranges, bananas, raw vegetables, plain rinsed canned beans. They will get what they need. You don't need to cook.

Fine for the kids but DrK and I need to eat too.

[Pollyanna]

When I get a chance ill send you a list of our Schwans favorites

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Is this an announcement of something????

[MrsK]

Is this an announcement of something????

Yeah, see the thread on DrK's Father's Day gift. K3 Due Valentine's Day.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Yeah I missed that until just now. Congrats!! Sorry you're feeling poorly though.

[diggitydot]

Can you guys do salads with various different themes/flavors?

I hate cooking inside during the summertime because it gets so damn hot here. We end up eating a lot of food grilled outside, no-cook meals, or stuff that requires very little cooking. I'll also make something that we can eat cold for a couple days after I've cooked it.

Oh, and if you want chicken or turkey, but can't cook it, a lot of grocery store delis have rotisserie-cooked meats you can buy and then cut/shred/assemble into whatever dish you want. Yes, it's more expensive than cooking it from scratch, but it's a LOT less spendy than hitting take-out or going out to restaurants.

Some of our faves:

- taco salads
- souvlaki/gyros (our kids love flatbread)
- pasta salad with summer veggies and shredded rotisserie chicken -- makes a great cold or hot dish
- Greek salad
- hummus and veggies
- homemade nachos and quesadillas

[MrsK]

Can you guys do salads with various different themes/flavors?

I hate cooking inside during the summertime because it gets so damn hot here. We end up eating a lot of food grilled outside, no-cook meals, or stuff that requires very little cooking. I'll also make something that we can eat cold for a couple days after I've cooked it.

Oh, and if you want chicken or turkey, but can't cook it, a lot of grocery store delis have rotisserie-cooked meats you can buy and then cut/shred/assemble into whatever dish you want. Yes, it's more expensive than cooking it from scratch, but it's a LOT less spendy than hitting take-out or going out to restaurants.

Some of our faves:

- taco salads
- souvlaki/gyros (our kids love flatbread)
- pasta salad with summer veggies and shredded rotisserie chicken -- makes a great cold or hot dish
- Greek salad
- hummus and veggies
- homemade nachos and quesadillas

I've been doing mostly salads, hummus, cheese, or unsweetened nut butters for myself. The kids won't eat salad or pasta unless it's mac & cheese or fruit. I'm going to talk to DrK about Schwans and salads for us. The boys will happily live on chicken nuggets and pizza from now until the end of time. I just hate making separate meals for the kids. I like them to eat what we eat.

[diggitydot]

Hang in there, mama. Do whatever you have to do to survive. The K dudes will be just fine.

[alotofyarn]

The kids won't eat salad or pasta unless it's mac & cheese or fruit.

Would they do mac & cheese pasta salad? My grandma actually makes pasta salad with the Kraft mac & cheese. Cook the macaroni, add in diced green pepper, cucumber, tomato, and onions with 1/2 cup of mayo, 1 tsp of mustard, a bit of sugar, and the cheese powder, plus salt and pepper to taste.

Chinese salad with cabbage and ramen may be good too - not sure if the kids would be more willing to try it with the ramen. Along these lines, although I've never made it with the seasoning packet I don't think: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chinese...cabbage-salad/

Chicken salad could be good too - I buy rotisserie chickens at the store and pick it the next day when it's cold. Really anything with rotisserie chicken is good, I think.

I was the same way in my first trimester, not wanting to eat much of hot foods at all. Since I was pretty much only feeding myself and my husband though, we munched or ate out. Oh, and ate too much guacamole (McCormick seasoning packet is SO good).

[MarissaNicole]

What about having Dr. K pick out a few things from Market Day? They have a lot of premade stuff too.

Wife to PGY3