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I don’t have time to cook so I don’t… (plus, I will give you a $250 Coles voucher & a $100 Kikki K voucher!)

Sponsored post (Nuffnang).

If you’ve been hanging around this blog long enough, you’ll know I am not a fan of cooking. It’s not my strong point. It’s not that I can’t cook (I can!), it’s just that I do not enjoy it. I’d rather stick a fork in my eyes than cook anything fancy.

But… I have 3 boys and I NEED to cook. So my motto is: cook for survival, not pleasure.

Of course, there are times where I long for a delicious baked meal or stir-fry. That’s when my husband steps up to the plate. He is a gem and likes to whip up tasty meals. He uses recipe books and stuff…

I don’t bake – there are proper bakeries for such treats! My sister was making a cake once and was using flour… one of my children asked her “why are you cooking with powder?“. My poor boys get cooking/barbecuing lessons from their Dad and their Aunty, not me!

I just don’t have the time or the inclination.

In this house don’t ask “what are we having for dinner” until about 30 minutes before we are actually going to eat. I have no idea until the last minute.

My days are usually crazy and are filled with appointments, kids activities and normal household duties. I’m just like you – busy and time poor.

I am a fan of buying lots of food in one go so I always know there is something I can whip out of the fridge or freezer at the last minute. I’m not much of a food planner! My girlfriend once tried to get me to make a meal plan. I did it for 2 weeks and it worked, but I couldn’t keep up with it! Ha! I’m just not that organised when it comes to food and meal planning. I wing everything.

Recently I was asked if I would like to try the Birds Eye SteamFresh Vegetables and SteamFresh Fish. As if I was going to say no! This was an easy dinner for me and I knew the boys would love it.

The whole meal was done and ready to eat in a matter of minutes. My husband did not believe me when I said the entire meal was microwaved.

So here is what I bought, and what I did…

♥ Packet of Birds Eye SteamFresh Carrot, Cauliflower and Broccoli
♥ Packet of Birds Eye SteamFresh Carrots, Peas and Corn

For my whole family I only used half of the vegetables (so there is another meal waiting there for me!)

  • Each pouch is cooked in the microwave for 2.5 minutes to deliver perfectly cooked vegetables quickly without the fuss
  • One pack contains 4 steam pouches of vegetables

♥ 2 boxes of Birds Eye SteamFresh Fish – Garlic & Spring Onion and Thai Coconut Curry (this gave us 4 pieces of fish – my baby doesn’t like fish, so he had veggies)

  • Simply cook in under 5 minutes in the microwave
  • Steam cooking locks in flavour and freshness for perfect fish every time
  • 97% fat free,

 

I LOVED the Garlic flavour and my husband loved the Thai curry.

I’m not joking you when I say this meal was delicious. It was the easiest thing I have ever cooked and I will be adding Birds Eye SteamFresh items to my shopping basket every single week.

Now here comes the good part – I have the best giveaway for you!

I am going to give ONE winner a $250 Coles voucher & a $100 Kikki K voucher!

Yes, I’m serious! That’s $350 worth.

As usual, this competition needs to be a game of skill. I want to hear about your lazy cooking because you don’t have time…

 

Get your entry in before 5pm (EST) December 4, 2012. Open to Australian residents only. Giveaways are in accordance with my disclosure policy.

GOOD LUCK! 

CLOSED: WINNER IS NIKI. THANKS EVERYONE!

70 comments

  • kelwoodford

    My lazy go to meal is toasted sandwiches and cheese ones at that. You can’t get much lazier or less inventive.

  • Karen

    My laziest cooking option is IKEA meatballs and IKEA mashed potato and peas. All straight from the freezer. I am always told it tastes just like the “restaurant” so I’ll take that as a win. Plus there are a few food groups in there so I don’t feel too bad about it.

  • Jodie

    I do cook, I like to cook but, I’m still a time poor mum of two. Believe it or not my “lazy” meal is Risotto. I have a Thermomix (Brilliant little invention makes cooking, quick and easy if you don’t like to cook and if you do it makes it a whole lot more fun – and the variety!)In approx 20 mins I have a beautifully cooked Risotto (without having to stir, stir, stir!)Usually Vegetarian because I’ll be super disorganised, no meat defrosted and cleaning out the crisper)
    That or ….. Fish and Chips 😉

  • Kristie

    This week we’ve had two nights out and about with kids activities so I’ve whipped up my favourite quick meal… the old toasted sandwich. Problem is my kids then ask me when we get home “what’s for dinner” because sandwiches can’t possibly be it! Lol

  • Jess

    If I hear my husband coming home from cricket or work & there is no dinner ready, I milk the pregnancy fatigue, lie on the couch & ask him what he feels like when he walks in. More times than not, he chooses the easiest thing in the cupboard & he helps me cook it!

    • Emily

      BRILLIANT. I am writing down this recipe!

  • Trish

    Sounds like my kind of cooking I live in converted farm shed at the moment. I have a mini oven and two hotplates but can’t use them all at once (because it’s only 10amp) and a tiny microwave.

    My laziest cooking is for hubby to open a jar of anything ‘tonight’ or similar – ‘hubby’ adds this to stir fried (in a frypan) meat and chuck rice in rice-cooker.I peel/chop/steam vegies. He thinks he is Jamie Oliver making 15 min meals and of course I don’t burst the bubble.

    2nd laziest is scrambled eggs for the kids and he eats frozen leftovers.

  • Leisa Flanigan

    Breakfast for dinner! Bacon & egg roll, scrambled eggs, chips & eggs, French bread, baked beans on toast. These are on high rotation in our house.

  • Tracy Scott

    Oh I know exactly what u mean, I have a hubby and three girls so I cook for survival and that’s it, I find cooking dinner even thinking about dinner a massive horrible and overwhelming chore lol, I have however been known on a very rare occasion obviously when I’m craving something sweet to bake cupcakes or some 4 ingredient treat, I’m a massive fan of any recipe that requires very little ingredients and even less effort. Thanks Katrina I thought I was the only mummy out there that didn’t meal plan! And really what is that anyway! Xx

  • A-M

    Oh you make me laugh. That’s pretty much my motto too…. ‘survival, not pleasure’! Our lazy meal here is a risotto in the rice cooker. Onions/shallots and arborio rice fried in rice cooker, chicken stock, herbs, then steamed veges (broccoli, squash) and grated zucchini and maybe some tinned salmon or smoked salmon added in the end with some parmesan cheese. Takes 20 mins, same time as it would take to drive to get takeaway…. and it’s all just a big chuck into the pot meal. When I was in the UK, I lived in the visiting medical officers quarters at a hospital. They had an electric hotplate and one saucepan. I would boil up pasta and pour a tin of baked beans over it. …. and I was working as a Dietitian! They didn’t teach you how to cook in Dietetics back then, they just taught the science. Tragic. A-M xx

  • Belinda

    My lazy cooking is having a 13 year old daughter who loves to cook!
    Once upon a time when I wasn’t so time poor- I loved to cook (I still do, but the chances to cook are limited) but it has paid off because now Miss13 loves to cook, is a real mother-hen. So as long as I have bought the food, she will quite happily do dinner. And mr 15 is quite the dab hand at cakes and sweets. All I need now is for mr 10 to stay keen to cook until his skills catch up with his enthusiasm

  • brismod

    Five words: steamed rice and tomato sauce.

    hahaha…that is the ultimate lazy dinner when I haven’t done a grocery shop!

  • Sarah Leslie

    I’m writing on behalf of my mum…. Who simply doesn’t know how to cook except for spag Bol… Blurgh!!! She needs help haha!!

  • Jade

    My husband has lazy cooking down to an art form – he cooks McDonalds, KFC or dominos. I have been known to eat a big bowl of veggies for dinner when I couldn’t be arsed. I also exclusively breastfeed for 8 months because whipping a boob out seemed a lot easier then making a gazillion meals. And it was. Now I even have to pack snacks!! As if there’s not enough meals in the day to prepare!

  • penny barns

    1.Baked beans on toast or toasties
    2.Tacos
    3.Meat pies
    4.Some sort of dinner in a slow cooker on the day i am actually organised.
    5.Pizza
    6.Ravioli & sauce of some kind from a pkt
    7.Chicken fried rice
    Then i cant go past the Icecream milk shake to fill them up!

    This is almost week in week out!
    Most nights we are not home from after school activities till after 6pm. Then our eldest doesnt get home from ballet till almost 820pm 4 nights a week.
    Then rushing to find something as EVERYONE is STARVING!

    HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Need great ideas for a good healthy meal on the run. Those Birds Eye pkts look great!
    Pen x

  • Ros Davidson

    Lazy dinner in our house is most friday nights esp. when hubby is working night shift and has take away at work. I tell the kids they can have whatever they like as long as it is in the house. Hopefully they choose something they can make themselves (they are 9,8 7, and 5) like breakfast! LOL
    Another fav is fruit, yogurt and milkshakes.

  • Kazzie

    Same here! regarding sticking a fork in my eyes than cook or even think about meal preparations… 🙂

    Either throwing a mixture of food in the slow-cooker, or having cheese between breads (buttered bread on the outside) in fry-pan, or having bread/butter, ham, pineapple & cheese on top for grilling.

  • Kellie Hamilton

    A few times a week me and my boyfriend who have been living out of home for about 18 months now go back to each of our parents houses for dinner. It has become a custom for each week, I’ll ring mum for a general conversation and she will ask straight away if I’m trying to get food off her!! Haha

  • Miss Gingham

    On the days when I just couldn’t face the kitchen, I used to tell the boys they could have a special dinner, special because they could cook it themselves!

  • Kylie

    My boys sometimes have breakfast for dinner (cereal). They love it!! I’ve I’m more adventurous couscous & a tin of tuna (sometimes I’ll put in an chopped up avocado if I have one)… Takes 30 secs to prepare. Couscous just needs 5 mins to soak 🙂

  • Niki

    My mum would also say when we were growing up she cooked for survival, not pleasure. She would also rather poke herself in the eye with a fork.
    Dad would have a little whinge about not having enough meat & veg, so she used to heat up boxed meat pies, add mashed pototoes & frozen peas. And call it meat & veg. We loved it.
    I still give it to my kids today. My idea of cooking is SALAD. I make a salad & hand my husband the meat to BBQ. But I do make a fabulous Betty Crocker Brownie slice. Betty also gives me a fantastic chocolate mud cake. Seriously you can NOT tell they are out of a packet. Nobody knows in this house they are Betty’s. Everyone thinks I make them myself including my extended family. I make them & put the packets through the shredder while they are at school & work. Bless.

    • Katrina (author)

      GUESS WHAT??? NUFFNANG CHOSE YOU AS THE WINNER LOVELY GIRL!!!!! EMAIL ME! XOX

      • Niki

        Oh my god I am so excited. Emailing you now. So excited.
        Thanks, gorgeous.

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