As I prepare to move out of my house while the builders convert the inside into a palace (or at least a kitchen diner!) I am reminded of the importance of planning in advance when it comes to feeding my kids!

I can’t rely too much on my Mum while we set up camp in her house as she has enough to do already and feeding my children is my responsibility. This is not always easy for someone with MS. I can’t “pop” to the shops to get something in and I don’t want to rely on the junk found in the freezer aisle of the supermarket.

Preparing food isn’t always easy either. Standing up for long periods whilst stirring pots is really hard so I tend to have a strategically placed chair where I can sit down every few minutes. Taking heavy pans out of the oven is also terrifying as balance is often a problem and the heat plays havoc with my symptoms.

 

Be prepared

What The Husband and I tend to do is cook in batches in advance and this is what we’ve been doing this morning to prepare to move out.

Home-made pasta sauces are always a hit and I freeze them in ice cube trays so handy portion sized cubes can be taken out when needed. The following recipe from Annabel Karmel’s Baby and Toddler Meal Planner is still a hit with both my kids even though they are 2 and 5.

Tomato and Cheese Pasta Sauce (we call it Pink Sauce)

25g/1oz onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 table spoon olive oil

4 medium tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped

50g/2oz cream cheese

50ml/2 fl oz milk

25g/1oz cheddar cheese, grated

Sauté the onions in the oil until soft, add the tomatoes and cook for a further 3 minutes, mix in the cream cheese and milk. Then take off the heat, add the cheddar and mix with a hand blender till smooth. Easy! I usually double the mixture to make it worth the effort band add a little salt and pepper as my kids are getting older. We use tomatoes from our greenhouse at the moment but this recipe also works really well with a tin of chopped tomatoes if you can’t be bothered with skinning the tomatoes (a job the Husband does!)

I often add peas (which can be done in the microwave) and cut up left- over meat like chicken or ham to make it more interesting, I add all this to pasta and both kids are happy! I also defrost a few cubes and pour it over vegetables as an accompaniment to meat or fish.

Another favourite is macaroni cheese which can be frozen in little individual pots and served with vegetables. I usually make much too much cheese sauce so I can freeze that in ice cube trays too, making an instance sauce for vegetables, pasta or meat.

I’d really welcome other tips form Mums with MS and how they make sure they’re kids eat well!