Jump to content
  • Charlotte Tsou is a banking executive with two little kiddos. Although she has her hands full, during her last leg of her maternity leave she had an inspiration to start a blog to document her family's fitness and wellness journey. Read more at Lottie + 2. 

    I don't cook, but I still manage to feed my kids. Here's how.

      This Chicago mom has become a master of spicing up store-bought food.

     

    I don't cook, and I am totally envious when I see mom friends post incredible dishes they make for their kids on social media. As a result, I make impulsive purchases to acquire cooking tools that gather dust in my cabinets.

    Like some mamas, I am just not interested in cooking. I enjoy it when it is an activity, an experiment, but not a task. 

    Most of the people in my generation growing up in Asia have a live-in nanny or take-out is merely a block away. Also eating out is a social thing with friends and families. And traditionally, Asian parents didn't encourage their children to learn how to cook, because in their mind it is "wasting time,"—kids should focus on studying and school. Especially for boys, messing around in the kitchen was definitely a no when I was growing up. (Clearly that's an old notion—nowadays, cooking is the enhanced value proposition for men because sexier men cook.)

    Now I am a mother of a picky toddler and an infant migrating to solid food. Even though I don't cook, my kids still need to eat! This is how I do it:

    • Watch and collect ideas from cooking YouTube channel Tasty: I enjoy watching and collecting these nicely done cooking videos for future inspiration. The video editing technique they use makes everything looks so easy! I have a "cooking idea folder" where I collect video clips from Tasty Japan and Emmy Made in Japan. What makes them different is that besides being exotic and yummy, it's all about presentation—they make food too adorable to eat. And I can't resist buying all those cooking gears and molds—once a while, my kids get to eat one, or two, or three Panda rice balls.
    • Order mobile food: I order from a wide array of restaurants with a single tap on my phone. I actually prefer "new delivery" (e.g., Foodora) vs. the traditional "aggregators" (e.g., GrubHub) just because the delivery service and timing is much more predictable when you have hungry kids at home. The essential difference is "new delivery" has its own logistics for delivery from gourmet restaurants and "aggregators" pass the order to the restaurant to fulfill.
    • Make sushi: We are not talking about rainbow rolls or caterpillar rolls here. Avocado and salmon rolls are easy, healthy and achievable at home. Simply buy a sushi making kit, get some fresh avocado and sushi-grade salmon and follow a YouTube video
       
    • Buy great kids' party food: Call me bold, but even thought I don't cook, I am brave enough to throw in a kids' birthday party with 60+ guests. I've tried out a variety of things from different places, and the winners are the ones that are easy to bake, steam, heat up or put together. Just to name a few from my shopping list that are super popular among little kiddos:
      1. H Mart: Crab or shrimp shumai, chicken teriyaki bao, mini seafood dumplings, Ramule (kids soft drink with a crystal ball inside of the funky bottle). And it looks like H Mart is going to add a West Loop location this summer, making my party-shopping route more streamlined.
      2. Costco: Beef bibimbap (Korean beef rice), party-size quinoa, crispy vegetable spring rolls
      3. Trader Joe's: Corn dog, veggie pizza bites, shrimp toast, macaroons (in the box)

    Related articles:
    How I'm teaching my young kids 4 languages
    Make this easy London broil recipe for your family
    Your kid will hate some foods, and that's okay


    Author's Content Page Charlotte Tsou is a banking executive with two little kiddos. Although she has her hands full, during her last leg of her maternity leave she had an inspiration to start a blog to document her family's fitness and wellness journey. Read more at Lottie + 2. 


    More related articles

    One simple way you can get your kids to eat healthy

    It's not easy getting your kids to make healthy food choices. But if you do this one thing, you may be able to help create healthy habits.

    Watch out for poison ivy!

    How to recognize poison ivy and how to treat the rash if your child makes contact with the pesky plant.

    Give yourself time to get back in shape after baby

    Here are some tips to get you on the right track for the first 6 months after giving birth. The most important one? Go easy on yourself.

    How to make family meals the best part of your day

    This dad found a way to make his daughter more open-minded about eating new foods.



  • Join NPN!
    Become a part of our Chicago parenting community. Learn about member benefits and start connecting to other city parents today!

Privacy Policy Membership Terms

© 2024 Neighborhood Parents Network of Chicago

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Thank you for visiting our site. Browsing this site is an acceptance of our We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. and Terms of Use.