Happy Muslim Mama: Quarantine Diaries: Food and Mealtimes

One of the things that I am finding myself challenged by at the moment is mealtimes. The first few days of school closures and working from home, I thought I was being silly, but as the days went on, I reflected that I had gone from cooking dinner, to organising three meals a day for everyone while trying to work.

The little ones woke up just as I got settled into work, so I needed to sort out breakfast. Then lunchtime started just as I had back to back meetings from 12 to 2pm or sometimes even 4pm. I was quick to learn to cook the night before for lunch and also let my employers knew I needed a break midday to pray and make sure my family was fed.

I was offline at 4pm and prepping for the evening’s meal, trying to work out what I could make with what was in the house, as I could no longer go out to buy whatever I want whenever I needed. I thought I was being a bit disorganised, until I quickly realised, I wasn’t the only one asking what on earth to feed the family three times a day when school lunches and takeaway weren’t an option anymore.

I have been trying to meal plan, be flexible, plan ahead for what I need when grocery shopping, and encourage the kids to eat what is provided and be understanding we can’t get everything we want on demand at the moment.  I’m just starting to get used to the routines for meals and stopped stressing about it. I’ve also finally got immune to my teenagers moaning about what I have cooked and what they actually wanted, which has also made me happier.

For the latest updates and more cooking and food stories please do follow me on my Instagram account where I am a little more active these days, especially on my Insta-stories.