Parent in the Kitchen
Cooking and nutrition are always near the top of the parenting agenda: What do we eat? When do we eat? How should we eat? The world is flooded with fad diets, conflicting advice, and a constant stream of “new research.” At the core, we all want the same thing — to feed our families as affordably and healthily as possible.
But when you become a single parent, this becomes even harder.
The ideal might look like this: unprocessed, home-cooked meals made with fresh ingredients — maybe even vegetables from your garden. But if you’re a single dad navigating daily life, that version of “perfect” can feel a million miles away.
You’re told to cook every day, avoid processed foods, make sure your kids eat their five-a-day, cut down on snacks, and skip takeout. Batch cook. Prep everything from scratch. Control your portions. It’s a long and exhausting list — and, frankly, not always possible. Time, energy, and budget constraints often get in the way, no matter how good your intentions are.
And then there’s the world around you. Marketing aimed at kids (and exhausted parents), brightly colored packaging, sugary cereals at eye-level — everything seems designed to steer you toward quick, easy, over-processed options. I’ve fallen into that trap more times than I can count. Many of us have.
That’s why I decided to dedicate a whole section of this blog to life in the kitchen as a single parent. Because we all know that a balanced diet matters — not just for our kids’ health, but for their behavior, sleep, energy, and emotional wellbeing. It matters for us too.
In follow up posts within this category look out for:
- Helpful tips for building confidence in the kitchen
- Simple, realistic recipes tested by real parents with limited time and limited skills
- Ways to make small, achievable changes that lead to better nutrition — without the pressure of perfection
We’re not aiming for culinary mastery. We’re aiming for manageable, meaningful wins. If we can create a few more meals that nourish our kids and ourselves, that’s a step in the right direction — and those small steps can become powerful building blocks for bigger progress.
Let’s make the kitchen a place of progress, not pressure.