I’m the laziest mum – I don’t own an oven & most food my kids eat comes from a can – parents judge me but they’re wrong
AFTER a long hard day at school Donna Jones’ kids can look forward to coming home to a piping hot plate of chicken curry and rice.
But the mum-of-six won’t be grinding spices or marinating meat, instead reaching for a can opener before blasting everything in the microwave.
Curry in a can with microwave rice is just one of the meals in Donna’s convenience over ingredients repertoire.
The McDonald’s worker’s children can also look forward to tucking into microwavable pizzas, Rustlers burgers and instant pasta.
And while other mums might be quick to judge, Donna, 37, from Leicester says she doesn’t have an ounce of guilt over her kids’ ready-made diet.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous, Donna says: “I never cook for my kids and I don’t feel the slightest bit of shame about it.
“I just don’t have the time.
“During the day I have the younger kids to take care of while balancing the school run and then at night I work shifts at McDonald’s.
“My husband Matthew, 36, works full time as an acrylic fabricator so he can’t help me either.
“The only time you will find me preparing a meal from scratch is Christmas Day.
“As long as everyone is fed a hot dinner that’s my only priority.”
Donna says that not only does she have to provide meals for all eight family members, she does this in three separate sittings, allowing her no wiggle room for catering.
“My youngest kids Sophie, two, Olivia, three, and Oliver, four, are super fussy so I feed them their favourite tinned curry first,” Donna says.
“Then the second sitting is for the slightly older ones Samuel, 11, and Joseph 13 who will have something you can pop in the microwave.
“Finally Matthew and I will sit down to a frozen ready-meal, usually something like a lasagne.”
Aside from time saving, Donna says that her budget doesn’t allow for preparing extravagant meals.
“My budget is also very tight obviously,” she says.
“As a family of eight every penny counts and I only have a budget of around £100 a week to feed us all.
“The sad fact is that quick, convenience food is so much cheaper than buying organic.
“I know Jamie Oliver would turn his nose up at what I feed my kids but what can I do?
“When a can of curry for 50p will feed three of them it’s a no brainer.
“The fact that the government is banning 2 for 1 deals on things like frozen pizza will seriously impact my family.”
Donna says she’s well aware that people will judge her but she knows full well that her children’s nutritional needs are met.
She says: “I know lots of people would be quick to criticise the fact that I haven’t a huge amount of fresh ingredients or vegetables.
“But my kids get all that from their school dinners.
“Why would I make the effort at home when they’ve already got all bases covered at school with a nutritionally balanced diet?
“They get all sorts of meals from around the world – that’s not in my culinary repertoire, my kids would only complain if I served anything like that up.
“My priority is that they’re fed and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.”
Donna admits that even her own parents have turned their noses up at her catering in the past.
“When I first became a mum my parents kept telling me I should be making more home cooked meals like they did for me but I just don’t have the time,” she says.
“It was different then and I think people forget that.
“My dad worked and my mum didn’t – she had loads of time to whip up culinary masterpieces whereas my time is very precious
“Even if I had all the time in the world I don’t think I would spend every evening slaving away in the kitchen when my kids are just as happy with something that takes minutes in the microwave.
“The time when they get home from school is the time that I get to spend with them and I don’t want to waste that time cooking and cleaning.
“Besides, my way of cooking means I have next to no washing up to do!”