There comes a point during school holidays where you can physically feel the shift in the house. It’s subtle at first, almost polite. Everyone is still smiling, still pretending this is fun, still grateful for the extra time together.
Then one random afternoon you realise you’ve cooked three full meals, two snacks and somehow a pot is already empty again. That’s when it hits you.
We are tired of them and they are tired of us. All said and meant in love, of course. The kids have had enough of our faces, our rules, our “go play outside” and we’ve had enough of the constant hovering, the snacking, the boredom that turns into mischief.
Because when kids are bored, they don’t just sit quietly and reflect on life. No. They look for reactions. They test boundaries, rage bait. They suddenly discover talents for unnecessary things. And the kitchen? Yoh. The kitchen becomes a crime scene.
Towards the end of the holidays it honestly felt like a race against the clock to finish everything possibly edible in the house. Operation: leave the kitchen bare. Bread gone. Fruit gone.
Leftovers mysteriously vanished. Even ingredients you were saving for “something special” somehow found their way into small hands and big appetites. I remember standing there one day thinking, nope, this is where I tap out.
Let the schools open. Let them be out of my kitchen for a fair part of the day. Let them learn, let them use their brains for something other than deciding what else they can eat. Let me breathe. Let me hear my own thoughts again. Then school opened. One week in and suddenly I was asking myself questions. Was I sure? Was I really ready for this? Because wow, I had completely forgotten about the real struggle. Not even the afternoon hunger. It starts in the morning. Breakfast now has to mean something. It can’t just be put together fast.
It needs to fuel them until break time. Then the #Mopako101. The lunchbox needs to be filling enough, exciting enough, respectable enough to “flex” when they open it, but still able to carry them until they get home. And when they get home? Lunch must be ready. These growing boys arrive home famished, like they’ve been held hostage by hunger all day. You’d swear they haven’t eaten since.
I’m choosing to make myself feel better by believing we’re all just settling into routine again. Minds and stomachs coming off holiday mode, trying to remember structure, timing, portion control. I can’t let them have their way in the kitchen right now.
As much as it would be easier to just let them snack themselves into oblivion. Taxing as it is I’m controlling what I can. I prep the meals. It’s not about being strict for the sake of it. It’s a survival strategy. Just today we did a fruit shop for the week and in one afternoon setting, they clapped a bit of everything.
Grapes, nectarines, bananas, oranges, gone like they never existed. It’s actually insane. Can we please meet each other halfway? For peace of mind and for everyone to acclimatise, I’m leaning heavily into meals that stretch. Meals that make sense. Meals that don’t require an emotional support group afterwards.
Fifteen-minute meals. Pap, because it fills you and holds you. The kind of food that keeps stomachs quiet for a while. For the next few weeks I’m blocking out the noise that the meals are repetitive or boring. It’s not punishment it’s a means to sanity.
And honestly, if the kids are eating, growing and not fighting me every evening, then we’re winning.
One of my favourite go-to meals during this season is pasta salad. It’s honestly one of the most underrated lifesavers in the kitchen. It’s quick, it’s flexible, and it works with whatever you have on hand. That’s the beauty of it.
You don’t need a perfect grocery list or fancy ingredients. You just need pasta and a good dressing, and you’re halfway there already. Pasta screws are my favourite because they hold onto dressing so well, but shells work beautifully too. Penne, macaroni, whatever you’ve got. No stress.
The add-ons are where you can really make it your own. You adjust based on how picky your crowd is, what’s left in the fridge, or honestly just your mood that day. Some days it’s basic. Other days it’s a little extra. As long as you have one of the NEW Hinds Salad Dressings, you’re sorted. That’s the real game changer.
There’s literally a flavour for every day of the week, which means even when the base stays the same, the meal doesn’t feel repetitive. One day it’s creamy, the next it’s tangy, the next it’s herby. Same pasta, different experience.
In my house I have mini sous chefs. ChellzKitchen has created children who will absolutely comment if the pasta is not al dente. “Moooom, this pasta is not al dente.” So now I let them make the pasta or at least taste it before I’m done.
If you’re going to complain, you might as well participate. It’s actually a good lesson for them too, learning textures, timing, and that food doesn’t magically appear on the table.
What I love most about pasta salad is that it doesn’t fight you. It meets you where you are. Tired? It understands. Low on groceries? It adapts. Kids hungry again? It stretches.
And on days when the complaints start about food being boring, I remind myself that consistency is also love. Feeding your family every day is no small thing. It’s work. It’s planning. It’s patience. And sometimes it’s choosing peace over perfection.
We’re all just trying to find our rhythm again. The kids. The kitchen. Me. The noise will settle. The appetites will eventually normalise. Until then, I’ll keep cooking meals that make sense for this season.
Meals that don’t drain me. Meals that fill bellies and buy me a bit of quiet. And if that means pasta salad twice a week with different Hinds dressings, then so be it. Because right now, halfway is all I’m asking for.
INGREDIENTS
Pasta: fusilli, penne, or bow ties Bell Peppers: red ,yellow green, diced ½ small red onion, thinly sliced or finely diced 1-2 ripe avocados, cubed ½ cup Black olives, pitted and sliced 2 cups baby rocket (arugula) leaves ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved Nutriday plain Youghurt Mayonnaise
INSTRUCTIONS Cook pasta until al dente, then drain and rinse with cold water. Whisk together Hinds All in One dressing with yoghurt and mayo Combine cooled pasta, bell peppers, red onion, olives, rocket, and feta in a large bowl. Pour dressing over the salad and toss.. Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes for best flavour or serve immediately
