Do you use frozen food?

[HaggardMumofToddler]

I feel like we’re so busy all the time at the moment, I work part time and DH works away a lot. Very demanding 18 month old. Getting meals ready can sometimes feel like a struggle.

It’s one of those things I said I wouldn’t do as a parent, we generally try to eat well but recently DD does have fish fingers, waffles and peas on occasion.

What’s your go to frozen food when you just can’t be bothered to cook? What can I just stick in the oven that will still be relatively healthy?

I know I could batch cook of course. But I’m awful at remembering to defrost stuff!

Pre kids I was soo snobby about frozen veg, guess who now has a freezer full. Chilli no chopping great 👌🏾 I draw the line at ready meals though.

Diced frozen onions. You wouldn't believe how much time they save, not mention they dissolve so DW doesn't retch at the texture (she loves the taste).

I also make sauces with hidden veg (a tomato based one which hides almost anything and a "white" one mainly leeks and cauliflower and peeled courgette). I often mix the white one into risotto or cheese sauces. I freeze in an ice cube tray then transfer to a food bag so I can defrost a small portion as needed.

One of mine went through a period of only wanting sandwiches. I never wanted to make an issue of food, so I made sure they had good wholesome fillings (egg/tuna/cheese/salad etc)
It doesn't always have to be a full cooked meal to be healthy.
You could also cook extra each meal time, freeze and reheat.
Tuna fishcakes went down a treat when they were small.
Kids all grown up now and I recently worked out that fishcakes be frozen before cooking, then fried/baked without needing to be thawed. Great with a handful of frozen veg
All are slim and healthy with a good interest in food and cooking.

Agree about the usefulness of frozen onions! You can buy them in bags, but I just dice them and fling them in the freezer in tubs.

There is no reason to feel guilt about frozen food, try not to have too much processed foods but freezing of simple ingredients doesn't make them bad for you.

My freezer has red cabbage, peas, minced beef, pork and lamb, sausages, chicken, ice cream, fish pie mix, prawns, individual dauphinoise, pheasant, butter, cheese, bread, tortellini with whatever filling...it's like a pantry cupboard, but frozen.

I freeze things I've batch cooked, and reheat from frozen, so normally an hour at 180 will have defrosted and heated the dish through.

I always have fishfingers in...Ds (24), loves a fishing sandwich, as does my 79 year old motherm

Honestly, diced frozen onions are life-changing.

I’ve just recently started buying frozen meat (chicken breasts and diced beef), it’s significantly cheaper to buy for a larger amount (3 adults, 2 children to feed), cooks from frozen in the slow cooker and is 100% just meat, nothing added.

Doing this has reduced our weekly food shop down to around £55-60 for a family of 5 including nappies, cleaning products and toiletries (and home delivery).

(Sure it’s not organic, but we can’t afford to eat organically)

Frozen peas, sweetcorn, spinach, pizza, Young’s breaded cod fillets, oven chips, milk, bread.
Also frozen seafood that I use to make risotto.
I freeze tubs of home made soup, curry, stews & pasta sauces.
And I grow my own so blanche & freeze green beans, sliced apples, squash, blackberries.

In fact without a freezer I’d probably starve.

I don’t really eat frozen but have lots of ready prepared foods, Kiev, lemon sole goujons, ready chopped onions, fruit platters etc. It saves lots of time.

Absolutely love the frozen diced onion. Makes every cooked meal a bit less faff.

We eat from the freezer 2 or 3 times a week. Not particularly unhealthy.. today having frozen Linda McCartney country pies (veggie / vegan), along with birdseye peas and frozen roastie potatoes. I'll add some fresh broccoli on the side.

An easy one we have : frozen onion and other frozen veggies, small tin of tomatoes, little bit of spice/ paprika, simmer for 25 mins. On top of 2min microwave rice.

I use a lot of frozen veg as it's easy to give my toddler a lot of variety. I also use frozen veg in slow cooker stews/casseroles which really minimises prep. I am trying to reduce our meat consumption and there are lots of nice veggie sausages available depending on what you like.

As above, freezer food doesn't necessarily mean junk. I use frozen onion, peas, sweetcorn, mine and veggie mince as it's easy to grab a handful or two rather than have to cook a whole packet.
We also keep frozen pizzas, oven chips, chicken burgers, sausages, burgers, fish fingers etc for when we need a quick or easy dinner. If they have ready made stuff they would still have veg or salad with it so I can't get too worried about it.

Veggie fish fingers, waffles and peas is an everyday meal in my house because I'm a shit cook 😂 16 month old DS seems to be okay, I really wouldn't worry at all!

Frozen jacket potatoes is my no.1 quick and lazy meal

I also buy ready made mash in the fridge section. I use it to go with sausages or cottage pies etc

You can get bagged noodle stir-fry in freezers that are nice

I buy a couple of toddler frozen ready meals for my 2.5 year old too for when we are having a dinner he doesn't like or is unsuitable. I think they're Annabel Carmel brand and he likes the chicken curry and hidden veg spag Bol.

I love my freezer. In fact when we made space in a huge downstairs cupboard, I bought a second one.

I always make two of meals that are a faff to make, then stick one in the freezer (uncooked) for another day - fish pie, lasagne, soup. I also make big batches of easy stuff like bolognaise sauce, chilli, etc, and freeze in portions.

I love fish fingers but they're 1.5points each on WW so I don't get to have them much.

I also freeze bread of all kinds, and leftovers. Also love frozen meat (not mince) and only buy frozen fish.

You need to make a weekly meal plan, OP. It saves you a FORTUNE on your weekly shop, helps you plan ahead, and then you can get tomorrow's stuff out of the freezer the night before to defrost.

Fish, vegetarian sausages, or frozen omlettes; chips; baked beans or microwavable ready meals.

Or a pizza, usually a vegetarian one, with some garlic bread.

No need to defrost batch cooking. Portion it up after the initial cooking then reheat from frozen. Stuff like curry, chilli, bolognese often tastes better on the second cook too. I really should get some reusable containers and stop using disposable ones though. Pyrex do some good ones.

microwavable vegetables I meant to say. Such as the Birds Eye ones.

We do sometimes have ready meals but usually fresh ones because the freezer is quite small.

There is nothing wrong with fish fingers why would yoy feel guilty about fish fingers most people have a freezer with freezer food in it that they eat don't give it any more headspace.

We have frozen Wednesdays - so we have oven chips and something else. I cook every other night of the week so it breaks up the week.
My freezer is full as batch cooking but don’t think that counts as frozen food though.

We’ve just discovered frozen mashed potato. It’s great and the only thing in it that wouldn’t be in my own is a bit of salt.

Frozen veg + Quorn pieces in passata, some pasta, done.

Birds Eye frozen stuff in steam bags is great for things only I eat but i try to avoid them because of all the plastic.

Most frozen vegetables retain more vitamins than fresh stuff so I am all for it.

Batch cook on any days you have off. You can cook up a months worth of food, portion it out and freeze. Then you can have quick easy frozen food without going beige.

Veg that is frozen a matter of hours after picked (like bird's eye) is in my opinion better than buying fresh from supermarket as the stuff on the shelves has been losing nutrients for the 3-5 days it's been sat wilting in the bright lights of Sainsburys/Morrison's etc.

Similar principle with tinned veg apparently, although it doesn't taste anywhere as nice of course!

Veg wise, the best is definitely farmer's market/good greengrocer or bird's eye frozen veg (other brands may be as good, I just only know that they freeze within 2 hours of being picked)