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!

Tonight for tea we have 3 bean chilli- I make this in a huge stockpot and then freeze it into portion sized foil trays.

Also in my freezer:

Foil trays
Cauliflower curry
3 bean chilli
Meat chilli
Tomato base sauce
Palak paneer
Soup

Bread- I buy it reduced and then freeze it. Can be toasted from frozen
Tortilla wraps

Veg:
Peas
Mixed veg in steam bags
Spinach
Sweetcorn
Green beans

Meat and fish
Turkey drumstick
Mincemeat
Diced lamb
Salmon
Smoked haddock
Frozen meatballs

Other stuff:
Fish fingers, chips, potato waffles, sausages, vegesausages.

I'm very much a fan of lazy cooking. Quite a lot of things go in my airfryer, slowcooker or get turned into a casserole that can go in a low oven for a few hours. The turkey drumstick is going in the slowcooker this weekend with a soya, honey and chilli sauce and will get left all day to cook.

Bought a week's frozen vegetarian 'home made ' meals from COOK. I've eaten 3, they're pretty good. I hate cooking.

The Pyrex dishes with lids are brilliant for storing batch cooking. You can freeze things like fish pie/lasagne/crumble in them then just take the lid off and stick it straight in the oven. Also good for bolognaise/chilli/ratatouille as they are microwaveable too. They clean really easily as well.

Thanks for all of these suggestions. I’ve written a list for the weekend.

I’m going to head to Iceland to get some branded stuff and add a few bits to our sainsburys/ waitrose food shop. I’ll be freezing my spinach in no time.

If you are using those pyrex dishes and don't have enough for your families needs, I have taken meals already frozen out of them and preserved them in a good large freezer bag (Ikea do big ones) or wrapped in parchement and tin foil, then pop back into the freezer and use the dish for something else.

When defrosting the meal no longer in the pyrex, you need to remember to take it out of its wrappings and put it back into the pyrex as you take it out of the freezer - so that it is still solid while you are handling it, but can then go into the oven as required once thawed.

(Or buy more pyrex…but they are somewhat on the expensive side).

@NumberblockOne I wouldn't personally see veggie fingers as junk food?!