If you DIDN'T cook from scratch what did you have for dinner?

[listsandbudgets]

Feeling tired of seeing all the amazing meals cooked every day on mumsnet. I often cook from scratch but I've been so stressed and run down this week.

If you've been taking short cuts / been lazy cooking for whatever reason come and tell me what you did

Last night we had fish fingers, chips and beans and today Ikea meatballs, frozen mixed veg, mashed potatoes (made a batch a while ago and froze) and a jug of bisto

A bit short on greenery so I suppose I'd better just feed them broccoli and sprouts with a good splodge of cabbage tomorrow

Toasted bagel with Nutella, a sliced granny smith apple and some ready salted crisps. I actually struggled to finish it as it was surprisingly filling, but tasty.

Quorn nuggies, chips and beans.

Shop bought quiche
some leftover pasta with jar red pesto mixed in (I reheat the pasta by submerging it in a bowl of boiling water for a minute or two, drain through sieve then add sauce which I find the best option for people actually eating reheated pasta!)
peas

yesterday we had cauldron falafels, bought houmous and tzatziki lettuce in bought flatbreads plus cucumber/tomatoes

Micro wave meal
Marks and Spencer pre packaged food yum
Warmed up left overs
Cheese and crackers
Salad with something that you just need to put in oven for 12 mins quorum escalopes are my fav

I'm not sure why some people are coming onto the thread to talk about what they cooked from scratch but hey, why not!

We had ready made calzones for dinner. They're a bit of a treat because we get them delivered from a start up type calzone delivery company but they also take 20 mins in the oven and we're all happy.

DC away at uni and dh away so… left to my own devices …

~ frozen dish with frozen ratatouille
~ half bag spinach, smoked bacon lardons, mushrooms and scrambled egg
~ smoked trout, salad of Roman lettuce, cucumber and bag of rocket
~ cheese, crackers, grapes and a kiwi
~ jar of giant haricot beans, chopped garlic, and jar of good quality veggie pasta sauce
~ ramen noodles with sugar snap peas, baby sweetcorn, broccoli and some cooked rotisserie chicken in some broth made out of a bouillon cube.
~ beans on toast
~ boiled eggs and toast

KFC!

Tuna pasta salad with yesterday’s leftovers pasta.

This might be an odd question, but you didn't get them from a Facebook advertised site did you? A calzone delivery company pops up on mine ALL the time and they look incredible. A bit too pricey for me but I drool over them every time it pops up.

The guilt is real isn't it ?
So many posters justifying their easy cooking solutions by saying " busy day" will cook from scratch tomorrow " etc

Just eat whatever you want , put as much effort into your meal as you wish

And ditch the chuffing guilt !!!

Laughing cow triangles wrapped in ham and a bag of skips

I'm skipping dinner tonight but last night I had a Thai green chicken curry using the Aldi kit....paste, coconut milk and herbs/spices in the kit. Fried off chicken and added that. Served with a sachet of microwave rice.

If I do eat tonight I'm having Spanish omelette...bought from Sainsbury's chiller section.

Breakfast - weetabix & banana
Lunch - Covent Garden tomato soup, shop bought crusty bread & cheese
Dinner - ready made ravioli and then a slice of the DC's Dominos and a chicken stripper

There have been a lot of short cuts this week - chicken curry made with a shop bought paste for example

Birds Eye chicken pies, frozen chunky chips, tinned peas and bisto chicken gravy. Thoroughly enjoyed it as well.

@Minikievs I'm not sure if they advertise on Facebook but it's called The Calzone Kitchen. Actually, I may have got lured in by an advert on insta so they probably do advertise on Facebook!

Bread and cheese with a sneaky pack of DS Wotsits.

I had cooked potato waffles from the freezer (using up everything in it ahead of moving house) but when I started eating them I realised they were horribly dry. So I tipped the grated cheese onto some bread.

I am so tired from packing boxes I don’t care!

Scampi and chips from the chippy. 😋

Cheese and crackers, beetroot from the jar and stuffed olives. I'm pregnant and it was just what I fancied, didn't even want the usual Saturday night takeout so that'll be tomorrow 🤷🏼‍♀️

Dominoes and wine

Iceland chicken strips... Beige in wraps with mayo and potato wedges again frozen from aldi
Beige and needed

Kids had lasagna (bought from lidl) with garlic bread and broccoli, I had pasta with cheese and broccoli. DH is sulking and having toast.

In a bit of a CBA mood today.... Spaghetti hoops on toast for dinner and a crisp sandwich for tea.

I regret nothing.

I feel like this might be the thread to ask a chicken curry question I've had for a while!

Can anyone tell me how to make the easiest possible chicken curry using a jar of sauce or similar? Been veggie most of my adult life and have no idea how to transform raw chicken and sauce into curry... I know how to make chicken curry from scratch but want something low effort!!

My contribution to the thread: crumpets and baked beans, a hard boiled egg and an apple!

Cadburys creme egg croissants . 10 minutes in the airfryer and job done ✅️

This weeks' meal deal from M&S. Steak and chips with a side, £12 for two, and a decent bottle of Bacchus. It was delicious and saved me from a minimum £50 spend in our local curry house and a rush back home for the rugby.