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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To eat ready meals every night

45 replies

gluttom · 17/11/2011 19:06

I have dd 6 weeks, ds 1 3.11 and ds2 2.5. Am wrecked. I do them jacket spuds, pasta, eggs on toast, chicken and rice etc at 6 but DH not in until 7 and baby cries and fuss all evening sometimes until 3am so we often eat takeaway or ready meals. My mum told me today it was lazy but things are hard

OP posts:

birdsofshoreandsea · 17/11/2011 19:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

HauntedLittleLunatic · 17/11/2011 19:10

It is hard but ready meals and take seats aren't great for you healthwise would be a bigger concern than the laziness. Could you do jacket spuds for yourself or cook stuff for the dcs that you can rehearse like the pasta?

picnicbasketcase · 17/11/2011 19:10

Well, it's not ideal - ready meals and takeaways are often quite unhealthy. But quite frankly if you're exhausted and it makes life a bit easier for you, why shouldn't you? It's your choice, not your mum's. It sounds like you're cooking fine things for the children anyway.

DressDownFriday · 17/11/2011 19:18

YANBU - whatever makes things easier for you.

Is your DH around on a weekend? Could you cook up a few meals then? You could make things like bolognaise sauce, curry, stew etc and make enough for a few portions so you can pull something homemade out the freezer during the week. I always double or even triple up when cooking - makes things much easier.

Moulesfrites · 17/11/2011 19:18

Why don't you cook the same for everyone but have yours later? Would save you cooking twice?

scaryhairydroopytits · 17/11/2011 19:39

Lazy? With 3 children whom you have already cooked tea for? Your mother has issues. Microwave away.

eurochick · 17/11/2011 19:43

Can't one of you have a big cooking session at the weekend while one of you looks after the baby? You can cook and freeze meals that are easy to reheat and a lot more nutritious than ready meals and takeaways. We don't have kids (yet) but both work full time and often one or both of us isn't in until after 8pm. So cooking more than we need when we have time and freezing it is the only way we manage.

ouryve · 17/11/2011 19:44

You need fuel. Just make sure the ready meals are the best quality you can afford and have some ready-prepared veg or salad on the side. When life settles down a bit, make your own ready meals (pasta sauces, chillis etc) that you can freeze and have ready for the really bad evenings with minimal preparation.

ouryve · 17/11/2011 19:45

A weekend roast is also often good for meals in a hurry on following days.

QuintessentialShadow · 17/11/2011 19:46

Can you empty a bag of salad onto a plate, and chop up some smoked salmon, or empty a tin of tun on top for a low calorie, healthy and quick alternative? The tuna and the salmon will give you some vital omega 3 that you will need to keep healthy.

cheeseandmarmitesandwich · 17/11/2011 19:47

My only issue would be that ready meals taste crap and aren't very good for you, so you're not looking after yourself properly.

If you can manage to cook good meals for the kids, why not just eat the same yourself? Never understood why people cook separate meals for the kids!

But YANBU, in these early weeks do whatever works for you!

cheeseandmarmitesandwich · 17/11/2011 19:47

My only issue would be that ready meals taste crap and aren't very good for you, so you're not looking after yourself properly.

If you can manage to cook good meals for the kids, why not just eat the same yourself? Never understood why people cook separate meals for the kids!

But YANBU, in these early weeks do whatever works for you!

RobynLou · 17/11/2011 19:48

with a 6 week old and two others you can eat whatever imo! this phase will soon pass and things will settle down. If you're still eating like that in a years time then maybe you should sort it out, agree with birds - if your mums so concerned she should make you up some homecooked ready meals!

gamerwidow · 17/11/2011 19:49

Well it's not ideal but I don't expect you're going to be doing it forever. I think while your DD is so small then it's fine to do whatever works. As other posters have said if it bothers your mum that much then she can make something for you!

RonnieBirtles · 17/11/2011 19:51

I don't like many ready meals myself, but I think with a newborn it is perfectly reasonable to go with the 'by any means necessary' approach to dinner. I lived on hot chickens from the deli counter, Indian takeaways and eggs on toast when mine were tiny.

Just don't fall in to the habit long term of thinking that all cooking-from-scratch food is too much like hard work.

CailinDana · 17/11/2011 19:54

The only concern I would have is that ready meals tend to be so tasteless that over time eating so much bland food can really get you down. I would tend to try to cook myself something quick and tasty just because it makes me feel like I've done something nice for myself and my dinner is something I can actually enjoy in the day. But, if cooking stresses you out and you can't face it then ready meals are fine. ASDA have quite a good range in little pots - the Thai green curry is lovely, has vegetables in it and not too much rubbish. Innocent also do some curry and veg pots that have good ingredients.

AngelofTheLordiscomingDown · 17/11/2011 19:56

Could you divide the ready meals into two for you and DH and have the second half the next day? My idea is wth the proviso that you have cooked fresh vegetables with the ready meal each day.

BoffinMum · 17/11/2011 20:13

It is the law to eat ready meals when you have tiny babies, isn't it?

If you don't want to, someone told me Covent Garden soup company soup and a cheese sandwich counts as a balanced meal, which for me has been the saving grace throughout at least 3 postnatal periods.

cwtch4967 · 18/11/2011 13:54

You're making work for yourself by feeding different meals. Get your children used to eating basic family meals - it is so much better to cook one meal for everyone. Adults can eat later.

Pancakeflipper · 18/11/2011 13:59

Having had no kitchen for a month and only having a microwave for that duration I have discovered that most ready meals are yuck. But I discovered some lasagnes and mousakkas were pretty tasty.

I would bulk cook a load of mince and make it into cottage pie, chilli, bolognese etc.

And there's some lovely soup, that with a nice roll. Yummmmm.

But to be honest I would get your kids eating the same as you or making slight variations otherwise it's really hard unnecessary work.

janajos · 18/11/2011 14:00

Can't your DH cook of you when he gets in?

janajos · 18/11/2011 14:00

for you!!

NatashaBee · 18/11/2011 14:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Pancakeflipper · 18/11/2011 14:07

Oh yes the slow cooker. The other evening I did a beef casserole of DP and myself in the slow cooker. I saved enough for the kids to have the following day and they had it with pasta. SO that took 15 mins to prepare their evening meal.

Lexie1970 · 18/11/2011 14:10

Ready meals ok in short term but not in long term.

Can only reiterate what others have said and get your kids eating the same as you rather than you eating the same as them :) DS likes 'wet' food so we eat lasagne. shepherds pie, casseroles etc These are all things that can be bulk cooked and chucked in freezer.

If OP husband's cooking skills are anything like my dp I would carry on eating ready meals :)

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