To ask for a hug and ready meal suggestions!

[solitarywalker]

NCed for this thread, but regular.

I just need to wail at the world for a second. Apologies in advance - this is going to be a pity party, but I have to get it out somewhere!

I just found out my grandmother has cancer. I cannot believe it. I have always denied to myself that she's getting on because she's full of mischief and energy.

My cat, who has been with me through thick and thin is dying of cancer too.

I am unable to work because of ill health. I am a writer but I can't even think straight enough to read a simple book. I am on hormonal drugs that act as a depressant and I feel truly low. Emotionally, I am no longer coping. All my joints ache.

I have a dental abscess, and despite 3 days of antibiotics It. Still. Hurts.

I found out in the last couple of months that I probably can't have children, and I don't feel like I've even started to process this yet. I just feel... bereft.

Here comes the practical bit: I am due in for surgery later this week. It's the second time I've had the op, because it didn't work first time around.

I have no support from family - they are hundreds of miles away. I've been ill for some time and friends have stopped seeing me or calling. I understand they are busy - most have children and full time work and that is more than enough for anyone. I also think they struggle to know what to say with the illness, or how to deal with someone who has become quite unable to do the active things I used to do. I (selfishly) feel very lonely. I don't even seem to get noticed on Facebook any more.

DH is wonderful, but already working long hours and trying to hold things together.

Here comes the practical issue: I need to stock up on ready meals that DH and I can cook quickly and easily for the post-surgery period. I will not be able to stand for longer than 10 minutes or to walk very far, and I will need my five a day to recover! I don't have a clue what to get or how easy they are to do. I went to M&S at the weekend, but they seemed to have very little that was veggie (I don't eat meat or fish). Please recommend me some nice things to eat for the next fortnight!

((((((((((((((((Hugs)))))))))))))))))))

Savory mince and pasta.

brown mince meat, add onions,frozen veg. pasta, two tins of crushed tomatoes, herbs, garlic.2 cups of beef stock. cook till pasta is soft. cool. pack freeze.

add cheese to portion when serving

First of all, big hugs and very best wishes to you. I'm going through a difficult time too, and my heart goes out to you. I'll hold you in my prayers if you like?

Secondly, I'm currently living off Waitrose ready meals and haven't had a bad one yet.

Thirdly, when you're somewhat on the mend, a friend recommended a cookbook called Nigella Express. It's ridiculously simple and most recipes consist of mixing up stuff from Waitrose, and putting it in the oven, but it tastes very good.

savory Mince and rice.

Same as above ^^ replace tomato tins with 3 cups of water, add cheep chicken noodle soup pkts X2

Oh yes, waitrose soups are very good for lunch, and if you get the right ones (just check the label) have plenty of veg in.

How about comfort food like buttery mash, macaroni cheese, baked potatoes thayou can microwave then stick in oven to crisp before serving with piles of ready grated cheese or coleslaw? You can tell I associate comfort with carbs! I'm sorry for your crap time. I hope things get better soon

Consider yourself hugged by your big cyber-brother who adores you.

Uncle Ben rice meals.

This is a veggie meal you can make & freeze:

Cook brown rice & add equal quantities of chick peas (tinned are fine) that you have mashed up a bit. Grate in carrot & courgette & add an onion that you have sweated off. Mix with an egg. Portion up & freeze. When you want to eat it, put it in a dish, top with some grated cheese & pop in oven for about 30 mins.

Lots on Indian ready meals are very veggie friendly as well.

Hope the op goes well

Sorry dude- that sounds crap.

Um, easy veggie meals.

Gnocchi with pesto
Baked sweet pots with spicy hummus
Spaghetti with butter, strong cheese and black pepper
Jackets with cheese and beans/coleslaw
Pizza

Salad with everything.

You poor thing!
Innocent veg pots are amazing - really good for you, very tasty and filling but pretty small if you don't feel like much.

Tesco seems to have them on offer at the moment and Sainsburys does them as well. You can freeze them for later too- or at least I have in the past.

Have you got a slow cooker, or even a big oven casserole dish? If so you could bung on something easy and tasty like an enormous chickpea curry, and freeze it when it's done?

M&S are rubbish for veggie ready meals. Sainsbo's do a lentil berry pie which veggie DH likes, you can also get a few veggie pasta things, not much veggie on the Indian front though, which is annoying.

Pizzas, soups, jars of pesto (Sacla do a veggie pesto jar and the fresh one in Sainsbo's is veggie) and other pasta sauces. Jacket spuds with cheese and beans. Get is some cartons of passata and some garlic and you can knock up a very quick pasta sauce if you don't like the jars.

Batch cook some veggie bolognese (we do ours with puy lentils instead of mince) and freeze it.

Pies/quiches/tarts.

Best of luck with your op, OP, I'm not surprised you're feeling low, anyone would in your circumstances so go easy on yourself and have some big (((()))) and . Oh and a to go with them.

www.cookfood.net/

Bit more expensive than supermarket ones but much nicer (and less fake tasting) imho.

Most need to go in the oven rather than microwave. So not super quick but as easy as whacking them in the oven and leaving them for 45 minutes

I treated us to a delivery when I had surgery and very nice they were too.

There's a veggie section.

Hugs! I'm veggie and recently got a slow cooker, it's the best thing ever! Make a big batch of vegetable and lentil stew to freeze, it'll be easy to eat and comforting. My FIL often picks me up veggie ready meals from Waitrose, they have a better selection for vegetarians than M&S. Also, you can bake jacket potatoes ahead of time and freeze them. Or, prechop a load of veg and put them in freezer bags with a bit of soy sauce and 5 spice so you can knock up a stir fry. Pasta and rice dishes also freeze well.

www.cookfood.net/menu/main-meals/vegetarian-meals

Is there one of these near you? They are more expensive but the quality is excellent! (or you could steal their ideas of stuff that freezes well...)

Ah you poor thing, you have an awful lot on your plate just now.

DH is vegetarian and myself and DDs are not. And I do all the cooking... Bulk cooking and freezing is my answer.

Almost every time I cook Veggie meals, I cook enough for 3 or 4 days at one time. One day for now, maybe leftovers for next day, and 2-3 for freezer...

Could you cook a big batch of veg curry in advance, and freeze several containers of it? Likewise with some nutritious veg soups? Maybe freeze some nice bread at same time. I add chick-peas or red lentils to both to bump up the protein content.

Veg chili also freezes very well. And pasta bake freezes surprisingly well also.

Another short cut is M&S stir-fry. Straight from the bag to the wok, cooked in 5 mins. I usually cook 2 bags and DH has second portion on the second day.

I often buy Innocent veg pots as a standby incase I haven't got around to cooking or taking something out of the freezer for DH..

I am also facing surgery in February. I'm bulk cooking every meal at the moment. Freezer is nearly full.. I plan on next to no cooking for about 3-4 weeks.

Do you have a slow cooker?
Eat Quorn?
Veggie curries, mushroom stroganoff. ...you would have to add the sour cream later but can freeze the main part
Veggie fajitas
Oven baked mushrooms filled with cheese
Pizza, quiche, tart all served with salad or veg
Garlic bread?
Hope all goes well

Oh you poor thing!

I know everything seems so much harder/more of an effort/just too difficult when you are ill or recovering from surgery. A nice tasty warm meal can lift your spirits such a lot.
Supermarket internet shopping is the way to go for ease and convenience for you. Sainsburys have a huge range of vegetarian meals, just tap "vegetarian" into their search box, and start clicking.
Don't worry too much about freezing things in advance, you can always book another delivery when your stocks are running low.

and don't forget the medicinal qualities of

Gits! You can get them at Tesco in the Indian food aisle - they are Indian boil in the bag meals and take 3 - 5 minutes. And the brand name is Gits which makes it even better. They're all 100% vegetarian.

I've had to rely on OH cooking before (he can't boil an egg) so M&S meals are good (and they have lots of nice veggie ones) ... I quite like these veggie mince packets (add water and heat) which make pretend spag bol or chilli ... even OH can make them ... oh and lots of salads and sandwiches ... he is master of them! When he runs out of ideas its biscuits or cake but its only temporary so just roll with it.

ok, poor you. firstly buy some veggie sausages, a bag of frozen mash (or 2) a couple of the big yokshire puds and a jar of gravy granules. cook sausages and freeze then this makes a good comfort food dinner with the saus mash york pud and some frozen veg. two... make a pan of soup, butternut squash spiced up is delicious also tomato and get DP to get a crusty baguette and some nice cheese one day. (tinned soup good too) three... a jar of pasta sauce poured over quorn meatballs and cooked in a pan serve with ready done noodles, four... frozen pizzas and a bag of ready salad. five... send him out for fish and chips or do quorn mince in a pasta sauce topped with the frozen mash. stock up on nice fruit / juices / eggs ( for dippy egg and soldiers etc) and some nice bread and look after yourself

I am a bit of a physical wreck at the moment and have invested heavily in Heinz tomato soup for myself and DS.

Other ready meals I like include macaroni cheese and cauliflower cheese.

Although I just had a crunchie

Oh and you can get microwave chips and make chip butties.

now I want a chip buttie

seriously though - hope things get better for you soon

Frozen Mediterranean veg mix from Sainsbos makes lovely pasta sauce.

Chuck a bagful in a roasting dish & cook for 25 mins, then empty onto a board & roughly chop. Add to a pan of chopped onions & garlic that have been softened in oil along with a tin or two of chopped tomatoes & some dried Italian herbs.

Lovely with pasta or jackets & lots of grated cheddar.

Maybe make up some cauli/broccoli cheese & nice chunky veg soup - chopped onion, carrots, leeks & pots simmered in veg stock with whatever seasonings you fancy, then blitz half & stir it back in to thicken with some frozen peas & sweetcorn & maybe a swirl of double cream.

Forget to say, hope things are looking brighter for you all soon .

Filled pasta is a good standby it can be frozen too and cooked directly from frozen. I like the tesco veggie sausages.

You could buy and freeze some chunky soups. M&S do some good veggie soup like their Borlotti Bean and Kale.