to consider living on ready meals from now on

[crochetmonkey74]

I HATE cooking and hate food shopping as well- last night as I popped into M and S for a food hall browse I pondered the idea of living on their ready meals from now on- does anyone do this? Do you get sick of it? Is it really expensive?

I live alone so no one else to consider meal plan wise- are there other shortcuts that are as easy but maybe a little more healthy/ frugal?

Oh and frozen veg are often better than fresh, as fresh veg vitamin content will deteriorate through the week (though of course you're still getting some, and all that lovely fibre), whereas frozen ones preserve their vitamin content for months

I know someone who did this for several months and ended up getting Gout. Possibly due to all the salt.

@IntermittentParps

I hear you, OP. I like food and actually like thinking of things to make/shopping/cooking BUT only if I have time and am not trying to think about it while also working. And that's rare! I'm keen on the idea of ready meals topped up with easy veg like baby spinach just wilted into them. Realistically I know I'd get bored with this though, and start to feel sluggish and unhealthy; I need a variety of veg and good whole grains/pulses to feel good.

Grazing on e.g. cooked chicken, pitta, olives etc also appeals but, again, realistically after a bit I get bored with picky foods; I feel uncomfortably full but also never quite as if I've eaten 'properly'!

I think Hello Fresh is rubbish, sorry; expensive, wasteful and silly (one lemon arriving; lots of plastic for little pouches of sauces etc).

What's the answer? Maybe a personal chef?

A personal chef is my lottery dream- and get my hair washed and blowdried every few days

Batch cook and treat yourself to a takeaway cavery or pub meal weekly
Ready meals have a lot of salt.
I'd imagine you'd be constipated.

I would do this if I lived on my own. 3 half chickens already cooked from M&S for £7, Two in the freezer and one for a couple of meals with salad. 3 packets of M&S smoked salmon for £10. M&S prawns with avocado and then all their gorgeous cold meats. Hot ready meals as and when with plenty of veg. Frozen veg contains more vitamins than the stale stuff in the supermarkets at the moment.

I couldn’t
They don’t taste that great TBH, specially the soups. There is always that strange aftertaste.

I buy a few mini bags of Aldi cheap cherry tomatoes, often I have poached eggs on toast. Maybe you could find s neighbour to share stuff with?
As someone said, lots of basic stuff like omelettes are very easy

@ClawedButler

Yes, there's nowt wrong with grazing type picnic-y foods. A bag of salad, some nice bread, a bit of pate or something, ready-made salads like cous-cous. Food doesn't have to be cooked to be tasty and nutritious.

Btw OP, I with you on stews. I'd eat one if that was all that was on offer, but would never choose it.

Now that's the sort of processed food that's acceptable to Mumsnetters.

No-one ever worries about the salt in bread, pate, hummus, olives, ham, cheese etc.

It would be expensive but relatively fine healthwise depending on which meals you choose.
Loads of M&S ready meals have good ingredients, some better than I might use at home, and at least they're portion controlled.
I think some posters have really weird ideas about ready meals.
An M&S curry probably has less calories and salt and fat than one made with a jar of paste (also processed food) at home. A lot of people I know seem to be happy using jars of sauce like Dolmio etc but then demonise "ready meals", it baffles me.

Mare, Dabbadrop food looks amazing. But isn't it basically like a takeaway that you have to heat up yourself? And at 328 a week, it's a takeaway for two people for £14 each, so not especially cheap… I got all excited thinking they sent you days' worth of food

Also, if you are anywhere near Wembley or Harrow there will be a no of Indian home cooks who will deliver fresh and healthy food Is that true? (I'm in north London and don't know those areas).

When DH used to go away with work pre-Covid I'd live off a mix of ready meals (the M&S arabbiata is indeed amazing) and grazing foods. Everyone's always all "batch cook" but if you don't like "wet" food or don't want to eat spag bol/curry/pasta sauce all the time it's a waste of effort.

I recommend frozen jackets done in the microwave and finished in the oven with tuna or cottage cheese.

One thing I know for sure is the next bloke I get- I want one that can cook! It must be heaven to come home to a dinner that has been made for you

Everyone's always all "batch cook" but if you don't like "wet" food or don't want to eat spag bol/curry/pasta sauce all the time it's a waste of effort.
I do batch-cook sometimes, but I agree about this; even curries etc that were lovely first time round just lose their appeal when they've been defrosted and reheated. They don't make me feel as nourished as when I eat them fresh, either. Maybe that's just psychological, but it does put me off them.

@Ellpellwood

When DH used to go away with work pre-Covid I'd live off a mix of ready meals (the M&S arabbiata is indeed amazing) and grazing foods. Everyone's always all "batch cook" but if you don't like "wet" food or don't want to eat spag bol/curry/pasta sauce all the time it's a waste of effort.

I recommend frozen jackets done in the microwave and finished in the oven with tuna or cottage cheese.

Frozen Jackets sounds goodcos I could buy the tuna sandwich filling in a pot, grated cheese etc I know I am sounding so lazy but I cannot get motivated at all- even if you said 'get a takeaway' there's nothing I fancy!

Not everything is made up of chemicals 😐

Literally EVERYTHING is made up of chemicals! 😂

@crochetmonkey74

One thing I know for sure is the next bloke I get- I want one that can cook! It must be heaven to come home to a dinner that has been made for you

It is excellent OP My ex never cooked, ever. I savour every last bite my bf cooks :)

@IamnotwhouthinkIam

I hate cooking too, am single and really wanted to do this - but then I watched a programme a while back that said the scientists have now proven that even "healthy" ready meals (low fat/ low salt/ low sugar with good amount of veg in) aren't good for you in the longer term if you eat a lot of them - because of the processed ingredients in them as pp mention. Apparently they can be nearly as bad as a high sugar or high fat diet for your health, which surprised me!

They suggested using ready washed and chopped frozen veg and fruit for quickness of preparation and batch cooking (then freezing) as good ways to speed things up. But I agree it's really annoying!

Didn't they also say that foods like cereal, baked beans, houmous, and other things like that are also highly processed?

Anything you don't make yourself from scratch is essentially the same as a ready meal. And by scratch I mean from single ingredients, things that don't have a list of other ingredients on them. Most staple foods are processed or highly processed.

I did this for tea for 2-3 weeks when I was very busy and trying to calorie count. It's much easier to see "450 kcal" on the pack than to weigh out every single ingredient and calculate it.

I ate freshly prepared food for lunch and fresh fruit for breakfast, and I still found I got bored of the ready meals quite quickly. I wouldn't recommend it long term.

I buy bags of frozen chicken breasts and salmon fillets. Just bung it in the oven with frozen veg then add salad, lemon juice, herbs or whatever. It's very convenient and probi cheaper and healthier than ready meals which I always find really disappointing.

And I know exactly what you mean about not being bothered to cook for one. The main thing that motivates me is knowing that I am a grumpy cow if I don't eat well.

Also, if you are anywhere near Wembley or Harrow there will be a no of Indian home cooks who will deliver fresh and healthy food Is that true? (I'm in north London and don't know those areas).

Yup. There was a thread on here a while ago that ended with a few north London MNers posting links. It’s a thing.

If you’re an Indian home cook in s London please get in touch

I would if just me and I had the money but I'd pick the healthy range and still cook some bits myself but the variety and calorie county would be easier with decent quality ready meals.

I wish I liked ready meals but they have a sort of orange gloopy aftertaste. Once I don't have to feed anyone else, and its only me, I'll live off three meals on rotation: mushrooms on toast, scrambled eggs, and crisps with prosecco.

ooh raven my ex never did- so I am holding out hope I get a nice one like yours!

@ClawedButler

Yes, there's nowt wrong with grazing type picnic-y foods. A bag of salad, some nice bread, a bit of pate or something, ready-made salads like cous-cous. Food doesn't have to be cooked to be tasty and nutritious.

Btw OP, I with you on stews. I'd eat one if that was all that was on offer, but would never choose it.

But all those picnic-y foods probably have more fat and calories in than most standard ready meals, though

Cheese, pate, olives, couscous or pasta salads - all full of salt and surprisingly high in fat.