To use ready meals for the kids often?

[Eekkeed]

My oven has broken and I can’t replace it just yet, the job still works but I find cooking really stressful so I’m going to get a microwave to use just for the mean time but I also quite bad mental health issues going on atm, I have ocd which can make cooking and washing up a really really long and stressful process- I am working on the MH issues but in the mean time, would it be awful to give my kids ready meals for dinner a few times a week?

Something like a ready made cottage pie/fish pie/slag Bol (they’d probably have half each) served with one of those frozen steam bags of veg or the frozen microwaved jacket potatoes with either tuna or cheese, micro rice and veg with pre cooked chicken, that sort of thing

Lunches are usually healthy, hummus crackers ,cucumbers carrots etc and snacks are usually fruit- apples/strawberries. theu have weetabix and fruit or peanut butter toast for breakfast.

Atm meal times are such a mess and I end up just ordering food way more often than I’d like, I’ve definitely fallen into some bad habits with takeaways and a lot of picnic plates for dinners

Spag bol not slag Bol

That is absolutely fine. It sounds pretty healthy to me. Cut yourself some slack. You are doing your best and your children are getting everything they need

Of course not. Ready meals are fine with some veg. I hope you are in a better place soon @Eekkeed, take care

That sounds perfectly fine to me! The frozen jackets are great too. You can also cook pasta on your hob easily and buy jar sauce. So long as its all balanced (which is definitely sounds like) then its all fine!

Yeh that's fine OP. Better than a takeaway!

It's fine. Ready meals are often a bit salty but balance it out over a week and you won't have issues. My lazy meals include noodles and peas with whatever sliced meat from fridge. Pan just really needs rinsing; perhaps the bar is low in our house :)

Twice a week is fine, choose healthy ones and serve with plenty of veg!

It’s a no brainer, it’s fine

Nothing wrong with it at all. It sounds perfectly fine.

Sounds fine!!

Sometimes when I really CBA mine get

Super noodles (I just don't put much of the powder in), with peas sweetcorn and maybe cashews on chopped up Quorn in

Basic oven pizza with salad on side

Crumpets with carrots sticks/cheese on the side

Cream on tomato soup, toast and whatever else we have on the side!!

Fresh ravioli/tortellini

Spaghetti hoops on toast with a bit of grated cheese

They're 2 and 4...... I find that the less effort I make the more likely they are to eat it.

As long as they've had some protein , calcium (cheese, yoghurt) and some form or fruit or veg THEY WILL BE FINE

How old are they? If they’re little, the toddler ready meals probably have less salt in them. Your plan sounds better than regular takeaways. More important to have a parent who’s managing than optimal nutrition IMO.

It might cost you a fortune OP. Try beans and toast, Jacket potatoes, sandwiches, corn beef and couscous. Scrabbled eggs. Things like this along side.

Don’t write off ‘on toast!’
Microwave scrambled eggs on toast
Beans on toast
Tinned plum tomatoes on toast
Cheese on toast
Avocado on toast
All perfectly acceptable from time to time.
Fresh pasta cooks in 4 mins, add some frozen peas/sweetcorn, cream cheese, smoked salmon or chopped ham.

I use loads of the things you've mentioned and don't consider them bad foods! Microwave rice/frozen jacket spuds are brilliant time savers. Perfect portion sizes too. Maybe slightly more expensive than uncooked rice/potatoes but cheaper than takeaways. Sounds fine what you're doing.

How old are the kids? My local aldi do two kids microwave meals - ones a spag bol and the other is macaroni cheese - it’s has hidden carrots in which makes me feel less guilty 🤷🏼‍♀️ My four year old fusspot likes it. Probably wouldn’t be enough for older kids though.

I agree with Aldi ready meals but try Iceland too. There RM are amazingly good

Sounds like you're doing an amazing job!

It's not a great way of feeding children but might work temporarily. Problem is weaning them back off bland foods after so give a good variety. Don't forget to make sure they get their 5 a day and you should balance it out a bit.

Make sure the ready meals are for the microwave and not just oven - made that mistake for my mother’s shopping with one of her meals - carers didn’t notice either though for 3 months and no one dies or even complained!
My mum, as many people who need carers, has to have nearly all microwave meals due to the limited timeframe carers have - they even weirdly microwave cheese on toast 🤢 - she is fine on this so don’t worry - keep it simple and manageable.

I second the pps who suggested Iceland. They do some meals in bags so you can take out what you need. There are also microwavable baked potatoes , served with cheese and veg or baked beans they make a great meal. Someone else mentioned ....on toast. Its even better with wholemeal or seeded bread.

My dc would ask why h ready meal are we having tonight.

Your suggestions sound good enough.

= which

Hope you are doing ok and you seem like such a caring mum and not easy when us mum's have no support. That all sounds ok and much better than expensive takeaways. Another good option is wholemeal rice in microwave packs and add tuna etc in as brown rice healthy and good. Be kind to yourself and you are doing great. Once they are eating lots of the veg slices raw carrots, spinch leaves, sweet corn great as kids usually like that and apples etc. No one really understands how hard it can be when parenting alone unless going though it. Wishing you well and hope you get some support.

Thanks, things on toast is a good idea too, they’re 8 and 5 I’m lucky with the 8 year old because he’d happily eat piles of raw veg all day so it’s really easy with him to keep his diet healthy the younger one is a bit fussier he’ll have veg but only plain cooked carrots peas and broccoli, he does love scrambled eggs and jacket potatoes so those are good reasonably healthy ideas for ideas for him

Op as long as they get something fresh...

Think about getting an air fryer. the name is misleading.
You can roast in it as well as everything else.
I got one when my oven broke and still use it all the time.