Do you eat ready meals regularly?

[RedRosette2023]

Following from another thread - I heard a statistic the other day that said up to 90% of people regularly consume ready meals. As in, in a plastic container and from the microwave or oven.

I sense that MN is quite middle class so likely not representative of the whole of the country. But I was surprised by that statistic.

I genuinely can’t remember the last time I ate a ready meal. I occasionally gave eldest DC an Ella tray when they were weaning, a meal I could keep in my changing bag and have handy in case we were out over tea time. My youngest refused any pouches etc so he has never had one. He’s always just eaten what we’ve eaten and taught me baby food is totally unnecessary, albeit convenient at times.

I am coeliac so it’s possible my habits have been formed due to necessity - I would struggle to pick up a ready meal I can eat with ease. M&S do some and I think GF ones slightly more available now but I just don’t buy them.

I’m also not a SAHM Mum, I work a pressured job four days, my DH works away mostly during the week, I use hello fresh etc 3-4 days. But I always find time for a meal. My ready meal is something batch cooked out the freezer.

No judgment - just genuinely interested.

Always cook from scratch, batch cook/freeze.

What's unhealthy?
Mince beef contains protein, zinc and certain B vitamins to name but a few.

Are you saying if you don’t use ready meals you must be excelling in every single area of life. Interesting take.

Yes me. Some of them do taste nice and they don’t come in a plastic tray. Please don’t judge me. I can cook from scratch but often can’t be bothered.

This morning I made chicken and veg soup. It took about 15 minutes(max) to peel and dice swede, carrots and potatoes. Added stock cubes, mixed herbs, 2 tins chopped tomatoes, frozen veg, water and dumped chicken on top. Boiled and simmered it 1 hour while I did other stuff. Result - enough soup for 2 for today and loads left over for the freezer. Yes - microwave meals mean you don't have to plan ahead and cook quickly but home made soup with thick bread is easy, filling and really nutritious. Not sure about anything in a plastic tray.....

I used to ready meal 98% of the time until I discovered Gousto. I worked in Waitrose five days a week and it was just too easy to pick up a meal (with staff discount!) and have that than get home and start prepping. Now work in a much more pleasant environment than retail and finish earlier. Still haven’t made the leap to full on cooking and I doubt I will so Gousto is a good compromise for me.

A lot of people buy the cheap nasty packs from the supermarket and then dish it up to their children each day

The trouble is, it's very expensive to cook from scratch every day and exclude all the things being criticised here.

I buy organic and free range meat only, so I'm really trying to avoid animal cruelty and eating antibiotics etc. I only buy organic vegetables and dairy products. I cook from scratch, make my own bread from organic flour. But I live in the countryside, my nearest shop is an organic farm shop ( otherwise a 30 minute drive to a supermarket), I don't have kids and I only work ( at home) part time. So it's easy for me.

I will say though that jarred pasta sauces are really crap and it's so much healthier to make your own, it takes moments really. Tin of tomatoes, an onion, some basil ( or basil oil). Chopped aubergine if you feel like it, or chopped bacon.

What is wrong with mince?

We like the jar sauces so no inclination to make my own.

What is wrong with mince?

It has been ultra-processed in the mincing machine.

@GwendolenAbott

lol just you wait til your kids get to uni and live off the ready meals, pizza and pot noodle

Ultra processing mince? I take some beef, put it throw a mincer and that is ultra processed? No.

You want to eat MacDonalds where the burger you eat has bits from 200 plus animals. That's UPF.

And the cheapest beer they can find!

Ultra processing mince? I take some beef, put it throw a mincer and that is ultra processed? No.

I wasn’t being serious!

"Dry pasta depending on the type takes 7-9 minutes to cook. While the pasta is cooking, you make the sauce. I can have a creamy pasta with a side salad in 15 minutes with leftovers for later in the day or the next day depending on when I have it."

I don't like al dente so it's at least 12 minutes for me and I have an electric stove so warming up time as well. It's also a lot more hassle and you're still eating processed food.

"Ultra processing mince? I take some beef, put it throw a mincer and that is ultra processed? No."

I don't think most people are mincing their own are they?

I'll bite as I fit some of your criteria (sadly no 100k job and my house is far from spotless) but the fact that you view someone else's choices as a criticism of your own says more about you than me. I get up at 6 30 leave the house at 7 40 and generally get home for 18 00. DH is home at 17 30 so he does dinner. At least one, if not all of us are out most nights. Might not be everyone's choice but we all enjoy playing sports (DC are between 10 and 17).

I meal plan every week and I have always cooked from scratch. It's what I know. I batch cook generally for our meals in the week - spag bol, macaroni cheese with roasted veg, butter chicken curry etc so there is always something pre-made in the freezer if we need it. I always make enough for two meals so one lot can go in the freezer. My DC do various clubs so whatever we eat needs to be available at different times to be reheated if needed. Sometimes we'll have quick meals such as eggs on toast, savoury pancakes, jacket potatoes etc. On a Friday we'll have a junk tea - homemade chips, fish fingers and beans etc.

We have a bread maker and we put bread on whilst making dinner so that I can use it for sandwiches for packed lunches the following morning. My DC also have Greek yogurt and frozen berries with oats and honey. I make a cake/flapjack/meringue on the weekends too so that they can go in packed lunches during the week along with a piece of fruit. We only have porridge or muesli for breakfast. They can have toast, homemade smoothies, eggs etc if they wanted them but I don't have time to prepare them myself.

I have various gadgets which make life easier - air fryer, kitchen aid, magimix and instant pot. I use them all very regularly.

It can be a chore and we do eat some pre-prepared stuff sometimes but I had found lots of UPF had snuck into our diet so I've made a conscious choice not to eat it. My weight is stable, I feel so much better in myself and I don't have cravings for sugar as much now.

@Bumdealoftheweek I too would like some tips! I manage the exercise and home cooked meals bit and DC swims, but the house is messy and my boss underpays us all. I think most people can manage a few from the list clean and tidy house/exercise/home cooked meals/extracurriculars alongside our fulltime jobs, but something has to give!

I agree it’s expensive. I keep a stock of homemade pasta sauce. I use onion, celery, carrots, tomatoes, garlic for my ‘base’ sauce and I doubt you can make it for the £1 or whatever it is for a pasta sauce from Lidl or Aldi.

My DH either can’t (or more likely) won’t attempt to cook and so we have the odd jar. He probably cooks about once every quarter. If it were down to him kids would 100% live off ready meals. I have made him promise me to feed them vegetables if I die. He just doesn’t value food and nutrition. He enjoys eating and always thanks me re my cooking but he doesn’t value it enough prioritise it himself.

@Hubblebubble i cheat and have a cleaner every week. I do manage to squeeze exercise into my lunch break when I WFH twice a week. Then the odd YouTube workout when the kids are in bed. I’ve managed to very carefully plan my time and mould my working life/personal life. My DH works away and I have to plan meticulously. I am also very fortunate to have a flexible job, tbh covid has helped in that my job move to hybrid working.

I don't buy ready meals but keep homemade portions of things like chilli, pasta bakes, curry, soups, and stews in the freezer. I always cook big quantities so at least half goes in the freezer for another day.

@RedRosette2023 I think a cleaner might be the solution then! Fingers crossed I'll be getting a pay rise at my upcoming pay reviews. I'm fully remote with flexitime, but I still find housework a never ending slog.

What's the definition of regularly?

I had a ready meal yesterday but that was due to being ill so grabbing whatever I could to chuck in the oven.

I'd say I probably have a ready meal once a month on average?

@Hubblebubble i think it seems more demanding when you WFH because you notice it. When I’m i. the office all day the kids mess etc wouldn’t be getting any attention. The cleaner helps as they do the big jobs and it just takes the pressure off!

I don’t understand this argument, feed them crap now and let them suffer the effects of that because they might choose it later? Even if they do, they’ll grow out of the student stage eventually and it will be good for them to already know how to cook and eat properly. Plus a lot of teens/young people are very health conscious nowadays anyway - there’s a big culture of going to the gym and they drink a lot less than previous generations. When I was at uni we originally only had microwaves to cook with in our halls but people got sick of ready meals and eventually hobs were installed by popular demand so we could cook properly.