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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To feed my child "ready" meals.

43 replies

Hando · 03/12/2009 12:59

We are not particulary well off, but my one snobbery is food. I would rather go without expensive clothes, holidays etc and make sure we all eat healthy, good quality food.

I always try and cook from scratch (well I try, I am a bit of a disaster in the kitchen). We usually eat things like Spag Bol. Curries, Shepherds pie, Lasagne. Nothing exciting, but homemade. If I buy things like sausages I always buy the best ones (taste the difference in Sainsbos) as the thought of eating 45% meat value sausages makes me gag. Same with mince etc, the best available.

Dd has one quick meal a week when she goes to her GP's for dinner as they always give her a frozen meal - fidh fingers, potato waffles etc. It's only once a week though, so won't do her any harm and it's nice for them to have her for the evening.

Anyway. i have found Annabel Karmels ready meals. These could come in handy for me for when I'm working late and no time to knock up a home cooked meal. Are they really that great? Packaging makes me think they're fabby and nothing like normal ready meals... but my head screams "ewww".

AIBU to believe Annabel Karmel - or is she lying to us all?

I have a new job and am now very busy

OP posts:

WreckOfTheHesperus · 03/12/2009 14:07

DD eats a variety of Annabel Karmel / Kiddlicious / M&S ready meals etc, and has done from about 1 year.

Oher than that we usually go for very simple dishes which you can do in a couple of minutes, like beans / egg / cheese / houmous / taramasalata on toast

I did used to beat myself up about the ready meal thing, but work full time in a stressful job, and am now happy giving higher priority to my sanity than home-cooking at the mo.

Meglet · 03/12/2009 14:12

I occassionally get my two the sainsburys or AK ready meals. Saves making a mess / washing up when we're in a rush.

Otherwise it is all home cooked stuff. But sometimes I really can't be bothered with the faff of it all.

Undercovamutha · 03/12/2009 14:13

I very occasionally give DD (3.5) the M&S ready meals (maybe once a month, if DH and I have bought a pizza from there for a saturday night). I don't think they're brilliantly healthy but have fooled myself they are better than Asda's!
However, we have recently stopped eating dinner all together as it was getting too traumatic with DS's (8mo) constant screaming/food throwing, and DD was too tired after nursery school to wait until DH came home. As a result I was very concerned that either the DC or DH and I would stop eating properly cos I really wasn't up for constantly cooking 2 or 3 different meals each night.
So what I did was invest in a slow cooker. 3 or 4 days a week I cook something like stew, bolognese, goulash, chilli (without the spices for DCs) sausage casserole (DDs favourite), which the DCs have at 5 and I keep the food warm in the slow cooker for us until 7ish. I always make WAY more than we need, and because these are 'all in one' kind of meals I freeze several portions of them for both DD and DS (his are blended) for later in the week (when perhaps me and DH are having something less suitable).
I think this is a much more cost effective and healthy way of doing things. And slow cookers are great. However, don't kill yourself worrying about a bit of bad food. I think as long as it is in moderation and you can be sure that they are also eating plenty of fruit and veg, then it is fine.

macdoodle · 03/12/2009 14:17

oh FGS whats wrong with a sandwhich, beans on toast, egg and chips, pasta and jar/packet of sauce etc
You sound totally neurotic about food relax or you'll pass a complex on!

abra1d · 03/12/2009 14:23

We have these. WHy not? If you normally eat a good healthy diet with plenty of vegetables and fruit there's no reason why one or two ready meals a week will do you any harm.

I agree about the oven chips--nothing bad in them. Also some pasta sauces: I'm looking at one that's just tomatoes,oil,garlic, basil, sugar, salt, lemon and pepper. Nothing there I wouldn't use myself.

Blondeshavemorefun · 03/12/2009 14:38

i dont see the harm in these meals

anything that makes a working mums life easier has got to be good

i cook fresh every day for my charges as that is my job and i am paid to previde healthy meals - saying that though, sure mb wouldnt flip if i was in a major rush+brought/used one

as others have said jacket pot with cheese/tuna, beans on toast, pasta and tom/basil sauce are all quick as well

cook - have a childs range that are nice

most kids meals are made with no artificial flavours etc - so either choose kiddy range from M&S, sains etc

Maleeka · 03/12/2009 16:45

I agree with you macdoodle, from the sounds of some of these posts, i'd be shot at dawn for giving my son some spaghetti with a jar of dolmio poured over it!

Made my own pasta sauce once, he looked at me like i was serving poison so out came the old faithfull

Its his fav meal by the way, and finally finding something my over fussy son enjoys eating, is a dream come true. If i tried to give him sardines, he'd probably call childline!

We do try to tempt him with new foods all the time, which are very hit and miss, as "they taste horrible" is his fav line even tho said new food hasnt even touched his lips yet!

I work in a nursery and am very of the kids who happily eat raw brocolli, peppers, cauliflower with maybe some humous, (sp?) to dip it into, while i know my son is having the same old ham sandwich which is boring but i know he will eat it.

NightShoe · 03/12/2009 16:49

I'd freeze some meals myself, much of the stuff you already make is freezable. I tried DD once with an annabel karmel meal in an emergency, she would not touch it for love nor money. TBH, it looked like crap and tasted like crap.

NestaFiesta · 03/12/2009 17:12

Well baked beans are from a can and they're perfectly OK. I have used ready meals occasionally and feel no guilt- just add some frozen peas etc. Frozen veg is more nutritious than fresh veg that's a few days old.

Its all about balance. For every day I wouldn't consider it but sometimes handy to have a few in for a standby. Don't beat yourself up about it OP- think of the stuff we were brought up on!

lilacclaire · 03/12/2009 17:12

superquick favourite here is some pasta, brocoli and one of those frozen packets of fish in parsley sauce all mixed together.

ImSoNotTelling · 03/12/2009 17:21

When new pots are around it's easy. They don't need peeling and cook so quickly. So rinse new pots and couple of carrots under tap, sling in pan, cover water, boil.

Serve with a bit of butter melted over with whatever takes your fancy - chop, ham, fishfinger, boiled egg, steak etc etc etc anything.

Piece of piss yet at the same time feels terribly wholesome and a bit posh

MamaVoo · 03/12/2009 17:23

I'm loving the fact that some folk consider it 'risque' to give a child oven chips. I'm surprised there are any posters on MN. Surely you are all in the kitchen batch cooking nice organic meals?

YANBU.

LisaD1 · 03/12/2009 17:37

I seriously don't see any issue with a child eating a ready meal occassionally, or a Macdonalds, or chips, or any other kind of "junk" food. It's all about getting the balance right. I home make most of our food but sometimes, if I fancy a night off or the kids fancy something different/we're in a rush then where's the harm in something quick/easy/processed? If it were for every meal then sure, that wouldn't be great, not even going to say it would be wrong as for some kids anything would be better than nothing!

TheNattyPlus3 · 03/12/2009 17:38

my friend brought round 2 of these when i had my son. my kids wouldnt even try them and i must say they look awful.
ive taken to cooking after the kids have gone bed for me and DH saving a portion each for tomorrow. they then have that reheated and i cook for me and DH when they are in bed. (and save a portion..and so on)

alway meant to try batch cooking but i never know how to reheat them can anyone enlighten me? can i microwave them from frozen like ready meals or do they have to be defrosted first?

TheNattyPlus3 · 03/12/2009 17:39

they then have that reheated the next day that should read

oldfucker · 03/12/2009 17:43

Natty, I defrost in microwave then either reheat in there of in oven say if you want crispy top on Shepherds pie. There is no reason I suppose why you cant just go for straight re-heat as it will only be a small portion. To me its not different from a frozen ready meal. I just prefer to defrost first if I hadn't -bothered-- remembered to take out earlier

pointydogg · 03/12/2009 17:43

look at the ingredients labels

SantasKinkyKnickers0nMaHead · 03/12/2009 17:47

I agree with getting a slow cooker. Mine has been invaluable to me and have used it almost every day since I bought it, and, they are only a tenner in tesco.

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