Which microwave ready meals?

Diane60

Looking after ill parents and want to leave them something for the days I cannot call. Mum is in bed, Dad [EMAIL="hasn'@t"]hasn't[/EMAIL] heard of an oven!!
Which ready meals do you enjoy and are they good value?

Sublime_2

I rarely buy ready meals, but if I'm in the city, I occasionally grab a couple of M&S ones as they are actually nice for shop bought, and they often have 2 for £? offers.

chocdonuty

Why not make extra portions of your own meals and pop them in a tupperware box for your parents to just heat up in the microwave? I'm sure they will be more nutritious, healthier and cheaper than the shop bought variety.

earthmother

I only have a ready meal once or twice a month, but I like Youngs Admiral/Mariner pies, as they always seem to have more fish than supermarket versions (just add some veg, which can also be bought in microwaveable servings - look for frozen mixed veg sold as 'steamable').

For pasta - Birds Eye Lasagne is good. Other than slightly different sauces, Macaroni Cheese is pretty standard across the board.

There are also the simpler boil/nuke-in-the bag pieces, like fish in sauce, beef in gravy etc, that just want some veg adding.

PasturesNew

You would be better off making your own and taking them over there. You can pick up plastic takeaway boxes (10 for £1) from cheap shops/like Poundland and box up dinners.

Each one, boxed and put in their fridge would be good for 3-4 days and would just need microwaving for about 3 minutes.

I'd make:
- mince with veggies and mash
- sausage casserole
- cheese omelette, chips (yes, you can do this with omelettes!)
- chicken casserole
- curry/rice, chilli/rice (although in later years some people can't eat spicy foods)
- cheese & potato pie (with or without onion)
- macaroni cheese
- sausage and mash, with or without beans

I'd also put in a separate box of scone dumplings, if they like them. These are great on top of mince or casseroles.

I'd also make up some salad boxes, box of each item so they can pick and choose. These should be OK (not wilting) for 2-3 days:
- pasta
- grated cheese
- sliced cucumber
- cherry tomatoes
- boiled eggs (leave them in the shells)
- potato salad
- multipack of crisps
- cold sausages
- sliced meats
- grated carrot

And maybe some sandwich fillers. I'd get a long-life loaf (about 80p and they last for 10 days) and do some small pots of:
- tuna, mayo, sweetcorn
- egg, saladcream
You can also buy small tins of sandwich filler, which last for months/years, mostly tuna-based and in the fish aisle.

I'd also get them some pots of jam and peanut butter.

Bananas last well too, so big bunch of bananas.

Home made soups are a good idea too.

I think you need to start with what they like eating, then see what's easiest/quickest to prepare and take it from there.

skiTTish

M&S ones are nice but most are oven-able only and some of them are faffy and complicated ,you may aswell cook from scratch (ie : put one thing in the oven for 10 mins then add something else for another 5 etc etc )
Asda do some nice vegetarian microwave meals in case you are worries about him not heating them up for long enough .( the spinach cannelloni and vegetable shepherds pie is nice )

Eenymeeny

You might not have thought about tinned food as a back up? Dad enjoys Tesco's Irish stew and chunky soups which he can easily heat up himself.

elvis86

PasturesNew wrote: »

You would be better off making your own and taking them over there. You can pick up plastic takeaway boxes (10 for £1) from cheap shops/like Poundland and box up dinners.

Each one, boxed and put in their fridge would be good for 3-4 days and would just need microwaving for about 3 minutes.

I'd make:
- mince with veggies and mash
- sausage casserole
- cheese omelette, chips (yes, you can do this with omelettes!)
- chicken casserole
- curry/rice, chilli/rice (although in later years some people can't eat spicy foods)
- cheese & potato pie (with or without onion)
- macaroni cheese
- sausage and mash, with or without beans

I'd also put in a separate box of scone dumplings, if they like them. These are great on top of mince or casseroles.

I'd also make up some salad boxes, box of each item so they can pick and choose. These should be OK (not wilting) for 2-3 days:
- pasta
- grated cheese
- sliced cucumber
- cherry tomatoes
- boiled eggs (leave them in the shells)
- potato salad
- multipack of crisps
- cold sausages
- sliced meats
- grated carrot

And maybe some sandwich fillers. I'd get a long-life loaf (about 80p and they last for 10 days) and do some small pots of:
- tuna, mayo, sweetcorn
- egg, saladcream
You can also buy small tins of sandwich filler, which last for months/years, mostly tuna-based and in the fish aisle.

I'd also get them some pots of jam and peanut butter.

Bananas last well too, so big bunch of bananas.

Home made soups are a good idea too.

I think you need to start with what they like eating, then see what's easiest/quickest to prepare and take it from there.

What a lovely, thoughtful post.:) Some great ideas too, might steal those for myself!:D

bubblegumcola

Agree with other poster, if you can cook some meals for them and perhaps freeze some then that would be cheaper. If you are stuck for time but want some decent ready meals how about trying your local butcher. I have one a few miles down the road in Hamilton (can't remember the name) and they have a really big selection of different meals. There's one my Dad goes to in Perth, Howies, they do ready meals. They are expensive but he gets them as a treat once in a while if he can't be bothered cooking.

pixie76

Birdseye do good beef , turkey ,lamb or chicken dinners and Asda does quite good chilled( not frozen) meals. Stock up on some tins of soup and bread rolls for them as quite filling.

maman

I leave micro meals for OH when I'm eating out in the evening. As an alternative to HM, his favourites are WW Ocean Pie or Spincah & Ricotta Canneloni.