What meals are "worth" making yourself?

calleyw

Bogof_Babe wrote:

Hope I haven't caused upset here - was just joining in the OP's original question from my viewpoint, and got a bit carried away.

I rarely buy ready meals, although I did when I was working full time. My parents thrive (literally) on them, as at 90 and 86 they are incapable of preparing anything from scratch. They appreciate those little bags of steam-in-the-microwave veg, and it is better than no veg at all, which would be the situation otherwise as they can't be bothered to put a meal together nowadays - no criticism there, they are both in very poor health and arthritic.

I suppose I was just playing devil's advocate - sorreeee .

No you did not upset me.

In a few cirucmstances using ready made items to make a meal or ready meals is not a problem like in your parents case. Before my MIL died of cancer she had meals on wheels so that she got at least one hot meal a day. As we know that she did not eat much and saved her from making it.

I know some people buy ready meals as they live alone and find they eat less by using them.

But for a lot of people they say it is to much work or they don't have the time to cook real meals.

Really.

As I was cooking lunch yesterday put the oven on about an hour earlier and cooked a gammon that will do a few meals for us. Also bunged in rice pudding, a cake in a loaf tin and some fairy cakes. As well as cooking sunday lunch and some jacket pots for tea today.

As well as making a my first bunch of yoghurt. It really did not take that long. Bunged the the cake in my mixer.

Once in the oven is there it not much more to do apart from keep looking at it. As well as 2 sink loads of washing up. And tumble drying 3 lots of washing as it decided to rain. And my rack is still not back up yet :mad:

It took me about and hour and half to do all of that including prep. Not much else I could do as it was raining.

I suppose I could have vegged out in front of the telly if I had one. As long as my health allows me to be able to do this I will. As it saves money as meals are planned and it means I can have some scrummy meals as well.

As I said it is each to there own. People have to do what they think is best in there own cirumstances.

I wasn't trying to say that you must have home made. And that you are bad person or parent if you don't cook all your meals from scratch. If you don't have the time or health to be able to do it then you can't.

Yours

Calley

Loadsabob

Badgergal wrote:

Hello all, I'm new, but found this thread very interesting.

Loadsabob, what is the recipe for the macaroni cheese you costed? Sounds goood! I'm always on the look out for cheap and easy(ish) recipes...

ta very much!

Oh blimey, I'm terrible for quantities! As luck would have it, I made last night's one using Delia's all-in-one cheese sauce recipe, so I have a better idea than usual of how much of everything I used. I use wholewheat everything these days, and organic dairy, but of course feel free to not! This would make a good meal for four, as I've slightly upped the macaroni from what I had, to match the huge amount of cheese sauce Delia's recipe generated!!

Wholewheat Macaroni Cheese

Cook 225g wholewheat macaroni in large pan of water (though reduce the cooking time by a few minutes, as it should still have a little "bite" when it goes in the oven). You may fid you need a little more macaroni if you're not using wholewheat (which I find at my local healthfood store), as the wholewheat is particularly filling.

Meanwhile, finely chop one large onion, fry lightly in a little olive or preferred oil. Add chunkily chopped 300g mushrooms, keeping on heat until mushrooms have softened (or coloured, if you like them to have "caught" a little, as I do!).

Add drained macaroni, when ready, to mushrooms and onions, and leave to one side while you make the cheese sauce. I used a pint of Delia's all-in-one cheese sauce method found here . (I usually start by making a roux, but thought I'd try this all-in-one method. I didn't find it easier, to be honest, because there was just lots of whisking instead of stirring!) I used organic wholewheat self raising flour, as I didn't have plain, and it worked fine. I add about an inch of mustard, too. I only had medium cheddar, so of course had to use more than Delia recommends. I would tend to use all farmhouse mature cheddar, not parmesan...

Mix the cheese sauce with the onions, mushrooms and macaroni, then transfer to large ovenproof / pyrex dish (I use a round pyrex one with snowflake pattern, like the one my Mum used during my 70s childhood! But I think any such dish will do!). Slice two medium tomatoes and arrange over the top. Then about two handfuls of breadcrumbs with a handful of grated cheese and sprinkle this over the tomato. Place in over on 180c for about 15 minutes, until top beginning to brown, and sauce bubbling around the edges.

We serve this with crispy smoked bacon. My boyfriend has about six rashers, chopped and fried, and I use four "rashers" of the veggie fake bacon. We just have the bacon on the side.

Hope this works for you! I find using wholewheat flour, breadcrumbs and macaroni makes it even tastier than when I used to use white everything. My HM bread has pumpkin and sunflower seeds in, so some of these end up in the breadcrumbs, which gives even more taste.

Badgergal

Thank you very much for such a speedy and detailed reply, it sounds delish. Have duly printed it all off along with Delia's recipe and it will be joining the printouts of recipes currently adorning my fridge.

I've only got white macaroni in at the mo, so I'll use that up first, but I'll let you know how I get on. I might give freezing portions a go so I have my own "ready meals".

Badgergal

Mmmm thanks for that recipe tried it last night and it was yummy. Definitely one worth making. I've got it for lunch today too!

raeble

Loadsabob wrote:

Some recipes call for milk powder. You don't NEED it, but if you want it, one box of the stuff lasts ages. So if you were using non-organic (perhaps Value?) flour, white sugar not honey, table salt instead of sea salt, and sunflower oil for the fat, I think the loaf from your bread machine would compare VERY favourably costwise, as well as tastewise! I guess you just play with the ingredients until you find a loaf that tastes the way you want it AND gives you a saving on what you would have previously spent on bread...and then you have the pefect loaf!

Get yourself to that breadmaker!! You won't look back!

I always leave out the milk powder because I find that the bread rises more with it than without (you don't want bread rising too much in a bread maker - it comes out of the pan and you have to keep pricking it), so it would be useful if you weren't using proper bread flour.

lipidicman

Im trying with the homemade. However I had a look at a Morissons Ready curry I had in the freezer the other day - and I couldnt find a single ingredient that I objected to on the list. No partially hydrogenated, monosodium glutamate nonsense (thats in the stock cubes that lots of home-cooks use). These curries are all made by the big indian run outfits and are pretty good quality. OK they may be high in salt, but as I dont have high blood pressure salt is not a concern to me (there is no hard evidence about salt anyway). Also I dont eat them every day. And as I picked it up for 99p in the reduced section (from £2.39) it was pretty good value - certainly easier on the system than a takeaway.

catznine

I am always surprised (when being nosy and looking in other peoples trolleys ) when I spot things that are traditionally made from leftovers, like the popular Shepherds Pie - used to be made from the minced up leftovers of the previous days roast. Or Bubble and Squeak - left over cabbage, onions and mash. I can understand when it is something involved and time consuming or when it is a fantastic bargain but personally I prefer the taste of home made.

Magentasue

lipidicman wrote:

Im trying with the homemade. However I had a look at a Morissons Ready curry I had in the freezer the other day - and I couldnt find a single ingredient that I objected to on the list. No partially hydrogenated, monosodium glutamate nonsense (thats in the stock cubes that lots of home-cooks use). These curries are all made by the big indian run outfits and are pretty good quality. OK they may be high in salt, but as I dont have high blood pressure salt is not a concern to me (there is no hard evidence about salt anyway). Also I dont eat them every day. And as I picked it up for 99p in the reduced section (from £2.39) it was pretty good value - certainly easier on the system than a takeaway.

I buy ready meals sometimes when I'm snowed under with work. I usually have a ready made pizza and a couple of cauliflower cheese meals in the freezer and as you say they're cheaper than takeaways. But, even if they are relatively free of additives they're also fairly free of nutrition too. I don't feel guilty when I eat them but I don't feel I've had a good meal either. Sometimes I don' teven feel full!

squeaky

That's the main reason why I cook for the freezer. That way, on days when I really don't feel like cooking, I can grab a ready made meal (ready made by me) and just nuke it. Best of both worlds, instant grub, no additives, and at least reasonably balanced and nutritious