I am surprised that the Choice article on supermarket ready meals (April 2024) mentions that home cooked meals are much cheaper and potentially better for you but does not go on to suggest how you can make your own ‘ready meals’.
I make a large batch of whatever I am home cooking and then store portions in the freezer in those rectangular butter / margarine containers (about the right size, and stackable). Then I have a great choice in my own kitchen. If the portion isn’t big enough, I just microwave some vegetables to go with it.
It may be second best - however?
When away or travelling and not wanting to eat out. We look for accomodation with at least a microwave option or kitchenette. Mix and match from salads to ready prepared vegetables in a microwave safe package, etc. There is no need to carry any or just a few extras, mostly impractical if flying.
As one who often travelled away for work, and being time limited. The appeal of eating out is not always there. However buying up on ingredients and throwing the unused flour, oil spices etc away every week or days is also wasteful and costly.
‘Ready’ or prepared meals at supermarkets tend to have a lot more salt, sugar, butter, and ingredients that we either wouldn’t use much of or wouldn’t add at all in the name of convenience making it a rare meal to be enjoyed at home in my humble opinion.
