Gluten free frozen meals

[Kari55]

Could you recommend a frozen ready meals company ? We have 2 babies and struggling to cook 🙈

[Hidden]

Hi Kari

I dont easy much ready meals but like to keep an Amy's cheese pasta in freezer for times i can't cook. I also like m&s gf lasagne (from fresh not freezer and freeze at home) .

M&S have a really good range.

[Regalbirdy]

Hi Kari55,

I‘ve found that ready meals don’t exist in the same range and variety as can be found in the gluten community. In my opinion, they are expensive; and often not too much better nutritionally than junk food.

If you are willing to take out a second mortgage, then some of the supermarket bought pizzas can be ok. I also occasionally used to eat Amy’s Frozen Macaroni cheese and some of Amy’s tinned soups (but please don’t assume that all the Amy branded foods are GF - they’re not!).

I know that you are under a lot of time pressures right now (good luck with those two babies!) but I think you may be better off sticking to making really simple meals such as a GF spaghetti bolognese (10-15 mins from cupboard to table - especially if a jar of sauce is used) and quick meals using beans, eggs and sausage, fish, quorn etc - which may also be just as fast as a heating up a frozen meal. Another simple meal is a jacket potato and Cheese/tuna etc.

Use the resulting savings to start 2 college funds - I promise it will soon add up!

[Cooper27]

Amy's kitchen do good GF meals although there are also a lot of "accidently" gluten free options - e.g. paella, curries etc.

Alternatively, you could look into freezer dump dishes/batch cooking. If you don't know what I mean, this is the idea:

whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/c...

Essentially you would jus spend a few hours pulling together as many pre-prepared dishes as possible. I'd suggest a slow cooker would make this easier.

I listened to an interview with a lady who managed to prepare enough meals to get her through her first year after her second baby arrived. She has a blog full of ideas (look up Fed and Fit)

[Kari55 in reply to Cooper27]

I haven’t got time for batch cooking 🙈

[Cooper27 in reply to Kari55]

I know it's a bit of a trade off, in the link, the meals aren't so much about batch cooking as they are about having the ingredients all in one bag, so all you'd have to do is drop in a slow cooker on the day you want to eat them. I think it's 50 meals from 4 hours of effort in that one. I know 4 hours is a huge time commitment, but is there anyone who could help out by babysitting for a few hours to let you get ahead?

[Kari55 in reply to Cooper27]

I will check it out. Nobody here to babysit unfortunately 😔

[Hidden in reply to Cooper27]

I think it's clear the poster has no time. Babysitter not a practical option for most, particularly in pandemic. I think the original question regarding ready made meal companies is an excellent 'bridge the gap' option. Babies leave little time for anything.

[Cooper27 in reply to Hidden]

I think babysitting is permitted now, as long as the kids are under 12? It's only a light suggestion I've floated out there, in case it helps.

[benmaise]

I don't normally have ready meals. The only one I I like is, M&S Macaroni cheese. It's lovely.

[debfinch]

Cook do a large range of gf meals for all ages. Bit pricey but really worthwhile, pretty healthy, more generous than supermarket equivalents, 10% off for new parents cookfood.net/

[MTCee]

I was looking into ready meals for my parents-in-law, who are beyond being able to cook for themselves anyMore and I came across a company called cookfood.net, who happen to have a good gluten free range and will deliver. Maybe this would be of help to you?

[blowinginthewind]

Since I first had kids - 38years ago, long before coeliac diagnosis - I have cooked meals to serve as many extra portions as I could, and frozen the left overs, usually as individual dishes. It is cheaper, easier and a lot less work. Doesn't take much longer either, and if you are freezing it, you can put frozen veg in. And the amount in your freezer mounts up quickly. Also, sometimes if you look at ingredients in supermarket ready meals, some are gluten free but not advertised as such.

[BrooklynGirl26]

I have been using BistroMD for dieting purposes. The company has a number of gluten free meals and snacks. They have other meal plans as well. The food is pretty good. It is on the expensive side but worth looking into. Good luck.

[Kari55 in reply to BrooklynGirl26]

Great will check it out!

[Hidden]

I've Googled and there are actually quite a few meal delivery companies claiming home delivery including the prepared meals (Wiltshire Farms) and those make-your-own food delivery boxes (possibly not want you want). Do a Google as and give it a go. I think delivered meals are an excellent idea if you are up against it with kids and time. Good luck.

[Kari55 in reply to Hidden]

Will check it out , thanks!