How can I escape the "ready meal" trap?

If you live in London, there are twenty street markets to choose from. All have fresh fruit and vegetables. Some also sell fish and meat. All of it fresh and ready to cook.

Next time you go shopping, avoid the supermarket and instead take a trip down to your nearest street market. You'll be amazed just what's on offer. Yesterday I got a scoop of fresh tomatoes from my local street market for £1. There were 15 medium sized toms in it. Cannot get them for that price in the supermarket.

Home cooking is always best and that means cooking with fresh ingredients which you either buy or grow yourself. No plastic wrappings and no platic bags either. Street markets are GREEN and always have been. Just take along your own shopping bag and load up.

While you're out and about in the 'fresh air', you can even stop off and have a cup of coffee or tea. Another thing you get is the free exercise. All that walking about. Check out the army of pensioners who spend their time walking about, some in their late 80s. Keep fit and live well.

The link below will get you a list of London street markets.

http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_markets

pick one day in the month when you have nothing else to do...buy all the food you need to make your own meals and just cook all day...fill up the freezer with your own ready meals.

i must say having a chef for a husband is very naughty if your eating oven meals...why cant he cook for you sometimes...i know hes worked hard all night and comes home late but could he not have a cooking day with you too?

im an ex chef so know how hard it is to come home and cook...but once a month should be ok..lol

My hubby has been working away for a few weeks now and I know just what you mean.

I am going the same way, BUT using my own cooked *ready meals* out of the freezer. And I find I end up having the same thing two nights running too!

I used to do a lot of cooking for myself. Now that I tend to work evenings and only have a small kitchen (really a feeble excuse) I tend to rely more on ready meals. I suggest you get a copy of Delia Smith's book "One is Fun" because, no, cooking for one is really easy. She covers things like main course soups and double recipes, so you purchase ingredients for two recipes on one day. I can't accept that cooking for one is hard. Buy yourself some olive oil, butter, a box of eggs and anything else that takes your fancy. Provided that you already have some salt and pepper you have all the ingredients necessary to make a really nice omelette: it's the olive oil/ butter mixture and really hot fat that does the trick. Plan in advance and jacket potatoes are really easy. The only reason cooking for one is difficult is because of the availability of ready meals.

Be adventurous and experiment. Pancakes, like omelettes, are really easy and so adaptable. There's so much scope with sauces: I remember making a white wine and mushroom sauce for some plaice fillets. I'll have to get back to cooking for myself one day because I have fallen into the ready-meal trap.

It isn't difficult if you have to, and ready meals inevitably cost more then freshly cooked meals. Also i wouldn't trust them because of the levels of additives and things like too much salt. If you have a freezer make a variety of fresh dishes, even simple things like spaghetti bolognaise and cottage pies, and make a whole batch and freeze, that way you don't have to think of something every evening. Omelette's are dead easy as a nice supper dish, just add a few mushrooms, tomatoes, and pour over egg mixture, and cook. Buy a cookbook for one, very useful and gives you lots of tips.

My son is a student and cooks just simple things like steak and a baked jacket potato or pasta dishes even beans on toast has to be better than a ready meal

why dont you buy some recipe books to give you some ideas and inspiration to make something. you could make more then one serving so you'll be making it for 2. lol. (hate cooking for myself sometimes, just dont see the point and it's easier for a ready meal). but find some quick recipes.

well don't they have those places around where you can go like once a week and make your own ready made meals so you can save it for later and heat an all that when you're ready to? that could work i guess. it's healthier from what i hear. and you actually know what's in the food you're eatin.

Take the job at the same place where your husband works.Enjoy there.