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I'm recovering from a very major surgery (4' of incisions in 3 places), have had 2 emergency follow up surgeries, 5 quick trips to the ER, and will face a third emergency surgery..when the time is right.
So, I've spent a little more on food, because I don't want to be bothered with a lot of cooking (which I normally do..."from scratch")
As I spooned my prepared convenience chicken salad onto the multigrain seeded bread, and then scooped out a couple dollops of prepared convenience Cole slaw to go with it...I wondered how many of you now but these types of food...to avoid making it from scratch yourself??
Now, normally I'd De-bone the rest of a rotisserie chicken and make chix salad with it, and I'd either shred the cabbage, carrots, dice onions to make Cole slaw (or cheat and buy a bag of cabbage shreds).
Of course the $3.29 for a all container of chix salad and the $2.75 for the for the slaw tub costs a bit more, but I consider it $ well spent so I don't have to stand and work to get my lunch!!!
And the $0.99 prepared chicken cordon Bleu frozen package from Aldi is convenient too..just throw in oven for a half hour.
To go with that chix Bleu, I've paid the whopping $2.98 or $3.98 for a bag (small, really) of fresh chopped ready to mix salad to go with it.
Another "convenience" trick
So...which foods did you USED TO make from scratch that you NOW buy "ready to eat"..or "semi ready"???
Sometimes I buy those refrigerated mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. I have found Reese Main Street to have really good refrigerated scalloped potatoes as well as the green bean casserole. I don't use them regularly but if I am having relatives staying for days on end I might pick up a few and they are nice for when you don't feel like cooking. My local Fresh Market has excellent rotisserie chickens and once a week they have a special where you get 1 chicken and two 1 lb sides and 6 corn muffins for $12.99 -- hard to beat that deal. I usually get the broccoli slaw and another vegetable side -- sometimes the kale/apple/walnut salad which is quite good. When Stouffers is on sale I will pick up a couple but I am careful because some are not that great. I also like the Marie Calender chicken pot pies and get those when on sale. Trader Joe's has good frozen Indian dishes, really good spring rolls, excellent Greek spanakopita and yummy frozen veggie burgers -- I always have those in my freezer. I just like to have those convenience things in case we are exhausted or return from a long trip and need something quick to eat.
I'm not a big fan of convenience foods, though I know they have their place.
Most of my protein is plant-based. In that sense, it is convenient to pull a bag out of the freezer and heat the desired quantity. I make fruit salads from scratch since it only takes a few minutes. I'm particularly fond of thinly-sliced Honeycrisp apples topped with chopped walnuts, pecans, dates and a couple of tablespoons of chunky peanut butter.
DH loves starchy prepared stuff like potato salad and macaroni salad, as well as anything spicy or hot. I don't eat that. I just bought some buffalo cauliflower from Whole Foods, which is my sneaky way of getting him to eat a vegetable. WF now has a large array of refrigerated convenience-type foods at decidedly inconvenient prices.
I've found that the various grocery stores (Walmart, Harris Teeter, Lowes Food) have in their deli sections a small selection of pre- cooked, NON-frozen "TV dinners". Note: this is not the butchers area, which sells non-cooked items.
Examples: Pot Roast with potatoes, carrots, onions in gravy; Meatloaf with gravy and mashed potatoes; Roast Turkey slices, mashed potatoes and herb stuffing; Spaghetti and Meatballs; Chicken Alfredo grilled chicken breast with penne pasta.
Sometimes these are quite good, and other "brands" are pretty awful, so get one of a house-brand to try them out first.
I haven't eaten any prepared food out of a package in the last couple of years. I buy frozen spinach when the fresh stuff isn't available, but that is almost the same as fresh, real food. I cook my meals from scratch using real food ingredients like tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini, lentils, rice, onions, garlic.
If I was recovering from surgery, I could see how buying some packaged meals or convenience foods to reduce standing time would help. I would probably do the same thing, especially since I live alone and don't have anyone to help me out. There are some reasonably healthy choices available at many stores and they don't have to be junk food overloaded with salt, sugar or fat.
I ate convenience foods when I worked and had no time for anything else. I'm retired so I make things from scratch and take time cooking. Lately I've been making ancient recipes. And nothing beats home made bread.
Oh, I forgot: I do have some convenience foods. They're shelf-stable meals. I keep them in the van so I can have a hot meal while traveling without having to resort to fast food. My favorite is chicken meatballs with mushrooms, rice and gravy. I add more mushrooms and half a can of Le Sueur baby carrots, then microwave the whole shebang.
One of our local grocers does single serve steam bags, found in the meat department. I assume it's made from the meat that's getting close to expiration, they season it and add a selection of fresh vegetables. I like to buy them and toss them in the freezer. I can toss them in the microwave and have a healthy, tasty meal in just a few minutes. Since I am still a few years from retirement these are quite handy after a long tiring day.
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