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Old Style vs the USDA head-to-head challenge...

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  • ceridwen
    ceridwen Posts: 11,547 Forumite
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    ..and I'm wondering if there will be a cookery book along these lines at the end of this (a veggie version for me would be nice - hint!:D ).

    I havent seen a cookbook specifically slanted around deliberately making sure one gets all recommended nutrients at all (never mind as cheaply as possible).
  • weezl74
    weezl74 Posts: 8,701 Forumite
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    Hi ceridwen,

    we do eat vegetarian meals about 5 times a week, so I'll post some more of those recipes if you like!

    Weezl x

    :hello:Jonathan 'Fergie' Fergus William, born 05/03/09, 7lb 4.4oz:hello:
    :)Benjamin 'Kezzie' Kester Jacob, born 18/03/10, 7lb 5oz:)
    cash neutral gifts 2011, value of purchased gifts/actual paid/amount earnt to cover it £67/£3.60/£0
    january grocery challenge, feed 4 of us for £40
  • ceridwen
    ceridwen Posts: 11,547 Forumite
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    Yes please. Ta.

    On a different note - a week's suggested mealplans under this system could be a good idea. Maybe both a meat version and a veggie version. The 3 meals per day for a weeks worth - giving costings and nutritional values.
  • weezl74
    weezl74 Posts: 8,701 Forumite
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    Hi ceridwen, I'm not really a Monday we'll have this, tuesday t'other kind of planner, but here's some ideas of what I do with my budget, I've included costings where I've worked them out already:

    Breakfasts

     Poached egg 10p on 2 slices HM bread 2p =12p

     HM Marmalade on 2 slices toast with butterly spread = 5p

     Porridge with HM cinnamon syrup= 6p

     2 SP sausages on 2 toast= 10p

     Beans on toast =11p

     160 g natural yoghurt with 10g HM marmalade stirred in =13p

    Lunches

     Houmous sandwiches 3p

     Pate sandwiches 5p

     Lentil pate sandwiches 3p

     Pesto sandwiches 4p

     Guacamole sandwich 8p

    With

    HM cinnamon shortbread 2p

     HM lemon cookies 1p

     HM brownie 5p

     HM malt loaf 1p

     HM banana bread 4p

    Supper

     Corned beef hash, mash, 32p

     Sausages, oven chips 23p per person

     Tomato Dahl and rice, 20p per meal per person

     HM herb quiche with beans/peas 35p per person

     Lentil and bacon casserole with rice 19p per person

     Penne with tomato and rosemary sauce

     Pasta pesto

     Risotto with chorizo and peas

     Saag paneer and rice

     Meat loaf with spicy tomato sauce and HM potato wedges, 55p per person



     Feel free to add to my frugal, healthy meals collection anyone!


    Weezl x

    :hello:Jonathan 'Fergie' Fergus William, born 05/03/09, 7lb 4.4oz:hello:
    :)Benjamin 'Kezzie' Kester Jacob, born 18/03/10, 7lb 5oz:)
    cash neutral gifts 2011, value of purchased gifts/actual paid/amount earnt to cover it £67/£3.60/£0
    january grocery challenge, feed 4 of us for £40
  • ceridwen
    ceridwen Posts: 11,547 Forumite
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    Wow! I added the first meal from each section and came to 47p conclusion (if my maths is correct - which could be debatable). That is CHEAP - even with me mentally multiplying by 2 - to allow for the size of the ceridwen appetite - as I couldnt have just one course for breakfast - I'd be far too hungry - so I have both porridge (with a bit of fruit) and 2 slices toast.

    One thing I am wondering is how much difference in costs there would be for people in different parts of the country - as I reckon there is probably substantially different food prices (as well as everything else) depending on which part of the country one lives in. I am guessing that there are 3 price regions in Britain:

    Region 1 - London (presumably the dearest)
    Region 2 - other dear to live in parts of the country (if not quite in the London league)
    Region 3 - cheap

    I'm in a Region 2 area myself - and find variations even here. When I used to eat fish I could buy it for about half the price less than 20 miles away. I can get much of my sort of food noticeably cheaper 30 miles away and so on.
    Certainly those of us who live in Regions 1 or 2 (and, as in my case, dont have a market here) have drawn the "short straw" on food prices.

    Just a thought.
  • purpleivy
    purpleivy Posts: 3,573 Forumite
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    That's an interesting observation Ceridwen. When I visit my friend in Northallerton, we go shopping on the high street as it's always market day, the last time there was farmers' market too. Everything seemed very very reasonably priced. Cheap even. I didn't think we lived in a particularly expensive place, but I'm now starting to wonder! I think I'll be there farmers' market day next time, so best take the cold box and ice packs!
    [SIZE=-1]"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad"[/SIZE]
    Trying not to waste food!:j
    ETA Philosophy is wondering whether a Bloody Mary counts as a Smoothie
  • weezl74
    weezl74 Posts: 8,701 Forumite
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    Hadn't thought at all about regional variations! Interesting thought. Perhaps others have been marvelling at Cardiff prices. :D

    Just assumed if I put in asda prices to mysupermarket it'd give me the prices for the whole UK. Is there regional variation between supermarkets? I know a tesco extra would be cheaper than a tesco express, I just mean if you compare like with like....?

    Thought I'd pop back to give the recipe and costings for (9 portions of) saag paneer:

    2 cans Natco Spinach Puree in Salted Water (794g) drained

    1 litre long life milk made into paneer with a squeeze of lemon (I used sarahsaver's recipe: search the OS forum for homemade cheese...)- cube or crumble the paneer

    the tomatoey olive oil from the jar you drained to make the lentil thingy I posted earlier;)

    1 whole bulb organic garlic (not sucking up to you ceridwen, just it's cheaper than non-organic!) - chopped

    tablespoon cumin seeds

    generous pinch chilli powder

    2 pkts dried onions whitworth's

    fry garlic and cumin in olive oil til slightly golden, add everything else bring to bubbling hot, serve, enjoy!

    33p per portion:money:, inclusive of 125g raw weight long grain rice (we eat big portions here too see?!)

    loads of iron in the spinach, loads of calcium in the paneer. Good times!:T

    Thanks for posting guys, it makes me feel like some folks are interested in these thoughts!:D

    :hello:Jonathan 'Fergie' Fergus William, born 05/03/09, 7lb 4.4oz:hello:
    :)Benjamin 'Kezzie' Kester Jacob, born 18/03/10, 7lb 5oz:)
    cash neutral gifts 2011, value of purchased gifts/actual paid/amount earnt to cover it £67/£3.60/£0
    january grocery challenge, feed 4 of us for £40
  • nopot2pin
    nopot2pin Posts: 5,721 Forumite
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    weezl74 wrote: »
    Thanks for posting guys, it makes me feel like some folks are interested in these thoughts!:D

    Indeedy :D
    It is a cracking thread... I have been watching it from the start. :D
  • weezl74
    weezl74 Posts: 8,701 Forumite
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    :o :kisses3:

    :hello:Jonathan 'Fergie' Fergus William, born 05/03/09, 7lb 4.4oz:hello:
    :)Benjamin 'Kezzie' Kester Jacob, born 18/03/10, 7lb 5oz:)
    cash neutral gifts 2011, value of purchased gifts/actual paid/amount earnt to cover it £67/£3.60/£0
    january grocery challenge, feed 4 of us for £40
  • candygirl
    candygirl Posts: 29,455 Forumite
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    WEEZL i've always got my eye on your veggie recipes;) ;) They're brill:T :T
    "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf"

    (Kabat-Zinn 2004):D:D:D
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