Big meat eater!! need help reducing

Keen_Young_Learner

Hi everyone,
I've been lurking on MSE for quite a while now and have only just plucked up the courage to post! I need some advice...
I recently moved in with my very lovely OH and have begun trying to teach him the ways of the OS. He's quite patient and understanding with all of it, (I've managed to persuade him to "downshelf" on most of our shopping so far) but he absolutely WILL NOT COMPROMISE when it comes to meat. He will not eat a lunch/dinner without meat or fish somewhere in it. This means that my weekly shopping budgets have doubled, (only from £15 to £30 but that's still an increase of 100%). Does anyone have any suggestions to either:
1.) Persuade him that meat is not a requirement for a tasty and satisying meal.
2.) Find ways of spinning the meat out or getting it cheaper without sacrificing quality.
???
I feel that I already get the maximum use from each piece of meat, for example, I made roast chicken last night which will be feeding us for 4 meals, (two lunches and two dinners) as well as being made into soup. But since there are 14 meals a week that I need to provide a meaty plateful for, I feel like I am fighting a loosing battle!
Any advice would be greately appreciated!
KYL xxx

(Just realised that half of that is in Times New Roman and the other half is in Ariel. Sorry everyone for my shoddy forum skills!)

adelight

Hmm what a pain! Wouldn't he even eat jacket potato with beans for lunch?
Would he settle for bacon bits in cheese and potato pie, colcannon mash, macaroni cheese, pasta sauce etc? "cooking bacon" is very cheap and fries but lovely and crisp in cubes.
You can stretch mince really far by bulking it with dehydrated soya mince(tesco) and lentils.

Keen_Young_Learner

Bacon bits are just about ok, and I'd never considered cooking bacon before, you can get that from Sainsbury's Basics can't you? That's a great suggestion, thanks .
I gave him a tomato and chilli sauce for pasta for tea tonight with a (very generous) portion of bacon in it for him and his first comment was "what meat is in this?" It's quite exasperating, especially for someone that is used to meat on maybe only two nights a week!
KYL xxx

Psykicpup

Does he not contribute to the shopping budget? If he does then use his contrubution to pay towards 'his' meat... if not cook as you usually would & tell him he can buy & cook (as he did before you moved in) on the non meat days if he doesnt like it!

kezlou

cooking bacon is brill and last quite a while. My lot are the same.
In fact i now only use this type of bacon and its great to freeze.

One trick which i do is bulk out with lentils, so making mince stretch as much as possible.
Another is to outright lie, dishonest i know, but it does work, especially with brown lentils as they can taste quite meaty.Add beef stock cubes or gravy into meals to add extra flavouring.

Beamish

My saviour is beef mince, I make a Spag Bol and then half it to make a chilli (Spag Bol mix, add a tin of red beans plus some chilli powder) hey presto 4 meals), I also make a Spag Bol/Chilli from one half of the mince and then make some homemade rissoles with the other half.

Boiled ham is also very versatile, boiled ham, mash and parsley sauce one day and then the left overs are usually sarnies for work, Carbonora for tea or Ham Mash and pickles.

With pork I tend to do a roastie and then any left overs I make a Pork & Mustard dish ( Chunk up the pork, dice some spuds & cook off till tender, add some sliced onions & Salt & Pepper put it all in a dish & cover with a pint of chicken stock (mixed with a good few dollops of french mustard and a small tub of double cream) cook gently on a 150o for about half hour & serve with broccli & fresh carrots.

Beef can be a Roastie one day then made into a curry with left overs.

Have you tried making a homemade corned beef pie, its really filling and again can be used for lunch box and served as a meal with chips and beans.

To eek out a chicken more try making a chicken & leek pie, you can use the meat that is on the underside of the chicken plus bits of the wings & legs.

A favourite for lunch is Pasta & Tuna mix which goes quite nicely in a tub for work, cook some pasta off and chill it, mix with tuna, Mayo, diced onions and a bit of garlic, plus some salt & pepper, mix it all together and keep in fridge till required.

Does he like curry? a good standby if all else fails is cook some hard boiled eggs, slice and add to a jar of curry mix, cook off some rice and hey ho instant munchies.

On afternoon shifts when weary husband comes home and has the munchies....I leave a cooked Turkey Leg (cheap as chips from Mr T or a hock, again cheap as chips from the local butcher).

Sausage/liver, Mash & Onion gravy is also a good meaty meal.

HTH, I to have a meat/fish eating husband who makes life very challenging LOL.

Babs

Dippypud

You may have to tell him some "pork pies", (cockney rhyming slang for lies or fibs)

My OH believed it's a mans right to eat meat as he works hard etc.

Load of rubbish, he'll feel alot better eating a good all round diet, with at least one day veggie.

But you'll have to be gentle with him at first, he will get used to it, mine did, now he'll eat pasta meals with no meat and he doesn't mind at all.

Good luck

Keen_Young_Learner

I could do that Psykicpup, and I might have to start doing so soon, if not for the sake of my purse but also for the sake of my belly! I know that he'll eat terrible food though if I tell him to cook for himself. He doesn't cook so ready meals and instant noodles with frankfurters would be the order of the day... I can't watch when he eats stuff like that! I think that I'd probably feel quite guilty eating my delicious and healthy vegetable noodles while he's putting away a disgusting and overpriced meat feast pizza!
KYL xxx

bananadog

Hi KYL
I'm also quiet new to here but have discovered the 'slow cooker' thread which looks great!
People seem to be cooking cheaper cuts of meat but making larger quantities in the slow cooker and freezing/fridge portions which saves money
Meaty hearty meals but done on a budget.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2197233

Patchwork_Quilt

Seek out the yellow-stickered meat and buy as much as you can to freeze. Cook large joints and freeze left over slices in gravy.