Getting in your 5 a day QQ

Bitsy_Beans

The other day I was discussing my meal plan with my mum. She was on at me saying how my kids need a meal and two veg meal several times a week. Now chips in this house only appear once (if you are lucky on my plans) but because two nights on the trot I tried them with a HM chicken curry and HM sausage and broccoli pasta bake she started saying they should be having meat and 2 veg stuff.
My curry contained tinned toms, onions and green lentils (OK that's not veg but it's low fat protein so worth a mention) and the sausage bake also contained tinned toms, broccoli and onion. Meat and two veg meals several nights a week is boring (and a total PITA as I am having to cook separately). We have a roast on Sunday, they normally have cottage pie once a week with veg and also salmon, mash and veg. So why does my mum think they should be having more?
Do you think my kids are lacking in their veg if we don't eat potatoes, meat and veg every other night?

Penelope_Penguin

Bitsy_Beans wrote: »

Do you think my kids are lacking in their veg if we don't eat potatoes, meat and veg every other night?

No When mine wer little they really didn't much like vegetables, but ate loads of fruit. They ate a wide variety, so no problem

Your lentils do count to your Five - one portion of pulses per day can count :T

Try this older thread - Getting 5 a Day? I'll merge the threads later to keep ideas together.

Penny. x

weezl74

hiya bitsy

all veg including tinned toms counts as one of your 5 a day as long as there's at least 80g of veg in it. So, if you use a standard 400g can of toms in something to feed 4 of you, you have each easily had one of your 5 a day. Once you've added onions, mushrooms, peppers.... you could easily rack up 5 a day.

hth weezl xxx

eta sorry penny, crossed posts!

Penelope_Penguin

weezl74 wrote: »

all veg including tinned toms counts as one of your 5 a day as long as there's at least 80g of veg in it.

In fact, cooked tomatoes have positive properties that raw dont - the lycopene is more easily accessible in cooked tomatoes

Bitsy_Beans

Thanks ladies. This is what I thought but my mum is a bit traditional in some respects. My dad would never eat a curry or some of the other meals I cook so they do tend to have toad in hole (which I loathe - sorry) and other such more traditional types of dinner.
Really didn't know that about lentils counting towards 5 a day. Gonna cook them with EVERYTHING now!!!

thriftlady_2

You are right and your mum is wrong;) It makes absolutely no difference at all whether the veg is boiled and served separate and boring next to a piece of meat or whether it is incorporated into a tasty curry or pasta bake. Sausage, broccoli, tomato and pasta bake sounds like meat and two veg to me. Yesterday we had chickpea curry which included peas, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, chickpeas and potato. Plenty of veg;)