Food Budget for Single Parent and 1 x Under 5- advise pls

desperate+determined

patchwork_cat wrote: »

As a mum with older children I will just say I do appreciate that little ones don't like to chew, but try to keep offering them as they do need to eat proper meat and not just pap.

Also freezer burn foods are supposed to be fine to eat, but they might not taste as good http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freezer_burn

Thanks for the info on freezer burn, learnt something new today. yay!

I try hiding meat but he finds it in the meals, i've also tried mincing it up tiny and even pureeing it but he's not interested.

jackieglasgow

They don't need to eat proper meat. My two children are very healthy and robust on a vegetarian diet, so if he won't eat meat, just make sure he is getting a good balance of nutrition throught the fruit and vegetables you are giving him, and remember to add lentils and seeds or seed oil to make sure he's getting plenty of b12 and essential fatty acids in his diet. Offer him a small peice of meat at every meal if you are cooking it and encourage him to try it, (maybe even a sticker chart to encourage it, if it's important to you), but don't make a fuss if he doesn't eat it yet. They take time to develope their palate, and little and often, with no fuss, is in my opinion an easier and less stressful way of doing it. You sound like a great mum, who clearly wants to do the best for your child.

Jackie X.

desperate+determined

jackieglasgow wrote: »

They don't need to eat proper meat. My two children are very healthy and robust on a vegetarian diet, so if he won't eat meat, just make sure he is getting a good balance of nutrition throught the fruit and vegetables you are giving him, and remember to add lentils and seeds or seed oil to make sure he's getting plenty of b12 and essential fatty acids in his diet. Offer him a small peice of meat at every meal if you are cooking it and encourage him to try it, (maybe even a sticker chart to encourage it, if it's important to you), but don't make a fuss if he doesn't eat it yet. They take time to develope their palate, and little and often, with no fuss, is in my opinion an easier and less stressful way of doing it. You sound like a great mum, who clearly wants to do the best for your child.

Jackie X.

Thanks Jackie x

It's strange how you take everything for granted and assume kids should eat meat. It's not overly important to me, it's just i have it in my head he should. Maybe he will be a vegetarian, (sure how many farmers grandchildren are vegetarians tho lol)

I will try to add in lentils and seeds, not something I have introduced into his diet yet. But will try as sounds like a great why to get the right essential minerals and things into him.

If he could get away with it he'd live off carrots, cucumber, cauliflower, cabbage and oranges. :rotfl:

I can't spell what i wanted to type so hope this makes sense.
"I think subtle perserverance is the key"

chickaroonee

Don't worry about stuff going off in the freezer, it won't. Might not be as tasty as when it first went in, but won't do you any harm.

desperate+determined

johanne wrote: »

im a single mum with a very hungry 15 month old and we spend between £80-120 a month (depending on whether we have a packed freezer and how often we eat at my mums etc)

Just so you know i work (and study) from home and even i have shop bought chicken nuggets, oven chips, fish fingers etc in my freezer for my daughter.... cos frankly some nights i just cant be bothered cooking fresh healthy things for her when ive been running round all day after her whilst juggling a uni book or organising stuff for work ! I think its only human.. us mums get tired... specially when your doing it alone and i applaud all the mums who manage to cook fresh healthy homemade stuff for every meal but i personally cant do it.

but way i see it aslong as its not every meal every day for their whole childhood i dont think its too bad to put the odd plate of chicken nuggets and oven chips infront of them for tea.... i remember a doctor telling my mum it was fine that my little bro would only ever eat breakfast cereal, bananas, skips crisps and fish fingers with chips every single day " aslong as hes eating its fine".

Once youve cleared out the freezer of the stuff that has to go come back and let us know what you still have left and maybe a list of what types of things you know you and your little one will eat?

Right have gone through my freezer, chucked lots out but suprisingly had more in there that originally thought.

List:

2 x 2pk Gammon Steaks
1 x Lrg Pk Beef Mince
1 x sml pork joint
1 x 3pk Pork Chop
2 x 3pk Turkey escalops (breaded)
1 x 8pk Chicken Thighs (these changed colour think they might be a chuck it)
1 x 3 pk Chicken fillets
1 x sml Lamb Mince
1 x Sml pk Tiger Prawns
1 x 8 slice pk bacon
1 x 4pk steak + kid pies
1 x 2pk cheese + ham kiev
9 Fish Cakes
8 Sml yokrshire puds
1/2 bag Sausage rolls
1/2 Bag Garlic Mushrooms
20 Breaded Chick nuggets
200g bag King Prawns
2 Breaded Fish Portions
3 fish Fingers
3 beef Burgers
4 Chicken Burgers
3 Chicken Space Savers (kids)
2 x pk Sausage
Cooked Ham Joint
1/4 Bag chips
1/4 bag peas
1/2 bag mixed Veg

Pk 6 Multi grain Baps
2 x 2pk White Batons
1 lrg White Sliced
1 sml Sliced White
Pk 4 Bagals

Slection on Ice pops
Ancient Tub of Vanilla Icecream
sml Tub Cappacino Icecream (didn't like it - but didn't want to chuck it out)

I have:
potatoes
eggs
rice
pasta
spices
gravy mix
stuffing mix


Any meal ideas?

patchwork_cat

With regard to the proper meat, no ofcourse children can be raised as vegetarians, what I meant is that like most my son didn't eat meat that involved chewing apart from chicken and whilst he will eat pork chops etc. now he did go through a phasee of not wanting to eat 'proper' meat ( he doesn't eat any red meat now).

The only thing I will say about vegetarianism is research it - not all pulses etc are complete proteins they do not contain the full amount ofa amino acids and need combining e.g beans on toast is complete. Most beans need combining with a grain to complete them - it is frequently automatically, but worth being aware of. You also have to watch iron - drink pure orange juice with sources of iron like spinach or broccoli to maximise absorption. http://www.vegsoc.org/info/basic-nutrition.html this seems an excellent resource - it is a cheaper way to feed a family if they will accept it. Whilst we are not vege now we do aim to have meat free days.( I struggle as I don't like pulses!!)

Katie-Kat-Kins

Hi again D&D glad to see you are getting some help!

I wouldn't worry about best before dates on frozen food as long as you have a proper freezer rather than an ice box it should be fine for months and months and months. Especially if bought frozen.

I certainly wouldn't throw away anything that looks and smells ok just because of the date on it! That just isn't MSE!

johanne

If it was me i'd do the following (but obviously it depends on your tastes):

1. Gammon steak, chips + a fried egg
2. Beef Mince + jar of value pasta sauce (approx 26p) with pasta
3. Shepards pie made with Lamb mince, handful of peas and some carrot (approx 60p) with mashed potatos
4. Roast pork joint with roast potatoes yorkshire puds stuffing and some the mixed veg
5. Roast chicken fillet with roast potatoes yorkshire puds stuffing and some the mixed veg
6. Chips + turkey escalops + peas
7. Beef Burgers in multigrain baps
8. Chicken Burgers in multigrain baps
9. stir fry - King Prawns + 1/2 bag value stir fry veg (approx 50p-£1)
10. stir fry - 1 x Chicken fillet + 1/2 bag value stir fry veg (approx 50p-£1)
11. Egg fried rice - some rice, an egg, slice of bacon + handful of peas.
12. Sausages, bacon + egg with toast
13. Sausages, chips and gravy
14. Fish cakes, chips and 1/2 tin of value baked beans (approx 29p)
15. Kiev, jacket potato and mixed veg

Anything you would need to buy ive put in brackets but it adds up to less than £2. Thats 15 evening meals for yourself if you fancy any of it but not sure of what your little one would eat? Still would leave quite a bit in your freezer too though or things for little one if they like the things left.

Do you shop in Tesco or Sainsburys at all?? If so do you have any clubcard vouchers or nectar points you could cash in to get some extra veg, potatos, fruit or stuff for your little one etc till payday?

If you could give us a list of a typical weeks meals for you and little one then maybe we can see what youd need to get on payday to make them cheaper?

radiohelen

So meal ideas

Spaghetti Bolognaise - use value sauce or just tinned tomatos and onions
Shepherds pie - use the mixed frozen veg
Prawn linguine (spaghetti, whatever you have in) Fry off onions and chilli very gently in butter, add the prawns and lemon juice, toss in more butter and a splash of the pasta water. Swirl it all around until it makes a coating sauce, add the pasta and then serve.
Toad in the hole - make batter and add the sausages - or the cheats version - bake the sausages and add the frozen yorkies at the end but put all the sausage juice over the top.....
Lamb biriyani with the mince – fry off onions, curry powder and add the lamb, cook it briefly, add rice and water or stock and cook. Add frozen veg five or ten minutes before final cooking time.
Ham egg and chips mmmmmm
Special fried rice with ham, prawns and eggs – look for kwai’s Chinese food thread.
Chinese pork chops – grill them and brush with hoisin sauce you can get little sachets of sauce that won't break the bank - serve with stir fried veg and rice or noodles.
Chops with cider sauce – fry the chops, once they are cooked, drain off most of the fat, add half a can of cider, swirl it around and scrape up all the good bits. Boil it ferociously until it’s syrupy, add a swirl of double cream and a spoon of mustard. Serve with mash or pasta.
I use sweet and sour/lemon sauce over battered/breaded fish bits and serve it on noodles.

Hope it helps – good luck – my food bill is shameful

patchwork_cat

OF the things in the freezer what will your son not eat? It looks like you have the beginnings of about 40 meals if your son will eat them - is he a big eater for example would he eat a whole gammon or just half?