6000 meals under 50p in 2010; feeding your family on a low budget

salome

Hee Hee. At one time I was a family of twelve, that would have been 60 portions of veg and fruit every day !!!! Sorry folks. Couldn't do it, but, apart from my son who died in a car crash, I have 9 very healthy children. They got fruit and veg every day, but definitely not 5 a day, and I don't feel guilty. I fed them the best with what we could afford, and that is how it should be :-)

x

nitr02007

I gotta say don't believe everything the government or the self appointed food police on this forum have to say, especially this silly 5 a day different colour fruit and veg rubbish. To me its more important to get a varied balanced diet, and as "unprocessed" as possible, which includes as many fruit and veg as you can - for me normally about 2 or 3.

Know what you're eating by looking at the labels, avoid refined sugar & hydrogenated oils. I recently got my Mum back on eating real butter rather than those awful processed spreads. She enjoys it more and uses less as its more tasty.

Getting stressed because you've only had 4 different colour vegetables in one day will only make your health worse!!

I count tomato sauce as one of my 5 a day - so there!:p

PolishBigSpender

pretz wrote: »

omg i just had to say how surprised i was at the amount of food police on here, now i know its about money saving and everyone has there standards

Moneysaving should be done in an ethical and responsible way. It is perfectly possible to eat heathily for cheap - this forum has *many* fantastic, healthy recipes. While it makes sense to switch to cheaper electricity tarriffs, use mobiles less, etc - it doesn't make sense to feed children rubbish!

but really dont we get told enough about what to eat, how many hours we should sleep, etc etc if we didnt live in such a bad nanny state you could deal with these ignorant and rude comments from random and odd posters who think it is within their right to push upon people their views.

The problem in the UK is that despite very, very clear governmental information on the subject, people still feed their children rubbish. The British diet is among one of the unhealthiest in the world, and all attempts to improve it should be encouraged, not discouraegd!

so firstly POLISHBIG, that list was just an example and secondly i do hope you are in someway qualified to be forcing you opinions on people about what they feed their families.

I am, yes.

also in the hope of pushing you over the edge and into a nervous break down over what i feed my family my DD quite happily consumed the following -

I won't have a nervous breakdown

breakfast - pre sliced white bread and butter and tea
lunch - oven chips and 3 cherry tomatoes with squash
dinner - macroni cheese with squash

Are you serious?

oh and copious amount of biscuits and the likes inbetween

Blimey. And you're happy with this?

look see no where near the 5 a day but it doesnt mean this is what she will eat everyday actually she was lucky today as she was up nannys and nanny doesnt cook very well oh and guess what my daughter is the pickiest eater in the world see my post threads if you please so maybe you should find out details first as to the persons circumstances before lecturing you GARBAGE only over the place.

Personal circumstances? If her "nanny" can't cook very well, then you should prepare healthy food to be taken there. Anyway, is cooking healthy food really that difficult? The oven chips for instance - even the world's worst cook could prepare potato wedges (with skins left on)!

You owe it to your child to give a proper, healthy diet. Good habits formed in childhood will stay with the child for the rest of their lives - and in today's United Kingdom, there really is no excuse for feeding rubbish to childen.

ALIBOBSY

nitr02007 wrote: »

I gotta say don't believe everything the government or the self appointed food police on this forum have to say, especially this silly 5 a day different colour fruit and veg rubbish. To me its more important to get a varied balanced diet, and as "unprocessed" as possible, which includes as many fruit and veg as you can - for me normally about 2 or 3.

Know what you're eating by looking at the labels, avoid refined sugar & hydrogenated oils. I recently got my Mum back on eating real butter rather than those awful processed spreads. She enjoys it more and uses less as its more tasty.

Getting stressed because you've only had 4 different colour vegetables in one day will only make your health worse!!

I count tomato sauce as one of my 5 a day - so there!:p

This is totally my view, it is the processed foods and all the hidden fillers/presevatives etc that are the big issue I feel. The so called government advice is also not in step with the latest scientific research as well as much "info" being pushed by manufacturers and those who have a monetary interest in what we eat (I include the government and so called nutritionists in this) .

A number of recently published papers/studies are showing that natural fats such as butter and full fat milk DO NOT lead to increased blood chlosterol and in fact do the opposite and break down into "good fats" within the body. Where as saturated fat in processed food and meat should be limited.
Other studies have linked processed so called "low fat" spreads to increased risk of bowel and colon cancers.
Most people would pick a chicken over a joint of beef as "lower fat" or "heathier", but the fact is modern factory farmed "cheap" chicken is full of fat and is no longer the "lean" meat it was.
Manufacturers spend millions pointing out they have added "omega 3 acids" etc but the fact is if it is plant extracted ie all the spreads. It is useless to the human body.

The fact is take everything printed on food with a big pinch of salt (and most processed food will have plenty to pinch already). I tend to avoid supermarkets when I can and use local growers and farmers, but not everyone has this option.

My number one rule is to avoid processed food (but the odd treat or takeaway won't kill you).
I cook from scratch for price and taste, steam our veg to keep as much of the goodness in. If the kids want chips they get homemade wedges with spray oil and skins on, but mine prefer baked spuds or mash to be honest and we do rice or pasta to vary the carbs.

There is always fruit and veg in the house and we started to grow our own last year-the kids sat in the garden eating peas and beans straight from the plants, DS used the hose to wash off some carrots and the all ran around with them to munch whilst playing and the joy of toms still warm straight of the vine can't be beat .

One of my sons mums was gobsmacked when he told her he had, had raw carrot and "leaves" (herbs- mints mostly and lettuce) from the garden.

The other issue is exercise, I mostly walk my kids both ways to school and we are lucky to have nice walks around here, but all have always been encouraged to play out as much as possible-mine have even gone out in the mud in boots and wrapped up. They came back in covered in it, but they were buzzing and very happy lol.

I only wish my mum had done the same for me, mine always insisted you clear your plate no matter what, gave big portions and most stuff was seriously overcooked. If I could only conquer my childhood sweet tooth and over eating I would be as heathly as my kids, but I am getting there.

The reality is the government guidelines are what they are because the want a broad "brushstroke" to cover those with little or no food knowledge. So they have to go for simple and easy to follow.
Where as the human body actually can hold vitamins and minerals (and in fact calories) over from one day to the next so probably a weekly diet is more realistic as to how the body works.

At the end of the day there are many children who are fed diets based around chip shop and kebab house meals as well as all processed cheap crap from the super markets, eating any extra fruit and veg, and exchanging at least some of the takeaways for home cooked meals would make a huge difference to them overall. I can't belive the nasty tone of some of the comments on this thread.
It is ok to point out that perhaps so and so may be heathier, but to almost accuse people of child neglect is downright rude, and a massive overreaction.
Why can't we all play nice?

ali x

Off to look for Nickks new thread

ALIBOBSY

Btw to the poster whos little one is a fussy eater (thank god I didn't get one of those I don't envy you and have every sympathy), I would definately recomend some "grow your own". It is amazing what kids will eat when they have planted the seeds and watched it sprout themselves. Even a few bits in pots on the patio can be a start. You can even get different varieties you will NEVER see in the shops, you can get pink and purple carrots, yellow beetroot etc and peas from a pod are like sweets to the kids, not many made it to our table last year so mgoing to plant loads this time.

Good luck

ali x

nightsong

Has anyone reported Polish Big Spender?

He/she seems to me to be hijacking this useful and interesting thread with his/her very strong and aggressively expressed opinions. To use the word "rubbish" in this way three times in one post (see post #135, not to mention all the others) is in my view not appropriate to the guidelines on this site. I won't reply to them personally as I think they are very attention-seeking and I don't intend to give them the satisfaction.

Mods, please could you comment? I am getting very fed up with this poster and fear the thread will be spoilt if this continues. I am entirely willing to report them.

Ed - Ok, I just read the bit at the top that says this forum isn't moderated (d'oh). I have reported PBS.

vandanfc

Hi Jackie

Is this something you have put together, or can anyone access it ? Would love a link to it if possible please.

Thanks.

Vanda

JackieO wrote: »

Hi Mark,
my Online Misers Cook Book is on its way to you. Hope it helps you out Well done for being so positive.More power to your elbow ignore the detractors

pretz_2

alibobsy i know its not much fun but its much better than it was at one stage she refused to eat for days as everything was "dirty" we had no idea where she got this from as had eaten anything in her grasps till she was about 2 and even now things are dirty but docs say its just a phase and she will grow out of it, she does eat a very restricted diet but it is now full of fruit and veg and she does only get that meal list once a week when she goes to nannys so its never going to hurt lol

Nancy888

Hi pretz

My normally eat anything DS1 went through a phase about 2 years old where he wouldn't eat anything orange...baked beans, carrots, tangerines, cheese, chicken nuggets :eek: (this was 12 or so years ago and they were all the rage - this was pre Jamie!!), peppers, spaghetti hoops...all foods that he had quite enjoyed tucking into as finger food and I was at my wits end on how to get by it....

He *did* grow out of it and I saw it as a challenge and white cheese, cucumber sticks, sliced apple had to replace his previous favourites - it will get easier x x

nightsong

Nancy888 wrote: »

Hi pretz

My normally eat anything DS1 went through a phase about 2 years old where he wouldn't eat anything orange...baked beans, carrots, tangerines, cheese, chicken nuggets :eek: (this was 12 or so years ago and they were all the rage - this was pre Jamie!!), peppers, spaghetti hoops...all foods that he had quite enjoyed tucking into as finger food and I was at my wits end on how to get by it....

He *did* grow out of it and I saw it as a challenge and white cheese, cucumber sticks, sliced apple had to replace his previous favourites - it will get easier x x

Yep, I had this with my DS aged 3 - having eaten absolutely anything he went through a phase for about 6 months where he would only have fish fingers and baked beans for lunch. I got sick of preparing it but he never minded eating it!

Anyway now he's grown up and eats an ultra healthy diet, better than mine