New Year- New Start . HELP please !

mardatha

Asking for help please in menu planning ...:D
Since the OH went diabetic, I have totally lost the plot re saving money on food. Meals are hard because he wont have much in the way of carbs, which rules out pasta & potatoes, apart from a small helping. It's mainly meat and veg. And we eat nothing exotic! Not much puddings ( I wish ! sob! ) We eat a lot of -
mince, both beef & lamb
bacon
chicken
eggs
I would like to add more veg although I make great soup . Can anybody give me 5 meals, plonk plonk plonk there you go, on the table. Because I hate cooking and cannot be assed to sit and menu plan !!

donny-gal

Maybe you should have a look here

It gives the the carb value of things and whether they have a glucose impact. Looking at red lentils which you can use in your slow cooker(if you have one) with any sort of mince to built it out without your OH realising.

Either that or tell him to get a better paid job if he refuses to eat even the recommended portions of potatoes and pastas!

DG

mardatha

His BS goes sky high with any kind of carb.... we are trying to keep it down.
And if it goes on like this I might consider getting the vet to put him to ess ell eee ee pee....

fletch3163

When I was weight conscious (now just UNconscious) I did Atkins and their website was full of people who had types 1 and 2 diabetes (I don't know much about it, sorry) but they did find it helpful. There was a lovely woman in New Zealand I used to speak to and she had diabetes and used the Atkins way of life to help. Seemed to work.

donny-gal

Maybe you need to learn more about carbs and how they work, which the web site I referred you to did.
i.e.
Red Lentils, Glycemic Index, Glucose

Due to their high soluble fiber content (inc. gums, beta glucans, pectin), legumes are digested very slowly, are thus low on the glycemic index, and help maintain stable blood glucose levels and healthier glucose metabolism. Eating more beans helps to reduce the effect of high glycemic index foods by lowering the glycemic value of meals.


I learnt about good and bad carbs from Atkins.
DG

mardatha

Well, at the start we tried him on very low carb and it almost killed him - he was in hospital & they feared bowel cancer- so that diet just doesnt agree with him. It's the getting the balance thats so hard, plus giving him enough to eat without going bankrupt ! Ty for all help both x

mummysaver

Shepherds pie with boiled slice potatoes layered on top instead of mash.

Boiled bacon, cabbage, small amount of potatoes.

Chicken breasts wrapped in bacon served with salad/veg

Meatballs in gravy/tom sauce or burgers served with veg/salad

Mince and onion/beef/lamb pie topped with v thin pastry and veg

Pastryless quiches

Soup of any description

From friends who have done the Atkins diet and my ex mil who is diabetic I know that boiled potatoes have a lower gi than mash, so perhaps these would be an alternative?

Perhaps if you listed a few meals that your oh does like and then variations could be suggested? I know that my mil ate most things, she just ate a lot less of the foods that would cause her problems, but that might not be suitable for your oh?

I assume that there is a diabetic association and website, they might have a meal section that would inspire you a bit?

Good luck though, it's always a nightmare trying to think up new things when you feel that you have to do so!

mardatha

O brilliant start thank YOU ! My mum used to do a lot of fried cabbage with fried new potatoes & I'd forgotten all about that ! Then you could use the water from the cabbage to start the soup...
I need things to be written down, so I will start a list with this and that might get me moving Once you get a start then that's half the battle.

mardatha

He liked steak pies... and Fray Bentos tinned pies... he says he misses them !

mummysaver

Not sure how pastry would affect him, that's why I suggested just a pastry top to the pie! Top tip is to make lots of little ones and freeze them, makes a nice quick dinner when you can't be bothered!

Another fave in our house is a chicken and leek pie, fry off chick and leek and then stir in spoonful of flour, add a couple of spoonfuls of stock to make a sauce, cut puff pastry into squares, score about 2cm from the edges and bake, lift off lid from the centre and fill with chicken mix, v simple and looks pretty good!

You could also do a cottage pie, easy to put lots of veg in that! I use carrots, peas, leeks, onions and anything else I can chop up small and bung in! Frozen mixed veg work well too when you're in a hurry!

Don't forget all the simple things like cheese and beans on toast - a slice of bread would prob be okay for him?

Hope you've got your pen out and inspiration has struck! Meal plan thread is often good for ideas too!

Edit: with pies I often omit potatoes and serve with sauteed parsnips and carrots (chop into thin batons else you'll be cooking them forever!) and sprouts chopped in half or quarters, makes a nice change and gives a sort of bubble and squeak flavour!

mardatha

ok thank you pet. I get chicken from Costco and we eat a lot of it, I cant think of anything to do with it other than chuck it in the remoska. Will try the leek thing And yes I have a BIG notebook and pen !
edited--- I make him bread full of snflower seeds and pumpkin seeds and linseed yes.