Weezl's phase 1- recipe testing and frugalisation- come one, come all!

ceridwen

HowlinWolf wrote: »

If i was being really frugal I'd make stock for soup but I'm knackered and I just can't be Ar*ed. I am just going to have a cup of tea and one of those museli bars that Ceridwen posted a link to before I go to bed.

Was that muesli bar as nice as it sounded then?:D Have got a couple of missing ingredients for that to pick up this week - ie the dates and mixed nuts and I'll be good to go for trying it myself.:)

Working through establishing a range of suitable snacks for myself at the moment - made cheese flapjacks for the first time at the weekend from a recipe I got from MSE (and discovered she had got in the first place from the Cranks cookbook I've just acquired) - they were nice. Tried out a nice fruit and walnut cake (minus sugar:)) and will be doing that again (with twice as much fruit and walnuts...). I've not really thought of specific snack things I could make before - but am working on it now - and have been looking out a couple of older cookbooks of mine that I'd rather forgotten I have (which feature things for a sweet tooth - minus sugar). So - if anyone is specifically looking for some - they are:

"Sugar-Free Cakes and Biscuits - recipes for diabetics and dieters" by Elbie Lebrecht

and

"Sweets without sinning" by Gwyneth Dover

The first one is the basic level one - more everyday type recipes. She has been doing a bit of research in advance on the health front - as I note her mention of the Hunzas in front of her sugar-free recipe for apricot slices.

The "Sweets without sinning" is the more luxury-type one - and she gives both the conventional version and the healthy (ie sugar-free, etc) version of some of the recipes.

QUERY: there is the odd recipe in the first one that features soya flour or tofu as ingredients. Its a 1985 cookbook - so I think that was probably before people became very wary of buying anything soya (as soya beans are usually now genetically-modified OR contaminated by ones that are on the one hand - darn M**santo). So I need a substitute for soya flour to be able to do those particular recipes - does anyone know of one please? Its very few of the recipes that are affected by this G.M. Factor - but I'd like to be able to work my way through the lot....

weezl74

would you like me to write about why I think it's ok to include the small amount of white sugar we're including in the planner Ceridwen? I'm happy to if that will help.

ceridwen

Bit puzzled re the white sugar point Weezl...as white sugar has no nutritional value at all. I understand that its there in the planner to make up the calories - so that no-one loses weight inadvertently?? You've explained the reason for its presence by telling us that.

Re your earlier comment - ie about the scrutiny from people because this is a cheap mealplanner. Its been put forward as a healthy mealplanner - hence everyone is automatically going to check for "health factors" - to see if it is. That's the mindset of Britain in 2010 - with the Government we have/the advertisers we have/the relationship set-ups there are/etc - we've all learnt we have to check everything we're told.

The "scrutiny" - from what I can see - always comes into play on any MSE thread that states its both healthy and cheap - as people check it out against their own parameters.

I think most people realize that wholemeal goods are dearer than white ones and honey is dearer than sugar for instance. There are various other ways that a healthy diet costs more - and that doesnt mean to say that people will happily accept the thought of handing over more dosh to ensure that their diet is healthy - they just know its necessary, so they do. Having said that - I think I spent only about £15 last week - so yay:T
So - with the fact that those of us who place health as our top priority in deciding what food to buy/eat - then we would still check a low-cost meal planner (ANY low cost meal planner...) to see if there were cheaper fruit/veg we could use instead of what we are actually using and perhaps cheaper flours (though still not white)/cheaper grains/cheaper nuts - as we would also like to save money if we could.

oldMcDonald

ceridwen wrote: »

QUERY: there is the odd recipe in the first one that features soya flour or tofu as ingredients. Its a 1985 cookbook - so I think that was probably before people became very wary of buying anything soya (as soya beans are usually now genetically-modified OR contaminated by ones that are on the one hand - darn M**santo). So I need a substitute for soya flour to be able to do those particular recipes - does anyone know of one please? Its very few of the recipes that are affected by this G.M. Factor - but I'd like to be able to work my way through the lot....

I've used oat flour in place of soy flour and it seemed to be a reasonable substitue. HTH x

FrankieM

Morning,
Sorry I wasn't around to support you on your slight downer weezl. as others have said there is no rush. I'm happy to start when you feel happy and comfortable.

The loaf tins would be really appreciated. Shall I PM you my address or send it via email?
I hope you feeling better. Be good to yourself, my friend xxx

ceridwen

oldMcDonald wrote: »

I've used oat flour in place of soy flour and it seemed to be a reasonable substitue. HTH x

:T - Thanks for that...I thought someone on here might know the answer to that:D


Hmm....thinks....I wonder if one could make your own oat flour by grinding down some form of oats (eg my jumbo porridge oats for instance). I think I might try that - stick a handful of them into my electric coffee grinder..:think:

(just made a note in front of that cookbook telling myself to use oat flour instead).

weezl74

I might be wrong but I do think that more scrutiny is placed on a very low budget thread than a medium low budget thread. There is not enough calcium for example in gingham ribbons vegetarian meal planner (which I think is excellent BTW), but I don't think anyone critiqued it in the same way.

I may be wrong though.

About white sugar having no nutritional value, I disagree. And I am happy to explain why and why I believe the planner is still healthy if anyone would like me to.

weezl74

FrankieM wrote: »

Morning,
Sorry I wasn't around to support you on your slight downer weezl. as others have said there is no rush. I'm happy to start when you feel happy and comfortable.

The loaf tins would be really appreciated. Shall I PM you my address or send it via email?
I hope you feeling better. Be good to yourself, my friend xxx

either is fine frankie, possibly a slight preference for email cos my PM box fills up v quickly these days

FrankieM

Allegra I'm happy to go ahead without a bulk cooking day plan and feedback to you if that helps you out

FrankieM

weezl About the scrutiny on 'cheap' meal plans. I can remember Black Saturn posting her very low budget meal plan and being lambasted about the lack of fruit and veg and goodness knows what.
I wonder if we baulk against the idea, that in reality, we could spend alot less on food and it still be just as healthy or even perhaps more so, than someone who spends £500.