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Gingernutbizkit's quest to find a menu plan that eases her conscience!!
Comments
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It's fab to see you are thinking about all of these things. I had my LBM regarding this last month when I realised I was shopping with my eyes shut and trying hard not to think too much about where my food comes from, but no more.
I have decided from April to use my local butcher or a local farm. We'll get a selection of meat and when it's gone it's gone. Also going to get a veg box every fortnight and then use Aldi or Lidl to get basics and store cupboard stuff. I already get milk from Waitrose as they are just down the road, do the poly packets so less packaging and they guarantee dairy farmers a decent income. Mainly, I am looking forward to boycotting a particular supermarket and their crap products.
My husband is horrified at the though of getting less meat for more money but I told him it was less or none so hopefully when he's realised it won't be that different he'll change his mind! We're lucky enough to have a big enough budget (£150 pm) that we can afford to do this as others are not so fortunate.
Still working on the grow you own as I have a north facing garden on a hill and two big dogs who love to dig up plants!0 -
Hi lovely people!
Just popping on before going to see my son perform with his choir at a local charity event.
In quick response to your fab posts.....
Valli - thanks for the tip about Lidl. Have one frame but coulddo with another. Are they the low ones you can put over the beds?
Allofus are bigfans of rice pudding but my recipe uses loads more ingredients so I will give yours a try because less fussy recipes are also going to help reduce the costs. How big a pudding does it make?
AliB - I agree with you about labeling. On the whole I think the labels used are unclear, confusing even. Plus I think that there will be choices to make along the way. Some products might be fairtrade but not organic. Some organic but not good on animal welfare etc... I guess I will cross those paths a lot and have to make the best decision at the time.
Mumto1 - i will always welcome butters in. I will check out the website thanks
Stingy Rach - Thanks for posting. I think more and more people are becoming aware of these issues. Do keep coming on this thread and letting us know how you're getting on and what changes you are making.
Ok everyone, now for the big news - how I got on today with talking around Mrs Ging.....oh dear, is that the time? I'm going to have to go and keep you in suspenders.
Catch you later, ging x0 -
I too would say that a veg box can really help solve quite a few problems you mention. We get a fruit and veg box and an organic meat box from Riverford. Although the meat is more expensive the veg is often cheaper than organic veg from the supermarket.
We dont have a lot of money, both working part time, and spend about £250 a month to feed our family of three. I find that by having a meal plan and having a regular order with my meat box and veg box supplier it is really easy to budget as I know exactly how much im going to spend each month.
You can get a relatively small order of £25 worth of meat a week from Riverford but I chose to get one big order at the beginning of the month - I can recc the winter warmers box which is £40 and includes lots of slow cooking cheaper cuts so great for money saving without compromising on quality or ethics. I get most of my bread, butter, milk etc weekly from the veg box co as well as a monthly online shop from the supermarket for store cupboard stuff.
Planning it all in advance really helps me stick to my budget. Obviously if you are good at sticking to your shopping list when you go shopping then you can replicate this by buying from your local shops but I cant be trusted at the supermarket and invariably come home with a tv on top of my list....:A0 -
jennieshrew wrote: »I too would say that a veg box can really help solve quite a few problems you mention. We get a fruit and veg box and an organic meat box from Riverford. Although the meat is more expensive the veg is often cheaper than organic veg from the supermarket.
We dont have a lot of money, both working part time, and spend about £250 a month to feed our family of three. I find that by having a meal plan and having a regular order with my meat box and veg box supplier it is really easy to budget as I know exactly how much im going to spend each month.
You can get a relatively small order of £25 worth of meat a week from Riverford but I chose to get one big order at the beginning of the month - I can recc the winter warmers box which is £40 and includes lots of slow cooking cheaper cuts so great for money saving without compromising on quality or ethics. I get most of my bread, butter, milk etc weekly from the veg box co as well as a monthly online shop from the supermarket for store cupboard stuff.
Planning it all in advance really helps me stick to my budget. Obviously if you are good at sticking to your shopping list when you go shopping then you can replicate this by buying from your local shops but I cant be trusted at the supermarket and invariably come home with a tv on top of my list....
:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:I used to be just as bad at coming home with random purchases. I think the worst was a cross trainer (otherwise know as my clothes horse!) and a printer when I went in for milk and bread. I am now really good if I go in with a list as I won't budge from it other than the reduced aisle, however if I go with no list it's still a different story! I think like you a veg box delivered weekly will help as even if I am paying a bit more the less trips to the SM the better. I'm thinking that it would be quite a challenge to menu plan once I see what is delivered each week.
Ging x0 -
I do my menu plan based on the meat I know I am going to receive. The veg always seems to fit in somehow and makes life a bit more interesting than just following your strict menu plan. If you get your veg box from one of the big schemes they post their box contents online a few days before they deliver so you can plan your meals, if you are v organised. I think its quite fun not knowing though!:A0
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if I can butt in... look on www.riverford.co.uk for a box scheme. Their Veg boxes are about 15 - 20% cheaper than buying from the SM. Locally grown veg, which Abel + Cole aren't IIRC, and they offer, wine, juice, cider, chocolate, flour, meat, milk, cheese, bread etc as well.
Yep I second this poster! I have the option of both riverford and Abel and Cole and I always go for Riverford. They are cheaper and although you can't choose what's in the veg/fruit boxes, you can make up your own box from a very long list of fruit/veg. Also they have a great choice of extras as stated above. Just need to spend a minimum amount - I think it's around £12.
Also, you don't need to commit to a box every week or anything. Just order when you need. And the taste of the food is gorgeous - they also last a lot longer than organic food you buy in the supermarket. They're picked a day or two before you get them and the mud is left on as it's a natural preservant!0 -
Ok, so here's my report on todays events....
Took Mrs Ging out for breakie as planned. We had a lovely meal. I went for the smoked salmon scrambled eggs and Mrs Ging went for the full english. Everything was beautifully cooked, superb taste and colour and SOOOOOOOOO different to the food we eat at home. It also seemed to be much more filling so smaller portions would be possible.
Anyway, the upshot of this was that Mrs Ging has agreed to the changes... including reduced meat :eek:. She even said she would make room in her shed for a chest freezer to stock up on seasonal goodies. I did point out that this would mean I would have to be allowed in her shed and that some things in her shed would need to be [STRIKE]thown out[/STRIKE] organised :rotfl:.
We then went to the attached farmshop and bought some meat that was on offer. I will sort this out tomorrow and work out the true costs compared to meat we usually buy.
We have agreed though that boys have an important vote on this change. We have already moved them so far from the food they ate with their birth family and they would have to get used to smaller portions rather than eating with their eyes. So today we bought eggs, bacon, sausages and tomatoes. The plan is to make a game ofit and cook one breakfast of the new foods and the same of the old. We will blindfold them and get them to taste each and explain the difference. Which ever they prefer they will then have cooked for them and their choice will be clear. We will then honour this decision even if we all end up eating differently.
Let's hope it goes the way we want it to.
Ging x0 -
gingernutbizkit wrote: »Thank you. For f+v I followed this website to the NHS 5 a day website. They make portion sizes really simple. 80g for fresh, frozen or canned (drained) and 30g for dried fruit.
Now need to work out portions for other stuff.... will report back.
ging x
I have a stainless steel measuring cup (think it's from Ikea) that holds 250ml, which I use for measuring most carbohydrates. Couscous, 1/4 cup = 1 portion, rice (risotto or basmati), or porridge, half a cup = 1 portion, and pasta shapes, 1 cup = 1 portion. It sort of makes things easier if you don't have to use the scales! For potatoes, no matter how I'm preparing them, I work to the assumption that 2 or 3 medium potatoes is a portion - depending on the size of the spuds!2015 comp wins - £370.25
Recent wins: gym class, baby stuff
Thanks to everyone who posts freebies and comps! :j0 -
I have a stainless steel measuring cup (think it's from Ikea) that holds 250ml, which I use for measuring most carbohydrates. Couscous, 1/4 cup = 1 portion, rice (risotto or basmati), or porridge, half a cup = 1 portion, and pasta shapes, 1 cup = 1 portion. It sort of makes things easier if you don't have to use the scales! For potatoes, no matter how I'm preparing them, I work to the assumption that 2 or 3 medium potatoes is a portion - depending on the size of the spuds!
thanks, I had wondered about using cups instead of scales. If you don't mind me asking, where did you get the measurements for the portion sizes?
The boys loved their different breakfast this morning so we officially now going down this path as a family. I popped into The Works and have picked up a book on wartime rationing for £2 which is making for interesting reading
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Will sort out the meat bought yesterday later and post costings and supermarket comparisons as promised.
Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend,
Ging x0 -
Hi all,
Just checked out http://www.eatatease.com/foodgroups1.html which gives some details about portion sizes and the number of portions of each food group that should be eaten in a day/week. I thought some might find it interesting as it's much clearer than some of the stuff I've been reading. Would love to know your views esp from you Firefox.
Ging x
Thanks, Ging0
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