healthy eating too expensive...

aurongrande_2

lynzpower wrote: »

Why not just make your own?

Packet of stewing beef is about £2
HM pastry is possible otherwise £1 or less for a pastry
carrots 20p
mushrooms 20p
potato 20p
onions 20p
frozen peas 20p

this will make at least 8 pies for 3.00 37p each, you can easily forgo the pastry and have it as a casserole, freezes really well and is good with just bread, a jacket pot or other veg?

heres alist of other pies http://uktv.co.uk/food/homepage/sid/6053

Sounds interesting, minus the carrots that is. However, I neither have the equipment nor the time to spend baking things. My oven is small for one (can barely fit a single roasting tray in it on the single shelf that it has,) and I'm usually studying, or out doing other things. The best I can do is half hour for cooking. Anything longer is not often.

I'd really love to bake my own pies.

I have a slow cooker which I use to make a loaf once a week (I love homemade bread. Not too keen on the mass produced stuff), and a slow cooker. I think I'll dig out the slow cooker for college days.

aurongrande_2

mimidaler wrote: »

You can buy pastry ready made, then go to poundland and buy 20 foil containers for £1, then next time you have too much chicken/mince etc stick it in a container, put a slice of puff pastry on the top, et voila! a pie!!! much nicer! you could come up with some well interesting combinations for your pies by doing this!

I never knew about the containers from the poundshops. Even though we have 2 different poundshops in our town, they're usually crammed with druggies and shoplifters so I tend to mainly keep my distance. I could try and risk it though.

I've never heard of these ready made pastries. What sort of section would I find them under in Tescos?

mimidaler wrote: »

with the big packs of meat, portion it up, wrap then pop in plastic bags and freeze it.

For a REALLY healthy tomato base sauce, go supermarket and get the reduced tomatoes (or iceland for a massive pack for £2) and then blanch them, put them in a saucepan on a low heat with a bit of butter, seasoning a bit of water and any herbs you want and leave them to cook until theyre a sauce. You can freeze this and its a brilliant healthy base for lots of dishes. my mum also puts any tomato vine in there too for the duration of the cooking down, and fishes it out afterwards and she swears it makes it taste better. add creme fraiche or mascarpone or even milk for a creamier sauce.

I already portion my meat out.

That meal sounds nice, but I may sound stupid, but I don't know what blanch means. I've heard it a few times on cooking shows a few times, but they never showed what they were doing.

mimidaler wrote: »

Add beans and pulses. Kidney beans, lentils, butter beans, country veg mix (the dry one you can buy) it bulks out your meat and provides extra vitamins, fibre and helps you to eat less carbs. Take butter beans, use some of the homemade sauce i wrote about and a bit of chilli and have it on toast, posh beans on toast!

Dont underestimate the jacket potato!!!
:beer: enjoy your dinner

Darn it, I keep forgetting about kidney beans. I love kidney beans in a thick random pasta. My dad taught me to make a lovely pasta mix (well, I watched as he did it.) You get a simple jar of pasta sauce, large enough for 4 servings. Then you simply add baked beans, kidney beans, fresh sliced mushrooms, tin chopped tomatoes (fresh if you got them), and chopped bacon. All cooked in a wok. Goes great on tagliateli. At the end, it serves like 7 or 8 people.

I've never been able to scale it down, even so far as to serves 4 people, as the portion of ingredients are pretty random.

I've never underestimate a jacket potato. I've just never successfully cooked one before. I've been told how to do it, looked up on the internet etc, but the potato always comes out either black or under cooked. As potatoes are various sizes, I can never get the settings right. That's the time and heat.

aurongrande_2

northerner999 wrote: »

Frozen pies are as good as the ones you're getting out a Fray Bentos tin.

You can also get individual Tesco pies - look at the same place you find sausage rolls, pork pies etc.

Even if you have a large Fray Bentos pie there is nothing stopping you only cooking half take half out before cooking) or simply having the second-half later.

That's probably because a whole Fray Bento and a fist full of ships still isn't enough of a meal for me. I'm not fat, I just burn through food quickly. In fact, my GP told me never to go on a diet, or else I'd be anorexic in no time.

Have you seen the size of those mixed grill meals they serve in Wetherspoons? They're pretty big. That's the size of the meal I need to eat each day.

I'm not the only one in my family who has to eat like this.

aurongrande_2

eleanor73 wrote: »

You guys have given this OP some great ideas and with responses like "yuck I'm not keen on soups or stews" !!! I just wouldn't bother - that sounds like a response an 8 year old would say!! I have taken some of your good ideas though - thanks!!

That's where you're wrong. I will eat the ingredients put into stews, I just don't like them stewed. I'd simply cook them differently.

tupac662

I'm currently on a high protein / low carbs muscle building diet, but struggle to find 'cheap' meats.
We've got a fruit & veg store quite close to us, which is great for veggies, eggs and fruits but no butchers.
Any ideas on cheap meats?

babs2008

aurongrande wrote: »

I have a slow cooker which I use to make a loaf once a week (I love homemade bread. Not too keen on the mass produced stuff), and a slow cooker. I think I'll dig out the slow cooker for college days.

Do you have a slow cooker????

stephen77

aurongrande wrote: »

Sounds interesting, minus the carrots that is. However, I neither have the equipment nor the time to spend baking things. My oven is small for one (can barely fit a single roasting tray in it on the single shelf that it has,) and I'm usually studying, or out doing other things. The best I can do is half hour for cooking. Anything longer is not often.

I'd really love to bake my own pies.

I have a slow cooker which I use to make a loaf once a week (I love homemade bread. Not too keen on the mass produced stuff), and a slow cooker. I think I'll dig out the slow cooker for college days.

it take you ages to make pie and they are not easy especially if making the pastry.

30 minutes is plenty of time to use the above ingredients to make something nice and healthy.

jenniewb

aurongrande wrote: »

I never knew about the containers from the poundshops. Even though we have 2 different poundshops in our town, they're usually crammed with druggies and shoplifters so I tend to mainly keep my distance. I could try and risk it though.

This I take offence to. Am not a drug user nor shoplifter and yet I shop in pound stores. I am now thinking you just never want to venture out of your comfort zone. Even if the store was filled with "druggies and shoplifters" (which I have to say I doubt) it would not prevent you from shopping there not picking up bargains. Stop being such a snob! If the shop was filled with such people, the police would have a field day, all the local criminals (millions) 'all under one roof':rotfl:

Just because people don't carry designer handbags, have full mani and pedicures and wear hole-less clothes, it does not make them druggies or shoplifters. Some of us just can't afford to buy everything we see without thought...

Seriously though, you need to start thinking abit more maturely, you do seem to reject most of the suggestions on here. No healthy eating is not as simple as opting for a mcdonalds every night, but it is not any more expensive then eating junk food. You sound very young, you sound like you have had a very shelterd upbringing and this could be your downfall if your looking to save money. It can take some graft and forethought to change and you have to be willing to do that.

DCFC79

aurongrande wrote: »

yuck, I'm not keen on soups and stews.

if there wasnt anything left you would eat it, how come you dont like soups

mimidaler

aurongrande wrote: »

I never knew about the containers from the poundshops. Even though we have 2 different poundshops in our town, they're usually crammed with druggies and shoplifters so I tend to mainly keep my distance. I could try and risk it though.



I've never heard of these ready made pastries. What sort of section would I find them under in Tescos?




I already portion my meat out.

That meal sounds nice, but I may sound stupid, but I don't know what blanch means. I've heard it a few times on cooking shows a few times, but they never showed what they were doing.


Darn it, I keep forgetting about kidney beans. I love kidney beans in a thick random pasta. My dad taught me to make a lovely pasta mix (well, I watched as he did it.) You get a simple jar of pasta sauce, large enough for 4 servings. Then you simply add baked beans, kidney beans, fresh sliced mushrooms, tin chopped tomatoes (fresh if you got them), and chopped bacon. All cooked in a wok. Goes great on tagliateli. At the end, it serves like 7 or 8 people.


I've never been able to scale it down, even so far as to serves 4 people, as the portion of ingredients are pretty random.

I've never underestimate a jacket potato. I've just never successfully cooked one before. I've been told how to do it, looked up on the internet etc, but the potato always comes out either black or under cooked. As potatoes are various sizes, I can never get the settings right. That's the time and heat.

haha i know what you mean, but it will be ok im sure of it.

i know they sell it frozen, and also fresh (sometimes near the butter its called jus-roll) im sure if you ask a 'tesco colleague' they will help you

ok, get a bowl of boiling water, score crosses in to the bottom of a tomato and then put the tomatoes in to the hot water. this makes the skin peel off.

baked beans are full of sugar, id just buy haricot beans or similar and add some tomato puree. You could make that sauce up and portion it up then freeze it.

ok, its a difficult one as you have to use your wick with it. But generally for a medium sized one, 6 mins in the microwave (remember to !!!!! the skin so it doesnt explode) after the 6 mins if you squeze it (with a tea towel round it so you dont burn yourself) it should be slightly soft. then 20 mins in the oven, just to crisp it up.

You can just do it for longer in the microwave too but the skin wont be crisp