healthy eating too expensive...

alandbailey

I keep chickens and when I get tired of the same food 2 or 3 days running, the chooks have what is left and supply me with eggs, which I can sell or eat.:j

aurongrande_2

I know I'm spinning some yarn here (so to speak) and that some people may complain about what I'm about to say, but better to get it out in the open.

I'm no cook. I can do basic cooking, but nothing remotely special. I grew up learning to just throw something together, and I don't really have the time to actually make that much of an effort in learning better I'm afraid. For me, it's something along the lines of throw something in the oven, set the timer, and then do some work, only returning when the timer goes off.

Now that I'm a college student, I have even less time time because I end up with a lot of work to do.

savvy

aurongrande wrote: »

Now that I'm a college student, I have even less time time because I end up with a lot of work to do.

Trust me, being a lecturer/tutor/course manager I have even less time, but having a family and low income means I have to pepare meals ........so you'll find me chucking stuff together and hoping for the best when the timer goes too

bulchy

mandy1234 wrote: »

Yeah great suggection Sue we do this all the time well my b/f does he will make a big batch of curry split it into 5 meals worth, he does like a tray of lasagne and splits that as well, then he will keep a bag of potatoes in the house and just but loose veg on the day we need it and not huge pack. It works out so much cheaper that buying ready meals in we spend £35 a week on food for two of us and we eat pretty well .. Oh the weeks we have to buy toothpaste ect goes up a little but £35 a week on food is pretty good for two people

We do the same with lasagne, make a big batch, feed the four of us and then freeze the rest, really handy when you cant be bothered to cook.
Sue

elfen

Quick cooking things from elfen's list of boredom (also, I'm a uni student, but my mum taught me how to cook, so these are the simple versions)

Sweet and sour chicken
As much chicken as you need (I try and do a small pack of chicken as I'll get 4 meals out of this)
Sweet and sour sauce (yes, I buy the jars of it, I AM LAZY! But it's the economy ones)
Veg of your choice
Tin of pineappe chunks (not sweetcorn, that's my obsession)

Cut up chicken, fry off until brown and nearly cooked through. Bop into saucepan
Whack in sauce, veg and pineapple and leave to simmer for 20 mins. Done!

Meatballs (nomnom)
Pack of mince
Tin of beans/passata and kidney beans would work here too
Anything else you may want to add (onion to the meatballs, veg in the sauce etc)
Egg

Break up the mince, mix in the egg. Form into balls.
Cook balls in pan, until brown and nommy looking
Heat up bean sauce, pop balls in sauce.
Add veg, cook for about 15 mins or however long you want.

Curry
Any meat you want
Any veg you want
Either a tin of curry sauce or curry paste mix with tomatoes and onions added.
Small tub of cream if using paste

(If using paste, cook off the spices in a tablespoon or so of oil. Add chopped onions and tomatoes and leave to simmer for about 30 mins or until the sauce has reduced a bit - about half)
Cut up meat, bop in pan and brown
Bop meat into sauce, add veg and cream
Leave to simmer for 1/2 an hour

Jacket spud
A spud
An oven
A fork

Turn oven on (around 200-225) and leave to pre-heat
!!!!! spud with fork
Bop spud in, and leave to cook for an hour and a half (for a smaller one) or two hours (for a bigger spud)
Done!

Chilli
Mince
Beans of some form
Passata or chili sauce
Spices if using passata or mad on hot things.

Brown mince off, drain fat
Put sauce in pan and add beans and spices to taste
Pop mince in (add veg if you want, or add spuds too and make a chili stew)
Leave to simmer for half an hour (or longer - but check on it)

DCFC79

aurongrande wrote: »

I know I'm spinning some yarn here (so to speak) and that some people may complain about what I'm about to say, but better to get it out in the open.

I'm no cook. I can do basic cooking, but nothing remotely special. I grew up learning to just throw something together, and I don't really have the time to actually make that much of an effort in learning better I'm afraid. For me, it's something along the lines of throw something in the oven, set the timer, and then do some work, only returning when the timer goes off.

Now that I'm a college student, I have even less time time because I end up with a lot of work to do.

im not a cook but i bet i could do a lasgane or make a pasta sauce and put some into a container and put it in the fridge, then cook the pasta and add the sauce could take max 20/30 minutes

the ready made pasties are made by ginsters or peters, they may do they're own, would be in the pastry section eg sausgae rolls and quiches

jenniewb

aurongrande wrote: »

I know I'm spinning some yarn here (so to speak) and that some people may complain about what I'm about to say, but better to get it out in the open.

I'm no cook. I can do basic cooking, but nothing remotely special. I grew up learning to just throw something together, and I don't really have the time to actually make that much of an effort in learning better I'm afraid. For me, it's something along the lines of throw something in the oven, set the timer, and then do some work, only returning when the timer goes off.

Now that I'm a college student, I have even less time time because I end up with a lot of work to do.

I was a student not so long ago, I managed. The food I ended up eating had little added to it- I'm not one for overly adding taste to foods which already taste good but mate, buy yourself some herbs, some salt even some oil, grill up some chopped onions, mix in any herbs and oil and seasonings, then add your meat/soya/fish. Simmer till the meat is cooked or warm enough to eat, then serve. You have a meal. Add some vegetables and your done.

Stuff like chopped tomatos, mix in your pre-cooked meat, (or quorn) some veg and serve with potatos, pasta or rice, if you wanted it to taste of curry, add some curry powder, if you wanted it to taste of chilli, add some chilli powder, if you wanted it to taste of bolognaise.....get the pattern? Take any spare and put into portions for other nights, you can freeze this stuff and keep it for up to 3 months (or sometimes longer...:o)

If you can, get a steamer, you can cook your veg and your pasta/rice in this, just stuff it in and switch on the timer whilst you deal with the meat. Works well. And if you want plain meat (you could add sauce later) you can also cook this in most steamers. The start at around £25. Failing that, get a Pyrex bowl, put your veg in and a little water, cover and microwave for 10 mins or so.
Pasta, rice, potatos, all can be boiled without needing to stare at the pan whilst you cook, couscous is very easy and you just add water. No fuss at all.

Its really not hard and it really doesn't take that much longer to cook up a decent meal, its also alot cheaper then precooked microwave meals and will do much more for your health.

And you know what? the more you do it, the better you get at it, the faster you become and the less of an effort it feels. Look, just give it a go for 2 months try it properly, give it 100% and if its really too much stress then go back to what you were doing- its not going to spoil your education or cut that much of your beer time if you cook your own meals.

I was at Uni, unlike many other courses I hear about, we had to be in every day all day 5 days a week (and had work to do at the weekend). We had to sign in every day, needed medical notes to get out of being in every day or very good excuses, each day was vital and we were warned we would be off the course if we didn't turn up.
We also had alot of machinary at College which no one had at home but not enough to go round so we had rotas, this often meant I'd go into Uni at 9am (occasionally 11am) and leave at 9pm just so I could get my work done. I'd leave and make a 2 hour journey home (yes really) and yet still managed to cook my own meals.

It is not impossible, you just need to work out whats important. (And no, I had no social life- I was just like everyone else on my course, more involved in my work) I know at uni I was not the only one who cooked and ate proper food.

Also, are you going to be in halls or with flat mates at all? I was not but if you are, see if its possible to have a rota for cooking everyones meals. I know a few who were in flat shares or in halls who would do this.

daz501

wow.. I've been cooking for years and I can honestly say I've never found it expensive. I buy own brand produce a lot as well as condiments and spices, which last. Also, I buy a hell of a lot of cheap canned tomatoes which I used to bulk up the jarred pasta/curry sauces. I don't mind having curry two days in a row, for example.

I don't actually own a freezer at the moment but I'm doing just fine. Also, I discovered packets of noodles in the supermarket the other night for about 20p each!

The best time to do all this I find is late at night.. 11 o clock. You just wouldn't notice all the cheap stuff in the daytime madness

daz501

Jennie - I was the same at Uni, though I had a few days off a week - at least in the first year.

I think there's absolutely no excuse to "not cook" and people who don't or claim not to know irriate me slightly. Sorry if this applies to anyone reading. When I first got into my Uni kitchen I was just "making up" recipes until I got it right. After a few weeks I was making the most amazing meals and my fltamtes and friends would be gathering round in amazement to watch!

There's honestly nothing magical about cooking. I watch a lot of cookery programmes and read a few books and most importantly actually do it. You'll soon love it, especially if you get to wander round somewhere like Leicester Market getting cheap qaulity produce.

It saves SO much money although I profess to having had my fair share of kebabs. In general though, I've made it my habit to cook every day at least once. I can always have the cheapo noodles if I'm too tired..

jenniewb

daz501 wrote: »

Jennie - I was the same at Uni, though I had a few days off a week - at least in the first year.

I think there's absolutely no excuse to "not cook" and people who don't or claim not to know irriate me slightly. Sorry if this applies to anyone reading. When I first got into my Uni kitchen I was just "making up" recipes until I got it right. After a few weeks I was making the most amazing meals and my fltamtes and friends would be gathering round in amazement to watch!

There's honestly nothing magical about cooking. I watch a lot of cookery programmes and read a few books and most importantly actually do it. You'll soon love it, especially if you get to wander round somewhere like Leicester Market getting cheap qaulity produce.

It saves SO much money although I profess to having had my fair share of kebabs. In general though, I've made it my habit to cook every day at least once. I can always have the cheapo noodles if I'm too tired..

Glad theres someone else to prove it: you can indeed be a student and cook all your own food!

I wasn't even watching cookery programmes to make up mine (I'd get home in time for Greyham Norton and cook with it on in the background). I would just put all my veg in the steamer, get a pan, in it would go chopped tomatos, some form of protein and whatever seasoning I wanted.
I lived in a hostel before then and we'd group together, have a rota to cook and follow basic recipies. Carbonara, Jacket Potatos and beans/cheese/tuna, Spaghetti, Curry, Chilli... and they are so easy to make yet so expensive to buy ready made. Feeding all of us could cost £10 or could cost £50 depending on which option we chose and we didn't have a margin for error. We HAD to make our own food. Or just not eat (not an option!).

Only thing we didn't do was drink alcohol and that was pretty healthy IMO. So OP if your still wondering how to eat healthily on a low budget, make sure your not ruining all your efforts with any form of booze. Alcohol is not cheap!