Help me help Mrs 13000

Legacy_user

Ok, confession. Today for second time in 8 days we had Dominos

It tastes good at the time but the side effects aren't pleasant!

Anyhows......

Part of the reason is the fridge and cupboards are empty.

So I need some help with getting the basics both in terms of a food plan and also planning the meals too.

To make matters worse, Mrs 13000 doesn't like sandwiches and is doing the new weightwatchers. Also no microwave/kitchen where she works

Where do I start ?

Mrs 13000 never really has a food plan. Well she does, but it never gets stuck too and I get really really annoyed when sometimes we throw out £5 of food a week as menus weren't adhered to.

I like to watch (not that way you pervs Jamie Oliver et all and interested in what they make, but not confident enough yet to start "throwing stuff" Basically I am like total newbie to cooking designed meals. I am more a "throw it in a pan and eat what comes out"

I like curries etc and Mrs 13000 doesn't mind the mild one, it just tends to be calorific value that upsets her.

We both cannot stand meat on the bone. It's one of those things. Just a total nono for both of us.

Lastly neither of us likes cooking when we get home. I wouldn't mind however knowing the inns and outs of knocking up some nice food to freeze.

Thanks everyone.

JulieGeorgiana

Go over to the grocery thread within this forum, and read what everyone has to say about budgeting.

You have the menu planning thread too

You need to think about a Slow Cooker (or a Pressure Cooker!) to help speed things along.

Frozen Veg is better for you AND it doesn't go off if you don't use it!

Most things can be frozen... cream, cheese etc etc!

Bulk cooking works wonders, make a HUGE vat of food (ie. Spaghetti Bolognaise) and freeze portions... I find these great for during the week!

I don't like eating meat off the bone BUT cooking cheap cuts on the bone and pulling the meat off is a wonderful way to save money! To be honest I personally think that Dark Meat on a Chicken tastes a LOT better then breast meat!

It you need to go cheap, then bulking out with tomatoes, lentils and veg is the way to go (great for the diet!).

If you want food to freeze... Sheppards pies, spaghetti bolognaise, Lasagne, Chilli and Pies (make a pie and freeze before cooking the pastry)!

I used to be on weightwatchers (it was okay) but to be honest, eating good wholesome, rounded meals is how I lost 6 stone and kept it off... and I eat curry, and even chocolate at times!!

Also if you deny yourself food you will crave it more (ie. Domino's) so don't ban any food types! Also the body is designed to know where it last had a high fat content meal (to do with survival and eveolution) so one high fat meal... leads to another!

I hope this helped....!

Ps. HM Pizza is so much better tasting then takeaway!

BitterAndTwisted

I think you need a really basic cookery book so you can get the hang of things. What about one of Jamie Oliver's if you like his programmes? The best way to fight off the Domino's temptation is to do some batch-cooking at the weekends and take something out of the freezer in the morning before you go to work. That way, it's all ready to be heated up when you get in

jackieglasgow

bath-cooking, is that not taking the whole bulk cooking thing to a whole new level B&T

System

Thank you all for that. I will leave the bath cooking for the more advanced sessions. I guess it could be awesome to have a nice curry within 10 mins of coming home and about 2 pans to wash

Ill check out the said threads

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi! There are loads of good ideas on here to get you started. If you get stuck and need a questioned answered (no matter how silly it may seem) we are here to help.

I agree a slow cooker is a great investment. I cook chicken portions on the bone in the slow cooker then the meat just falls off. This is quite an achievement for me because I dont really like things with bones in either. Chicken thighs with some leeks and stock makes a really tasty pie done in the slow cooker.

Curries dont have to be high in fat, you can make one based on a tomato sauce. Most home cooking is healthier anyway.

Local libraries are often good for recipe books and you dont need to invest money. Just get a selection and take the plunge.

adelight

make mrs 13000 some (wholegrain) pasta and veg salads for lunch. does she like coleslaw? you can make a cheap, healthier version of it using lots of raw cabbage, onion, carrot, lemon juice, salad cream and mustard.

Make a list of meals that appeal to you and mrs 13000, look up the recipes and spot which ones have lots of similar ingredients to get your cupboard filling started and meal planning on the go. ie, lentil soup, lentil dhal, shepherd's pie bulked out with lentils. all require lentils, onions, garlic, some super basic foods.

weezl74

We batch cook and put a variety of meals in the freezer (just make extra when you are making a chilli or something) put how many WW points it is on the sticky label, and then every day you can choose from a variety of meals IYSWIM? We have our evening meals planned up to the end of feb, because we are on a tight challenge, but we are both more inclined to eat what we fancy on a given day, so we just defrost what we fancy that day.

PennyGSD

As long as you keep the fat to the minimum required to brown off the meat/cook through the onion/garlic paste/toast the spices, curries can be really healthy as you can pack so much flavour into them with the spices that you don't need the flavour from fat itself.

If she prefers milder versions than you, then simply take out a portion for her and just add some low fat yoghurt or coconut milk to cool it down a bit - neither options are that expensive on points with the new ww sytem.

There are also loads of weight watchers recipes posted by members on their website - you don't have to pay to be a community user of the website and there are lots of family friendly recipes - just add more carbs/larger amounts to your version if you're not dieting too.

Nottoobadyet

I hear you mate - just a year ago I could hardly assemble a meal, and it can be really intimidating if you dont have the confidence to make a good meal.

I reccomend using the internet rather than cookbooks for recipies, that way you dont end up with a whole book when you only want to cook one or two things in it. This board is great, as is the BCC food website.

I found starting with soups was easy, you dont have to worry too much about it looking like a dogs dinner, they can be healthy and are easy to increase the quantities to have leftovers avaliable for a night that you dont feel like cooking.

ALIBOBSY

Soups are a good idea and recent research proves that the same igredients cooked and liquidised into a thick soup keep you feeling fuller (so less likely to break a diet) than the same igredients cooked as a solid meal. Also freezes well and is good to take in a flask to work. Finally soups are a good way to use up left overs or veggies that are getting past their best-we always seemed to get those little cups/pots of leftover baked beans in the fridge, mine now get chucked in with soups/stews or sauces, they soon break down and are hardly noticable-but add some fibre, protein and thicken a bit as well.

ali x