Hi all-joining you here as money is going to be a bit tight

mardatha

I second soup with bread as a filler upper, and also have a pudding after it instead of the meat course.

euronorris

OP - It's great that you are tackling your weight issue. But......I don't think that the Cambridge Diet is the best way to do it. By your own admission, you have issues with food. When you reach your goal weight, those issues will still exist because you haven't tackled them, and you'll regain all the weight and then some.

So, for your sake, and your family's, I think it would be good for you to try a different approach. You need to understand the emotional reasons for over eating, and tackle them. I also get the impression that you haven't spent much time cooking things from scratch before, which is probably part of the problem.

You could use this opportunity to learn some recipes and techniques from this site to create healthy, filling meals for you and the family. Get the kids involved too so that they are also learning these skills. Personally, I've found that since I have started to cook more from scratch, I am far more aware of what I am eating and it is easier for me to make healthier choices too. You'll probably find the same.

I wish you luck!

Butterfly_Brain

right...here's the sorts of things I have...
sausages sweetcorn, pasta,rice,tuna, ham,cheese,mixed veg,
flour, eggs,pastry,chicken portions,beef cubes(reduced),
bacon(lots),potatoes(will buy today),milk,all kinds of spices,
cous cous,noodles,spaghetti,
2 ready made corned beef hash dinners(reduced to 30p each),
mushrooms,celery, carrots,reduced salads,fruit and other bits and bobs.
I'm rubbish at meal planning-really rubbish.Just found some beef mince in the freezer,and more chicken pieces.
Sausage Pasta
Fry or oven bake the sausages and slice into bite sized pieces, cook the spaghetti and add some sweetcorn, onion and mushrooms with a tin of tomatoes or pasta sauce if you have it, heat thoroughly and serve
Butterfly's Macaroni special
Cook pasta or spaghetti with a small finely diced onion(if you don't have a small one only use ½ a medium one). Make a cheese sauce =1oz butter, 1oz flour and milk with grated cheese and a little mustard.
When the pasta is just al dente drain and put into an oven proof dish with the cheese sauce, then top with grated cheese and either pepperoni slices this is my DS's fave (79p a pack in Aldi) or diced streaky bacon, then put into the oven 180c/Gas 4 until the meat is cooked (about 15 - 20mins) You can add sliced tomatoes as well, I don't because my DS doesn't like them.
BOTH OF THE ABOVE RECIPES WORK JUST AS WELL WITH RICE - COOK RICE FOR 10 MINUTES ON THE HOB THEN POP IN A DISH AND ADD EITHER SAUSAGES, PEPPERONI, BACON, CHICKEN PLUS VEGGIES OF CHOICE MIX 2 EGGS WITH A PINT OF MILK, TIN OF TOMATOES OR A PASTA SAUCE AND COOK 180C GAS 4 UNTIL ALL THE LIQUID HAS BEEN ABSORBED
Sausage Toad
HM meatballs or burgers
Meatball toad in the hole
Carbonara
Egg and bacon pie/pasties
Mince and potato pie
H.M pizza top with crispy bacon or pepperoni
H.M Fishcakes
Cheese and onion pie
Quiche with salad
Fritatta
Quesilladas
Beef tagine using the couscous
HM soups
Chicken stew /pie
Beef stew with dumplings
Chicken curry
Risotto's
Stuffed pancakes
Jacket Potatoes with cheese, baked beans or left overs such as bolognaise, chilli or sliced sausages with mushrooms etc
Make cheap puddings such as baked rice pudding with nutmeg, chocolate sponge and custard, apple sponge and custard, a few tins of peaches with a crumble topping and custard, self saucing puddings etc.
Mousse
(chill a couple of tins of evaporated milk and make up 2 packs of jelly ( any flavour you like) when the jelly is nearly set, whisk together with the evaporated milk - you can add fruit at this stage as well if you want) then chill for a couple of hours in the fridge.

Make batches of biscuits such as Twinks hob-nobs, cakes, cheese straws etc and have plenty of things like raw carrots, celery and fruit for nibbles too.

Here are some links that may help with some more recipes
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=8736367#post8736367
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=346932
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=346783

mardatha

Wow BB, lot of ideas there for all of us, thanks!

Cat501

Toomuchdebt wrote: »

How do you make the fishcakes?I have a huuuuge can of tuna that I got from Approved foods.

I must have a look on there, we used to eat a lot of tuna but it's so extortionate these days!:eek: None of us are keen on salmon or sardines

And don't worry, there's always one or two pious and judgemental people popping up, you'd think they'd have better things to do with their time:(

And thanks for all those ideas BB, I've been pretty rubbish at cooking lately but I must get back into it and you've given me lots of inspiration

mardatha

O god me too - we seem to have some really weird meals lately !

Pee

I can end up with lots of things in the cupboards and then not know what to mix and match them with. If the whole of my usual meal idea is not there, I get confused!

Could you post some of the stuff you have to hand here and we could play Ready Steady cook without the cooking?

Cat501

Pee wrote: »

I can end up with lots of things in the cupboards and then not know what to mix and match them with. If the whole of my usual meal idea is not there, I get confused!

Could you post some of the stuff you have to hand here and we could play Ready Steady cook without the cooking?

Oh me too! I've had these in the cupboard for months : pearl barley, couscous, tinned green lentils, tinned haricot beans. Every time I look at them I think I really should find a way to use them, then I think hmm, maybe another day....:o

Rage_in_Eden

BB - oh that Macaroni special sounds gorg..... right, that's going on my menu plan for this month..... something else can go off it LOL

bargainbetty

Sorry, I re-read my post and it does seem a bit rude - I phrased it badly! But, I do stick to the point I made about learning to eat properly.

You can lose more than a pouind a week with eating healthily. Doctors don't tend to recommend such plans long-term (mine certainly didn't and actually told me off for wasting money on milkshakes when I should be buying fruit and veg).

I lost 20 pounds on the Slim fast thing. Gained it back in three months. Lost two and half stone on Slimming World.... took me nearly 18 months to get that back. Lost two stone being unemployed for six months and basically sleeping all day and partying all night (Jack Daniels is apparently not meal-replacement), gained it back within six months back at a desk.

I have now lost more than a stone, and a full dress size, by finally addressing my eating issues and generally picking up a smaller bowl of things. I am eating more veg, and less fat. I have changed the lifestyle, albeit with a bit of room for pizza or the occasional takeaway, but it was the lifestyle that needed to change.

I wish you all the luck in the world losing the weight, but frankly, you need to learn how to control your food before you come off it, or it will control you. Perhaps mix it up - a few days a week on shakes, a few on real food?

I shall now s*d off and leave the thread alone.