Feed a family of four for £20 a week challenge

LannieDuck

Coleslaw is a very interesting idea. I might enjoy making some for me and OH if nothing else!

The stir fry and mixed in carbonara are great suggestions, but DD1 doesn't like lots of textures mixed in together. She even picks out fried onions from stuff. Not that it stops us offering her meals like that (I'm with the PP who said that she eats it or goes hungry), but the aim is to get her to actually eat it, so...

funfairprincess

joedenise wrote: »

Welcome funfair princess. Of course you can join the thread - it's open to everyone.

You might like to join in the Grocery Challenge on the Old Style Board. Lots of really good and cheap recipes on there.

Denise

Thank you x I will take a look at the grocery challenge x

funfairprincess

LannieDuck wrote: »

Can anyone suggest interesting things to do with cabbage that children might eat? We got a lovely big one for 80p. I'd like to use them more often because they're so cheap and healthy, but I run out of ideas v quickly. (We've already done boiled with butter twice.)

(I'm trying to incorporate more leafy green veg into our diets because we've been told that DD1 needs a bit more fibre in her diet, so ideas need to appeal to kiddies.)

Not sure about what to do eating wise but have you tried getting the kids to drink the water after you have boiled the cabbage? Full of vitamins, I love it. Also makes great gravy.

muddywhitechicken

LannieDuck wrote: »

Can anyone suggest interesting things to do with cabbage that children might eat? We got a lovely big one for 80p. I'd like to use them more often because they're so cheap and healthy, but I run out of ideas v quickly. (We've already done boiled with butter twice.)

(I'm trying to incorporate more leafy green veg into our diets because we've been told that DD1 needs a bit more fibre in her diet, so ideas need to appeal to kiddies.)

I've just finished eating pasta and (mainly) cabbage - fry a small onion and a stick of celery, add shredded cabbage, a handful of peas and 1/2 cup of vegetable stock, and cook for 5 minutes, then add cooked pasta and season with black pepper.

Feral_Moon

Bubble & Squeak; Rumbledethumps; Colcannon; Cabbage soup; Cabbage, bacon & onions

LannieDuck

funfairprincess wrote: »

Not sure about what to do eating wise but have you tried getting the kids to drink the water after you have boiled the cabbage? Full of vitamins, I love it. Also makes great gravy.

:rotfl: Never tried it... will definitely give it a go. Great idea to use it as a gravy base too. Thank you.

Feral_Moon wrote: »

Bubble & Squeak; Rumbledethumps; Colcannon; Cabbage soup; Cabbage, bacon & onions

I love bubble&squeak - should have thought of that one myself. Thanks for the other ideas. Rumbledethumps?!

muddywhitechicken wrote: »

I've just finished eating pasta and (mainly) cabbage - fry a small onion and a stick of celery, add shredded cabbage, a handful of peas and 1/2 cup of vegetable stock, and cook for 5 minutes, then add cooked pasta and season with black pepper.

This sounds lovely. Thank you :T

danih

Re: the fussy eaters. I work with a few health visitors, who would advocate the tough love approach as discussed above.

Along with that, try bribery. If you clear your plate / eat all the carrots / a whole piece of toast / etc your reward is a gold star / play a favourite game / go to granny's. Try to keep the rewards free (no point spending money where you don't need to), not food (rewarding sweets defeats purpose) and preferably stuff you may have been planning anyway - e.g use that trip to park / granny's / watching favourite DVD that you had already planned this afternoon as a reward for eating a good lunch.

For the older child, one idea is to get a large jar/tub and tokens. For tokens, dried pasta shells decorated with glitter and glue, or lego bricks - anything relatively small, that your child will enjoy looking at and handling. One token for every reward (focus on food related - no need to make it too complex). Mark up the jar or tub, perhaps in inches. When the tokens reach the coloured line, Big Treat - like a trip to somewhere child enjoys. Let child pick from a few practical options, and keep it cheap and cheerful. I know one child who picks to spend the night with her aunty. Free - and parents get a night off :j Keep this idea positive - lots of praise. Don't ever take tokens away for negative behaviour - just don't add tokens unless they have done as asked. Eat all carrots - get token. Don't finish carrots - no token. Be firm!!!

The tough love, and also the token economy will work well for a majority of children, when parents are firm and consistant, so the child understands the boundaries.

Obviously, no matter how well a parent carries these ideas out, there will be some children this just won't work for - nothing in life has 100% success rate unfortunately. And all children are different and unique. Apologies for this negative note at the end.

And best of luck

danih

Additional tip - for the token economy idea. If you are planning to give your children pocket money, pick up one of the pound shop tin money boxes (that have to be opened with a tin opener (some need stabbed in half with a big knife - adults only obv).

Keep a stash of wee coins - perhaps 5p's. One 5p for every positive - like eating all carrots on the plate. Hopefully you can work this out so that they have the potential to earn the equivilent of whatever you had planned to give as pocket money.

Children like to drop their money in, and hear the money jangling about inside.

Also valuable lesson - got to earn money. May encourage your child to think more carefully about how they spend it.

Butterfly_Brain

I made stuffed cabbage leaves for dinner last night, I just stuffed them with rice, mixed peppers, sweetcorn and mushrooms then wrapped up like you would a tortilla, then I poured a couple of tins of chopped tomatoes over with a crushed clove of garlic and cooked in the oven for 20 mins
We had chicken thighs with it.

LannieDuck

Butterfly_Brain wrote: »

I made stuffed cabbage leaves for dinner last night, I just stuffed them with rice, mixed peppers, sweetcorn and mushrooms then wrapped up like you would a tortilla, then I poured a couple of tins of chopped tomatoes over with a crushed clove of garlic and cooked in the oven for 20 mins
We had chicken thighs with it.

Sounds delicious! Thank you for the idea