Help me shake up my meal rota!

floss2

englishrose19 wrote: »

Mmm pork belly! I've heard about gammon in coke but i've always been too scared to try in, might have to though! I actually eat a lot of pheasant, I'm a farmer's daughter so it's been something I've grown up with. Can't beat a pheasant casserole! My OH loves fish but I'm not so keen, I think I will have to try kedgeree, it doesn't seem that bad! :rotfl:

We tend to buy the Tesco value gammon joints, they are scrummy and really good value.

I make kedgeree with salmon (not too fishy ) and add hard boiled quails eggs as DH can't bear h/b hens eggs.

englishrose19

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Nothing wrong with frozen food, it can be as healthy as fresh. Frozen veggies, chicken livers, berries, rhubarb, fish and other seafood are all super convenient.

Consider more oily fish and less meat: sardines, trout and mackerel are generally much cheaper per kilo than salmon. Stir fries are easy healthy dishes and so many different vegetables lend themselves well, I tend to use a red, yellow and green plus anything else I fancy. Most of my stir fries are fish or seafood - sauce I have Thai curry with a jar paste or Chinese-ish soy sauce/ lime/ sweetener/ chilli.

Vegetable, bean/ lentils and coconut curries are brilliant for getting in more veggies without munching through a plain side dish. Also can be super cheap especially if you buy frozen or fresh root veggies: red onion, carrot, sweet potato, peppers, aubergine, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and green beans all work. Then add any of canned tomatoes, block creamed coconut, canned chick peas or kidney beans, dried red or yellow lentils, dried spice blends (check out Asian grocers/ World Foods section of supermarket).

You might try organ meats: chicken livers are cheap, very nutritious and not too strong flavoured so easy to work with. I often 'hide' them in Bolognese sauce (cheaper than lean mince!), but small pieces pan fried with bacon, mushrooms, red onion and garlic, then dressed with avocado and balsamic vinegar is good and I am pretty fussy. Serve with other pan fried veggies or a huge salad depending what you have in the fridge.

Lastly not sure how much mineral and fibre rich foods you are eating - beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and wholegrains. Many people eat white rice and white pasta so miss out on nutrients, potatoes are not a particularly good source of minerals. You might consider some vegetarian meals with nuts, seeds and dairy (do you get the recommended three servings a day?) for protein.

The reason we don't eat frozen food is because we don't have enough room to store it! I've never eaten lentils before, do they actually taste of much? I will give them ago as I know pulses are important, thank you. At home I eat brown rice/ pasta but we can't afford it here sadly

I do love a curry so will be making a veggie one. Over Christmas my Mum - who had recently returned from a trip to India - made us panir cheese curry for tea... it was actually tofu! Put me off meat alternatives!! I've not had livers either (probably as my parents don't like them) and I'm not sure my boyfriend would be too keen. I like the rest of the dish though so maybe I could adapt it!

englishrose19

floss2 wrote: »

We tend to buy the Tesco value gammon joints, they are scrummy and really good value.

I make kedgeree with salmon (not too fishy ) and add hard boiled quails eggs as DH can't bear h/b hens eggs.

Yeah I do like gammon!

I will have to try the kedgeree, get some advice from the would be mother-in-law too as they're a fish loving family!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!!

FairyPrincessk

englishrose19 wrote: »

I've never eaten lentils before, do they actually taste of much? I will give them ago as I know pulses are important, thank you. At home I eat brown rice/ pasta but we can't afford it here sadly

On the lentils--no, they don't taste of much at all. They're very bland. That is why its important to start out with a good recipe with lots of seasoning:D The top one I linked to tastes a bit like a red thai curry. Lentils are used in a lot of Indian dishes, so if you like those have a look round for that. There are also a number of recipes out there for one pot sausage and lentil stews. They are one of my OH's favourite things to cook and I'm a bit burned out on them but I think the may be a good place to start if you're more of a meat eater.

You might also try having a soup and bread night. The first time I served soup and bread to my OH was when we were dating. He popped round and it was what I had planned. He wasn't keen on the idea and was convinced he hadn't had enough to eat but these days he's gotten used to it. It helps, at first, if you bring out some cheese and make a big pud or give them a starter of something basic. Homemade bread can also make it go down a treat. I often make cheese toasties to go with tomato soup--melted cheese can make up for a lot:rotfl:

Brown rice/pasta is more expensive--OH and I tend to set one major health goal every year. Last year was to get 5 or more a day every single day. We did that successfully except when we were on holiday and this year its to move more in the direction of brown carbs. We still eat white pasta and we're at about half and half brown rice--it does cost more so it takes more practice with the budget. We prefer brown rice so I guess that is a bit of incentive for us.

Your meals do seem a bit meat heavy to me--which is all well and good if that is how you want to spend your money--so don't take this as a criticism if you like it that way. However, if you did want to have a bit extra for trying new things or brown rice or whatever it is that is probably where I'd cut back a bit.

However--I wouldn't go the meat subsitute route--most of it is expensive and IMO not very nice. Instead, I'd start with one night a week as a soup or salad night and go from there.

SailorSam

You were saying about not being keen on some veges. I was reading here yesterday about 'potatoe ricers' and a few people said they put veges through the ricer so they could hide it in with the mash potatoe.

moonbabe58

Some of our favourite 'staple' meals include:

Sausages, mash & veg
Various pasta bakes - chicken/bacon/tuna
Tuna steaks, with potato salad and veg
Gammon, egg & chips
Homemade burgers with salad and chips
Cottage/Shepherds pie
Chicken/beef fajitas
Thai curry
Chicken/beef/pork stirfry

Check out the 'What are you making for dinner' and weekly meal plan threads, they always have some good ideas.

ostrichnomore_2

I used to hate veggies - only ate onions and peas!

now I eat loads of different ones and I keep trying new ones as well (feeling very brave!) and once you start to get used to the texture and 'tastes of green' thing, it opens up a lot of interesting food for you, not to mention vitamins etc.

I just made myself eat them at first. A small amount, chew trying not to let them touch my tastebuds just my teeth, and to my surprise I quickly started to enjoy them.

How they are cooked or prepared makes a difference. Fresh corn on the cob, always yummy once I tried it, I'd only had tinned before and while I can now eat it, it's not the same at all. Frozen sweetcorn kernals are nice too, but the frozen corn on the cobs always seem to go watery and soggy. So, be open-minded and don't write something off just because you didn't like it the once, try it again, try it a different way.

Hiding veg - I don't really like cauliflower but I tried mashing it up with potato - if you do 50/50 you honestly can't even tell it's there - it's lower calorie, it's a cruciferous veg which has health benefits, lots of B vitamins, fibre and they are cheaper than potatoes when they are in season. You can get a massive one that will last a couple of weeks.

Mixed veg - chop small and bung into any soups/stews/sauces/dishes/stirfrys/whatever - they almost melt away and it's a great way to add colour and interest and variety, without it tasting of veggies.

Aubergine - didn't like it, only had it as ratatouille, VILE stuff. Then I went out for an Indian meal very recently with a friend and they ordered brinjal bhaji - aubergine bhaji - and oh my it was delicious!

Other than that you seem to eat very similar meals to me, assuming that isn't ALL you eat of course, but that could be a typical week's menu for me too. I try and eat fish at least once and preferably twice a week too. I'm not a huge fish lover but again, it's worth trying different types in different ways. To me, tinned tuna, yum, fresh tuna yuk. I had fresh mackeral for the first time the other day and it was surprisingly nice. Fresh salmon is great, tinned salmon, vile. If you don't like the oily fish taste, then plaice is quite a subtle flavour for a change. the white fish I prefer is cod (but avoid now as overfished), haddock and plaice. Pollock is also ok, coley is too.

a favourite recipe of mine is to buy frozen rectangular block of coley, cut it up (while frozen) into small cubes or fingers and stir fry in soy sauce. Not fishy at all like that, really good as it hold together nicely so good to incorporate in a general stir fry.
Slow cooker anything cheap and cheerful - it comes out lovely and it's so easy.
Curry - I tend to make all in one curries with meat plus veggies (including potato cubes sometimes instead of having with rice - I nuke a potato for a few minutes till nearly cooked then cube it up and add it to the curry for the last 10 mins or so), anything that's to hand really.

jackyann

Although gammon in coke can't be described as cheap (unless you do a hock) I always think of it as good value, because it has no waste, and I have never met anyone who has tasted it who doesn't like it. It is also a good way to cook a small joint (in which case be wary of glazing in the oven as a small joint dries out quickly)
I bring the joint up to boil in water, then throw the water away. You must use the coke with sugar in because it is the sugar that reacts with the meat fibres (but you can use cheapest brand)
I often put this in the slow cooker - just boil up the coke and put in.

I usually stop cooking when the meat thermometer says 68 degrees C, skin the joint, then finish off in the oven with a glaze.
But sometimes I just remove the skin, and cook in the Coke until it's at 74 degrees and serve straight.

I often find this a good option for entertaining as I do a really nice vege dish for the vegetarians (and those keeping kosher or halal) and plenty of other veges or salads. It also works well with different potato dishes - all of which fill people up cheaply. Because it is so compact, it can be sliced thinly - also making it s-t-r-e-t-c-h.

savetosave

Hi
Wanted to post last week but was having computer problems.
When you have had gammon (start it off in water before putting in the oven to roast - then you get a lovely stock), keep some meat for the next day and make make gammon and sweet corn chowder.

Soften a couple of diced onions, add meat cut into small cubes.
Add stock either from cooking meat or made with chicken stock cubes.
Peel and cube 2-3 potatoes and add and simmer until potatoes are soft.
Add a drained tin of sweet corn and allow to warm through.
Add some milk and serve with bread.
It is soo yummy - you Can use a few rashers of bacon instead of gammon if you haven't got leftovers.

Amounts aren't exact just more or less to taste.