Cheapest recipies.

Emzy81

Hi
We could really do with your help please. Me and my fiance are on a diet (a much needed one!) But im really struggling with meal ideas, we are living on jacket potato and beans and pasta and sauce!
My problem is they need to be cheap ideas but my biggest problem is I don't like many foods...

Vegetables are ok if covered with something to disguise the taste (although i like salad)
I don't like sauces apart from gravy, pasta (tomato without lumps) sauce, mint sauce.
I can't stand creamy sauces or soft cheese
All the recipes I can find seem to be fancy (or fancy in my eyes lol) and contain all things i don't like i need some 'normal' ideas like jacket potato for example :rotfl:

BitterAndTwisted

If you need something to disguise the taste of vegetables this suggests to me that you're trying the wrong vegetables! I dearly hope that if your diets are so restricted that you're eating plenty of fresh fruit. Like five a day.... I'd recommend that you step up your Marmite intake radically as well.

Have you tried pesto sauce on pasta? That's a herb, not a veg so you might be safe there.

Also you could cook lots of different veggies in your tomato-based pasta sauces and give them a whirl with a hand-blender. This should make them less obvious and the sauce a bit thicker

msb5262

How do you feel about soup? It's fantastic for disguising vegetables if that's what you have to do - just blend thoroughly, serve with a splosh of low-fat natural yoghurt and some wholemeal toast.
I agree with BitterAndTwisted's idea of blending vegetables into your sauce - and you could extend this by using the sauce on home-made pizza too.
However I'm afraid if you aren't willing to try to get used to some new tastes and textures, it will be extremely difficult to start eating more healthily...humans are omnivores so we are designed to eat a wide range of foods! Maybe you could introduce one new vegetable every three or four days - but don't expect to like things instantly. Get accustomed to the taste and eat a little bit, with something you know you do like.
Best of luck - you will really benefit if you can achieve your aim of eating better.
MsB

SunnyGirl

Have you tried roasting some veggies? I roast half onions, chunks of peppers and butternut squash and they're lovely. I don't like the flavour of butternut squash otherwise.

Also make some soup with a couple of veg you do like, such as carrots (or whatever other veg you fancy), onions and a tin of tomatoes in stock then blend and season to taste. Sometimes it's the salt & pepper that can make all the difference to how something tastes too, so it may be worth checking that when you're cooking the hated veggies

Do you like any veg raw? I'm thinking along the lines of peppers, carrots and celery, say, being used to dunk into a dip maybe?

Emzy81

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

If you need something to disguise the taste of vegetables this suggests to me that you're trying the wrong vegetables! I dearly hope that if your diets are so restricted that you're eating plenty of fresh fruit. Like five a day.... I'd recommend that you step up your Marmite intake radically as well.

Have you tried pesto sauce on pasta? That's a herb, not a veg so you might be safe there.

Also you could cook lots of different veggies in your tomato-based pasta sauces and give them a whirl with a hand-blender. This should make them less obvious and the sauce a bit thicker

Thank you for replying and thanks for not taking the mickey, it's kind if to do with somethings in my past but hey I'm trying really hard to start a proper life and this is something I need to work on,
my fianc! likes veg just I don't seem to like much or I guess I never used to so I'll start introducing some in my diet, and yes we both eat lots of fruit I love that!
Great idea about blending the vegetables I could just blend my ones and gradually blend less and less of them, I feel silly now for not thinking of that

Emzy81

msb5262 wrote: »

How do you feel about soup? It's fantastic for disguising vegetables if that's what you have to do - just blend thoroughly, serve with a splosh of low-fat natural yoghurt and some wholemeal toast.
I agree with BitterAndTwisted's idea of blending vegetables into your sauce - and you could extend this by using the sauce on home-made pizza too.
However I'm afraid if you aren't willing to try to get used to some new tastes and textures, it will be extremely difficult to start eating more healthily...humans are omnivores so we are designed to eat a wide range of foods! Maybe you could introduce one new vegetable every three or four days - but don't expect to like things instantly. Get accustomed to the taste and eat a little bit, with something you know you do like.
Best of luck - you will really benefit if you can achieve your aim of eating better.
MsB

SunnyGirl wrote: »

Have you tried roasting some veggies? I roast half onions, chunks of peppers and butternut squash and they're lovely. I don't like the flavour of butternut squash otherwise.

Also make some soup with a couple of veg you do like, such as carrots (or whatever other veg you fancy), onions and a tin of tomatoes in stock then blend and season to taste. Sometimes it's the salt & pepper that can make all the difference to how something tastes too, so it may be worth checking that when you're cooking the hated veggies

Do you like any veg raw? I'm thinking along the lines of peppers, carrots and celery, say, being used to dunk into a dip maybe?

Thanks to you both for some more great ideas yes I like soup I've never tried making it though but I'm trying to learn how to cook different things too, I know I sound like a child and I feel so stupid sometimes, maths etc great but can't even cook!
I've not tried roasting vegetables but I'll give it a go and yeah j like peppers and carrots raw I tend to snack on those at the moment.

I'm not against trying new things just hard to get ideas or am j sounded more silly?!

Emzy81

I'm definitely going to give these ideas a go, I'm really excited!
Thanks so much for replying

Emzy81

Sorry quick question, what veg would you put in the pasta sauce?

SunnyGirl

Em It's not silly or stupid we all learn by asking questions and you are to be praised for giving new things a go :T

Soup is dead easy - Peel & roughly chop 5 or 6 carrots. Put in a pan with a chopped onion, a chopped pepper and anything else you fancy or have lurking in the fridge Make a stock cube up with boiling water and pour over the veggies so it comes about 2cm over them. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat & simmer for about 20 - 30 mins until the veg are tender. Blend and check the seasoning. If the soup is too thick add more stock, water or a splash of milk. A little tip is to add half a teaspoon of sugar to things that you're putting tinned toms into as it counteracts the acidity

Any more questions please feel free to ask.

SunnyGirl

In my pasta sauce I put grated carrots, onions, peppers, celery, courgettes, tomatoes, mushrooms, green beans or the green peppers that the children reckon they don't like lol! I hide all sorts from them!

Not all together though! I add whatever I have at the time.