How to Feed Your Whole Family a Healthy Balanced Diet, with Very Little Money...etc

moanymoany

Thanks for that ceridwen and thriftlady. I think I'll wait and get the verdice on the new book from postings on here. I like the Jocasta Innes book. It is a bit old fashioned, but that's ok.

I have stopped eating much meat - in fact it is very rare now. I cook a 500g pack of haricot beans at one go and then freeze them in 100g packs. I like chickpeas, but I soak them and mix them with bulgar wheat to make a kind of falafel, they freeze well. I also make a batch of bolognese sauce with dried soya and freeze that in batches. These make a very good base for lots of different meals and they are very economical.

I will be surprised if the book can do better than many of us are doing now.

janb5

ceridwen wrote: »

Hi Moany

Different people have different parameters that guide them in choosing what to eat. This book is nowhere near my own personal parameters, which are:
- first and

To save money I do:
- full-fat milk and dilute it down with water (healthier than skim and semi-skim milk anyway)
-
Interesting post but why do you think full fat milk is healthier. I thought the only difference was the fat levels were reduced in the other two but the calcium levels remain the same.

thriftlady_2

moanymoany wrote: »

I will be surprised if the book can do better than many of us are doing now.

:T Too right.

I love Jocasta Innes' book too, and I think if you like her recipes you will find Feed Your Family for £4 a Day a bit disappointing.

lindsaygalaxy

Not sure if it still works, but not long ago there is the link to get yor free £5 amazon voucher, making the book only a few pounds!

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=511296&highlight=free+amazon+voucher

thriftlady_2

janb5 wrote: »

Interesting post but why do you think full fat milk is healthier. I thought the only difference was the fat levels were reduced in the other two but the calcium levels remain the same.

Apparently it is the fat in milk which helps us absorb calcium and other nutrients.

http://www.thelocal.se/6019/20070108/

ceridwen

janb5 wrote: »

ceridwen wrote: »

Hi Moany

Different people have different parameters that guide them in choosing what to eat. This book is nowhere near my own personal parameters, which are:
- first and

To save money I do:
- full-fat milk and dilute it down with water (healthier than skim and semi-skim milk anyway)
-
Interesting post but why do you think full fat milk is healthier. I thought the only difference was the fat levels were reduced in the other two but the calcium levels remain the same.

I think full-fat milk is healthier - because I read somewhere that it has more vitamins in, as apparently some are lost in the course of removing fat to skim or semi-skim. Also there is my own personal feeling that the less ones food is processed the better - and skimmed/semiskimmed milk I would have thought has undergone some extra processing by definition to remove fat from it.

I try to buy food generally that has had the smallest amount of processing possible - for instance have just moved on from organic homogenised and pasteurised milk, to organic pasteurised (but not homogenised) milk and am looking to move on from that to organic raw milk (but thats something that is currently in short supply in this country).

thriftlady_2

ceridwen wrote: »

janb5 wrote: »

Also there is my own personal feeling that the less ones food is processed the better - and skimmed/semiskimmed milk I would have thought has undergone some extra processing by definition to remove fat from it.

I agree with you Ceridwen I read somewhere though that even whole milk has had some fat removed in order to standardise it. I love unhomogenised milk with the cream on top.

janb5

I think that`s very interesting Ceridwen and I can see your argument. I can tolerate skimmed milk quite easily now which I do for weight reasons so would find it quite hard to switch to full fat milk I personally thinksome low fat products are best avoiding - such as cheese. Thanks for the link as well.

Mics_chick

ceridwen wrote: »

- homemade kefir instead of yogurt

What is kefir ?

ceridwen

Mics_chick wrote: »

What is kefir ?

Kefir is very similar to yogurt. You have to make it yourself - as its not available in shops. You use a culture (ie same idea as making homemade yogurt) and add milk and then leave 24 hours and it turns into a yogurt-y type drink. I'm using it because, as I understand it, it has a lot more types of "beneficial bacteria" in than live yogurt and in larger amounts - and it also works out I would think about 1/3 of the price of buying the large tubs of live yogurt I got previously. One can also buy water kefir culture and kefir d'uva (to grow in grape juice).

There is a long thread on kefir on MSE (O.S. forum) you may be interested in reading.