Eating healthy for cheap

suki1964

Welcome james:)

You have come to the right place that's for sure

Do you or the kids have any cooking skills at all?

Seeing as you shop in lidl, they do pizza bases 2 for £1.99. Two packs of those, with a cartoon of passata and a ball of mozzarella will be less then £5. Add to them slices of onion, chopped peppers,mushrooms and you have four pizzas full of healthy veg for less then £6 Making your own bases will cost around £1 for 4

The onions, peppers, mushrooms left over can go in a spaghetti Bol to make that healthier. Mince, tin of toms, Tom puree, herbs and a bit of garlic

Serving the above two meals with a salad will also be healthier

What sort of meals do you guys like ?

[Deleted User]

suki1964 wrote: »

It's usually the sugar and salt content that you miss when making HM at first

I tried salt, but it didn't make the difference, perhaps it's the sugar. This is my recipe, the bold items are the ones that replaced the Schwartz packet:

• 300cc Water
• 250g Mince
• 40g Soya
• 400g Tin of tomatoes
• 150g Mushrooms
• 200g Onion, finely chopped
• 30g Tomato puree
• 30g Flour
• 2-3 Cloves of garlic or 10cc dried
• 5cc Paprika
• 5cc Basil
• 2.5cc Oregano
• 2.5cc Marjoram
• 0.5cc Pepper

suki1964

jack_pott wrote: »

I tried salt, but it didn't make the difference, perhaps it's the sugar. This is my recipe, the bold items are the ones that replaced the Schwartz packet:

• 300cc Water
• 250g Mince
• 40g Soya
• 400g Tin of tomatoes
• 150g Mushrooms
• 200g Onion, finely chopped
• 30g Tomato puree
• 30g Flour
• 2-3 Cloves of garlic or 10cc dried
• 5cc Paprika
• 5cc Basil
• 2.5cc Oregano
• 2.5cc Marjoram
• 0.5cc Pepper

It's the sugar

In the packet, they use tomato powder, which while it probably has the same amount of sugar as a can of tomatoes, it's condensed so will taste sweeter.


I would omit the flour and go for the long slow cook and let the flavour condense naturally. In fact a good spaghetti Bol and chilli both taste better the day after because the flavour has developed.

I cook mine in a shallow cast iron casserole on the hob. I might start it at 3 and sit down to dinner at 7.30 I just turn it down to barely a bubble and leave it, just bringing it up to a faster simmer whilst the spaghetti is boiling


With chilli,I find a few bits of dark chocolate help. I just use the chocolate cake drops I have in the house. My cousin puts a dollop of value range pickle in his for the sweetness, that and tomato ketchup

moneyistooshorttomention

I think it would be useful if you explain your definition of "healthy".

Some people mean "home-cooked" rather than "readymade".

Others of us mean healthy - wholemeal instead of white, no sugar, no g*netically-modified, organic.

So do you mean "healthy" or healthy? Can you clarify and then it will be easier to give advice - rather than everyone speaking according to what their own personal definition of the word "healthy" is.

westcoastscot

Well I guess with teens it will be healthier than processed mtstm - since it's easier to change habits one step at a time - would imagine it would be a big fail to go from where the family are now to wholefoods!

I agree - start by making small changes - making your own pizzas as mentioned above is a great start and fun too - much healthier and cheaper.

What about baked potatoes?
pasta and sauces, even use a tin of condensed soup to start with.

Perhaps you could give us an idea of your cooking skill level??

NewShadow

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Others of us mean healthy - wholemeal instead of white, no sugar, no g*netically-modified, organic.

And even then there's the fact organic food is higher in naturally occurring toxins with no evidence it's nutritionally any better for you.

Plus is arguably worse for the environment than conventional farming methods.

WantToBeSE

My tips are:

-Eat substantially less meat. You can get a tin of beans, or some greens (broccoli/spinach) for much much cheaper, its better for you and has similar levels of protein.

-Question anything that you've been taught by the food industry. YOU decide what you want to eat/feed your family. Want pizza? Make your own. Contrary to what the food companies want you to think, it's not hard! You can make the bases at the weekend and freeze them. Pull one out and leave to thaw during the day and then just add your toppings.

-Aldi super 6 can be good for F&V, but check the quality. Ours is rubbish and goes mouldy very quickly.

jackyann

Jack - I think that there may be too much water in your recipe.
Also, the method will make a difference. Any of the 'mince +' recipes, I begin by browning the mince, and allowing any fluid to evaporate. When it starts to turn a bit golden-y brown, then in go the veges, and they are turned until they take colour (you may need a very little oil to prevent sticking). Then I add the tinned tomatoes, scraping any goodness from the bottom of the pan, bring to boil, turn down to a very slow simmer and add herbs and spices.
Then cook very slowly and allow the flavours to develop.
I find I rarely need any other fluid.

Some other 'flavour' tips: I nearly always use a mix of beef & pork mince (learned from Italian families) as giving better flavour & texture

Home made stock! We love that on here. Don't look in the recipe books! Hoard the following in fridge /freezer: bones, poultry carcasses etc. onion peelings, soft carrots, tough celery stalks, parsley stalks etc. Boil up with some peppercorns and a bay leaf until you've got all the goodness off, then reduce, a lot! Freeze in small portions: there's the base for soups, gravies, add to stews, casseroles etc.
Useful standbys: tomato puree (in a tube, you don't waste any, Worcester or soy sauce.
All this nurturing of flavour keeps you from adding a great deal of salt & sugar - but I never worry if I have to add the odd spoonful - it is way less than manufacturers put in!

And James: learn gradually to make 'building blocks'and store in the fridge / freezer. Example: if making lasagne, make extra mince and freeze in portions. Then you're halfway to another lasagne or 'shepherd's' pie on a busy night, or even add chilli, beans & sweet corn and there's a chilli to serve with rice, jacket potato or bread.
A bit of left-over stew can be shopped finely, add stock, there's a soup - and so on.

I always freeze left-overs in small portions. They can be added to jacket potatoes if appropriate. Or one of my favourites: Cook up some 'patatas bravas', put out some nice bread and salad, then add your heated up bits & pieces - call it 'tapas night'.

tori.k

Due to your Childrens ages i'd tread slowly and lightly with this one, coming off a high sugar diet is never pleasant let alone with hormones running wild, cold turkey and you run the risk of muntiny at the dinner table.
Adding more veg to usual meals, and easy homemade meals like soup, roast dinners and pizza is a great place to start and build from there.
Our youngest is awful with veg, but once we started a clean food diet the appeal of his teenage acne clearing up became all the motivation he needed

moneyistooshorttomention

NewShadow wrote: »

And even then there's the fact organic food is higher in naturally occurring toxins with no evidence it's nutritionally any better for you.

Plus is arguably worse for the environment than conventional farming methods.

I've frequently read research that listed off the many % extra of all sorts of nutrients organic fruit and vegetables have compared to chemically grown.

I've never seen anything arguing its worse for the environment and am struggling to see how it could be - as chemically-grown involves chemicals by definition and organic doesnt and animals are treated better.

I've also never come across anything saying organic food is "higher in naturally occurring toxins" either and also can't see how it logically could be.