Reasonable amount for weekly food?

arbrighton

newbiegirl wrote: »

out any mince dishes by (about 10 mins from end) adding tinned beans/lentils of any kind (we like haricot, but i've had more success disguising it from kids, with lentils, they ate lentil-diluted spag bol without even noticing).

I use red split lentils for this, as there's no soaking etc- you put them in at the same time as the tins of toms etc and they cook in about 20 min. Presumably cheaper than tinned too! Also in cottage pie and most casseroles.

Last casserole I made, was 440 g of cubed beef, loads of root veg and liquid in the slow cooker. It's done 7 servings and counting so far! With Mash for 4 servings and red cabbage and just red cabbage on its second outing. I was maybe expecting it to go for 6 servings. Yes, it was quality meat but I've made it go a LONG way. And for about 20 min effort peeling/ chopping the veg.

One serving left, which is my lunch tomorrow

arbrighton

also +1 vote for YS meat. I often go to supermarket at the time I know they do their end of day reductions, pick up whatever we'll eat of the meat that's half price and freeze it for another day.

CapricornLass

I seem to remember that my sons at that age would sometimes eat just one or two things at a meal - just protein, just veg just bread. Over the day it worked out that they had something from each of the major food groups. And one of my younger sisters lived on triangle cheese sandwiches and bananas for two years when she was that age. When my mum took her to the doctor about it, he replied 'Its nutritionally sound, it won't hurt her, so dont worry about it!' Sister is now in her late fifties.

I think the important bit is 'nutrionally sound'. Ditch the biscuits - they should be elevated to 'treat status'. If he refuses to eat what you have cooked, by all means offer him some chopped up veg/ fruit, a small slice of bread, cubes of cheese or ham (i.e. not something you have to take out of the freezer, defrost and then cook for 20 mins, or even anything specifically geared up towards children), but if he says no, just accept it. He'll make it up at the next meal. One of the drawbacks of working is that you won't know if he stuffed himself at lunchtime and is still digesting it! You will at least know that he's being offered good food at home, and provided he is still active and happy and putting on weight and growing, then I don't think you should worry.

One thing you don't mention - does he eat his tea at the same time as you and your partner, and at the same table/in a highchair by the table? If he sees Mummy and Daddy eating a particular dish, he might feel more inclined to eat it/try it. And two isn't too young to start learning about tables being where people sit and eat food, that once he gets down there is nothing else, what knives and forks are for (ok, he's probably got a spoon and a fork at present, but you get my drift) and the rudiments of table manners.

Steerpike88

Hey. I totally feel for you. It's so hard working fill time and cooking for a family. I've learned a few tricks and I know about that fussy toddler stage. I so clearly see the mistakes I made and it's only home-cooked for the others with a few emergency jars in the cupboard.

The slow cooker is amazing. I pinterest slow cooker recipes prep about 4 portions worth place them in zip lock bags and throw them in the freezer for next week. The in the mornings I can just throw in a slow cooler meal with a bit of extra water for hardly any more work than making one meal.

I agree with the sauces pasta sauce are a rip off. I buy already chopped onions cause it's hard to chop onions with a baby in the carrier and a toddler on your leg and garlic paste as garlic is too fiddly to bother with when I'm at a loose end. Throw them in, fry and add your tinned tomatoes and herbs. Other sauces can be harder but I batch cook those as we and freeze in a zip lock baggie for another day.

sandwiches or pasta and pesto for a cheap lunch. If your husbands concerned about the shopping list he needs to cook more as well. It gives you a break so you can be bothered to actually put a little more effort in the next day.
Different cuts of meat can help too.

I'd ride out the toddler food for now until your happy with your other changes. They're much harder to fix. Try the 'you don't have to eat it' approach. You just make sure there's something he likes on the table at meal times and the rest of dinner and he doesn't have to eat anything he doesn't want to but you're not getting him anything else.
Saves me stress, even if he just eats the sweet potato fries and ignors the spag bol although sometimes he'll eat everything and have some salad too. Just tackle one meal at a time so he gets a decent lunch.

beautiful_ravens

I dont know whats a reasonable amount, but I spend £80 a week on groceries which includes household stuff, [plus £6 a month on the delivery saver thing], and I allocate maybe £5 to spend on a wednesday at the local shop if I run out of something/forget an important item.
We are 2 adults [one a veggie] and 3 kids age 16, 12, 11. We try and stay away from wheat and carbs if possible, we eat a lot of eggs but we do have chickens. Our meals consist mainly of meat and veg, plus cheese/butter and a small amount of non-wheat carbs.

dramarama

Just de-lurking to say hello and well done for posting on here. Food is such a big part of all our lives. I also wanted to second that people on here are so helpful.
We don't have children but have a nephew who is fast approaching the terrible twos. We are due to move into our first home soon so will be tightening the belts with food shopping. I have tried the lentil trick to stretch bolognaise and we don't tend to buy sauces. The slow cooker is such a time saver, it never ceases to amaze me what you can chuck in it and create...we currently have most of the leftover veg in there with some spices for a veggie chilli tonight.

Good luck with it all, you can do it :j

cat4772

Hi Amalis

Please don't feel overwhelmed; there are a LOT of changes you could make but rather than try all of them all at once and crash and burn, try one new thing each week.

For example, this week by the whole chicken and make it stretch a couple of meals. Even introduce risotto to use up the tasty stock you can make with the carcas.

My eldest daughter was a bit of a grazer and we found http://sandradodd.com/eating/monkeyplatter monkey platters worked really well for her as a mid-morning to mid-afternoon grazing meal. a few small Fabulous health visitor also said to look at her fist - that was about the size of her stomach. made us realise we'd been trying to feed her four times the amount of food her tiny stomach could hold. Nowadays, she has a fairly robust appetite

Good luck in your grocery challenge. small changes can reap big rewards

Cat.xx

purpleybat

hello
I've had a read throo and I don't think anyone has suggested homemade soups for lunches, apologies if they have.
I know a lot of people prefer a hot lunch, and at this time of the year who can blame them?
soups don't need to be anything elaborate, leek and potato is my favourite closely followed by spiced red lentil and carrot. both are cooked in 20 mins and can be made for a few days while you're in the kitchen waiting for the evening meal to cook.

Pollycat

purpleybat wrote: »

hello
I've had a read throo and I don't think anyone has suggested homemade soups for lunches, apologies if they have.
I know a lot of people prefer a hot lunch, and at this time of the year who can blame them?
soups don't need to be anything elaborate, leek and potato is my favourite closely followed by spiced red lentil and carrot. both are cooked in 20 mins and can be made for a few days while you're in the kitchen waiting for the evening meal to cook.

And you don't need to buy a soup-maker to make soup either.

If I have any mushrooms that are 'past their best' I chop them up and chuck them in a pan with some stock & seasoning and give them a bit of a whiz with my hand blender when done. That makes a nice soup.

Pop_Up_Pirate

amalis wrote: »

CJ, thank you so much for replying.
My weekly grocery includes household cleaning products, but these I don't buy weekly. Hygiene products for a baby would be separate. Just his meals and snacks included.
I am in full time work, so when I cook I use ready made sauces and ingredients. We shop in Morrisons and we don't have Lidl or Aldi near us. I ve heard there are plans on building one in our area, but not yet.
Just as example, for this week I planned and bought :
jackets (x4) and ready made coronation chicken filling;
roast chicken + vegetables (potatoes, broccoli, butternut, cherry tomatoes);
pasta Bolognese (mince, pasta, sauce);
will make vegetable and chicken soup;
chicken noodle stir fry (chicken fillet, noodles, veggies, sauce);
we bought ready frozen lunches (10 packs, for week for 2 working adults).
yoghurts, healthy biscuits for the baby, milk, eggs, cheeses, chicken slices and bread for breakfast, porridge for the baby, ellas kitchen for the baby (these are expensive , but he is very fussy) ,cheeses and fruits for us and the baby, water, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber...Doesn't look like we eat luxurious food, but we still spend a lot.

Your 2 year old can eat exactly what you eat. so taking a small amount from yours and your husbands plates won't cost any more and will reduce the need for bought in premade junk.
He will eat what you give him eventually. The trick is is not to 'give in' and think "oh the poor thing will be hungry. I better give him one of those things I know he will like". If he were hungry, he would eat what you give him. It's parents who make a child a fussy eater

You could cut down on the packed lunches and make your own? Even take a flask of homemade soup?

If you buy a fresh chicken and have a roast dinner on sunday, for a family of your size, you could make the chicken do for 2 or 3 meals and then use the carcass to make the soup.
Use the chicken breast for the roast, use the legs for a chicken, mushroom and leek pie (eg), use the other bits for chicken stirfry then boil up the carcass.
When you pick the carcass out, you will be surprised how much chicken you can get off the bones for your soup. Not to mention youre getting a ton of nutrients from the bones.

As you work full time, some of this you can prepare quite quickly once you get the hang of what you're doing and get multi-tasking.

If that knocks off £25 off your bill, it;s a good start.