Fresh fish and chicken

Fusspot

The main meals I like are fish and chicken, preferably fresh. I buy chicken breasts and cod fillets. However, it does work out expensive to have fresh fish and chicken most nights, I don't like any other meats, apart from mince.

I have been thinking about breaded fish and chicken which is cheaper but is this as healthy?

I live alone and am trying not to go down the ready meal or processed food route again.

Any ideas for quick meals I can have inbetween the chicken and fish? I don't have a big cooker, just a table top one, I have a slow cooker and a microwave.

Prinzessilein

Buy your fresh chicken and fish on offer...3 packs for£10 et.c

Look for cheaper alternatives to your 'usual'...chicken thighs instead of breast....coley instead of cod.

When you cook with mince you can try adding extra veg or some lentils to your mince.

Maybe once or twice a week try going vegetarian...chickpea or lentil curry can be made in your slow cooker...and are cheap, tasty and healthy.

Fusspot

Prinzessilein wrote: »

Buy your fresh chicken and fish on offer...3 packs for£10 et.c

Look for cheaper alternatives to your 'usual'...chicken thighs instead of breast....coley instead of cod.

When you cook with mince you can try adding extra veg or some lentils to your mince.

Maybe once or twice a week try going vegetarian...chickpea or lentil curry can be made in your slow cooker...and are cheap, tasty and healthy.

Thanks for your reply. Chicken thighs are cheaper but are they not more fatty than breasts?

Fire_Fox

My work background is lifestyle healthcare, so I am responding from that perspective. I was VERY fussy about food until I was about 30 (got sick then slowly retrained myself).

White fish and chicken breast are nowhere near as healthy as is commonly believed. Both are sources of protein but shockingly low in essential micronutrients (vitamins/ minerals/ essential fatty acids). Fat is not harmful in moderation, in fact some is vital (esp. long chain omega-3s from oily fish).

Cheaper but similar tasting alternatives to chicken and cod include turkey breast and various white fish (haddock/ pollock/ coley/ lemon sole). More nutritious and (hopefully!) not too different in flavour include chicken leg, turkey drumstick, rainbow trout, sea bream, sea bass.

The breaded fish that is arguably the healthiest has the best ratio of fish to breadcrumbs, and is often labelled "lightly dusted".

HTH!

Fusspot

Fire_Fox wrote: »

My work background is lifestyle healthcare, so I am responding from that perspective. I was VERY fussy about food until I was about 30 (got sick then slowly retrained myself).

White fish and chicken breast are nowhere near as healthy as is commonly believed. Both are sources of protein but shockingly low in essential micronutrients (vitamins/ minerals/ essential fatty acids). Fat is not harmful in moderation, in fact some is vital (esp. long chain omega-3s from oily fish).

Cheaper but similar tasting alternatives to chicken and cod include turkey breast and various white fish (haddock/ pollock/ coley/ lemon sole). More nutritious and (hopefully!) not too different in flavour include chicken leg, turkey drumstick, rainbow trout, sea bream, sea bass.

The breaded fish that is arguably the healthiest has the best ratio of fish to breadcrumbs, and is often labelled "lightly dusted".

HTH!

This is interesting. The breaded fish I sometimes have is called lightly dusted. Is this healthy to eat? What about breaded chicken and low fat ready meals such as M&S Count on Us?

Fire_Fox

Fusspot wrote: »

This is interesting. The breaded fish I sometimes have is called lightly dusted. Is this healthy to eat? What about breaded chicken and low fat ready meals such as M&S Count on Us?

Glad my previous post was useful. My posting style sometimes reads as preachy, when I am no angel myself.

How healthy a given ready meal or processed food is depends on the ingredients, and the balance overall. Many ready meals or processed foods are quite high in refined starches/ carbohydrates (eg. white pasta, white rice, peeled potatoes) or high in vegetable oils that are rich in 'bad' omega-6s (eg. sunflower oil, corn oil).

Current UK healthy eating guidelines are for most or all of our grains/ starches/ carbs to be whole or unrefined. This is because of increasing evidence that sugars and processed starches/ carbs are more harmful to health than animal fats.

I would not worry about the small amount of white breading on a "lightly dusted" fish fillet if you are having it with, say, skin-on potatoes and some mixed frozen vegetables. The meal overall would be well balanced, and fit with UK healthy eating guidelines.

Some canned foods work out cheaper and with better ingredients than some of the fresh/ chilled TV dinners. Some of the canned curries or baked beans for example.

HTH!

Fire_Fox

Forgot to respond to your query on breaded chicken ... some will have a lot of refined breadcrumbs compared with the amount of meat (eg. nuggets) or very high in fat and lower in protein (eg. skin on chicken wings deep fried). Ideally we would make our own, but appreciate that is a lot of hassle, time and mess when cooking for one!

Fusspot

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Glad my previous post was useful. My posting style sometimes reads as preachy, when I am no angel myself.

How healthy a given ready meal or processed food is depends on the ingredients, and the balance overall. Many ready meals or processed foods are quite high in refined starches/ carbohydrates (eg. white pasta, white rice, peeled potatoes) or high in vegetable oils that are rich in 'bad' omega-6s (eg. sunflower oil, corn oil).

Current UK healthy eating guidelines are for most or all of our grains/ starches/ carbs to be whole or unrefined. This is because of increasing evidence that sugars and processed starches/ carbs are more harmful to health than animal fats.

I would not worry about the small amount of white breading on a "lightly dusted" fish fillet if you are having it with, say, skin-on potatoes and some mixed frozen vegetables. The meal overall would be well balanced, and fit with UK healthy eating guidelines.

Some canned foods work out cheaper and with better ingredients than some of the fresh/ chilled TV dinners. Some of the canned curries or baked beans for example.

HTH!

Thanks for this. How about breaded chicken and tinned soup? I know some people thing these things are not healthy too. I guess having one ready meal a week won't hurt either, its all a case of balance really.

Fire_Fox

Fusspot wrote: »

Thanks for this. How about breaded chicken and tinned soup? I know some people thing these things are not healthy too. I guess having one ready meal a week won't hurt either, its all a case of balance really.

Cross post on the breaded chicken!

Tinned and carton soups vary: some are high in salt or processed starches/ carbs (eg. peeled potato), some have a worthwhile amount of vegetables (eg. tomato).

DIY soups can be quick and easy with a stick blender: freezing and thawing vegetables softens them, massively reducing cooking time. Which reminds me, I have been promising myself a speedy soup from some old frozen veggies for ages (= all winter).

maddiemay

I did not see if you have a freezer, if so bags of fish fillets from the supermarket can be cooked from frozen, I usually buy Cod, Basa, Haddock or Salmon. I needed an easy light meal one day this week (poorly tum) I poached one Basa fillet with a few frozen prawns in milk in a lidded container in the microwave, drained and served - delicious and really quick.

Vegetables for soup can be cooked long and slow in your slow cooker with stock, Marigold lower salt is often the one favoured by Chefs, when everything tender blitz with budget price stick blender, add seasonings herbs to your taste, portion and freeze or keep in fridge for a couple of days. Virtually no volume lost through evaporation and all the goodness kept.

-taff

Fusspot wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. Chicken thighs are cheaper but are they not more fatty than breasts?

Take the skin off and put them in a casserole, or stew, make enough to put in the freezer.
Take the skin off, stuff with some herbs, marinade in 0 fat yoghurt, cook in the oven [ have a look at some tom kerridge recipes for a bit of inspiration.