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Original poster

To think this is a perfectly fine evening meal?

335 replies

IroningThrone · 14/04/2024 17:46

Had porridge at about 7am this morning and have been busy all day. Have just made myself tea (see pic) and my aunt (who is staying with me for a few days) has made me feel really bad about it - apparently it's too much food and a "greedy meal"

Aibu to think it's fine as an evening meal?

It's four new potatoes, boiled and crisped in the pan with a little olive oil (not how I'd usually have them with a salad type tea, but they were still a bit hard!), two slices of cheese, a tablespoon of fat free cottage cheese/coleslaw, two slices of ham, and a bit of salad cream (plus the salad leaves)

To think this is a perfectly fine evening meal?
OP posts:
Feebs450 · 14/04/2024 19:00

It looks absolutely fine to me, especially when you've had a light breakfast.

However, one point I thought was interesting is how off the op's measurement descriptions are. Disclaimer OP I'm NOT having a go at you - your meal is fine

That is far more than a tablespoon full of either cottage cheese or coleslaw. It's closer to 3 of each. I'm currently on a diet so I'm very well acquainted right now with what a teaspoon or tablespoon of this or that looks like 😂

It kind of makes you realise, when people are struggling with weight loss (not op, just generally) and claim they 'only had xyz amount of this' - our perceptions of portion size and measurement are generally massively skewed nowadays.

SnakesAndArrows · 14/04/2024 18:57

That’s 700 calories max, unless your plates are massive. So if a normal breakfast is porridge and a normal lunch is soup with a slice of bread that represents somewhere in the region of 1500-1700 cal max, possibly less if your porridge was made with water and the soup wasn’t broccoli & Stilton or cream of chicken.

So definitely not too much, especially if you’re active, and you haven’t had lunch.

Websleuth · 14/04/2024 18:51

Renamed · 14/04/2024 18:03

Are you not tempted to have a plate of bangers and mash Bash Street Kids style tomorrow?

I used to have this lots -obvs not as much on the plate (but nearly). I really wanted a cow pie like Desperate Dan.

vincettenoir · 14/04/2024 18:50

My ILs are like this. They say things like "we don't need to eat as we had a big lunch yesterday". It looks like a totally reasonable portion.

saveforthat · 14/04/2024 18:48

Londonrach1 · 14/04/2024 18:46

Going against the grain .. sorry op..it's a lunch not a tea unless you switched them. Half that fit a lunch though but certainly not a tea. Sorry. I'd be ill over night if I had this....just cant believe people eat that much cold sauce before bed....my IBS would really hit badly and I'll be hungry...

Edited

WTF! Why would you be ill?

CocoapuffPuff · 14/04/2024 18:47

That looks absolutely perfect to me. Your aunt needs to wind her neck back in. Hasn't she ever seen the plates people PILE up in buffet restaurants? Such a shameful thing for her to do, to make you feel bad about a tea that looks perfectly normal. I loathe this shaming of women for having a fucking appetite. It's disgusting behaviour. And disordered, actually.

On that note, is she fat? I bet she is. Or was, at some point.

Eat your tea, OP, and ignore her comments.

Londonrach1 · 14/04/2024 18:46

Going against the grain .. sorry op..it's a lunch not a tea unless you switched them. Half that fit a lunch though but certainly not a tea. Sorry. I'd be ill over night if I had this....just cant believe people eat that much cold sauce before bed....my IBS would really hit badly and I'll be hungry...

saveforthat · 14/04/2024 18:45

Renamed · 14/04/2024 18:03

Are you not tempted to have a plate of bangers and mash Bash Street Kids style tomorrow?

I love bangers and mash.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 14/04/2024 18:45

TunaCrunchy · 14/04/2024 18:15

Those potatoes look
so good.

Can I recommend some chopped garlic and chilli flakes in with the oil? Possibly topped off with some finely sliced spring onion whites in the pan and the greens on top at the end?

You'll thank me later.

Original poster
IroningThrone · 14/04/2024 18:43

WelshNerd · 14/04/2024 18:35

Replace the ham with spam and this is spot on. Plucked from my childhood.

Show quote history

Was ham for us, usual with a hard boiled egg too.

Wish I'd added an egg to this tbh but I didn't think about it in time!

OP posts:
Original poster
IroningThrone · 14/04/2024 18:42

PeaceOnThePorch · 14/04/2024 18:20

That and a bowl of porridge all day? It’s not much at all.

Mumsnet food threads are always weird.

I'd normally have lunch too but I've just taken possession of a new allotment and have been there most of the day getting sorted.

OP posts:
Longma · 14/04/2024 18:40

It's fine. A salad with lots of protein and some carbs, and after a missed lunch.

However, beware, op. This is Mumsnet. It won't be too long before someone tells you that you had far too much, that your plate could feed a family of 4 for 7 days and have left overs.

WelshNerd · 14/04/2024 18:35

FrannieGallops · 14/04/2024 17:51

It’s fine. Makes me a bit nostalgic for a 1980s Sunday evening ‘tea’ (this is exactly what we’d have had as kids after a Sunday lunch).

Edited

Replace the ham with spam and this is spot on. Plucked from my childhood.

Thepeopleversuswork · 14/04/2024 18:33

There’s a special circle in Hell for people who impose their disordered eating habits on others. No offence OP but your aunt needs to take a running jump.

IDontShareChocolateEver · 14/04/2024 18:31

I Could eat that twice over!
Looks lovely

Moreorlessmentallystable · 14/04/2024 18:30

It's all very light foods, more for a lunch, if anything I would be hungry in 2 hours. Your aunt must have a small appetite, sometimes old people don't eat that much...

MrsKeats · 14/04/2024 18:22

Your aunt has some serious food issues.

PeaceOnThePorch · 14/04/2024 18:20

That and a bowl of porridge all day? It’s not much at all.

Mumsnet food threads are always weird.

FUPAgirl · 14/04/2024 18:19

Looks delicious and a very appropriate portion size!

gladwhiskers · 14/04/2024 18:18

If you put that in front of me I'd be well happy! Enjoy!

Bumblebeeinatree · 14/04/2024 18:17

Was she eating as well? If not what's it to her. If she got too much better too much than too little. Either way rude guest, is she getting dementia? People lose their filters quite early.

BurbageBrook · 14/04/2024 18:17

I would still be hungry after that and need a pudding probably! (I'm not overweight and have an average appetite.)

TunaCrunchy · 14/04/2024 18:15

Those potatoes look
so good.

heldinadream · 14/04/2024 18:14

IroningThrone · 14/04/2024 17:59

A slice of brown toast I think! She once insisted that me and my cousins shared a single choc ice - between four of us!

Show quote history

What? S'cuse me, WHAT? ONE choc ice between FOUR children?
Come on then you KNOW she's all wrong about food portions!

By the way after no lunch I hope you had a pud after dinner? A whole bowl of ice-cream and sauce for instance? If not...well, there's still time!

Megapint · 14/04/2024 18:13

@AcheyBreaky - down in my neck of the woods, most things are bloody, handsome, or proper job 😄