beans mash and sausages is a healthy meal

[madhurjazz]

Mother in law thinks its junk food. But the beans contain 1 of your 5 a day, mashed potatoes are just veg and a good source of carbs and the sausages are full of essential protein.

We often have ketchup, this has been shown to reduce many cancers like prostate, and a glass of juice.

Seems healthy to me and not junky.

We are having a Chinese takeaway full of msg, which i understand is the equivalent of eating rat poison washed down with bleach. I may even get a can of coke too . Still, at least it isn't a Greggs.

Have you tried a Gregg's Steak Bake MrsKoala? With mash, peas and carrots it might change your mind. I did have it with Sainsbury's fresh beef and red wine gravy, which made all the difference.

Sounds lovely. I've never actually been in a Greggs tho. There are 2 on our high street too. I don't really eat cake and that's all i see when i go past. I may go in on your recommendation limited. I'm stopping cooking soon for a few months so that meal sounds yum - it will have to be with frozen mash tho

Oh God, no. You don't have to go to Gregg's for them. I get them from a little artisan shop I know called Iceland.

We have one of those little artisan shops too. It's next to a little artisan bakery owned by someone called Gregg.

...a little artisan shop I know called Iceland

Is that the one near the exclusive farmfood shop?

Oh good, i can pick up some frozen mash and veg at the same time.

Get some Aunt Bessie's Dumpling Mix while you're at it. Winter is coming.

Ooh if you're going to dear Gregg's artisanal pastry shop, do pick up one of his handmade steak and stilton slices.

Steak and blue cheese are positively bastions of a middleclass diet, non?

They are indeed, SheDone.

White potatoes have a high GI however you cook them. (Ie their carbs are turned to sugar fast which elevates your blood glucose.)

Sweet potatoes are lower, despite being sweeter.

I don't like them personally, so it doesn't really affect me, or mashed potato for that matter.

I've never been to Iceland either. What else is good if you have given up cooking?

Iceland do a good line in Fakeaway food. I dont know what the difference is nutritionally from a proper takeaway, but financially it works out much better and the food is nice. Its not top quality but frankly when you have a 5 year old who's idea of a Chinese is three deep fried chicken balls and some chips eaten with chopsticks, then its Iceland all the way for me! It also means that half the family can have Chinese and the rest of us can have Indian.

We have it once every couple of months, so not losing sleep over it.

They have indeed formed a cooperative with the artisanal bakery Greggio's, so you can buy the pasties ready to go in the oven.

I love pasty and beans for dinner. mmmmm. Just waiting for my Chinese to be delivered and i'm starving. I may browse the Iceland website.

We had pasta. White pasta. It was delicious.

Iceland is the bees knees for frozen food...

I love their meals in a bag and their selection of 'takeaways', they also sell Millie's Cookies!!

White potatoes are also rich in vitamin C.

Youngest would live on white potato chips - and hasn't caught scurvy yet.

I had salmon (probably farmed, possibly from China). I'll no doubt be dead by the end of the week.

They do bags of frozen cooked white rice with peas and chopped onion and mushroom for you to re-heat in a saucepan. I'm a keen cook, so I crumble in a chicken Oxo too. It's not Chinese. Maybe it's Icelandic.

Iceland really are missing a trick by not doing a range of really meals typical of Icelandic cuisine.

(I presume they don't - I don't really have one nearby but they are building a 'Iceland Food Warehouse' at the retail park I pass on the way home from work so I will be having a look when they open).

Lidl do a frozen rice, pork, vegetable and olive dish during their Greek week that really is delicious and not full of rubbish I hope. I really wish they did it all year round, like they do with their frozen paella.

How do you cook frozen mash

Yes, I think that's the route I'm going to go mrsdv. I'm getting to the point where standing for too long is painful due to some rather unpleasant happenings in the under carriage - sorry tmi!

We have a glut of courgettes in the garden (my mum got carried away planting seeds with ds1 as its our first garden and despite not eating any fruit or veg he loves growing and picking it) so this am I have made a large vat of courgette ratatouille which I will freeze and have with frozen fish for lunches.

I started buying frozen mash a while back and I just don't care! It's really handy for ds2 who eats better than ds1 and will have mash and casserole etc (he's just lazy and won't eat anything which needs chewing)

Iceland deliver don't they? I may do an order today. Thanks for all the tips.

Limited that rice sounds great - can I do egg fried rice with it? If so that's another meal with some chopped cooked gammon.

I suspect someone will come along and call me lazy. I'm past caring.

Sorry mrsjayy, I put the mash in a bowl and cover with cling film and microwave it. I am wondering if I can put it over cooked mince/fish pie mix and bake it straight from frozen.

I seem to remember Hugh FW doing a delia 'quick' shepherds pie with it and comparing it to his family recipe and slagging it off, but I might give it a go.

Why do people even discuss whether their meals are 'healthy' or not with their MIL - or with anyone else for that matter? .

I just cannot imagine any situation where I would be discussing the 'healthiness' of meal - I might say in passing 'going home to cook sausage & mash tonight' but not whether it is 'healthy' or not.

Anyone else now tempted to have sausage and mash tonight ?