Cheap, nasty, high in salt food.

[Distelsspirit]

What are the health implications if me and DH ate cheap (generally high salt food) between now and christmas?

We are on a reasonably tight budget and just can't manage christmas with 3 children the way we are going. I generally make our food, not much processed food, but it seems to cost a fortune. I spend about £80 - £100 a week on food and just can't afford itr at the moment, however, don't really want us to die of heart attacks either.

Any advice for - cheep recipies

• health advice
• cheep christmas.

Thankyou .

I'm sure you can live cheaply without having to eat cheap high in salt foods.

Do you have a Lidl or Aldi near you or make use of ASDA Smartprice, Tesco Value etc, very cheap tinned tomatoes, beans, pasta, tuna, etc. I certainly spend less when cooking more veggie things or one pot meals (chilli, bolognaise, curry etc), soups can be made very cheaply and can go a long way.

Do you have a local market. When I go to ours (not often enough as it's not that local) I find I save a fortune and the produce (fruit, veg and meat) is better than the supermarket.

I personally would avoid cheap ready meals and processed meats.

We don't have a Lidl or Aldi near us or a market. I shop in Asda and it is their own make beans/raviolli and spaghetti which is exceptionally high in salt.

eg:Asda raviolli has 3.7 grams of salt per 1/2 tin, Heinz has 1.3 (I think).

I do all my own cooking it just seems to cost loads.

when i was a student i was veggie for a year or two and saved loads of money. i used to go to the market at the end of the day and buy whole boxes of mushrooms they couldn't get rid of for 20p

DH wouldn't consider Veggie

you can get massive packs of couscous for about £1 and it fluffs up loads when you cover it in boiling water and then cover the bowl in cling film/a plate. then pile on veg/shredded chicken. serve with flatbreads or tortillas (about 90p for six)

Does your DH like things like pasta with sauce or is he a meat and two veg type man?

do massive batches of tomato sauce if you have a freezer, soften onions in olive oil/butter/garlic and add tins of tomatoes. whizz with hand blender (make consisistency better esp for pizza toppings) and add other bits like meat/mushrooms when required. also baked potatoes easy/cheap and the cheaper cuts of meat make lovely stews, good for autumn

Mrsspoon, we have loads of pasta, at least 3 or 4 times aweek.

You can make food more cheaply than you can buy it - you just need to buy cheaper ingredients. Markets are great - and not just for veg. Also small veg shops and butchers - they might not be cheaper on everything but they are better for advising you on cheaper alternatives.

chicken legs make a cheap roast/thing to go with chips.

liver and bacon

beef stew (buy the cheapest beef you can and cook v slowly. don't skimp on the stock though)

fish pie (made with the cheapest white fish)

stir frying meat seems to make it go further - slice it v thinly and you only need about 100g per person.

pork belly also makes a good cheap roast (lots of fat, but not much crap), or cover in chinese 5 spice, roast and have with noodles.

anything made with mince is good: don't buy the low fat stuff as most of the flavour is in the fat anyway. My favourite is Spanish meatballs: cheapish pork & beef mince, bredcrumbs, egg and a bit of nutmeg, baked then served with a tomato sauce.

also beans and lentils are dirt cheap and make a v filling accompaniment (so you need less meat). jamie Oliver has some good recipes.

bubble and squeak

egg and chips

Thanks SP, the chineese 5 spice Pork and noodles sounds lovely, I do do lots of stews/casseroles, usually chicken..I buy a huge chicken and do roast one day and then make casserole with the rest.

meat loaf made with mince, breadcrumbs, tinned tomatoes, onion

stuffed breast of lamb

also there's a lovely mushy paste you can get in waitrose called yom tum soup - put a splodge into water with lots of chopped veggies/shredded chicken and lime juice. also i use it as a marinade with some garlic, galangal (from a jar) and yoghurt - lovely on chicken serve with noodles or egg fried rice. frittatas v good, chuck anything in them like cooked sliced new potatoes, broccoli, lots of cheese, chillis if you like them or chorizo.

well here (spain) packs of legs/drumsticks are way cheaper than whole chickens usually. not always though.

also much easier to shove pasta mixed with sauce into oven and bake with mixture of cheese/eggs on top than to do eg lasagne

I paid £4 for the chicken and that did roast for 5 of us and casserole for 5 of us.

make a tuna fish quiche

Make large , fish pies, shepherds pies, soups with lots of chunky veg and freeze.

Tuna pasta:
Tinned tuna
Courgette
Mushrooms
Peppers
Onion
Garlic
Tinned tomatoes
mix all in a pot starting with oil, garlic and onion then add all except tinned tomatoes and tuna. add tined tomatoes when veg is softened and then stir in tuna at end.
Serve with fusilli - mmmmmmmm.
HEALTHY AND CHEAP!

Birds eye chicken pies very cheap and the ingrediants surprisingly good, with boiled potatoes and veg - cheap as chips.

Birds eye fifh fingers and MCcain chips (both lower in salt than other brands) with frozen peas.

Omelette and veg or with chips.

Bangers and mash with frozen peas.

Frozen veg are all great.

Stir fry any veggies & rice. could add some meat if you like. Try soups - lots of recipes online. very cheap & filling if you have with bread & cheese.

Baked potatoes! With chilli/cheese/tuna/mushrooms and bacon/stir fries...ah memories of student days..

This may sound rude Distelsspirit, (sorry!) but of your shopping bill how much is going on stuff that doesn't make the main meals? Is that 80-100 just food or does it have cleaning stuff etc there as well. Just asking cos I found a lot of hidden costs in my shopping I could cut down on.

Theres another thing you can do with the chicken after roasting/casseroling - boil the cooked carcass with veg and you get an excellent soup stock - just throw your seasonings in whilst it boils away, strain and add noodles/veg/whatever.

Have to agree with Callmemadam on the cost issue though. Perhaps you could have a breakdown on what you spend on what and see if you can make some savings in the first place

troll.