please help me change my life

[Tortington]

i dont want to go on a diet but the food we eat as a family is pure crap. although being poor is no excuse its the only one i have, we have a bog standard egg n chips kinda diet and we need to change. my husband is a big man who wont do "namby pamby shit" whatever that means. we need help and we need you to advise and dispell some myths.

so for tea tonight i cooked two meals

one was noodles with hotdog sausages for the children - now the noodles are the 20p noodles in a packet

the other meal was potatoes into chips deep fried. cheap burgers and beans.

i dont need telling the second meal was putrid crap

how am i doing with the first meal?

the kids and i like pastas, but are relativley new to them - and sometimes we use the sauces in a jar, sometimes i used tinned tomatoes.

you have to be realistic in your advice - i cannot possibly spend ages in preparing food - peeling potatoes in my limit.

potatoes are a staple part of out diet - which ways are best to use them

lean mince - is this ok - how should i coook it - with what - how do you actually make a tasty spag bol and is it good for you?

muller corner yoghurts - we eat a tonne of these - are these bad?

tell me about new salads and new low fat dressings

we are not fish people ( unless it is covered in batter)witht he exception of tuna - not salmon.

tuna comes with mayo - any low fat mayo ok? any other ways to prepare it

we have made a decision to throw the deep fat fryer away along with the salt shaker.

if we cant get a decent filling meal we will go mad

my cupboards are empty - help me fill them with delicious filling healthy foods - not diet stuff - am not interested - interesting and healthy.

i just got paid - we shop at tesco. if it comes from a packet it is my best friend

help me

thank you

shepherds pie and veg - peel spud and mash, boil minc add together and use frozen mixed veg

Have yuo got a freezer?

cheap and quick pasta
need pasta
philidelphia (or other tesco own bran alternative)
creme fraiche - near milk, yoghurt etc - cheap
frozen brocolli or other veg
tin of tuna

cook pasta
cook broccoli
when both are done, shove in a dollop of philly and a dollop or two of creme fraiche then stick in the tuna

done

yes i have a freezer

Ok, Custy, cheap and tasty homemade pasta sauce: tin of Italian plum tomatoes; tomato puree, onion; garlic; bay leaf (I'll bring you some from my tree at the Brighton meetup).
Cook the chopped onion and garlic in oil (preferably olive oil) for a few minutes until soft over low heat, add tin of tomatoes, tomato puree and bay leaf and black pepper. Cook till boiling and simmer for approx 5 mins with pan lid on. Meanwhile, cook pasta (fresh or dried) in a large pan with boilng water. Use sauce as it is or put in blender (remove bay leaf first). Put grate cheese on top. Serve with salad.
Bolognese sauce: same thing as above except put a few sliced carrots in with onions. Cook mince separately (no fat needed just cook over low heat). Combine and use on pasta.
More later but what you need to think of for filling inexepensive healthy foods is Mediterranean diet. Lots of veg, salad, pasta, some meat, some fish, some bread.

PASTA!

It is possible to eat healthily the Italian way. Sorry, can't cook myself, dh does it all, but pasta is cheap cheap cheap and can be tarted up any number of ways. Someone give the poor woman a spag bol recipe!

Fresh tuna is not cheap, but one piece does two of us, you can fry it like steak. If you get canned get it in brine, not oil. Mix with sweetcorn and a little low fat mayo for a baked potato filling.(Baked potatoes are healthy, because no added fat!)

Would your dh eat smoked salmon? You can cook up a pan of tagliatelle, mix with some "offcuts" of smoked salmon (cheap) and a little plain greek yoghurt and a dash of lemon juice. Very filling and healthy.

Corner yoghurts OK in moderation, but not low fat, so could be healthier.(Also crammed with sugar). Fattier things taste better, though, so if you can't change to low fat, then have them less often. How about plain fromage frais with fruit, e.g. bananas, strawberries, stewed apricot (very cheap and sweet), whatever's in season?

We do eat quite a bit of convenience foods some weeks but I always make sure I serve them with jacket potatoes and veg(usually use frozen as quicker and no preparation) Aslo have a microwaveable steamer for them 10 minutes for a big batch of mixed veg.
Chicken kievs with above
Birds Eye boil in the bag cod in butter sauce
Shepards pie as suggested
Lean Pork steaks with pesto mash and veg
Lasagne if pushed for time use Dolmio sauce cheaper version value tinned tomatoes pureed.
Will think of more

spag bol

lean mince
chop onion up and fry until soft
add some herbs (mixed herbs maybe or bay leaf)
add mince and cook until brown
add tin of tomatoes
tomato puree (really cheap in tube)
glug some wine in if you have any spare
season with salt and pepper
boil water, add spagetti
serve

For an easy pasta sauce, fry some chopped onion in a pan, pour in a tin of tomatoes into the pan, some herbs, can of tuna, mix together and cook until hot - add to some cooked pasta shapes. You could always add mushrooms, olives, peppers etc to sauce to for variety.

All food mentioned above is good for you. If you try to get out of the habit of deep fat frying, for instance, instead of cooking your chips in the deep fat fryer try cutting them into wedges and cooking them in the oven. You don't even have to peel the potatoes necessarily, just scrub then clean before cutting. Served with beans is great. It is really easy to make your own burgers with the lean mince (chopped onion, herbs, mince, some breadcrumbs, an egg to get it to stick together mix all together then form into balls, squash down then cook).

Yogurts are OK for you - you could try natural yogurt with chopped up fruits, honey.

stuffed marrow is another good one - scoop out the pips inside the marrow, part cook with a little olive oil brused over. Make a bolognaise type sauce, fill into the marrow, grate cheese over the top or some pasata and cook in the oven.

Salads - such a variety, adding nuts (sunflowers, walnuts) apple, celery, radish, etc makes it extra tasty. Low fat dressings are OK but really full of sugar so you could easily make your own with some olive oil, white wine vinegar (or balsamic vinegar) and a teaspoon of mustard.

Stews are another great filling meal served with a jacket potato.

Hope this helps you a little. Check out some cookbooks which will guide you to some easy cooking and healthy staple foods - Delia Smith 'How to Cook' books are easy to follow with some good food ideas that are easy to follow, as is Jamie Oliver.

Good luck and happy eating!

custardo
why dont you check out your local library get a few cookery books (not the flash ones - nigella, jamie or anyone else like that), simple ones, good housekeeping have good books with some really plain easily made stuff, and just browse them and pick out a few things, it'll inspire you if nothing else.
i have a great book out at the moment "the childrens food bible" judith wills . it has recipes so yummy, me and dh eat them. they are simple and nutrious. quick to prepare etc.
i use tinned tomatoes for sauces , you can grow yur own herbs, get the kids to do it as a project, buy meat on special offers and freeze it. make whatever you can (its a chore!!) in bulk and freeze.
and then have a "junk" meal and taste the difference - plus you'll feel better.

it doesnt coat a fortune if anything prepared and processed food does

You make me laugh custardo! Well done on ditching the fryer etc. Now, first you need to grow some herbs in a window box...har har, I'm joking. Ok, what about cooking tomatoes to add to pasta, they could be tinned ones with some garlic (2 mins to peel and stick in a garlic crusher) and oregano (dried is fine) and if you add some onions and lean mince and cook it for a bit with veg stock (use a stock cube), you've got spag bol with no additives.
Potatoes, what about mashing them? Have you tried buying nice dressings for salads - they make lettuce taste a lot nicer imo, but look for the ones with not too many ingredients. A roast is really easy, as is a tray of roasted vegetables - you just stick them all in a tin with some olive oil and roast them. Left over veg are nice in cous cous, which takes about 5 mins and 4 mins of that is boiling the kettle. If you add veg stock instead of water it's nicer I think. I think you should buy (or get from the library)Real Fast Food by Nigel Slater - it's all quick and mainly healthy but gorgeous stuff. Will post more if I think of anything.

Message withdrawn

Also, look at this, 70 fast healthy meal ideas

What about mushrooms? Do you all like them? Mushroom sandwiches can be great if you buy huge ones and grill them with olive oil and garlic.

Nigel Slater's new cook survival guide

if you buy chicken legs at the supermarket (MUCH cheaper than breasts and taste better too) put them in an oven proof dish or baking tray or something surrounded by chopped up veg in quite smallish chunks, sprinkle with oregano, salt, pepper and drizzle quite generously with olive oil and then bung in a med-hot oven for about 45 mins. Instant roast chicken and veg. (For the veg, in the winter do carrots, parsnip, sweet potato, potato - in summer you could do courgettes, red pepper, aubergine and potato.)

Buy a small jar of pesto, you can do masses with it. Stir a tablespoon into pasta (enough for four) together with a tablespoon of natural yoghurt, add cooked chicken in strips and some cooked veg like peas or sweetcorn - delicious.
Or spread pesto on skin-on chicken breasts (tsp or so per breast) and put under a medium hot grill for 20 mins - makes really juicy and delicious grilled chicken which is great with mash and salad.

Buy readymade fishcakes from the frozen section of your supermarket - very good food, and can cook in a few mins from frozen. Serve just with veg as they have potato already in them with the fish.

Cook some sausages then add a tin of tomatoes and a tin of chickpeas. Slice up some chorizo and stick that in. Add some wine, herbs, pepper etc. Eat it with mash, new potatoes, small roast poatoes, whatever. Tell your husband it's not namby pamby food, it's all peasant food.

We don't have a lot of money either and I have four kids and dh to feed. I can tell you now that Muller corner yogs are ever so expensive! They are a rare treat for my kids. You know, if you all like the same flavour yog, the Tesco big pots of fruit yog (even the Taste the Difference range) are cheaper than buying individual pots - really!
I agree pasta is very cheap and filling - those ready made sauces are nice if you can't make your own sauce. Cook the pasta, add the sauce, bulk it up with some vegetables, even just frozen peas, and grate cheese on top and put whole lot under the grill for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
Also jacket potatoes are cheap and filling. Put tuna and mayo in them with sweetcorn, or baked beans with or without some grilled bacon mixed in.
I fill my kids up with puddings if necessary. Remember what is fattening for you may be what a growing child needs, eg milky puddings (custard with fruit, or even a treacle/jam tart or something. Tesco do quite a nice apple pie very cheaply.

I know you said you don't like fish (me neither) but you can't really tell with fish pie. I used smoked haddock and prawns - all from Morrisons, I know nothing about fish.

Make a pile of mash - keep to one side. Stick the prawns and haddock (chopped up) in a serving dish thing. Add some spinach. Put to one side. At same time as put potatoes on, soften onions and thin slices of carrots, add some butter and cream. Pour over fish. Put mashed potato on top. Stick on oven (mark 6?) for 20 - 30 minutes? Fish pie. Cook some broccoli or green beans to have on the side.

Not sure how accurate the recipe is, just tried to remember it but it would still work I'm sure

It's usually cheaper to do a big roast, then use leftovers for other things. We had roast chicken with veg on Sunday, then chicken in pitas with rice on the side, then sandwiches for four packed lunches, and now the carcass is going in the freezer eventually to be made into soup!

A slightly healthier(?)very easy alternative to chips - jacket chunky chips
Clean spuds but don't peel. cut into quarters or smaller lengthways (so they are potato wedge shape). A good splurt of olive oil a sprinkle of salt (I said only slightly healthier!)and a sprinkle of a herb like oregano (not essential). Mix all around in the oil a bit and stick in a hot oven. Ready when golden and crispy and yummy!

your all so good to me - i have been laughing so hard at you www i am literally crying trying to recall to my dh about the herbs - but he just looks puzzled.

i tell you what my dh got out of this - he just said this i swear " right, what i reckon is we have a roast every other day - pork chops in the oven must be healthy, and we will do all that pasta shit alternative days"

am gonna buy creme fraiche and fromage frais for the first time and i need to ask what pesto is and what is chorizo - am not kidding either.

Chips once a week is OK. Use rapeseed oil and change it every 6 frys (fries?). Have them on fridays with
fish in breadcrumbs (Waitrose preferably) and healthy balance baked beans. Best meal of the week!

custardo
pesto is basil and pine nuts pounded with oil to a paste , yummy, the it can be flavoured , tomato or sundried tomato, can be bought or home made, put it on amything.
chorizo is spainish sausage, full of flavour and great for stews , pasta sauces, on its own cold, theres loads of flavours to it too.

Custy I have loads of good easy recipes for you but no time to write them now, will try and remember to come back to this thread!

May I just say that a lot of the supermarket fresh pasta sauces are really good and cheap and so quick and you don't need expensive parmesan cheese on them, just grate some cheddar over. You can experiment by buying a basic big tub of Napoletana (ie tomato, onion, garlic etc sauce) and mixing it with other things eg chorizo, lardons (bits of bacon), mushrooms, peppers etc.

The other very quick and soooo healthy thing is stir frys - buy the veggies in a pack or make them yourself (you need things like bean sprouts, spring onions, different colour peppers, water chestnuts which you buy in a tin, onions, mushrooms, anything basically chopped into small bits) and then you just chop up meat or cook prawns with it. there are loads of different pre made sauces which you can buy in jars and sachets or you can make your own there is a thread about it somewhere.

will try and post more later

WELL DONE YOU FOR CHUCKING OUT THE CRAP!

I have been giving this some thought, custy, as I am a helpful kinda gal. I always like to go via the book route (you can take the girl out of the library but you can' take the librarian out of the girl) and I was looking at my Delia Smith "How to Cook" books and, frankly, they're still a little poncey with some off the wall ingredients.

Then I had a brainwave - I was in WHS the other day and looking at student cookbooks (I had Caz Clarke's Grub on a Grant years ago). There are loads more to choose from now - and they are quite basic, assuming no pre-knowledge of cookery, plain, family fare, fill you up sort of cooking, and cooking on a budget to boot. Found these on Amazon and you could have a look through then try your local library. I am really chuffed with myself for thinking of this so I hope you approve!