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

Chick Pea Soup

500 grams dried chick peas.(These need to be soaked overnight before cooking)
1/4 pint olive oil
1 large onion finely chopped
Juice of 3 lemons
s & p
1/2 tablespoons plain flour

Strain the chick peas, put in saucepan cover with water (about 1 inch over the chick peas)Bring to the boil. A foamy scum will appear - skim this off with a slotted spoon.

Add olive oil and onion simmer for about 1 1/2 hours until chick peas are soft but not disintergrating.

Add salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Dissolve flour in cold water, add to soup and stir. This is just to thicken up so do it in stages 1 spoonful at a time to get the thickness you like. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread.

Its one of my favourite greek recipes. Sadly tourists really do not get to sample the best greek recipes...

fantastic grmum
you don't have a recipe for gigantes in tomato sauce do you? I love them and my yiayia used to make them but don't know how to do them myself

The key to a tasty mince dish (and I know I will be shouted down here but here goes) is to put in a fair amount of salt as well as the onions, garlic, tomatoes, herbs, etc. Everyone is so down on salt at the moment but it is needed to bring out the flavour of some foods.

I have to go and cook our food now pph but I'll post one later!

well dep fat fryer is in the bin. i wen to do my shopping yesterdaya fternoon with dh to comments like " this is going to be expensive" and " you realise we dont have any MEALS in the trolley" so i told him to buy whatever he wanted to eat becuase i wasnt going to listen to him moaning and whinging for the next few weeks, i said i'll cook for me and the kids- you buy burgres and pizza if you want. he said he would shut up and eat with us.

so tonight on the menu at chez custaro is ( drum role please) spaghetti bolognase with mushrooms onions herbs and spices and veg. i need more pans.

last night had simple chicken and mash - but guess what girlies - i had pesto mash, yes indeedy - it was nice. dh didn't like it ( surprise) neither did ds2 - but he eats it plain anyway. and lots of veggies. i had some chili mash too - that was nice instead of tonnes of butter.

OOooh well done custardo! Do keep updating us on the meals won't you? Pesto ay? Who'd have thought it? (and you're welcome re the recipes, I had them on my pc so only had to copy and paste, it wasn't the mammoth typing job it looked!)

lol i know pesto and i bought a garlic crusher trez mc now you know! so have prepared spag bol for tonight using larrylou's recipe and the potatoe wedges using shimmy 21's recipe.

have made three pans full, and still have half a packet of mince left - i didn't think it would stretch that far. 3 pans becuase dh and ds2 dont like onions so i did a seperate one for them, and dd is allergic to mushrooms so did her a seperate one. me and ds1 eat owt were ot fussy, i added peas and sweetcorn too. so there they are on the cooker and its only 1.15pm everyone should be home by 4 they have all got lids on hope they will be ok eeek! i just couldnt wait to cook - o no am turning all housewifey

ooh sutyt here is a tv rrquest in teletext for families with crap diets
or was it on here?

yes look on page 622 on bbc1

CUST!

dont have teletext cod

oh hold on will llook for the number

it was a huge success. i cooked a proper meal i can't believe it!! and everyone loved it. my ds2 is a fussy eater and he ate the lot. my ds1 had two large servings, as did my dd. my dh the most sceptical of us all mopped his plate with a slice of bread - its so clean i dont have to wash it

so have half a packet of mince left and was thinking of doing a shepherds pie tomorrow - but dont have gravy grnaules - do have beef boullion so will use that with lots of veg thank you thank you thank you everyone

Quick and easy mince one:

Fry the mince (no oil, it has enough oil in it), mix in a can of beans. You can add a chopped courgette if you have one, but doesn't matter. Put the meat in a casserole dish. Beat two eggs, eight tablespoons of milk and grate in a fair bit of cheese, mix together and pour over the meat. Put in oven for 20 mins at a medium to hot heat until the eggy topping rises to a golden crust. Serve with chips or the cheapo noodles.

Baked potato! Just add tuna mayo, baked beans, chilli con carmne, whatever.

To make low fat tuna "mayo", mix it up with 50/50 greek yoghurt and mayo. Tastes just like mayo but half the fat. I also like to add finely chopped red onion for flavour.

My kids fave pasta is with bacon, peas and cheese: While cooking the pasta, dry-fry some bacon (you don't need to add fat if you cook it in a non stick pan as the bacon releases its own fat) - either chop up rashers or use a packet of lardons from tescos.. Chuck a handful of frozen peas into the pasta pan in the last minute of cooking. Drain pasta and stir in the bacon. Add a dollop of half fat creme fraiche and plenty of grated cheese (cheddar, parmesan, whatever you have handy). Voila! I have yet to find a man or child who didn't love this dish.

This might sound a bit pathetic, but we regularly eat "poor man's pizza". basically we get some pitta bread and then melt some cheese on top under the grill and then add whatever - tomato / ham / onions / tuna. Its quick, cheap, easy, endless variety and nice to eat with fingers and get messy.

Also, another tip is to buy ready meals which I know are expensive, but then bulk them out by adding big portions of frozen veg and maybe some mash so one ready meal can suddenly strecth to two or three people.

If you like rice and veg then you can do a quick and easy meal by boiling up frozen veg and then adding a little bit of ready-bought sweet & sour sauce and some tinned tomatoes and having with rice - it tastes like stir-fry but much healthier. (Mind you, my dh won't eat this because rice is "gay" apparently).

Finally, I agree with whoever sang the praises of casseroles - you can't beat the ease of shoving everything in a big pot and cooking for hours, especially as you can make a little bit of meat / sausage etc go a very long way with the right veggies.

custardo if you like pasta the rages are endless realy
ask your tescos if they do the five kilo bags of fusili pasta (its there own make) it lasts for eer and not realy that dear in comparison to buying smaller bags
buy a tin of tuna (same size as there beans)also own make
a block of i prefere tesco value cheese buy a large block grate it down it goes further that way
a large bag of potatoes (forget the supermarket there over priced) get it if you can drive either from local farmer or a lot of petrol stations do the large sacks
large bag f frozen veg
buy the large packs of tesco welsh mince instead of the value mince its healthier and cheaper
if you have a fruit and veg market get your chicken from there also your fruit but get chicken portions not filliets it cheaper and alot more meat to them plus there fresher
pick up some waffles pizza bases tomatoe puree
ok some recipes
pasta with the drained tuna mixed in grated cheese on top small amount goes along way pastas filling one tin of tuna mixed in with the pasta will feed the whole family (cook and serve 15 minuites max)
cooked dinner being mash frozen veg (chicken portions cooked in the oven) that should take about (cook and serve 30 minuites max)
pizza and waffle pizza base smear on tomatoe puree grate on chease put in the oven thesame time as the waffle (cook and serve 15 min max)
spag bol jar of bol sauce fry mince throw together cook pasta done (healthy alt after frying the mince put some kitchen roll in a colander put the mince in and leave to drain for about ten miuites before adding to the sauce) time taken (healthy 20 minuites normal ten to fifteen minuites)
cheese and potatoe pie
get some corned beef you got corned beef mash
serve both with veg to make things go further give smaller portions and some bread and butter
jacket potatoes with varios fillings
sandwiches
beens on toast
tomatoes on toast
cheese on toast
spagattie on toast
thats all i can think of at this moment will come back if it think of more

Hi custardo...this is a recent favourite with my dh (another big bloke who likes 'proper' food)

2-3 onions, peeled & chopped
3-4 peppers (buy cheap bag from Tesco's or Sainsbury's), sliced
200g/80z mushrooms, sliced (again, supermarket cheapos)
2 sticks celery, chopped (optional!)
100g/40z black olives (or frozen peas if you hate olives)
8 tinned/frozen hotdog sausages - we're veggie but I'm sure meaty ones would be fine
Jar tomatoey pasta sauce (Llloyd Grossman is good but not cheap, supermarket own brand fine)
Tin tomatoes
500g pasta shapes (fusilli or quills)
100g grated cheese (mature cheddar if budget allows)

Whack a dash of olive oil in a wok or big frying pan & heat. Chuck in onions, peppers & celery if using. When sizzling away, add 'shrooms.

Meanwhile, cook sausages as per instructions. Drain & put to one side to cool.

When veg is done chuck in pasta sauce & tinned tomatoes & simmer for 5 minutes. Add sausages, sliced, & olives or peas.

Cook pasta as per packet instructions. Stir with sauce (or just put pasta on plates & dollop sauce on top). Sprinkle with cheese!

Toad in the hole! (its on weight watchers so can't be that bad!)
for batter mix, 2 x eggs (you can use one but two rises better), 4 oz of flour, pinch of salt and half pint of milk (full or semi) as many sausages or as little as you need!
Lob all the ingredients in a bowl NOT THE SAUSAGES! and mix with elecky or hand wisker (elecky lots quicker, but hand can be job for bloke!)
Grill sausuages turning frequently, do not let go too brown, as they have to go in over in a bit!
Pre heat over Gas 7/210 Degrees C/415 Degrees F
Heat oil in large none stick roasting tin until spitting
put sausages into tin and pour over batter mix,
pop into over and cook for 25-30 mins
Serve with any veg you like (or don't bother)and lots of mash n gravy.
Not many blokes or miserable kids who won#t eat it!

I'm so pleased your family all liked it custardo, fab stuff!

that toad in the hole sounds vez delish yum - am gonna try that.

at the mo am cooking shepherds pie - cant wait.

will definatley try that eggy top thing by michelle p

and also the roast veggies sound yum

want a basic chicken casserol?