Teach me what I’m doing wrong with beef

[curiosercurioser]

I cook rice, beef and vegetables for DH regularly. He likes it a lot but I find it mildly unsatisfying.

I’m hoping you lovely mumsnetters will help me discover why.

After we eat, I get a “dull” feeling, as if I’m not quite full. I often feel like I need bread to fill me up. This doesn’t happen with eggs. Eggs make me feel very satisfied and full and content. I thought it could be the protein or the fat? One idea I had was to sprinkle protein flakes on it but its not very natural, is it?

Can you help me understand what is happening and how to fix it? I’d like us to enjoy the same meal without looking like a greedy guts 30minutes later when I eat a sandwich.

Minced beef had plenty of protein.

Plain fried beef with rice sounds pretty unappetising.

Flavoursome food is much more satisfying then bland food. Perhaps you need to make something tasty rather than just a random selection of ingredients cooked and put on a plate?

*has

No idea. I feel bloated instantly with beef

@curiosercurioser

Thank you both. I roughly split it into thirds and try to keep to 100g each rice, beef and vegetables for both of us. So 300g each all told. Beef is mince. I always measure the rice, but the beef and veg I simply eyeball.

Well that's a tiny meal.

How do you cook the mince?

@Pinkstump This is exactly the sort of help I was seeking, thank you. Chickpeas sounds a very good option. I will try!

@PickAChew I know how you feel. I get that way with some foods too. Though not beef, in this case.

Yes, it seems it is a small meal from the feedback. I wonder why DH has never said anything. I will add 100g of chickpeas to try.

@dorispiffle I fry it simply in a little oil with some spices. Do you think that makes a difference?

How are you cooking it? What veg are you using? What herbs?

If I cook mince I always use celery, onion, carrots, leek and swede chopped up really fine in my FP - easily twice as much veg as meat. Sometimes I add lentils as well.

It might be the rice. Try just eating the meat and veg only. Rice always has a weird effect on my metabolism (insulin resistant). I never feel truly full. I actually feel fuller having a meal with no carbs than with them.

@Flaunch That's a really good way of doing it. I'm definitely trying it chopped up really fine.

@MrsMariaReynolds I think I hadn't considered that. It's a good idea.

100g of rice seems masses unless that's cooked weight? I do 60g per person of uncooked rice. I agree though that 'mince' in itself isn't a nice meal for me , too many memories of school dinners but transformed into chilli, lasagne, spag Bol etc it's the food of gods. Half your meal should be veg or salad though

@Sooverthemill that's uncooked weight. Maybe it is a lot.
What vegetables would you recommend?

I'm going to try @MrsMariaReynolds clever suggestion right now, mixed with chickpeas from @Pinkstump. Wish me luck!

I just use what I have: cabbage, carrots, parsnips, peas, bread beans, broccoli, spinach, leeks, we go through so much veg!

Is MN anti-protein flakes?

^

I'll bite.

What are protein flakes?

OP, I can't imagine eating plain fried mince, even with spices. Everything I've ever seen in terms of European cookery serves mince which has been braised in some liquid, usually stock, with additional flavourings. So bolognese sauce /ragu with pasta/spag, or shepherd's pie, or moussaka.
I think one of the reasons you're feeling unsatisfied is because it's such a plain (dull - sorry!) way to serve it!

I would add more vegetables, as others have suggested. What do you usually serve with beef and rice? It sounds like you may not be very confident with food/cooking, I'm sorry if I have got that wrong. If you make a Bolognese type dish with the beef mince, you can add all sorts of vegetables to the dish. For a Bolognese I would use beef mince, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, courgettes, and tinned tomatoes. It is filling and packed full of veg.

Or if you are happy with the way you cook beef, you could stir fry some veg and mix it in to the rice once everything is cooked. Broccoli is also lovely with rice, you could have it on the side. What vegetables do you like to eat?

Beef is high in protein, you do not need to worry about that. I'm not sure what protein flakes are so I can't help with your query about using them.

Yeah, I don’t know what protein flakes are either. I doubt ‘MN’ is anti them, I just don’t think they are very common.

I think my diet is well balanced without having to resort to adding anything like protein flakes.

I do use minced beef about once every few weeks, but never just plain fried. I use it for

• cottage pie
• spaghetti bolognaise
• chilli con carne
• ‘hob to table’ moussaka (from bbc good food)
• lasagne
• burgers
• meat balls
• tacos

I don’t think @curiosercurioser likes the intimation that maybe the recipes need a tweak or 2.

@Sooverthemill that's so much veg, wow you're a star! DH would love you.

@VitreousHumour You know you're probably right, I guess it is plain - even dull . DH is big into sports and likes to know exactly what he's eating. That is where I know about protein flakes @grassisjeweled it's like powdered protein that bodybuilders use to get enough per day. You can just add it and it has no taste.

@tofuschnitzel i like your suggestion of packing it with veg. I wouldn't use tinned tomatoes though just for the extra calories for DH. So I think your suggestion is aces, stir fry it and add rice. It's only one extra stage for me.

@Chewbecca Not very common, no! Probably for the best.

Update, I tried what @MrsMariaReynolds @Pinkstump advised and DH loved it. We're still digesting so will be back if I crave a sandwich is 30mins . I'll try the packing with veg.

MN is aces!

@PickAChew why do you think you have a problem with rice? i'm wondering if maybe I do too.

OP, there is approximately 30 calories per 100g of tinned tomatoes. I really think the benefit of vegetables outweighs the (very low) calories. I am not sure why you are so focused on the calories of vegetables.

Agree with all of the above about the mince needing onions, garlic etc.

How hot are you cooking the mince? The pan needs to be empty and really hot so you sear the outside and get a maillard reaction. If you just saute the mince then it goes grey and dull.

You can always take the browned mince out and put it back again when you've cooked your veggies.

This is such a strange thread.

It is weird isn’t it

Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food is a great book for people who want to learn to cook simple filling family meals. Plain fried mince sounds dreadful

@tofuschnitzel I am too focused on calories, you are right to notice that. DH is so focused on his sports and maybe I absorbed that. I will think again. When you say the benefit of vegetables, you mean the taste, right?

@raddledoldmisanthropist such a helpful comment, thank you. you know, i am cooking the mince saute-style, because i add the vegetables and let them sit together. It does become dull, as you suggest. I'll do it the way you say. So you would sear it quickly and then take it out of the pan? Will it be cooked enough that way?

@Flaunch

It is weird isn’t it

Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food is a great book for people who want to learn to cook simple filling family meals. Plain fried mince sounds dreadful

It's making me chuckle. Plain fried beef mince makes me feel sad! And tinned tomatoes are high in calories? I'm so screwed if that's true.