Worried about family getting enough calories

[Tatoumorse]

We've been very poor lately, paying back debts, I have researched all of our entitlements where we live (abroad).

I'm constantly cold now it's winter as per last year, and my teenage boy and younger one are always hungry. Today googling other things I think we may be undernourished, never crossed my mind before.
I thought we have a healthy diet, porridge/yoghurt breakfast, boiled egg/peanut butter toast for lunch, with a small cereal bar each, then pasta/rice-based veggie dish or chicken for tea, occasional burgers and occasional cake.
But today I added up the calories and we get approx 500 max per day if I calculated correctly. I'm really worried this is way off what we should be getting and may be a source of several health problems now that I'm joining the dots.
I am not a bad parent but I had a poor upbringing, not to blame that, but I never learnt about nutrition, I was actuallly more worried about overfeeding my kids (unhealthy snacks, etc.) Now I feel awful.

On a VERY limited income, how can I boost our calorie intake in a healthy way quickly? I wonder about protein shakes, or noodle snacks? Any advice please, but not on the debt issue as that is in hand, I had expert advice on it etc. and am just having to do my best and pay back over a 2 year period

There are lots of great suggestions on here but I have hungry teenagers and just buy the massive bags of cheap pasta and they eat that when they are hungry with a dollop of aldi pesto or tomato based sauce and cheese.
On top of the protein based foods you are giving them. It's cheap and easy for them to do themselves whenever they are peckish. You can't fill teenage boys sometimes so its not your fault at all.
My DH's parents were a bit mean with food (not a money issue) when he was growing up and he says he and his brother ate dinner then made beans on toast or pasta afterwards.

I'm hoping to get to the calorie calculation this afternoon and see how much I need to add in for the boys then use all the great advice on here.
I do think we're on the right tracks but definitely things like buying more eggs (the multipack under 5 euro for 30 sounds ideal) and getting the smoothie maker going again to add in a protein-rich drink would be good.
The only thing I rolled my eyes at was get rid of the dog, although I said "pup" he has been with us about 6 years, he's part of the family, and doesn't cost that much. Though I will get round to getting pet insurance for future vet bills soon, so I don't get any unmanageble surprises if his health deteriorates later.
To be honest meat seems pricier here, perhaps because even the cheaper ones are better quality, and so more expensive to produce. I'd love to get a bit more chicken per week but I think I need to investigate is it better from a butchers (there's a halal one v nearby) or from Carrefour/Casino etc.
I've got some great advice on here, thanks - and I agree teenagers really do have hollow legs! Going to hunt down the French baked beans this weekend

Something I thought of today @Tatoumorse a good way to get extra calories cheaply is rice pudding. And you can cook it in the slow cooker.

If you can get your blender working then consider making homemade dips from pulses.

Something like this https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/red-lentil-hummus/ would cost about 60p (in the UK) to make, is about 400 calories, and is healthy and filling. It’s a great dip for flatbread and cheap veggies (carrots and celery) - or use it in a sandwich with grated carrot. It also tastes ok without the tahini, if budget doesn’t stretch.

Lots of other ideas out there for dips using beans too. Frijoles is cheap and delicious, although I’m not sure France has discovered black beans yet.

Teenage boys are bottomless pits op. Are they not entitled to school lunches in France based on earnings so you'll only pay a minimum amounts and they get a decent meal - better than uk anyway?

I haven't had a chance to read all the responses but DM if you want help with IBS on a budget.

Look up ‘Frugal Queen in France’ on YouTube. They are retirees on a limited budget and show all their meal prepping and cost saving food ideas. They may give some inspiration for local availability.

Hi
I live in France and baked beans do exist, haricots sauce tomate. Not as good as uk ones ! but add a squirt of ketchup. I find Aldi meat a lot more expensive than Lidl. You need to look out for special offers in Leclerc ( sometimes reasonable) and all supermarkets do anti gaspillage. -30% a few days to a day before the use by date. It all goes down to 1€ or less if it’s out of date on the day, but finding this is pure luck. Dried lentils and pulses are cheapest but tins are reasonable.
Have you looked up to getting a petrol heater? Poêle? They are cheap to run and heat a room quickly. You can buy the fuel from most supermarkets. Try electrodepot for a reasonable priced one.
good luck

Check vet prices before paying for pet insurance. In a lot of mainland Europe they don't get pet insurance because the vet is far more affordable. Better to save the money yourself towards potential bills.

Hi - People have lived long lives on less. Do your children look malnourished? You might also try baked potatoes with baked beans, chicken casseroles with seasonal veg, sausage and mashed potatoes, mexican wraps, apple crumbles with custard, homemade flapjacks (cheaper than cereal bars). But if you put the evening meal in a large dish and let the children help themselves, they'll eat as much as feels right for them. Just keep up with the healthy (mostly) non-processed food - you're doing a great job.

Do you have the too good to go app ? It is in Italy , U.K., Switzerland so maybe where you are , it’s easy to use and you can get good food at greatly reduced prices. Also are there any free sites or Facebook marketplace , where you may be able to get a microwave ? Things like mashed potatoes and sausage with carrots is easy to do , cheap and is filling . For snacks you can make homemade pancakes , flour , water egg and add some banana or lemon juice or fruit . They are filling and are cheap to make x

Hi there.
For the kids if you use milk. Make them pancakes. Eggs, milk flour. You can make them savoury or sweet. They could be given for breakfast or lunch as they are filling.
I'd save up for an air fryer maybe. A mini oven basically.
French toast/ eggy bread for variety.
Sausages?
I'm just trying to think of cheap calorie laden things that could be cooked on an electric ring.
Chorizo with pasta

These is a some really bad advice here from some people suggesting just bulking on crap food for calorific gain. Unless you’re all loosing tons of weight then you don’t need to add calories and I guarantee you’re not eating 500 calories a day, you wouldn’t be functioning. Nutrition is just as important when you’re on the bread line. Keep it simple and make food with the main food groups veg, starchy carbs such as bread and pasta and protein (keeps you full for longer so if you can afford meat then great but beans and lentils are excellent and cheap). Cheese and peanuts are not high protein they are mostly fat so will add calories but do little for satiety.

@gingerninja It really depends on the type of cheese. Cottage cheese for example is high in protein and low in fat. Healthy fats that are found in cheese and nuts will also make you much more satiated than say starchy carbs or fruit.

My vegetarian SIL gave me a lovely recipe for bean chilli.

1 tin of black beans
1 tin of green lentils
1 tin of kidney beans
1 tin of baked beans (if you can get them. Or add a tin of sweetcorn)
1 onion
1 carrot - grated
1 tin of tomatoes
stockcube
chilli powder to taste, cumin if you have it, oregano or basil if you have it, salt and pepper.

drain and rinse the beans. Fry the onion gently, add the beans, stock cube (plus a little water if you need it), tinned tomatoes, chilli powder, herbs and simmer. I turn the gas off after about 15 minutes. Leave the lid on and it cooks in its own heat. I do that with a lot of things like bolognese too. Just reheat when you want to eat. Add rice.

It feeds three of us easily with enough left over for lunch for two of us and we're big eaters (DH often has a bowl with some bread rather than rice).

Sausage casserole is very similar. Just fry the sausages. Cut them up to make the go further. Serve with potatoes or rice or pasta plus some veg. I sometimes do extra onions, add some curry powder (very warming).

I also make burgers with sausages, adding prepared stuffing mix to pad them out. Just skin the sausages, mix it into the prepared stuffing mix (let it cool down first). Shape into burgers. I get three burgers plus meatballs for three out of one pack of sausages and a pack of paxo type stuffing. I then make a tomato and onion sauce with herbs and cook the meatballs, pop them into the sauce, warm through and serve with rice or pasta plus a grating of cheese on top.

I'd definitely add milk to your sons porridge.

And another bowl of porridge with milk is fine as a dessert if you can afford it! My DS has cereal most nights as a snack. Adds calories and adds warmth. Or a hot chocolate just before bedtime. It all adds calories and warms you up.

Or home made rice pudding for the boys - the slow cooker can do the work.

Can you get lactose free milk for yourself?

Why would you have a puppy when you’re so broke?

The bean chilli cost us as much as a beef mince chilli. Tinned beans are expensive in the U.K. I can’t comment on the price of black beans in France. We add a lot more onions, carrots, and other cheap seasonal veg for bulk and to get our veggies on

And that recipe actually provides enough protein for 8 portions, as half a tin of beans is a protein portion for one person.

We cook loads of rice to bulk the meal for very little cost, or serve on a huge jacket potato.

Yesterday I bought 500g of mince. I used 5 tins of the cheapest supermarket chopped tomatoes I could find. I chopped a couple of onions, celery garlic, tomato purée, salt and pepper and cheap own brand dried herbs, with decent olive oil as the base mix.

I also then made about 3/4 pint of white/bechamel (butter, flour whole milk, salt, a little crushed garlic, pepper, bay leaf, mace).

I used fresh chopped parsley and basil for some, and I also used 2 cans kidney beans and a can of green lentils, some fresh coriander and ground cumin, coriander, chilli flakes, salt and pepper for a larger portion.

Using all of the above, I made:
1 large lasagne (serves 4 generously)
1 small lasagne (serves 1 generously)

6 portions of chilli (with rice cooked and put in freezer)
3 portions of spaghetti bolognaise sauce.

The mince was 20% fat and the pasta I used was the cheapest stuff I normally buy in the supermarket.

The ingredients I bought cost me £20 plus the stuff I already had (2 cans kidney beans, pasta/lasagne sheets - but all the cheapest versions).

I also made 12 portions of soup using chicken bone stock made with cheapest carrots/onion/potato etc and made chicken and veg soup in the stock pot (using the cheapest skin on/bone on chicken thighs I could find) and two cheap tinned tomatoes and cheap back bacon to make tomato, bacon and red lentil soup.

I think that in total, cost me a tenner.

Of course it relies on you having a few basics and it really depends on what your kids like / none of this would've worked for my eldest as he's autistic and very good averse, but I cook rarely for him now so this works for my other two teens. I hate food planning and although im a decent cook, really struggle with cooking drudgery as well as the cost thing. I tested all this stuff out yesterday do this is all recent, and doable provided you have a head start with some of the basics (pasta/seasoning/rice etc)

Thrifty Lesley has some menu plans for those on a budget.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ThriftyLesley

And for you OP (if noone has mentioned it already), consider starting some HRT for your peri-men symptoms. Take a look at the Balance website 👍

I haven't RTFT, so someone might have said this already, but you can do jacket potatoes in a slow cooker.

OP you have my sympathy. We spend time in France each year, and almost all food is significantly more expensive there, even in Lidl, where a pack of 8 flour tortilla wraps was €3.99!

We found (cooking for a crowd) that big packs/sacks of veg were actually found more cheaply in the bigger supermarkets rather than small Lidl/ALDIs - we have a Carrefour.

You've already had loads of good advice. I wanted to recommend you invest (when you can afford to) in a pressure cooker, preferably the Instant Pot brand. On Black Friday they come down to £50-60, and they're worth every penny because then you can buy big bags of dried chickpeas/beans/lentils and cook them very quickly, even without soaking.

More importantly, you can buy the absolute cheapest cuts of meat (pork knuckle/belly, chicken thighs, beef shin) and cook them to tenderness in about a third of the time they'd take on the hob.

Also great for cooking veggie&bean soups v quickly too. Once you manage to get hold of a freezer, you could even batchcook some thick nutritious soups to have as a first course in the evening.

Lidl (UK) has just started doing 1kg tubs of peanut butter for £3.99, both crunchy and smooth. Apple and peanut butter is a filling snack, and a peanut butter-and-banana sandwich is a filling breakfast (or even lunch). Egg mayo (with lovely French mayo!) would be another calorific sandwich filling.

Good luck OP, we're rooting for you.

Hi OP,

not sure if this will help - but there’s a few Instagram accounts which show you how to feed a family of four for £5 or under.

mealsbymitch

he is great. I’m not sure if the costs majorly differ where you are but look him up. We often use him regularly.

rice rice rice. It’s so filling and so cheap. You can add anything to it (turkey, mince, veg, even just soy sauce). A lot of his meals include rice.

give it a look and hopefully you can get some ideas :)

That’s way more than 500 cals but so sorry you’re worried about spending. It’s horrible xx

I haven't read the ft but recently did a course on eating better. For protein beans and pulses..as in chick peas, lentils etc were recommended. They also recommend offal..which is very cheap in UK ( not sure about France). Liver apparently is one of the best sources of protein. Fried liver with bacon plus mash potatoes and cabbage are a favourite of some people (not me). Perhaps you can encourage your sons to do some cooking. I love my slow cooker..as long as I seal the meat and veg. A good easy filling lunch is a tin of tomatoes with stock cube and extra liquid, some puree and sugar. Heat it on the hob then mash it down. Add a tin chickpeas for the protein. Full fat Greek yoghurt was also recommended a a good source of protein. Smoothies were not recommended as they are too easy to digest and leave you feeling hungry. Good luck.