Sacrificing healthy eating for value.

[cuddlepop]

Well according to the media we're sacrificing healthy eating for value for money,are you?

I must admit when we were away it was a heck of a lot cheaper to buy sausage rolls at Greggs for lunch than an expensive "healthy" alternative.
Eating out at resturants is just beyond our budget so I'm afraid is was takeaway's all the way.
I can see why McDonalds is expanding.If your feeling miserable you might as well fill up with food that makes you happy.:lol:

Apparently In Oban a fish and chip shop is charging £7.50 for a fish supper.:eek:

[teenybash]

I think I try to do both which is difficult as my oh prefers the unhealthy stuff,,,,,,,,,not Macdonalds but, cheap rubbish. I enjoy healthy food and home baking which he won't touch..... Can't win but, who can these days.:confused

[Bad Manners]

In these difficult times the temptation is there to buy lesser quality foods
however for me i would rather cut back on other items than than the quality of our food
i may well be in the minority but i do believe you get what you pay for.

[cuddlepop]

I think what they were reporting is that if you had a £1.00 for lunch you could buy 2 hot sausage rolls whereas if you wanted a healthy Subway roll thats going to set you back £3.00.
In these economic times the former is winning hands down.:eek:

I know ordinary mince is a £1.00 cheaper than the healthy low fat alternative at our coop.

As they say every penny is accounted for just now.:(

[unicorn]

probably 80% of the veg bought in my house is for the animals [lol]

[ShelleyCowie]

I try to do both but right now the unhealthy stuff seems to be cheaper! I still cook my own chicken nuggets, chicken pies and Pizza bases. But alot of other things is just cheaper to buy junk. Its sad, but its true!

i have realised my shopping budget is going to have to be cut from £100+ per week to £50 since i am not returning to work.

[balto]

but homemade soup and stews and mince doent cost that much, plus the soup lasts for a few days, i am lucky my kids wont eat junk food, they love homemade meals.

[crashbandicoot1979]

but homemade soup and stews and mince doent cost that much, plus the soup lasts for a few days, i am lucky my kids wont eat junk food, they love homemade meals.

I agree I find home made healthy meals work out far cheaper than unhealthier "junk food" alternatives. And like badmanners, I would rather cut down on other expenditure than buy cheaper quality/less healthy food anyway.

[rich]

I am getting great results with a slow cooker (crock- pot). Beans are fantasticaly cheap especialy if you dont buy them from the can. Getting fresh vegetables has always been a problem in the Highlands. Maybe you should take a tip from the ancestors and grow rhubarb on the midden - an excellent source of Vitamin C (the rhubarb not the midden!).
It is also extrmely important that you keep up your consumption of red wine - your arteries will thank you and so will your dinner guests.
And let's not forget the Caithness Neep. (I'm not quite sure what to do with one but I had a good look at a Canadian rubetaga which is of similar appearance. I almost adressed it a la Hamlet "Alas poor neep, I knew him well....)
Actually if you boil your neep and then mash it and do the same with ptotatoes and blend them together you can get a supermash sort of creation - ideal for the toothless!
Now there's an idea for a cookery book - COOKING WITH GUMPTION - 500 delcious recipes for the toothless.
Send grandma and grandpa's favorites along to me.
Thank you!

[Dadie]

Would like a rubarb crown!
~But I dont scrimp on the quality of the food on the table ... I just make it go further or eak it out with veg or use cheaper cuts that need more careful cooking ....slow and gentle rather than hot and fast...but use the same quality of meat...usually local reared and from a local butcher... but will use tescos for fish if on special offer!

[emszxr]

i tend to cook healthy. on a typical week we have a roast( does 2 nights )
spag bol, mince and tatties, macaroni, chicken wraps and a meat pie. luckily for us we get venison so dont buy meat apart from chicken, so just the veg and stuff to go in the meals is what i buy.
the only junk ready meal i usually buy is a pizza, which if it has some peppers on it aint that bad ;)

what do you class as junk food

[Metalattakk]

Actually if you boil your neep and then mash it and do the same with ptotatoes and blend them together you can get a supermash sort of creation

Words actually fail me. :eek:

[webmannie]

Actually if you boil your neep and then mash it and do the same with ptotatoes and blend them together you can get a supermash sort of creation

Now thats a load of clapshot :lol::lol:

[golach]

Now thats a load of clapshot :lol::lol:
Goes well with Haggis [lol]

[ShelleyCowie]

Not haggis.....how can anybody eat that. Well some people like it. I dont. Would far rather a fish supper haha.

I hate the thought of junk food but sometimes it is cheaper! Same as buying organic. Organic stuff is so expensive! :confused

[Anne x]

So Shelley do you cook ? Fresh is so much better for you than anything convenient , you said in a thread that you eat toast anything else ?
Life is a box of chocolates right now with all the Supermarkets offers a meal can be made up from very few ingredients and store cupboard Items
even the local Butcher and Fishmonger is longing for your trade at your doorstep you have the very best of local produce Mmm Yes including bread for toasting

[TBH]

I think I try to do both which is difficult as my oh prefers the unhealthy stuff,,,,,,,,,not Macdonalds but, cheap rubbish. I enjoy healthy food and home baking which he won't touch..... Can't win but, who can these days.:confusedMibbe yer home bakin' is not so good and he disnae want till tell ye an hurt yer feelings.[lol]

[ShelleyCowie]

So Shelley do you cook ? Fresh is so much better for you than anything convenient , you said in a thread that you eat toast anything else ?
Life is a box of chocolates right now with all the Supermarkets offers a meal can be made up from very few ingredients and store cupboard Items
even the local Butcher and Fishmonger is longing for your trade at your doorstep you have the very best of local produce Mmm Yes including bread for toasting

I do cook yeah. I do eat other things, its just my OH works 4 12 hour shifts a week so i dont like cooking for myself so usually have toast. But the other days that he is here i do cook. And when his kids are here i always cook for them.

I use local butchers anyway for meat like beef, sausages, pork chops etc etc. They seem to be cheaper than local supermarkets.

I just have a lack of imagination when it comes to cooking. I wish i could come up with something great that the kids will enjoy too!

[abc123]

I just have a lack of imagination

< insert caption >

[ShelleyCowie]

"This message is hidden because abc123 is on your ignore list. "

[hotrod4]

Its all nonsense.
It all boils down to what you do with it. If we all went back a few generations to the war THEN people would have a reason to complain about cutting quality.
Al it takes is a little bit of planning and a bit of imagination.When shopping have an idea EXACTLY what you are going for and stick to it.
Look at the price of an item and work out how much in total it is costing you to feed the family,is there anything else that is cheaper but same quality?.

Points that were made earlier were good ones- Mince, stews soups etc are great meals no additives and you know EXACTLY what is in it!!!!.
Take these basic meals and adapt them to your own tastes. Mince has to be one of the best foods out there as it is so versatile. If you have to buy cheaper mince then thats not a problem, what I do is quickly dry fry it then pour the fat away as cheaper mince has higher fat.

[Ricco]

We still eat healthy - haven't had junk food such as Mucky D's for years now. It is just as easy to get a small baton, tear it down the middle and add your own ingredients. The food we use at home has become simpler but is none the less healthy. You can make your own low-fat mince using one of those mincers that granny used to have - just takes a bit of labour. Get one of the kids on it.... tell 'em it will strengthen their muscles as well as make their diet better. :lol:

Many of us are now growing our own veg - why not go that extra bit and prep our own meat as well? Places like Lakelands do all the bits for mincing, burger making and sausage making. At least you will know what went into the food.

[Angela]

Well according to the media we're sacrificing healthy eating for value for money,are you?

I must admit when we were away it was a heck of a lot cheaper to buy sausage rolls at Greggs for lunch than an expensive "healthy" alternative.
Eating out at resturants is just beyond our budget so I'm afraid is was takeaway's all the way.
I can see why McDonalds is expanding.If your feeling miserable you might as well fill up with food that makes you happy.

Apparently In Oban a fish and chip shop is charging £7.50 for a fish supper.

Well, I do try not to, cuddlepop. I tend to think it's a false economy because -either in the short or long term - it really does affect a person's health.

I can see that when you're away from home, it's much harder to eat well on a budget, tho' lots of pubs and restaurants here in Edinburgh are now doing great cheap lunch deals to get folk in through their doors just so they can keep their businesses going in these tough times.

I just try to stick to good quality fresh food -nothing fancy. I've cut out most unnecessary extras now.

Yesterday I had home made soup with oatcakes and cheese for lunch, then a home made chicken risotto (made with leftovers) and a rhubarb crumble at teatime (some crumble left over for today). The only fast food I ever have is pizza, but instead of takeaway, I've started buying a basic cheese & tomato pizza and topping it with my own choice of veggies, so I think the next thing will be making it from scratch. My son in law's going to teach me the fine art of pizza making :lol: - he used to work in Domino's! ;)

I like to have something left over from the day before that I can either reheat or make into something else -that way I don't feel I have to be starting from scratch at every single meal and it keeps the shopping and the cooking costs down as well.:)

[Boss]

In these difficult times the temptation is there to buy lesser quality foods
however for me i would rather cut back on other items than than the quality of our food
i may well be in the minority but i do believe you get what you pay for.

I tend to be like you, cut down on luxuries and spend on good quality food.

[Thumper]

It has become very hard to find good food at prices we can afford,but it is possible! I make soup a lot,that feeds me and my kids for two days and we just have bread with it and a yogurt for afters,no main meal at all.I make stews and put lots of veg in it,that way i can give the kids the meat and I just have the veg and gravy.Pasta is also a good way of eating cheaply but without losing quality,a good tomato and basil sauce costs pennies to make and with a nice plateful of pasta is very filling.
Angela I am like you,when I am having pizza I buy a basic one and add toppings of my choice,sometimes make from scratch but a "value" pizza with extra toppings added usually works out cheaper in the long run. x

[cuddlepop]

If you were having to grab something to eat though outside your own home,what would you buy?

I try where possible to do the morning bargain hunt of the reduced items but even these are getting thin on the ground.:(

[ShelleyCowie]

If you were having to grab something to eat though outside your own home,what would you buy?

I try where possible to do the morning bargain hunt of the reduced items but even these are getting thin on the ground.:(

I would normally go to Frazers and get something like a Mince Round. They cost about £3 i think. But they do taste good and its just pop in the oven and bobs yer uncle. (i dont have an uncle bob) [lol]

[helenwyler]

If you were having to grab something to eat though outside your own home,what would you buy?


I don't know many circumstances where I would have to buy food away from home, except perhaps on holiday.

You can always take a homemade sandwich (cheap and as nutritious as you want it to be), a rice/pasta/couscous salad made from leftovers, some of Thumper's soup in a flask ;), and a bottle of juice or water from home.

This is what OH does most days. M&S sandwiches are cancelled until further notice :(.

[Thumper]

I must admit there are a few times when you have to perhaps go away for a few days for hospital appointments etc that eating out so to speak can get expensive,but I am like Ricco,if I cant take it with me i buy a bagette or a roll and then go to a deli counter and buy meat and perhaps a small tub of potato salad or something to make a sandwich at half what they would charge you to buy,if I am feeling extravagant then I treat myself to a pasta salad from M&S,but that is very rare nowadays! x

[ShelleyCowie]

Well i just done my online shopping, came to £30. Woopee! Alot less than the £100 i spend when i go to tesco!

And in that i have all the things for the wee man like his milk and nappies so not too bad. Also plenty of sandwich meats, milk, coffee, bread etc etc. Very bare minimum sweets! Just sweets that the OH takes to work for his coffee break and thats it!

So rather proud of myself, did not need vegetables this week cos i already have some in and am going to the butchers tomorrow for some beef olives! :Razz

[cuddlepop]

I don't know many circumstances where I would have to buy food away from home, except perhaps on holiday.

You can always take a homemade sandwich (cheap and as nutritious as you want it to be), a rice/pasta/couscous salad made from leftovers, some of Thumper's soup in a flask ;), and a bottle of juice or water from home.

This is what OH does most days. M&S sandwiches are cancelled until further notice :(.

When we go away we can spend anything up to 5hrs shopping with my girls with no access to a "mobile kitchen" so we have to eat something.lol

Travelling we alwas take a packed lunch.

[bish667]

Apparently In Oban a fish and chip shop is charging £7.50 for a fish supper.:eek:

I think the chip shop in inverness beside Matalan is about that price? Harrods i think its called but my brain isn't working very well just now :)

[teenybash]

Mibbe yer home bakin' is not so good and he disnae want till tell ye an hurt yer feelings.[lol]

You might have a point there TBH ;).............but since he won't try it how can he know if my home baking is good or bad.........pancakes, soda bread, scones and cakes, all have to be devoured by myself!:p

[cuddlepop]

You just cant beat homemade scones,cakes and panckes,especially if you've used freerange eggs.:D

Shop bought just dont taste the same so I tend not too buy them.

[JAWS]

Well according to the media we're sacrificing healthy eating for value for money,are you?
Healthy eating? What's healthy eating? I think just about everything I have ever eaten has, at one time or another, been good for me, been bad for me, been good for me, been bad....
In the end I have given up bothering because what I'm told now is bad for me will eventually, with the passage of time, become good for me again.
After years of being told that eating eggs is a certain death sentence from high cholesterol the latest information is that they make absolutely no difference at all to cholesterol levels and are totally safe to eat.

[hotrod4]

Whats required is a balanced diet.
Simple really-Just pack your gob with whatever food you want. Stand on one leg,if you dont fall over then you are on a balanced diet!!!!.;)
Makes sense really-Cos if you take Alcohol and try it you fall over, so that proves it that Alcohol is not a Balanced diet!![lol]

Look at really thin people, a Gust of wind and they fall over-Not on a a Balanced Diet.
Then look at more proportioned people, gust of wind and they dont fall down, so they are on a balanced diet.

[ShelleyCowie]

Whats required is a balanced diet.
Simple really-Just pack your gob with whatever food you want. Stand on one leg,if you dont fall over then you are on a balanced diet!!!!.;)
Makes sense really-Cos if you take Alcohol and try it you fall over, so that proves it that Alcohol is not a Balanced diet!![lol]

Look at really thin people, a Gust of wind and they fall over-Not on a a Balanced Diet.
Then look at more proportioned people, gust of wind and they dont fall down, so they are on a balanced diet.

[lol] Hotrod i am in stitches! Love ur idea o a balanced diet!

[hotrod4]

[lol] Hotrod i am in stitches! Love ur idea o a balanced diet!
Well I am on a "Balanced diet" except Friday evenings around 11pm that is!!;)

[ShelleyCowie]

Well I am on a "Balanced diet" except Friday evenings around 11pm that is!!;)

cant remember the last time i tried the alcohol balanced diet....:eek: Probably about 13 months ago! :confused

[Angela]

Healthy eating? What's healthy eating? I think just about everything I have ever eaten has, at one time or another, been good for me, been bad for me, been good for me, been bad....
In the end I have given up bothering because what I'm told now is bad for me will eventually, with the passage of time, become good for me again.
After years of being told that eating eggs is a certain death sentence from high cholesterol the latest information is that they make absolutely no difference at all to cholesterol levels and are totally safe to eat.

I agree there JAWS. I've eaten an egg almost every day of my life and my cholesterol is nice and low. :)

I think of healthy eating as being food made from good quality fresh ingredients, and avoiding lots of ready meals and other foods stuffed with unnecessary additives.

Recently, 'healthy eating' seems to have taken on the connotation of healthy foods being 'slimming' foods, as if a normal balanced diet somehow can't be healthy.

I happened to be watching 'Supersize Superskinny' the other night where the Superskinny young woman was 5'5" and weighed just 6 and a half stone. Sadly she thought what she ate was a 'healthy' diet because she'd become obsessed with the government's 5 a day mantra. She ate scarcely anything except for fruit because she thought that must be good for her, and seemed to have no idea that she needed to be eating foods from the different food groups -protein, carbs, fats -which she thought must be bad for her.

It's very worrying that so many people seem to have lost touch with what healthy eating really is about. :(