Health Tips for eating good food on a budget

[pekay-norwest]

I was buying lunch from the base canteen daily and spending 9-12$ on a wrap that was full of processed chicken and soggy salad.

Then I met the missus and she recommended I make my own - who knows what I want better than me?

Have been doing it daily for 6 years now. Might buy takeaway once a fortnight with the team but prefer my wrap. Have made them for team members every so often to share the love.

Sundays I buy the stuff and prep - takes about half an hour and lasts until Friday.

1 x Coles/Woolies chicken
Half a red and half a green capsicum
1 red onion

Chop all of that up and put it a container for the week. Gets 4 maybe 5 wraps. Maybe the onion prevents it from spoilage, I dunno.

Wrap pack of 10 lasts two weeks
Aioli - 1 bottle lasts around a month
Swiss cheese - 10 per pack = 2 weeks
Spinach bag lasts a week
Baby beetroot - 1 can = 1 week
1 tomato - 5 per week
Hot sauce - tried plenty but the Nandos gear goes alright - lasts about 2 weeks
S & P
Chicken mix

Wrap it in baking paper and foil. Sandwich press for 5 mins.

We did the sums and I spend about 80 a month roughly - as opposed to 10 a day average at the Base grubber. Genius.

Also, he may be a crazy bastard, but Pete Evans and his recipe books are great for useless cooks like me - easy to follow recipes, all fresh ingredients and tastes bloody good - we had Vietnamese beef curry last night - my 3 and 1 year old boys devoured it and wanted seconds which is impressive.

 

[Cuzz09]

To be honest. That sounds like a lot of work and effort and also Id eat 3-4 wraps by Monday guaranteed.

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[Kurve]

We did the sums and I spend about 80 a month roughly - as opposed to 10 a day average at the Base grubber. Genius.

That's significant saving, add it up over a year and it's a holiday.

 

[perthblue]

To be honest. That sounds like a lot of work and effort and also Id eat 3-4 wraps by Monday guaranteed.

On [device_name] using BigFooty.com mobile app

Haha this. I'm a greedy bastard and have little impulse control when it comes to food. If I did my meal prep on Sunday night, by Tuesday lunchtime I'd be out of food.

 

[Kurve]

Here's my favourite no fuss lasagne, even better cold but reheats well in the microwave.

Rough chop a couple of zucchinis & fry to soft
Add a big can of crushed tomatoes (use good ones & add half a tin of water) simmer for a bit

In a bake dish or even a big slice pan depending on how many layers you want to do .. spoon in sauce, sprinkle with cheese (I use tasty) & a layer instant lasagna sheets
Repeat
On the last layer leave the cheese on the top, cover and bake for about 30 minutes.

I jammed some olives in the top of this but you could put anything on that might go on a pizza, capsicum, anchovies, hot salami

 

[Macpotata]

Just do what this campaigner does



then talk like that after you eat your meal.

 

[Cuzz09]

Haha this. I'm a greedy bastard and have little impulse control when it comes to food. If I did my meal prep on Sunday night, by Tuesday lunchtime I'd be out of food.

Yeah Im not even gonna pretend I have the strength and patience to not open the fridge and raid it.

My god if there are just like 20 sandwiches/wraps looking at me they are getting dominated.

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[Runner44]

Costco - chicke breasts and frozen veggies and rice - do various meal preps on Sunday. Eat out 1/week to give yousrself a little variety and something to look forward to!

 

[Kram]

Dong a favor for my footy club this year (cos not working atm) and committed to managing their canteen and catering. Of course that's where a lot of their profit comes from but even I make them buy free range eggs. Don't care, nobody's eating cage eggs on my watch.

Btw. Dont buy cheap meat/eggs either.
Free range or GTFO!
If you're happy for what you are eating to have lived a tortured life in a cage so you can save $1.35 then you are a complete and total campaigner.

Eggs from 'Free range' chooks in the supermarket are barely treated any better than caged ones.

 

[William Wonka]

Eggs from 'Free range' chooks in the supermarket are barely treated any better than caged ones.

Yes and no.
The argument over if the definition 'free range' really applies to hens stocked 10000 p/hectare has been legally settled in the affirmative and as you say these levels are far from great.
However ANYTHING is better than cage eggs, so as the lesser of two evils its a good thing.

'Pastured free range' is best, or failing that whatever has the lowest density p/hectare and gives assurances on the carton about welfare.
Look for the 'Humane choice' logo to be sure.

 

[Kram]

Yes and no.
The argument over if the definition 'free range' really applies to hens stocked 10000 p/hectare has been legally settled in the affirmative and as you say these levels are far from great.
However ANYTHING is better than cage eggs, so as the lesser of two evils its a good thing.

'Pastured free range' is best, or failing that whatever has the lowest density p/hectare and gives assurances on the carton about welfare.
Look for the 'Humane choice' logo to be sure.

From what I've seen there are ones that do it properly like smaller scale family operations or this other mob that send all their produce to high end restaurants, but most people wouldn't know what the hell they are getting. The chooks in the modern computerised battery set up ironically looked in far better condition health wise than the 'free range' hens jam packed in a shed full of 1000s that don't even bother to venture outside anyway.

I have all my own chickens so haven't bought anything from the shops in many years.

 

[William Wonka]

From what I've seen there are ones that do it properly like smaller scale family operations or this other mob that send all their produce to high end restaurants, but most people wouldn't know what the hell they are getting. The chooks in the modern computerised battery set up ironically looked in far better condition health wise than the 'free range' hens jam packed in a shed full of 1000s that don't even bother to venture outside anyway.

I have all my own chickens so haven't bought anything from the shops in many years.

Its spending your life in a US prison cell VS a city in India.
Admittedly neither is great but one is far worse.

I had chooks for years but got sick of just feeding the foxes.

 

[Rotayjay]

Broccoli and pasta - traditional southern Italian recipe. Been making it for years, never gets old. The ingredients are very inexpensive.

Ingredients:

- Box of your favourite pasta shape (I use good old penne rigate, doesn't have to be expensive or home made pasta. I buy Barilla).
- Bulb of garlic
- Bottle of olive oil. It does help if it's one of the better brands like Red Island.
- One head of broccoli. I like heads of broccoli small and tight like my women.
- Bag of supermarket shredded parmesan cheese. IMHO this is better than expensive 'real' parmesan which I can't be ****ed grating.


Method:

1. Chop up a few cloves of garlic finely
2. Put the pieces in a tiny saucepan. Cover them with a good dash of olive oil (I've never measured but it's about 15-30 mL).
3. Heat the saucepan on the stove, medium heat. Stir the garlic oil mixture around as it boils and bubbles.
4. When the garlic has started to go brown, turn off the heat. It will continue cooking. You can always cook it a bit more but once the garlic has gone mid-brown it's overcooked. Put the saucepan aside.
5. Chop up the broccoli into pieces no longer than your finger.
6. Boil water in a medium/large saucepan and salt to taste.
7. Measure out your pasta this way. Take your eating bowl and pour in a third less pasta than you want to eat (pasta expands by about a third when cooking).
8. Put the pasta and the broccoli pieces in the boiling water at the same time. Pasta takes about 10-15 minutes to boil but keep tasting it until you get your preferred hardness.
9. Drain the pasta and broccoli and put it in your bowl.
10. Take the garlic oil mix and pour it onto the pasta. Mix through the dish thoroughly. Important note: the amount of oil you cooked the garlic in should be enough to lightly coat the meal. Should be neither dry nor gunky.
11. Sprinkle the shredded parmesan on as desired.

Disclaimer: This recipe can be a bit finicky, especially with respect to the brownness of the garlic (more than slightly brown and it becomes bitter) and getting the amount of olive oil right. IMHO, the parmesan gives the cherry on top and the dish is a bit boring without it.

 

[JG22]

Loiter around Coles late at night and snipe the chickens when they get discounted

 

[Feraligatr]

I pretty much live on salads, tinned tuna and rice.

Fresh vegetables cost me about 15 dollars a week. Tinned tuna I get when it's a dollar a can. And I buy bulk long life stuff from costco.

I don't need to live on a budget but I like it.

 

[pekay-norwest]

Haha this. I'm a greedy bastard and have little impulse control when it comes to food. If I did my meal prep on Sunday night, by Tuesday lunchtime I'd be out of food.

Nah, I just do the chicken/onion/capsicum mix on a Sunday and make the wraps every night. I'd be the same if I made them all at once.

I'll take a pic today and post it so you can all see. I'll eat them until my 50s. Perfectly filling.

 

[twotooto]

Here's my favourite no fuss lasagne, even better cold but reheats well in the microwave.

Rough chop a couple of zucchinis & fry to soft
Add a big can of crushed tomatoes (use good ones & add half a tin of water) simmer for a bit

In a bake dish or even a big slice pan depending on how many layers you want to do .. spoon in sauce, sprinkle with cheese (I use tasty) & a layer instant lasagna sheets
Repeat
On the last layer leave the cheese on the top, cover and bake for about 30 minutes.

I jammed some olives in the top of this but you could put anything on that might go on a pizza, capsicum, anchovies, hot salami

That looks outstanding!

 

[Sharks On A Plane]

Nah, I just do the chicken/onion/capsicum mix on a Sunday and make the wraps every night. I'd be the same if I made them all at once.

I'll take a pic today and post it so you can all see. I'll eat them until my 50s. Perfectly filling.

Hang on, are you saying that you eat exactly the same thing for lunch every day?

 

[Scotland]

Become friends with people who like having dinner parties.

 

[Taylor]

Most starchy vegetables can be thrown into a pot with some herbs and spices, a bit of stock and some previously seared meat - left to bubble away for most of the day and then served with mash potato.

Mash potato is best when filled with bits and pieces, fry up little cuts of bacon if you're trying to impress a dude.

Butter is your friend. Somehow you won't get fat.

 

[craigos]

Most starchy vegetables can be thrown into a pot with some herbs and spices, a bit of stock and some previously seared meat - left to bubble away for most of the day and then served with mash potato.

Mash potato is best when filled with bits and pieces, fry up little cuts of bacon if you're trying to impress a dude.

Butter is your friend. Somehow you won't get fat.

Paprika, garlic salt and some parmesan go alright on the mash as well.

Curried Sausages are cheap, easy and good to reheat.

500 grams Sausages
1 x brown onion
frozen peas
diced carrot
diced potato
diced capsicum
coconut milk
curry powder

Can throw whatever other vegies you have in your fridge and serve with plain noodles, rice or mashed potato. Will be about 4 servings and cost $12 or so.

 

[Kurve]

Curried Sausages are cheap, easy and good to reheat.

My kids loved curried sausages, so easy. I'd put chopped green apple and bananas in it, fruit goes in only for the last three minutes or so. Sometimes sultanas.

 

[Barry_Badrinath]

Hang out around the back of bakers delight around closing time. They’re not allowed to keep food for the following day so everything that doesn’t get sold goes in the big skip.

 

[Drumroe]

Its spending your life in a US prison cell VS a city in India.
Admittedly neither is great but one is far worse.

I had chooks for years but got sick of just feeding the foxes.

CluckAR is a cool app to find out how free range your eggs are when you're deciding which ones to buy.

 

[Doc_]

Most starchy vegetables can be thrown into a pot with some herbs and spices, a bit of stock and some previously seared meat - left to bubble away for most of the day and then served with mash potato.

Mash potato is best when filled with bits and pieces, fry up little cuts of bacon if you're trying to impress a dude.

Butter is your friend. Somehow you won't get fat.

Try mash with sour cream instead of butter. Works well with a bit of both too.