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How to choose healthy meat & fish?

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  • 22-10-2014 12:27pm
    #1
    chinacup
    Registered Users Posts: 539 ✭✭✭


    For a student on a budget, where should I be sourcing the two in Dublin? And how should I vary between oily fish/red meat/chicken and so on? Just quit vegetarianism after 5 years and I have no clue. So any tips are much welcomed! I don't think the 79c meat from Lidl is really the most nutritionally valid option as is my current choice :P


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    #2
    Alf Veedersane
    Registered Users Posts: 24,553 ✭✭✭✭Alf Veedersane


    You're just looking for as little processing as possible.

    What might be worth considering is getting a slow cooker (on special in Aldi tomorrow at €18.99) and using it to cook a lot of the cheaper cuts of meat.

    I usually go with red meat maybe twice a week, chicken/turkey 3-4 times and fish once. But that's not a general rule or anything. It's just how I roll.

    For example, you can get a pound of mince in a butchers for €4-5 and then you can bulk it out with a tin of chopped tomatoes and a load of veg. Aldi do a bag of frozen stir fry veg, which is a good option. Or you could go simple with a chopped onion and peas. Whatever works for you. But you can easily get 4/5 portions out of that.

    With a slow cooker you could make up a big ol' batch of stew and bulk it again with veg.


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    #3
    ford2600
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,457 ✭✭✭ford2600


    Alf Veedersane wrote: »
    You're just looking for as little processing as possible.

    What might be worth considering is getting a slow cooker (on special in Aldi tomorrow at €18.99) and using it to cook a lot of the cheaper cuts of meat.

    I usually go with red meat maybe twice a week, chicken/turkey 3-4 times and fish once. But that's not a general rule or anything. It's just how I roll.

    For example, you can get a pound of mince in a butchers for €4-5 and then you can bulk it out with a tin of chopped tomatoes and a load of veg. Aldi do a bag of frozen stir fry veg, which is a good option. Or you could go simple with a chopped onion and peas. Whatever works for you. But you can easily get 4/5 portions out of that.

    With a slow cooker you could make up a big ol' batch of stew and bulk it again with veg.

    Slow cooker is good idea of a casserole dish. Get talking to a good butcher and ask him what meat he has going cheap/on special.
    Expensive cuts are expensive because they are fashionable and easy/quick to cook eg filet/striploin steak. Round steak has same nutrition for a much lower price, it just needs to be cooked appropriately.

    Once you get a cheap cut, google a nice way to slow cook it. Eat it over 2 days.


    Lamb's liver is a good choice but not to everyone taste. Also tripe, cooked Madrid style with pork and paprika and chorizo it is excellent. Cork people do it with onions and milk but i draw the line there.

    With fish ask monger what is on special and use it to make chowder/paella etc.


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    #4
    DoYouEvenLift
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,188 ✭✭✭DoYouEvenLift


    Can't go wrong with the tins of tuna from lidl.


    I'd honestly say if you had a chat with a local butcher to work out an agreement on an affordable reduced price for all your meats every week they'd oblige you. Would be guaranteed business for them so don't see why they wouldn't.


    Edit: also agree on slow cooking. Nothing better than throwing in a leg of pork or chicken fillets before work and coming home to absolutely delicious dinners. A rice cooker goes hand in hand with that too.


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    #5
    mickman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,661 ✭✭✭mickman


    DoYouEvenLift wrote: »
    Can't go wrong with the tins of tuna from lidl.


    I'd honestly say if you had a chat with a local butcher to work out an agreement on an affordable reduced price for all your meats every week they'd oblige you. Would be guaranteed business for them so don't see why they wouldn't.


    Edit: also agree on slow cooking. Nothing better than throwing in a leg of pork or chicken fillets before work and coming home to absolutely delicious dinners. A rice cooker goes hand in hand with that too.

    i agree that the slow cooker i bought is my best purchase in years. I have a lovely stew to go home to thise evening

    Can you do chicken fillets in it ?


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    #6
    Alf Veedersane
    Registered Users Posts: 24,553 ✭✭✭✭Alf Veedersane


    mickman wrote: »
    i agree that the slow cooker i bought is my best purchase in years. I have a lovely stew to go home to thise evening

    Can you do chicken fillets in it ?

    Yup.

    Edit: What's in with them will dictate how long they go in for. The less fat there is in them when they go in, the less time they'll need.


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    #7
    mickman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,661 ✭✭✭mickman


    Alf Veedersane wrote: »
    Yup.

    Edit: What's in with them will dictate how long they go in for. The less fat there is in them when they go in, the less time they'll need.

    so how would you do them ? in the steam section or the pot with water ?


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    #8
    Alf Veedersane
    Registered Users Posts: 24,553 ✭✭✭✭Alf Veedersane


    mickman wrote: »
    so how would you do them ? in the steam section or the pot with water ?

    If I was making a casserole or something with liquid in it, then I'd just lob it in the pot.

    If I'm just putting some spices on it and cooking it to have along with veg or something, I'll just put it in the oven.


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    #9
    Alf Veedersane
    Registered Users Posts: 24,553 ✭✭✭✭Alf Veedersane


    mickman wrote: »
    never had chicken cooked in a liquid :-)

    Just something like a casserole, you'd have chicken stock in there. Or if you were makinjg something like a chicken and chorizo stew, you'd have a tin of chopped tomatoes along with some chicken stock.


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    #10
    chinacup
    Registered Users Posts: 539 ✭✭✭chinacup


    Hmm wouldn't have considered a slow cooker for the simple word of "slow". My current situation is living with a teeny tiny tinsy winsy kitchen to share with 5 which is very old and has practically no space so although the idea of throwing it on in the morning and coming home to it is very appealing I don't think its viable atm for me. Unfortunate! I was thinking more salads, stirfry's, stews, casseroles and the like. Especially one pot meals! Agh this is going to be harder than anticipated. Are there any frozen meals/meat people would recommend? Are frozen fish fingers pure crap? Thanks for your help!!


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    #11
    DoYouEvenLift
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,188 ✭✭✭DoYouEvenLift


    mickman wrote: »
    i agree that the slow cooker i bought is my best purchase in years. I have a lovely stew to go home to thise evening

    Can you do chicken fillets in it ?

    Theyre used for a lot more than stews lol, especially pulled bbq pork, look up how to make that


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    #12
    chinacup
    Registered Users Posts: 539 ✭✭✭chinacup


    FX Buckleys my new butcher of choice for their rep and choice + good value (++overly flirty to the point of almost inappropriate young butchers :D). Now to find a good fish monger and look into halal meats.


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