Student diet - simple recipes?

judgefudge

Hi,

So I'm a full-time student living out of home and I'm struggling to manage my diet at the mo! I can afford to spend about 50euro a week on food and I'm really trying to eat healthy. I've decided to cut down on the amount of meat I eat generally so I've been looking for healthy/veggy options for dinners and lunches. Problem is a lot of the things I come across have a tonne of veg and other ingredients involved.

I houseshare so I don't have much room to store loads of food and I also never get around to eating it all before it goes off. I hate throwing out food :mad:

If you have any little tips or tricks I'd really appreciate it!!

Thanks in advance

Stench Blossoms

Whats wrong with meat?

judgefudge

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Whats wrong with meat?

Nothing is 'wrong' with meat. I'm reducing the amount of meat I eat because as people we have far more meat than we need in our diet and that contributes to an industry I consider to be very dangerous and destructive. But that's not the issue here.

Stench Blossoms

I would cut down on bread, potatoes and pasta before I'd cut out meat.

Where are you getting your protein from?

judgefudge

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

I would cut down on bread, potatoes and pasta before I'd cut out meat.

Where are you getting your protein from?

Meat. I still eat meat. Just only at the weekend. We don't need half as much meat as most people believe. Plus eggs beans etc etc.

judgefudge

http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat.html


I suggest you watch this, great talk!

Stench Blossoms

I think only eating meat at the weekends is a bit silly.

I eat meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner and I'm perfectly healthy.

I'm going to gracefully exit now. Good luck.

feelgoodinc27

judgefudge wrote: »

Nothing is 'wrong' with meat. I'm reducing the amount of meat I eat because as people we have far more meat than we need in our diet and that contributes to an industry I consider to be very dangerous and destructive. But that's not the issue here.

Which industry?

Orla K

judgefudge wrote: »

Nothing is 'wrong' with meat. I'm reducing the amount of meat I eat because as people we have far more meat than we need in our diet and that contributes to an industry I consider to be very dangerous and destructive. But that's not the issue here.

Saying 'wrong' implies it's not right which is just wrong. Meat is healthy but that's not a big issue here.

Eggs are fantastic, cheap and fill you up. They can also be used to use up veg that are on the way out by doing it in an fritatta or something like it.

As for meat, get the cheap cuts, liver is good, I separate it put it in the freezer and it defrosts quickly. Also I never liked liver unless in a pate but I've been eating it now and it's not half bad but don't reheat it, that will be awful. It's also one of the healthiest part of the animal.

Cook in bulk and have single serving lunchboxes that you can put in the freezer, very handy more so if you find yourself a little short on money one week you'll have a few dinners stored(just don't leave them there for months and months)

Also a whole chicken can go a long way, roast it, strip it (take all the meat off) and you can use it for a curry or something.

Free fat to cook with, get yourself a little glass jar and ask the butchers for some beef/pork fat and tell them that you want to render it(loads of info online on how to render something) Some butchers might charge something but it's not going to be much.

Fish is the best thing to get, but it can be pricy so keep an eye out for offers and don't go for the ones covered in breadcrumbs/batter

As for veg frozen is handy when your a student, you can get loads of frozen veg like spinach, brussel sprouts, the mixed veg. When buying fresh stick to the cheaper ones.

allrecipes has a budget bit but the people who submit the recipes decide if it's a meal on a budget so some peoples idea of a budget mightn't be your idea.

The main thing is to plan, find special offers, use your freezer and herbs and spices are very handy.

judgefudge

Stench blossoms i'm not saying eating meat is bad but the way a lot of people eat it is. You chose to ignore the whole topic of my thread anyway this wasn't about meat and I'm not trying to force my opinions on meat on anybody.

I said 'wrong' because there is nothing wrong with eating meat but like I said there is something wrong with the way a lot of people eat it. I was talking about the meat production industry.

I am doing a phd on reducing the amount of feed necessary in meat production to reduce the environmental impact. I have done plenty of research on the area and should be allowed to reduce how much meat I eat without coming under attack.

Besides which it wasnt the topic of the thread at all!

Thanks for the advice Orla!

Torakx

I have been forced to live on about 48 euro a week for food.
One of the handiest ways i found to cut down costs on meat was to buy whole chickens and learn how to cut them up into seperate parts.

So when i get a chicken, i cut the breasts off to make curries.
Put a leg(with thigh) and a wing in a bag and put two of those bags in the freezer or fridge to oven cook for lunches or dinners.

I boil the carcass in a pot or in a slow cooker and take it out when the meat is cooked on it, to make cabbage soup nowadays.
It can also be cooled and put in the fridge for a few days for stir fry stock.

When i buy beef its 20% fat and this is handy for making home made spicy burgers wrapped in lettuce.I use small freezer bags for what i dont use and portion all my meat into enough for one meal.
I get more protein from eating alot of eggs too.

This saves me a fair bit of money, instead of just buying chicken breasts or steaks.
Although the odd steak now and then is a real treat

Ive gotten the meat part down pretty well, cost wise, but im finding veg is now on the expensive side
Started looking for alternatives now.
Instead of brocolli i have been substituting it with cabbage.

Frozen veg sound slike a good alternative, ive always gone with fresh veg ,but not sure if its that much better than frozen.
Thats something i would like to know.

Orla K

judgefudge wrote: »

http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_bittman_on_what_s_wrong_with_what_we_eat.html


I suggest you watch this, great talk!

I'll suggest you read this.
https://www.facebook.com/Polyfacefarm/posts/10150655771121105

Forgot to put in the link!

judgefudge

It's a personal choice for me to reduce the amount of meat I eat and really not the topic of this thread at all. I don't attack those who eat 10lbs of red meat a week so I don't see why I should be attacked. Can we just draw a line under it because I'm not interested into getting into a debate.

Orla K

judgefudge wrote: »

It's a personal choice for me to reduce the amount of meat I eat and really not the topic of this thread at all. I don't attack those who eat 10lbs of red meat a week so I don't see why I should be attacked. Can we just draw a line under it because I'm not interested into getting into a debate.

Just figured you had an interest in it and you'd find it a good read(even if you mightn't agree with it) I don't care otherwise.

judgefudge

I will read it and thanks, but I'm just sayin i'd rather not defend my diet choices on here. I was only looking for some help with managing veg!!

Bad Panda

judgefudge wrote: »

It's a personal choice for me to reduce the amount of meat I eat and really not the topic of this thread at all. I don't attack those who eat 10lbs of red meat a week so I don't see why I should be attacked. Can we just draw a line under it because I'm not interested into getting into a debate.

Because the fact you think the industry is dangerous and destructive you won't eat meat...but only at the weekends? Seriously, eat it or don't. At least stand up for your convictions and stop taking the easy way out.

It's also stupid. Plain and simple.

saa

How limited are you with freezer space? You could get a bag of frozen veg and cook some for your dinner. Now this are just somethings I eat, I havent learned how to cook properly yet and I'm quite boring but I can stick to a budget.

Lunch boxes and little plastic food bags are your best friends as a student trying to live healthy on a budget.

I like buying fresh brocolli, I cook it for dinner and save half put it in a lunch box with a tab of butter and shake it around makes a lovely lunch the next day.
Supervalu sometimes have the 4 for 4 offer on sweet potatos you can boil or bake those and save some for your lunch.
I love making my frozen green bean, red pesto and quorn chicken pieces dinner, I make two portions and again have it for lunch, I eat meat one a week ish but I don't like keeping meat in my bag all day or personally I don't like defrosting or handling meat.

I buy a block of light cheese and cut it into fingers and weight it into 20 gram portions and freeze them then in the morning I just grab a bag, an apple and a pack of whole wheat low salt crackers from Aldi.

Wholegrain crisp rolls from tesco also about a euro for a big bag don't go off and taste great with a bit of cheese spead and fruit.

Always go for the fruit and veg offers and plan out all your meals and snacks as buying without planning is difficult when you want to save money and then you know you have enough food for a week.

I didn't buy a lot of milk in college as it always went off quickly or someone else drank it so I had eggs for breakfast.

Some breads I buy would be nimble 50 cal brown slice pan is 1 euro from lidl great for french toast, wholewheat wraps for veggies (red roasted peppers are great or get a bag of cut peppers in tesco) as they are 200 cals and have a lot of carbs/theyre big I cut them in half and freeze them.

I bought 5 tiny plastic tubs in the pound shop and I put 10 raw almonds, some hazelnuts to put on greek yoghurt and other things.

I think a jar of sun dried tomatoes can spice up salads but I dont really buy fresh greens but I will over the summer and have a salad for lunch and side salad with dinner so I can use them up its just planning to keep on top of the nutrition, waste, cost and all that.

I also got garlic salt, mixed herbs, chicken spices and balsamic vinegar, again I dont cook I just add flavoring to very simple foods.

judgefudge

Luckily bad panda I don't need to justify how I act to people like you. I don't even feel the need to.

Orla K

Just remembered this obvious one don't go to the supermarket hungry, you'll just end up wanting and buying everything!

christmas2012

beans on toast or scrambled eggs with toast,very quick and simple to do lots of protien in it too..

Tayla

Judgefudge, this sauce is a great way to up your veg count and it will last for a few days in your fridge or you can freeze it. http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1508645/pasta-with-tomato-and-hidden-veg-sauce

I just cook it and freeze it without the pasta, always have loads of it in the freezer, it's lovely with mashed potato and meatballs or as a soup, just add some chicken stock and a little cream at the end (if you have it) It's a great multi purpose recipe.

I hardly ever buy lettuce unless I know i'm going to use it quickly because I find it goes off really quickly in the fridge, instead get a bag of baby spinach leaves, they last for much longer.

I don't buy spring onions for salads because again they can go off much quicker than normal onions. I will buy them if i'm adding them to a recipe but not to just throw in my fridge.

The best thing ever to liven up salads when you're getting sick of eating them is to crush up 4 or 5 tortilla chips and some cheese and mix them in to it.

I cook a lot with tinned tomatoes, I read somewhere that they are supposed to be better for you than fresh ones, I know they have added sugar but I minimise the rest of the sugar in my diet so don't mind a little added here and there.

What about a quiche? I make a low carb broccoli and ham one which is so good, i'm sure it would be just as nice without the ham, you could add mushrooms or whatever else you had and freeze any that's leftover. http://www.food.com/recipe/low-carb-crustless-ham-broccoli-quiche-87088

Torakx wrote: »

but im finding veg is now on the expensive side
Started looking for alternatives now.
Instead of brocolli i have been substituting it with cabbage.

Frozen veg sound slike a good alternative, ive always gone with fresh veg ,but not sure if its that much better than frozen.
Thats something i would like to know.

I think it depends on the veg and whether the fresh stuff is in season or not.
I always buy fresh broccoli, just don't like the frozen stuff, I do think broccoli is quite expensive though especially because I buy so much of it.

I do buy frozen peas, frozen cauliflower (I hate cauliflower but you can use it with some mozzarella to make a lovely low carb pizza base) .
Supervalu sells these big bags of frozen mixed peppers for €2 to €3 euro which works out so much cheaper than buying fresh ones.

gymfreak

I houseshare with others and space for food storage is somewhat limited too so we just bought an extra vegetable rack. Costs about 10-15 euro with 3 shelves...problem solved.

I always opt for fresh veggies and they never get the chance to go off before I've eaten them. Check out aldi each week. They do a super 6 of veg or fruit each week..at the moment its courgettes, brocolli, green apples, pears, carrots and parsnips all for under 69c. I think that's the key if your on a budget...shopping around..tesco, lidl and aldi always have veg and fruit offers each week.

As for lunch and dinner ideas.
Lunch: salad with tuna/ or whatever ya wanna sub in if you want to keep the ole protein up. Cottage cheese is savage I must say! I always double up on dinner ingredients and then eat half the next day for lunch.

My dinners would mainly be stirfrys and I just chuck in whatever vegetables I want: mushrooms, onions, peppers, aubergine, courgettes, mangetout, brocolli...whatever I can find really and then I just change the sauce day to day. Some days I opt for tinned tomatoes and some herbs, other days soy sauce..options are endless..all ya need do is mess about a bit!

Lia_lia

Omelettes. I'm a student that doesn't eat meat and I pretty much live on omelettes.

Risotto! Make a big pot of it and it stays fresh in the fridge for a few days. When it's reheated in the microwave it tastes exactly the same as it was before. Probably not the best for weight-lost if you wanna go low-card...but it's cheap enough and very filling

flutegirl

MABS do a free cookbook, healthy simple recipes on a budget, ask for one at your local MABS office.

Orla K

flutegirl wrote: »

MABS do a free cookbook, healthy simple recipes on a budget, ask for one at your local MABS office.

I've seen that book, I wouldn't really call it healthy but the recipes in it aren't the worst thing you can it.

goat2

judgefudge wrote: »

Meat. I still eat meat. Just only at the weekend. We don't need half as much meat as most people believe. Plus eggs beans etc etc.

you are right about the meat, but in a different way, the problem is there is too much meat on the plate by comparison to the veg, i think a little every day is good, say being a quarter on plate to the rest being veg, that is how i do it, i love veg and i like meat, but i have found that a little is better than a lot in the meat portion,

as for tips, do you have a little freezer, as if when you buy rashers, sausages, chicken breasts, chops, all these things come in multiple in packs or if you just ask the butcher for 2 rashers, 2 sausages, one chicken breast one chop etc, you could freeze some and use what you need, but i feel in the multiple packs in lidl or aldi or supervalue it would come out cheaper when you devide them and freeze them for when needed,
eggs are a massive source of multidishes,
quiches, pancakes, omelettes, any fillings you like, or just scrambled with beans on toast, boiled, egg sandwichesm i think they are one of the most versatile foods along with potatoes, always have green veg in freezer , you have less waste, peas are supposed to be the powerhouse of veg.