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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 372137" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>On the "we can't afford it" angle - I grew up on a small quarter acre property that fed ten of us. A lot of food was 'stored' in the garden beds. Because it all had to be shared among all of us, stealing even vegetables from the kitchen or garden was frowned upon.</p><p></p><p>But something I learned early on was that the cheapest food is also the food you prepare yourself from scratch. To that end, we have a lot of fresh fruit & vegetables; eggs; butter (the kind you spread on your bread is a luxury, we also buy blocks of the hard stuff and keep it in the freezer until needed for cooking); meat (usually the budget cuts that need slow cooking) and cheese (also kept in the freezer, usually). The pantry has herbs, spices, some tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, a large storage bin of flour and various kinds of rice and another luxury - lots of instant noodles.</p><p></p><p>I do a lot of slow cooking of cheap cuts of meat. The slow cooking makes them tender, but the cheap cuts cooked this way have the most flavour. I can help you with recipes if you want (I call it "gourmet poverty food").</p><p></p><p>If the kids are hungry, they'll find something to eat. I tend to keep tubs of pre-cooked rice and pre-cooked casserole in the fridge. Small tubs. The rest is in the freezer, to be thawed on demand. The same rule applies - when you open the last container, put it on the shopping list or tell me, so I can organise for more supplies. And if what has been used up is too expensive or too difficult to make more of, then it doesn't get replaced.</p><p></p><p>Cold cooked rice can become fried rice, or another fresh serve of steamed rice to accompany a number of dishes. Cold cooked mashed potato can become gnocchi, it takes about five minutes and is marvellous comfort food, as well as nutritious. It's also very cheap to make, but very expensive to buy. And what you buy is never as good as what you cook - it can't be, too many compromises have to be made wit the pre-cooked store-bought stuff.</p><p></p><p>I bake my own bread (bread machine) and make my own pasta. I involve the kids in it too, so they not only know how to make it but can step in and do it themselves. Gnocchi can be cooked ahead as long as it is given a dab of butter or a splash of oil to stop it sticking. I tend to also add a splash of tomato-based pasta sauce if there are weight problems in the family to worry about. A bowl of pre-cooked gnocchi in the fridge can be quickly microwaved and will quickly fill a ravenous kid.</p><p></p><p>We did find that this is the cheapest way to keep the kids fed, as well as often the happiest way, to have food of a sort available for the instant munchies.</p><p></p><p>For ravenous teens, you can push the carbs as long as tey also eat balanced meals later on and don't have weight issues. If they do have weight issues, cut the carbs back or switch them for high fibre options.</p><p></p><p>I have a generic muffin recipe which can be savoury or sweet. A batch of muffins in the fridge or cake tin can also provide good nutrition, if you use the right ingredients. Also very cheap. And quite quick - I threw a small batch together in ten minutes on Sunday night. A high-fibre option can be made with wholemeal flour. Savoury ones can include tinned corn, or cheese, or bacon, or ham. Or chicken and avocado which also works well with cheese.</p><p></p><p>If the crackers and cookies aren't in the house, the kids HAVE to eat the good stuff. If the cookies in the house are the healthier option you made - again, it's a win. If the kids object to wholemeal flour, try adding just a little wholemeal flour at first, then slowly increase the proportion.</p><p></p><p>Think about it from this point of view - it' a bit of trouble, more trouble than just bringing stuff home from the supermarket, but if you plan it well and also work with the family to cook what you have identified that they will eat, then you will be teaching them good food habits as well as keeping the costs down as well as teaching them good sharing habits. And you will be saving money. For your family, this is very important and worth putting in the effort, as far as you can. Obviously some people will be more able to do this than others, but it is something everyone can work towards.</p><p></p><p>YOu do what you can. You can't do any more than that. But it is amazing how inventive you can be, and how successful it can be, even when you work long hours.</p><p></p><p>If you want any recipes, let me know.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 372137, member: 1991"] On the "we can't afford it" angle - I grew up on a small quarter acre property that fed ten of us. A lot of food was 'stored' in the garden beds. Because it all had to be shared among all of us, stealing even vegetables from the kitchen or garden was frowned upon. But something I learned early on was that the cheapest food is also the food you prepare yourself from scratch. To that end, we have a lot of fresh fruit & vegetables; eggs; butter (the kind you spread on your bread is a luxury, we also buy blocks of the hard stuff and keep it in the freezer until needed for cooking); meat (usually the budget cuts that need slow cooking) and cheese (also kept in the freezer, usually). The pantry has herbs, spices, some tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, a large storage bin of flour and various kinds of rice and another luxury - lots of instant noodles. I do a lot of slow cooking of cheap cuts of meat. The slow cooking makes them tender, but the cheap cuts cooked this way have the most flavour. I can help you with recipes if you want (I call it "gourmet poverty food"). If the kids are hungry, they'll find something to eat. I tend to keep tubs of pre-cooked rice and pre-cooked casserole in the fridge. Small tubs. The rest is in the freezer, to be thawed on demand. The same rule applies - when you open the last container, put it on the shopping list or tell me, so I can organise for more supplies. And if what has been used up is too expensive or too difficult to make more of, then it doesn't get replaced. Cold cooked rice can become fried rice, or another fresh serve of steamed rice to accompany a number of dishes. Cold cooked mashed potato can become gnocchi, it takes about five minutes and is marvellous comfort food, as well as nutritious. It's also very cheap to make, but very expensive to buy. And what you buy is never as good as what you cook - it can't be, too many compromises have to be made wit the pre-cooked store-bought stuff. I bake my own bread (bread machine) and make my own pasta. I involve the kids in it too, so they not only know how to make it but can step in and do it themselves. Gnocchi can be cooked ahead as long as it is given a dab of butter or a splash of oil to stop it sticking. I tend to also add a splash of tomato-based pasta sauce if there are weight problems in the family to worry about. A bowl of pre-cooked gnocchi in the fridge can be quickly microwaved and will quickly fill a ravenous kid. We did find that this is the cheapest way to keep the kids fed, as well as often the happiest way, to have food of a sort available for the instant munchies. For ravenous teens, you can push the carbs as long as tey also eat balanced meals later on and don't have weight issues. If they do have weight issues, cut the carbs back or switch them for high fibre options. I have a generic muffin recipe which can be savoury or sweet. A batch of muffins in the fridge or cake tin can also provide good nutrition, if you use the right ingredients. Also very cheap. And quite quick - I threw a small batch together in ten minutes on Sunday night. A high-fibre option can be made with wholemeal flour. Savoury ones can include tinned corn, or cheese, or bacon, or ham. Or chicken and avocado which also works well with cheese. If the crackers and cookies aren't in the house, the kids HAVE to eat the good stuff. If the cookies in the house are the healthier option you made - again, it's a win. If the kids object to wholemeal flour, try adding just a little wholemeal flour at first, then slowly increase the proportion. Think about it from this point of view - it' a bit of trouble, more trouble than just bringing stuff home from the supermarket, but if you plan it well and also work with the family to cook what you have identified that they will eat, then you will be teaching them good food habits as well as keeping the costs down as well as teaching them good sharing habits. And you will be saving money. For your family, this is very important and worth putting in the effort, as far as you can. Obviously some people will be more able to do this than others, but it is something everyone can work towards. YOu do what you can. You can't do any more than that. But it is amazing how inventive you can be, and how successful it can be, even when you work long hours. If you want any recipes, let me know. Marg [/QUOTE]
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