The price of eating healthy

backinthenines

Personally I find it a lot cheaper to buy fresh produce and do home cooking than to buy ready meals and processed junk.

You can get a huge bag of carrots for next to nothing, in fact all the root vegetables are cheap in winter. I recently made a beef stew (at least 5 portions) from one pack of lean beef, one whole swede (costs next to nothing), some carrots and mushrooms. A fantastic pot of stew for next to no money.

Just buy what's in season, so don't try to buy raspberries in January or cherries in February. Of course that's expensive

I would think you would get more than 5 servings out of a whole Swede. How did you find a pot big enough?

I'm talking about the root vegetable not the Scandinavian!!

But it is a big pot!!!

Still not familiar with the term, but I assumed that's what it was--the word was just too good to pass up.

One of the things I really enjoy about the forums is reading the different terms used by our friends from the UK and Australia (and Canada, also, but they are not that different). It's like watching "Bend it Like Beckham".

All except for the whole "stone" thing. That's just annoying..........:laugh:

I believe in your world they are "Rutabaga"...??!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutabaga

curleesam

Personally I find it a lot cheaper to buy fresh produce and do home cooking than to buy ready meals and processed junk.

You can get a huge bag of carrots for next to nothing, in fact all the root vegetables are cheap in winter. I recently made a beef stew (at least 5 portions) from one pack of lean beef, one whole swede (costs next to nothing), some carrots and mushrooms. A fantastic pot of stew for next to no money.

Just buy what's in season, so don't try to buy raspberries in January or cherries in February. Of course that's expensive

I would think you would get more than 5 servings out of a whole Swede. How did you find a pot big enough?

I'm talking about the root vegetable not the Scandinavian!!

But it is a big pot!!!

Still not familiar with the term, but I assumed that's what it was--the word was just too good to pass up.

One of the things I really enjoy about the forums is reading the different terms used by our friends from the UK and Australia (and Canada, also, but they are not that different). It's like watching "Bend it Like Beckham".

All except for the whole "stone" thing. That's just annoying..........:laugh:

I believe in your world they are "Rutabaga"...??!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutabaga

Swedes are similar to Turnips.

I remember trying to explain Stones to my yank friends...I agree it doesnt make sense but everyone in the uk uses the term. (14lbs to a stone btw)

CARNAT22

I try to eat what is in season but I am quite fussy (especially with fruit) so it's hard.

I also try to shop around. I find that M&S often have BOGOF on Veg / Salad and the quality is always excellent.

I wish to had time to shop in farmers markets / shop locally but I am limited to supermarkets for the most part.

I tend to do my shopping online - so I plan my weekly meals in advance, then do my online shop and if anything (veg / meat wise) is really expensive then I substitute it.

This wont work for everyone though. I love writing lists / organising things so planning my meals in advance isn't a huge hassle.

backinthenines

I don't know if any of the UK folk here watched "The People's Supermarket" on Channel 4.

It looks at the longer terms consequences of the expansion of Tesco / ASDA / Sainsburys etc onto the smallholdings, dairy farmers etc. It was heart breaking to see this dairy farmer cry when he sold his herd at auction, because Tesco had basically driven him out of business. They were paying him 15p per litre of milk which was costing him 29p to produce. He just couldn't sustain the losses anymore.

I think sometimes we need to think that "the price we pay" isn't just a monetary price in our individual purses, but there are other consequences.

I am just as guilty as the next person to be lazy and want to shop where "everything is under one roof"... but if I think about it plan it properly, I could at least get vegetables, fresh meat, fish, eggs, milk, and bread products locally and I will try to make an effort to do so. Whenever I have bought from farmers markets etc, the quality has always been amazing.

I also like the idea of supporting someone's livelihood, not a coorporation of fat-cat shareholders.

fuzzymel

I have found its become much cheaper. All the junk added up and now we are eating less.