Home Chat General Chat

Healthy long lasting food

Okay so its nearly the end of the month and once again i have run out of money and therefore out of fresh food and therefore also healthy food. Needless to say I have resorted to the staples in my cupboard, tinned beans and chocolate biscuits... lots of biscuits (I rarely buy them in but kindly relatives and friends tend to want to feed me up with them!). Every month I reah this stage (having eaten so well and healthily thus far) and ruin it all with chocolate biscuits. tonight ive eaten so many i feel ill!!!



But what id like to know from you guys is this - has anybody got any suggestionsfor triathlon friendly healthy food i can buy in my monthly shop whih wil last till then end?? I only shop once a month because after that theres no spare cash so i cant keep poppingup the grocers for fresh produce. im not training for long distances so have no right to gorge myself on biscuits for satisfaction!! Please!! any help is appreciated.



[:D] xx



Comments

  • My advise is to shop twice a month or use one of the on line delivery companies if you hate shopping like I do. Hey presto, you'll have food when ever you want it.



    Tinned stuff that I keep in are ravioli & tinned beans to make a quick bean stew.
  • The ProfThe Prof Posts: 37
    Sounds like you need to do a monthly meal plan! We spend a fortune on food, keeping it as healthy as possible, only binge very occasionally and when ill (this week.. [:(] )..

    Energy food is cheap - pasta / rice / spuds / bread / oats etc - make sure you have these for your training and decent protein amounts too. It's a shame the protein part can be expensive! But that's where supplements come in!



    Food log it is...
  • yeah a food log might be a good idea actually.



    johnashton - i honestly wish i couldshop twice a month but i really cant afford that, past the first week there's nothig left so need to get in stuff that's going to last me. but i like the bean stew idea. and using an online shopping thing, then can keep track of what im buying!

    thanks x
  • Xyzee_ukXyzee_uk Posts: 100
    The onlines also tend to hold all their special offers in one placed - BOGOF a plenty



    If you do one shop - plenty of staples as mentioned above but fill your freezer full of frozen veg for your fibre and vits etc.



    I drink a lot of milk for protien (don't know if it is "complete" protien?) and you can get UHT so can get tonnes at once!
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    Porridge is cheap.



    Pulses: Lentils, chickpeas, beans of all sorts are also cheap and healthy - good protein and carbs. Just have to soak over night, then boil for at least 10 mins to get rid of toxins... You can get a pressure cooker if you want to speed things up - but some of the lentils/peas you don't need to soak over night, and only take a bit to boil.



    Market: If you have a city or town where you live with a market, you can get lots of cheap (seasonal) veg there.



    Chickpeas, and onion, some spices and a bit of oil make a nice tasty and really cheap dinner! Especially if you are hungry.



    It's meat and cheese and ready meals that are the really expensive things.
  • GGBGGB Posts: 482
    In the last few months we have tried ... dare I say it ... the Sainsbury's feed your family for a fiver meals by the chef bloke - I have to say its great, we are eating much healthier than before and much much cheaper - nearly all the meals are filling and healthy and when you buy in bulk are very cheap. Strangely enough the basic foods from Sainsbury's last longer than other supermarkets and ultimately work out cheaper than the likes of Tesco and Asda.



    We alywas have numerous tins of heinz beans and plenty of pasta, spagetti and rice in stock, spuds galore and lots of veg ... only thing with the veg is if you want fresh then you have to buy weekly.



    you could split your shop into two weekly and literally just stash half what you would have spent in the safe until the second weekly shop ... got to be strong and not spend it before though.



  • mmm never thought of sainsburys.. i might give that a whirl. will look at the website. what do you do with lentils?? I might buy them like you say they seem pretty cheap!! and if they fill you up then great.



    i actually have a tin of chikpeas but didnt know what to do with them - will try your idea. must say everyone's suggestions are fab!! i suppose i could put a tenner away at my parents for later in the month to get in fresh stuff.



    oh and of course porridge!! I should have thought of that. has anyone tried UHT milk? or does soya keep for longer maybe than ordinary milk?
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    From your comments I assume you are on a limited income (I know we all are..but you know what I mean). So a food plan/diary sounds a great idea, organise to avoid waste, shop with a list from your plan then you get less tempted by extra stuff you don't need.

    as pointed out bulking out carbs are fairly cheap & store well, but really you need to find a good market or green grocer that you can top up weekly with fresh produce, it is a rare day anything green or fruity comes from a supermarket in our house & whilst protein is more expensive, we need less so that balances the cost out...supplements are a very expensive way of buying protein, compare a kilo of chicken with a kilo of over processed milk powder given a fancy name for relative cost.

    You can get long life or 'fresh' soy milk, keeps OK.

    I shopped yesterday for the whole week, fresh stuff only & have a mountain of fruit, apples, pears, black grapes, mango, pineapple, melon, kiwi, nectarines, plums, bananas,sharon fruit, satsumas & figs, plus purple sprouting, beetroot, red cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber, radish, chinese leaves & peppers a whole fresh sea bass, salmon & cod steaks & a pork joint for Sunday (lunch for the rest of the week)..all for about £40. Some of that fruit will last into next week, so a smaller shop then.

    We will supermarket shop on Sat & that will be milk, juice & store cupboard stuff.
  • lauraflauraf Posts: 31
    Tinned tomatoes are great, use them to make pasta sauce, add mince for spagetti bolognese, mince and tinned kidney beans for chilli, mince, aubergines and potatoes for moussaka etc. If you find quorn mince on BOGOF get loads as it can be used straight from the freezer, quorn mince and tinned tomatoes are my staple diet! (even though I'm not a veggie)



    UHT milk keeps for ages, it doesn't quite taste like 'real' milk but it's fine for porridge, cereal, adding to hot drinks and that kind of thing
  • Jelly legsJelly legs Posts: 278
    You can buy four big spuds in most supermarkets for under a pound.





    Jacket potatoes are an excellant source of carbs.



    Pasta and brown rice are cheap and easy to cook as is cous cous.



    Someone has mentioned tin tomatoes, they go with bloody everything, and help to give taste to bland foods.



    I shop once a week and only spend 30 quid, but i have all the fruit and veg i need + chicken/tinned fish and pork ( loin).



    If you make a list it really can be done.



    good luck mate,
  • Hi,



    I wasn't in the reading mood so skipped some of the posts so excuse me if I repeat anyone.

    Some of the essentials i'd recommend include...

    pasta/rice etc (as previously mentioned) for your carbs, preferably brown as its slower releasing so should prevent any energy highs and troughs throughout the day.

    eggs as really good a as a source of protein as they contain all the essential amino acids!

    Someone mentioned frozen fruit and veg. excellent idea especially when you only get one shop a month

    If you're getting meat try to include chicken or turkey rather than just red meats



    How does your bread last you the month by the way? haha
  • MrSquishyMrSquishy Posts: 277
    Jelly legs wrote:


    Someone has mentioned tin tomatoes, they go with bloody everything, and help to give taste to bland foods.



    What about picking up a bottle of herbs/spices each time you shop, they last for years and can help liven up bland food. Paprika, crushed chillis, saffron (all red, and therefore "go faster") basil, herbes de provence etc and so on...
  • Jelly legsJelly legs Posts: 278
    Two points to consider,



    An egg has 100 calories roughly and its all in the yolk, dont eat that bit if your wanting to lose some lbs



    Dont eat bread, its got loads of salt and sugar in it, so has little or nio benefit.

    wheatgerm bread is the one you want if you must make a sarnie.



    OR



    Brown pitta breads.





    But if your not wanting to watch the weight eat what you like
  • hey everyone



    thanks for all the great replies!! I'm loving the idea of gettin a tub of herbs/spices each shop so i can eventualy get up a good stock. also the soy milk or uht idea - am going to see what its like!!



    im seriously goig to buy in loads of tinned tomatoes and pasta, am thinking pasta bake!! i guess there's loads i could do with that.



    any more ideas def come foward with them, am writing a list in time for pay day so i can get the essentials delivered for a good tri-packed month!!



    x
  • Xyzee_ukXyzee_uk Posts: 100
    Apparently from another thread Asda Smart Price Malt loaf is passible! 27p or something!



  • ScibbyScibby Posts: 55
    Pasta and pesto!! A jar of pesto lasts for ages - you only need like a spoonful at a time. It doesn't go off, it's cheap and is dead-easy to make... Olive oil contains good fats (i think) and you can get different flavours too...
  • Ron99Ron99 Posts: 237
    I buy lots of chicken, turkey and pork at the supermarket, depending on offers (2 for a fiver), then freeze it. Add to that frozen spinach, peppers, soya beans, peas and quorn. If you keep tinned tomatoes, tuna, sweetcorn, chickpeas and butter beans then you're sorted for high quality protein-based meals for the whole month.



    For carbs, I have porridge, (brown) pasta and cous cous in the cupboard (which are all dry and therefore don't go off). As a lot of the other guys have mentioned already, keep plenty of spices in the cupboard to keep it interesting, and I also have a couple of squeezy tubes of herbs in the fridge that keep for weeks.



    All I need to buy then is fresh fruit, veg and soy milk which doesn't take long -15 mins quick shop a week and I'm sorted. I reckon its also a good idea to make bigger batches of things like stew, curry, soup, pasta sauce etc. and freeze it into individual portions - use freezer bags or old takeaway (ahem) containers. Good for when you've been out all day at work or training and want something quickly - stops the temptation to reach for the quick fix biscuit option ;)
  • Ron99Ron99 Posts: 237
    Oh yeah - plus almonds, walnuts, dried figs, and apricots. I also buy a bag of chopped prunes to add to porridge, and a jar of honey.
  • Ron - i do love the idea of freezing the protein! i only have a very small freezer drawer but im sure i can squish in a bag of quorn and some soya beans or chicken/turkey. I randomly had almonds in lately for the first time ever and i am not sure what to do with them apart from using them in baking!



    scibby - i didnt realise pesto kept so long, thats one reason i didnt used to buy it but next time i buy stuff im going to pck myself up a jar!!



    wow, there's so may good ideas on here, it's fab!! i'm feelin next month i'll be eating very well indeed x
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    I've just been to the local co-op. They had some veg that had been reduced, but had just gone past its sell by date of yesterday. They couldn't sell it to me, so they gave it to me for free! Nothing wrong with it at all. I let my eyes/nose tell me if things aren't worth eating. I guess that makes me a freegan!
Sign In or Register to comment.