Cheap Wholesome Meal!

[saintpeter48]

It really annoys me when I hear or read about people saying that they cannot afford to eat, yet they order take-aways or take their kids to McDonalds!
Yesterday I bought 3 chicken breasts, 2 carrots, one leek, one onion, one parsnip, half a swede, a punnet of brown mushrooms(on offer for 50p), a couple of potataoes, altogether it cost about £7. I diced the chicken and coated the pieces in flour and fried in a large saucepan until a light brown, removed the chicken and added a little more oil and sweated down the leek, onion and mushroom(all sliced) for a few minutes then added all the remaining veg, all of which I had finely diced after a few minutes I covered it all with hot water, added S&P, spoon of mustard, stock cube (I use Bouillon powder), chicken gravy thickening, squeeze of tomato sauce, dollop of vegemite and added the diced chicken and let it all simmer gently for about 20 to 30 minutes, it was really lovely, I had it again tonight and there is plenty for another meal tomorrow! I live on my own and love cooking, that is a great value meal that would feed a family of 4 easily, all for about £7 and will satisfy you a lot better than McDonalds!!

[rockyracoon]

OG, I was in the top set through secondary (girls school), the head thought it beneath us to learn to cook, it was left to the sets below, so, not sexist, just elitist. I took Home Economics at O Level as one of my options, that gave me a good grounding for cooking.

[Retrochic]

Saintpeter those burgers sound great -here is a tip -when you make the burgers make a few into meatballs instead and cook them at the same time as your burgers. The next day you can have them with pasta with a bit of sauce over -different meal all together.

[ummmm]

I used to work in a hotel. That was great for learning some basics.

[saintpeter48]

Retrochic, lol, I have done that in the past, just added them to a can of chopped tomatoes cooked with fried garlic and eaten them with Spaghetti, in fact I think i'll do that and have it on Sunday, thanks for reminding me. :)

[kvalidir]

When we were little my Dad and older brothers showed us how to cook ( my mother can cook but hates it)- we started with raw food, how to make a salad, fruit and cream desserts etc, moved onto 'all-in' things like stew, soups, chilli con carne, paella, curries, chicken in white wine sauce, as well as how to cook accompaniments ( rice, pasta, spuds, chips, wedges, etc) and then individual things like roasts, cakes, pastries etc and more importantly how to follow recipes. I can now cook more or less anything but only because I was shown how. All of the above took a very short time to learn ( the rest was trial and error practice). I don't know what cookery involves at school ( never went to school) but I would have thought there ought to be at schools somewhere a 'common sense class' where people are taught how to cook, how mend things, how to change a a lightbulb, how to grow things, how to write a letter, how to complain and how to just equip yourself for life. If people are leaving school without knowing how to peel a potato something is very wrong imho.

[Old_Geezer]

There seems to be a difference of opinion on how much "cookery" is taught in school, now-a-days, then. I think it's good the science and food constituents are learnt, as well as kitchen hygiene though. But I suppose there are only so many hours in the school year and a lot to pack in. Just so long as they don't add lessons in less relevant things, particularly if they are unlikely to have any effect. I recall in college having to do some kind of general studies waste of time, which ensured I had to stay on in the evening to do the desirable stuff. Always annoyed me that. Making unnecessary jobs, and the students paying the price in boredom and late studying days.

[rockyracoon]

It also boils down to practise, a school can teach a child how to make a shepherds pie, but if they don't do anything similar at home they'll forget how to do it later on. My kids learnt all about the healthy plate, vits, carbs blah blah but I still think the practical side is seriously lacking

[mccfluff]

i wasn't taught to cook but messed around in the ktichen with my mum/aunts/grandparents from a young age & was allowed to do help with certain jobs, from then on i worked in various jobs where & element of cooking was involved.
I pretty much cook from scratch (apart from cakes) everyday as for me, its easier & cheaper, i control the ingredients & i can batch bake & freeze. When you're cooking for one that's the most cost effective way to do it & i enjoy cooking.

i think that people can be busy/tired & don't want to go to the trouble of something they see as difficult & time consuming. I can totally get going to maccies on the way home. I'd probably do it more often if i had more cash.....

[Retrochic]

PiperH what is your problem? People on here are being very helpful and non judgmental -you should try it.

[saintpeter48]

Piper H ..... how are we/am I, looking down on you, I just passed a recipe on and asked why a lot of people don't or won't cook fresh food!

[mazie]

I love cooking too fluff, but making 2 meals a day, every day gets on my wick at times... We have the odd takeaway or ready meal....and it's much appreciated by me

[ummmm]

I enjoy cooking and I also enjoy feeding people (not over feeding them though)

[-Talbot-]

talbot ....... it is in the news most days that people are going to food banks because they cannot afford to live,



That is not what you said in your OP.

[mccfluff]

when i worked 2 jobs i used to get takeways more often, i was shattered and the easiness of just pulling of the lid of the container when i got home was greatly appreciated.... no washing up either

most of the food i love to eat, i can knock up at home easy enough, its surprising how quick & easy some food is to make although it looks like it should be complicated. I don't do pretty or fiddly faffy food though :-)

[EcclesCake]

Since the arrival of ready meals in the 70's and the decline in Home Economics in schools we we have found ourselves in a steady decline where ready meals are 'novel and exciting' and slowly cooking ability has declined. Things are beginning to turn but there is a generation out there who had no cookery education in school and didn't learn at their mothers side either.

Some of the school cookery sylabusses are laughable, little in terms of practical use and no budgeting goes on either, a few schools are very good but many are woeful in their practical application.

If you are cash rich and time poor then fill your boots with ready meals or takeaways and do as you please, it is the time rich and cash poor that need the help with gaining confidence in how to shop and cook.

[tiggerblue10]

I made a cheapish meal yesterday. 3 large chicken breasts diced (although you can use drumsticks and thighs), 2 peppers cut into chunks, 2 onions cut into chunks. Marinade all in a smokey bbq sauce for a couple of hours. Put in a casserole dish with a small amount of water and cook in oven for an hour. No other seasoning needed. We had it with boiled rice. Plenty left over for today although I might freeze it as I've got other stuff in the fridge that needs eating.

[rockyracoon]

I do that Tigger, I sometimes just use parboiled potatoes and leave out the chicken and add a load of cheese. Not what I'd call wholesome, but delish all the same.

[ummmm]

Todays offering will be chicken wraps with peppers and onions, crunchy side salad and some sort of potato.

[corylus]

My grandma taught me to cook a lot of foods/meals, I did Domestic Science at school. I have 2 sons and I taught both of them to cook simple meals so that they didn't starve when they went to university. Not very difficult.