Finding an affordable balance

Have a look hrough these links for some ideas

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcar ... owcarb.htm

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/lowca ... -poor.html

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/main- ... luded.html

http://www.carbwire.com/2008/08/10/how_ ... y_is_tight

http://voices.yahoo.com/sample-food-sta ... tml?cat=22

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PROSy8oqJWE


Low carb veggie soups, pureed and thickened with cream are filling too and cheap
ASDA, Lidl, Aldi and Iceland often have offers on meat, poultry and veg
Mince with lots of low carb vegetables
High meat content sausages might be more expensive but they keep you fuller for longer than cheap versions that are usually plumped up with cereals

We are on a fixed income too, even if it's not terribly small.[It is below average income by quite a bit though. Luckily our mortgage is paid off] I found that making out menus for the week and shopping to that list has saved me between £5 and £10 per week on the shopping. [ALLthe veg I buy is fresh.] I also buy a selection of stuff at Lidl. their quality is surprisingly good.

I do some days without meat too.Don't forget eggs and cheese.] for example, we've had green lentils tonight with bacon croutons. Portions small enough not to worry about the carb in that. I don't ever feel the need to be full nowadays, I've got used to eating pretty small portions.
Hana
PS some suggestions to buy
Lidl tinned ham is excellent and their frankfurters are economical and carb free.
Lidl bacon is great too.
If you don't have a Lidl nearby. there's Aldi, which is similar, but sells all veggies and fruit prepacked.
My German friend from up the road buys all her fruit and veg on the local market. aiming to get there around half past 3 when the prices start to go down.

Cheese is my saviour here. I too am on a low income with a partner and child. I find that a block of cheese cost about the same as lots of meat, and last a long time just having a few slices at a time.

and eggs.

Aldi and Lidl have fish that is so reasonable too.

PS
as an older housewife[I'm 65 and married 41 years] I can say that the cheapest way to eat well is fresh foods in season and nothing pre-prepared.
Hana

The frozen chicken fillets in Aldi (blue bag, £3.79) are very good value - no added water either. Works out to about £5.20 a kilo. We use a lot of that.

Ju

A few suggestions Highlanderpony..I am in exactly the same position.

A lot depends on which shops you have got nearby. This is what I do.

Iceland-cheap for bacon (starting from £1 for 5 rashers), eggs (£1 for 12), cheese (often do 2 medium blocks for £2.50)

Morrisons- Take some beating for their salads, numerous packs for 89p or the usual, lettuce, cucumber and tomoato trilogy-you can substitute something else for the tomato! Fruit (not too much!) is also cheap here, bags of apples, pears etc can be bought for £1 each, cheap mandarins for 59p per bag. Their meat section is also a good place to find bargains, I buy a gammon joint for £4 that can do a dinner (with veg or salad) and use the water that I cook it in to make some soup. I do add a handful of lentils as they aren't too high in carbs and a little pice of chili, maybe some white cabbage for you and a couple slices of carrot?

Sainsburys- Strawberries with FREE cream! I don't really like cream much but on strawbs it's luvverly. Ahem..returning to the topic.
Cheap mince, quite a lot of fat but flavoursome. Chicken thighs and drumsticks make a lovely curry, have got a good recipe if you need one! They are also fairly cheap so could make a couple meals, some roasted and seasoned chicken with roasted veg.

Lidls- As Hana mentioned, they are great for salads and veg. Partciularly expensive stuff like aubergines can be very ecomonical there. Celeriac (mashed it is gorgeous with a knob of butter and a spot of cream) is nice, mushrooms are always lovely.

Pork mince is often cheaper than beef and is easier to cook with. Cooks quicker, you can make great burgers/meatballs by adding onion, garlic and whatever spices/herbs you fancy to the mixture. I add a small amount of stuffing but it can be left out. Fry then gently to brown then pop in the oven for 20 mins, serve however you want them.

EDITED-Should have mentioned that the FREE cream (down Borofergie!!) is only available at Sainsburys for a limited time.

ladybird64 said:

EDITED-Should have mentioned that the FREE cream (down Borofergie!!) is only available at Sainsburys for a limited time.

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:shock:
Looks like I might have some strawberries going spare this weekend!

I just KNEW that you would spot this post.. :roll: :wink:

Some other really good stores if you have them near you are B&M Bargains and Aldi.

We also have a Waitrose, and there are many bargains to be had on late Sunday afternoons and Wednesday mornings in our branch. It maybe different in other towns. Waitrose are also very good for special offers on butters. I use a lot of butter these days so getting really good ones (President, Wheelbarrow, Meggle Alpine) very cheaply is great.

If you are within easy reach of any farms, trays of eggs are usually very cheap compared to supermarkets.

Maybe we need a food bargains sticky thread?

Ju

highlanderpony said:

I dont eat mushed meat like sausages, burgers etc as I dont like them.

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OK, message understood, but were those the mass produced branded type? I cannot stand and will not buy those, but fresh from my tried and tested butcher's range is a different story. His snags are delicious and filling, and his burgers are so filling just one grilled each is enough on our plates.
If you have not done so yet, give your most popular local butcher a try

Hobs said:

highlanderpony said:

I dont eat mushed meat like sausages, burgers etc as I dont like them.

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OK, message understood, but were those the mass produced branded type? I cannot stand and will not buy those, but fresh from my tried and tested butcher's range is a different story. His snags are delicious and filling, and his burgers are so filling just one grilled each is enough on our plates.
If you have not done so yet, give your most popular local butcher a try

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Just diverting for a minute..we are unable to buy these anywhere in our local area. All of the butchers within quite a big radius are halal and they don't tend to serve burgers or anything of that ilk, the big supermarkets do them but they are seriously expensive! :shock:

I know exactly how you feel.
I too am on a severely low fixed income after being unemployed since May 2011.
As someone on a budget of around £15 a week for 2 going low carb is a real stretch.
Good suggestions though.

I dont know if you have a freezer ? if not you could try freecycle if there is one in your area .I cook double meals if I have got a bargain in meat often half price at the end of the day (yellow labels in Morrisons OOOPS in Asda, 30% off in lidl,)I also make lots of soup from reduced price veg, cabbage with just a small amount of leeks and a bit of celeriac or swede is good and freezes well.and halves the cooking time .A pressure cooker is also handy because you save on gas or electric.Your halal butcher may do cheap chicken and if you are brave they can sometimes be persuaded to knock a bit off the price or add a bit of extra meat.My husband and I are pensioners and we find budgeting a challenge but we treat it as such and enjoy finding bargains
CAROL

Another thing that might help is a slow cooker. Plenty of recipes on the internet and you can bung any cheap cuts of meat in and they will tenderise.

catherinecherub said:

Another thing that might help is a slow cooker. Plenty of recipes on the internet and you can bung any cheap cuts of meat in and they will tenderise.

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Now that is something I have always wondered about Catherine. As a hater of all fat on meat and seeing as the cheaper cuts tend to be fatty..does any of it render down and disappear?

ladybird64 said:

catherinecherub said:

Another thing that might help is a slow cooker. Plenty of recipes on the internet and you can bung any cheap cuts of meat in and they will tenderise.

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Now that is something I have always wondered about Catherine. As a hater of all fat on meat and seeing as the cheaper cuts tend to be fatty..does any of it render down and disappear?

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It certainly does render down. I use my slow cooker at least once a week.In the morning I brown whatever meat I am using along with any vegetables I want to include. I bung in what ever liquid I have,left over beer works well with shin of beef, and just leave it all to slow cook until our evening meal. I do skim off any excess fat before I tweak the seasonings but the resulting braised meat is so tender you can cut it with a wooden spoon so it's well worth the effort.