Low carb on a budget

So, meat and five vegetables. Whole food. Great low carb grub that won't break the budget, total carbs per person around 30 and very filling and extremely easy to prepare and cook.

Around half the carbs of one pot noodle, the choice is yours. With our low carb breakfast (we rarely eat lunch) of bacon, eggs and mushrooms we can keep to 50 grams of carb per day and my BG numbers stay in the non diabetic range.

Eddie

Great idea. Never thought of using those veg bag things. And just thinking now that they probably work out cheaper than buying the veg separately to make soup. Two of them would only be couple of quid and with some ham stock and a cup of red lentils would make at least six decent portions of soup for us. Any more cheap meal tips welcome as we have blown this month's ( and probably next's as well)!on tickets to see Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet next October. ( we spelt I)

cold ethyl wrote:Great idea. Never thought of using those veg bag things. And just thinking now that they probably work out cheaper than buying the veg separately to make soup. Two of them would only be couple of quid and with some ham stock and a cup of red lentils would make at least six decent portions of soup for us. Any more cheap meal tips welcome as we have blown this month's ( and probably next's as well)!on tickets to see Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet next October. ( we spelt I)

I think the handy vegetable bags can be 'handy' at times - you needn't necessarily use them all, some can be saved in the fridge for the next day.

Anyway lucky you seeing Benedict C take the part of Hamlet - should be good, but I agree going out isn't cheap these days, and it will be good to have some more 'low carb recipe ideas on a budget'.

Has anyone got any please  

All the best Jan


Method

Cut the fish fillets into bite sized chunks. Place the fish in an oven proof dish add the sliced leeks and pour over the double cream. Cover with grated cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 190c or gas mark five until golden brown.

Great tasting meal and very low carb. Who said lowcarb is boring and people can't keep to it. A great fish bargain is available at Sainsburys at this post date. 520 grams of  frozen Alaskan Pollock for £1.70 just thaw out 250 grams for the fish bake.

All the best Jan

Jan - Re Fish Leek and cheese bake, I reckon even I could have a go at making that one.
Thank you

Jan1 wrote:

Fish leek and cheese bake

Ingredients.
250 Grams of white fish
One Large leek
50 Grams of grated cheddar cheese
300ml of double cream
Seasoning to taste


Method

Cut the fish fillets into bite sized chunks. Place the fish in an oven proof dish add the sliced leeks and pour over the double cream. Cover with grated cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 190c or gas mark five until golden brown.

Great tasting meal and very low carb. Who said lowcarb is boring and people can't keep to it. A great fish bargain is available at Sainsburys at this post date. 520 grams of  frozen Alaskan Pollock for £1.70 just thaw out 250 grams for the fish bake.

All the best Jan

Just had to bump up this great tasting, low carb ..... and very reasonably priced meal.

Has any one else got good low carb food ideas that do not 'break the bank'

All the best Jan

We started eating leeks again a few weeks back and can't believe why we stopped buying them. Such a unique taste and very versatile.

mo1905 wrote:We started eating leeks again a few weeks back and can't believe why we stopped buying them. Such a unique taste and very versatile.

Cheesy Leeks are a great side dish ...... as well as a topping on a fish dish.

Asda's have been selling a reasonable weight pack at about 67p I think    - but if you can beat this please let us know.

All the best Jan

OK I have bumped this thread up, how about posting your great low carb grub and meals up on here. We are looking for whole fresh food, frozen or tinned, but not highly processed, high chemical additives junk, prepared or cooked at home. Post whatever you like, but let's see if we can keep to a max of around £2.50 $3.50 US a meal. This limit is less than a junk food takeaway I reckon, what say you?

BTW Have you checked out our low carb food blog? not all recipes and food ideas for those on a very tight budget but well worth a look. http://www.lowcarbdietsandrecipes.blogspot.co.uk/

Looking for a reasonably priced breakfast / lunch then this could fit the bill !

Now I know not everyone likes eggs, and there are those who have an egg allergy. If either of these affects you then this lovely recipe may not be suitable. If, however eggs are your thing, then why not whip up a tasty omelette with this recipe.

Cheesy Mushroom Omelette

Ingredients
Serves 1 and only 0.3g carbs

1 tbsp olive oil
handful button or chestnut mushrooms, sliced
25g cheddar, grated
small handful parsley leaves, roughly chopped
2 eggs, beaten

Method
1.Heat the olive oil in a small non-stick frying pan. Tip in the mushrooms and fry over a high heat, stirring occasionally for 2-3 mins until golden. Lift out of the pan into a bowl and mix with the cheese and parsley.
2.Place the pan back on the heat and swirl the eggs into it. Cook for 1 min or until set to your liking, swirling with a fork now and again.
3. Spoon the mushroom mix over one half of the omelette. Using a spatula or palette knife, flip the omelette over to cover the mushrooms. Cook for a few moments more, lift onto a plate and enjoy on its own or perhaps with a nice salad? Depending on time of day you may be eating this ...

Original recipe idea here http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1744/cheesy-mushroom-omelette

All the best Jan

The cost of going low carb

https://optimisingnutrition.wordpress.com/2015/07/30/the-cost-of-going-low-carb/

Summary;

   Analysis of the USDA Cost of Food at Home database shows that fat is the cheapest macronutrient.

   Protein is the most expensive macronutrient, however a reduced carbohydrate diet does not necessarily require an increase in protein.

   Reducing the amount of carbohydrate and increasing the amount of fat in your diet is the most effective way to reduce your grocery bill.

Cheap Eats: A Cookbook For Eating Well On A Food Stamp Budget

When Leanne Brown moved to New York from Canada to earn a master's in food studies at New York University, she couldn't help noticing that Americans on a tight budget were eating a lot of processed foods heavy in carbs.

"It really bothered me," she says. "The 47 million people on food stamps — and that's a big chunk of the population — don't have the same choices everyone else does."

Brown guessed that she could help people in SNAP, the federal government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, find ways to cook filling, nourishing and flavorful meals. So she set out to write a cookbook full of recipes anyone could make on a budget of just $4 a day.

The result is Good and Cheap, which is free online and has been downloaded over 700,000 times since Brown posted it on her website in June 2014. A July 2014 Kickstarter campaign also helped her raise $145,000 to print copies for people without computer access. And on July 21, the second edition was published with 30 new recipes.

The above taken from here.  http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/07/27/426761037/cheap-eats-a-cookbook-for-eating-well-on-a-food-stamp-budget?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20150728

The link to the free online book is here.  https://41aac1a9acbe9b97bcebc10e0dd7cb61ef11502c.googledrive.com/host/0B9c5aT4eSlRfMzVpbC0xemtkSlE/good-and-cheap.pdf

OK, I have not had a chance to check out all the recipes, and some will not be our idea of low carb, but one thing is for sure, good wholesome food is available to almost all in the UK and our readers.

Don't you just love chicken thighs with their skins on ? Well I do !

Take some simple, inexpensive chicken thighs. Add a taste of lemon, which makes the skin taste oh so crispy and melt-in-your-mouth good... and you have a great tasting meal. Buy thighs with the bone-in and the skin ON, I do - although you could have them bone removed if preferred !

Lemony Chicken Thighs
(serves 4-6)

Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon sea salt
10-12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Salt and Pepper for seasoning

Method
1. Mix the juice of 2 lemons, olive oil, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Toss chicken thighs in the liquid to coat, and marinate for 1-6 hours in the fridge, bringing chicken to room temperature for the last 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
4. Remove thighs from the marinade and place them skin-side up in a roasting pan or Pyrex dish. Roast for 45 minutes.
5. Cut into thigh to check meat is fully cooked. Clear juices should run from the piercing spot, or the temperature on a meat thermometer should read 175-180. If not done, pop back in oven for 5 minutes.
6. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving. Finish with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Now what would you serve these lovely lemony chicken thighs with?
Green Beans, Cauliflower, Broccoli ... the choice is yours.

My thanks to Anna for the original recipe idea - see her blog here : http://glutenfreeanna.com/

All the best Jan

A very tasty low carb, healthy meal. Total cost was less than £2.00 per person. With enough gravy and vegetables left over for a tasty soup the next day. Very easy to prepare and cook. Whole fresh low carb good food does not have to be expensive.

Cut up lambs liver into small chunks and place in casserole dish. Slice and chop a small red onion, put in casserole dish. Slice some courgette, carrot and mushrooms and put in casserole dish with the liver and onion. Scatter some mixed herbs over the ingredients and add seasoning. Make up approx pint gravy stock and pour over ingredients. Cover with lid and cook in the oven for about 90 mins at 190 degrees / Regulo 5. Every 30 minutes or so gently mix and turn the ingredients. Check food is thoroughly cooked and serve with some white cabbage and mashed buttery swede. A really tasty meal ... hope you enjoy it!

All the best Jan

Yes liver is excellent value, I just polished some off with bacon, a mushroom, a buttered oatcake and some runner beans from the garden YAY! they're finally happening!

I should have worn my glasses in the garden centre, one of the trays I though was runner beans was actually French beans

When I was young we grew most of our vegetables on our allotment. This can be seriously cheap as long as you are prepared to put the work in, BUT I was just talking to someone whose allotment has pretty much failed this year, his beans were even more crap than mine, his spuds were little bigger than bullets, and caterpillars and pigeons finished off his cabbages. OTOH his lawn is growing nearly as fast as mine, I suggested we should invest in half a sheep each.

Othere than liver, some cheap(er) cuts of meat can work well in a slow cooker, stewed along with root veggies as long as you are careful with the carbier ones. A pressure cooker can also help with this, provided you don't have a mother in law who takes the lid off to see how the cooking is getting along. For years afterwards I was finding sesame seeds in things miles away from the kitchen . . .

Emma at The Diabetes Diet Blog has posted this article

"Money-Saving Tips for The Diabetes Diet

January usually means tightening the belt, money-wise. Is it possible to do a low-carb diet cheaply? Here are our money and energy-saving tips…

If you want to spend less, one area to look at is how much energy you use to cook. This is where crock pots and pressure cookers come in, as they use far less energy than the oven and hob.

I listened to a recent episode of The Kitchen Café on Radio Scotland, and MasterChef Professionals winner Gary McLean raved about pressure cookers. You can do a lamb stew in about twenty minutes, as opposed to two hours.

While a crock pot (slow cooker) works the opposite way, they are also much more energy efficient. As is the case with pressure cookers, food cooked the slow cooker way doesn’t move as much as it would when done on top of the stove. This results in vegetables that are less mushy. Recipes that work in both the pressure cooker and the slow cooker are ones that involve liquid, so soups, stews and curries are your best bet.

Pressure and slow cookers work well for cuts of meat that need lots of cooking, i.e. the cheaper cuts.
Poach, rather than boil eggs. If you want a hard-boiled egg, you’ll need to bring the water to a boil and then keep it simmering – something that can take ten minutes or more. Poached eggs, on the other hand, can be done by boiling water in the kettle, putting it on the stove and bringing it to the boil, adding your egg and turning off the heat immediately. Cover the pan, and your egg will be done in five minutes.

Buy your eggs at the farmers’ market – they are usually cheaper than the supermarket (for free-range eggs) and tend to come from hens that are treated better.

Eat liver. Chicken and lamb’s liver are very cheap, quick to cook and super nutritious. Chris Kresser calls it the most potent superfood.

Batch cook. If you batch cook, you can create plenty of tasty meals that can be stored in the fridge or freezer. Many American recipes, for example, tend to specify lots of portions. If you batch cook, you might use the oven for more than one recipe, which is more energy efficient. It also saves time. Do all your cooking in one go for the week, and then you just need to heat up meals.

Buy the bargains. If you shop later at night, you’ll pick up meat that is on its sell-by date. You can freeze it immediately or do your batch cooking afterwards.

Make the most of mince. Mince is a versatile ingredient, and it’s interchangeable. Turkey mince can take the place of steam mince in most recipes and vice versa.

Use your microwave. Microwaves vary greatly, but if you can work out how to use yours to cook fillets of fish, poach eggs or do slices of bacon, you’re laughing. Microwaves don’t need to be heated before they will cook food, making them one of the most energy-efficient ways to cook."

Please see original article with all relevant links here
https://diabetesdietblog.com/2018/01/17/money-saving-tips-for-the-diabetes-diet/

All the best Jan

Oh yes most of my recipes do not require much cooking timewise, which saves on the gas bill. Frying (in EVOO or coconut oil), boiling and grilling briefly, or simmering rather than using the oven.

Not a fan of microwaves though, my Ex kept it, and the pressure cooker too. A friend swears by the results from his slow cooker (actually his wife mainly drives it) especially the way it makes cheap cuts of meat taste like expensive ones and fall off the bone.

Liver and bacon again next week, with Brussels sprouts al dente.

Chris - your liver and bacon again with Brussels sprouts al dente...
Sounds wonderful

Now, for all butter lovers, will this be a bargain?
I was in an ASDA store earlier and they had their own brand smart price butter at £1-40 !
That is the cheapest I've seen any butter recently.
I bought a pack to give it a try ...

All the best Jan