Cheap recipes for Uni

[Eccentric]

Touché mad.

Our dinner is equally healthy I think but rather cheaper;
https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/veg ... ie-chilli/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I buy dried beans not tinned ones and soak them. Very cheap. I have actually managed to grow my own peppers and chillis this year but multi packs are cheap too.

I have just made my own sauerkraut and kefir too but am a little unsure that they are safe!

Either way, I think your daughter will learn to cope if and when she goes to university. She might even end up eating the occasional thing you wouldn't approve of!

[Eccentric]

We also cook almost entirely from scratch but do manage to do so on a much smaller budget. Meat is expensive and we eat more of it than we need to (aim of this term is to increase our non-meat meals) but I stretch it - for example in a lasagne I always add tinned lentils to the meat layer which is tastier anyway.
We do use some tins though. I agree - tinned tomatoes are fine and we buy ours from the "ethnic" section in the local supermarket as they are literally half the price and frankly taste better. Same with chickpeas and coconut milk. I think tinned pulses are much easier to use than dried ones but they are a bit more expensive. Adding pesto to many meals makes them taste better and homemade pesto is quite easy/cheap and freezes well.

Ooh I like the idea of stretching lasagne by adding lentils to the meat layer. Good advice.

[Eccentric]

Who said they make their own Kefir? I have tried a few times but it doesn't seem to go thick like the stuff from the health food shop and has been disappointing. I have tried grains from 2 different places. Mind you. I am not very successful with yoghurt either it is always too sour for my families taste and gets left in the fridge uneaten. Lidl's yoghurt on the other hand disappears in seconds.

[kenyancowgirl]

The best yoghurt I have found comes in a small bucket from Iceland - it'S under £2 and tastes just like my nan used to make. Absolutely marvellous stuff - it's a large tub really but the best value/taste I have come across.

[hermanmunster]

But Dhal is not full of Thiamin, Zinc, Copper and Manganese, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Phosphorus and Selenium. It does have some pantothenic acid, potassium and vitamin B6 but doesn't quite pack the punch that chicken liver does. I do love dhal though, such a comfort food with home made chapatis. Yum

Packet of breakfast cereal, lots of pasta and some multi vitamins, honestly people survive perfectly well without fretting about eating chicken livers!

I think your daughter will have to be careful at Uni as lots of people simply can't afford to eat some of the things you have mentioned. DOI - I am not a foody

[ToadMum]

Yes they are about £2.50 in Waitrose. I am ever grateful that not many people like them.

£2.50???


67p.

Not sure even our Jim - lovely chap, but the most expensive butcher of the three we have within walking distance - charges £2.50 .

[Eccentric]

But Dhal is not full of Thiamin, Zinc, Copper and Manganese, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Phosphorus and Selenium. It does have some pantothenic acid, potassium and vitamin B6 but doesn't quite pack the punch that chicken liver does. I do love dhal though, such a comfort food with home made chapatis. Yum

Packet of breakfast cereal, lots of pasta and some multi vitamins, honestly people survive perfectly well without fretting about eating chicken livers!

I think your daughter will have to be careful at Uni as lots of people simply can't afford to eat some of the things you have mentioned. DOI - I am not a foody

You make assumptions Hermanmunster we are not well off by any means in fact I suspect that DD will be one of the poorer university attendants. I think it is all a matter of choices. I do not have a television or the latest iPhone, or go on expensive holidays or have an expensive car, I buy my clothes from charity shops and on ebay, my furniture has been purloined from skips. I have never been able to afford to pay for tutors for my daughters. Our house is often cold because I skimp on heating. I don't spend money on alcohol. I choose mine and my families health beyond all else, so I eat well and feed my family well. Most of my friends I know spend much more than I do on food and wine. I have become aware that I am not helping my DD in being so precious about food and that was what this thread was about. I am not experienced cooking on a low budget and I thought it would be a good idea to explore the idea now rather than sending my Dd off to Uni (which incidentally will not be for at least 4 years) without preparing her in the art of cooking healthily and frugally.

[Eccentric]

Yes they are about £2.50 in Waitrose. I am ever grateful that not many people like them.

£2.50???


67p.

Not sure even our Jim - lovely chap, but the most expensive butcher of the three we have within walking distance - charges £2.50 .

OK the organic ones are £2.50. Dd may have to get the frozen non organic variety I had no idea they were that much cheaper.

[hermanmunster]

https://cookingonabootstrap.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You make assumptions Hermanmunster we are not well off by any means in fact I suspect that DD will be one of the poorer university attendants.

I think it can be very hard to judge what people earn and how wealthy students are - can have very little to do with phones / holidays / cars - but there will be many who cannot imagine spending £17 on a meal.

I have become aware that I am not helping my DD in being so precious about food and that was what this thread was about. I am not experienced cooking on a low budget and I thought it would be a good idea to explore the idea now rather than sending my Dd off to Uni (which incidentally will not be for at least 4 years) without preparing her in the art of cooking healthily and frugally

I am sorry to hear that you missed out on learning how to cook on a low budget, it can be a very good experience - often quite fun if shared with friends. I remember 2 friends who were at risk of losing their jobs having a laugh over the the price of value noodles in ASDA "well we can always go back to the 8p noodles..!"

Have a look at the link at the top - Jack Monroe has plenty of advice

[KB]

How anyone chooses to shop/ cook/ eat is there own choice but as pointed out it is really helpful for children to be prepared for the realities of student life.

Some compromise is required to cut costs but it's still possible to maintain a sensible diet. Tinned and frozen might not taste quite as good but many options are available that don't have nasty additives.
In some cases they have advantages as well as cost eg tinned pulses are more easily digested by some people.


In general, I think the point about moving food down the priority list while at Uni is valuable. Studying, making friends, enjoying new experiences for example might be better things to focus time and energy on during term time with the acceptance that sometimes one eats as a necessity or to be sociable.

Maybe for those who want to introduce budget healthy eating at home on occasion the difference from the 'normal' budget could be saved for a treat. It might get those who have developed a liking for only the very best to consider how much they will compromise


I gave the Jack Munroe cookery book to a friend who seemed to find it helpful although I haven't looked at it myself.

There are lots of blogs on line as well.

I would say that coming up with cheap but healthy meals is important but also things that are quick and simple. Cooking in a student kitchen is very different from being at home.