in a food rut

Hiya,

Was wondering if anyone could tell me if they went through the same sort of thing, and how you got out of it in the end.

Since moving here what I'm willing to eat has gotten rather limited :/ It's not on purpose, it just seems as though my attempts at recreating what I ate at home usually fail miserably.

I looooove mexican food, but the old el paso just doesnt cut it I like fish n chips but for obvious reasons thats not a good thing to eat regularly

I loved salads in the US...really struggling to get the right ingredients to make one here...I know that sounds odd, but I used to make my own ranch dressing, and made my own style of chef salad..but when I tried to do it here it didnt work out.


So now I essentially have the same things...frosted wheats or eggs and toast for breakfast, a tuna sandwich for lunch, and for dinner I have sweet n sour chicken, quiche, pasta, pasta, pasta ad infinitum.

I have come to really love salads as my dh's family (and maybe the rest of Britain? I dont know) make them...they dont mix it all together but rather have a portion of tuna, some lettuce with cuke, tomatoes and spring greens, coleslaw, new potatoes with a bit of butter, some cheese, and I think something is missing...but its yummy, easy and perfect in summer.

I'm rambling now but just seem to have gotten stuck...Im worried if I try anything new I wont like it...what have I got to lose I know..but my time is so limited now with my lo that I have a hard enough time eating by 10pm, so if I didnt like what I was having that would be it for the day (if I dont eat regularly I have problems with my blood sugar).


I just feel like it was so much easier in the US..and so much easier for me to eat healthy :/ I would have had things like a bagel and fat free (flavored) cream cheese with a yogurt smoothie (the light n fit ones if anyone knows what I mean!) and fruit...not so easy here as fruit is ridiculously expensive, bagels hard to find and the cream cheese impossible...and the yogurts are either loaded with sugar or not anything like the smoothies.

Is there light at the end of this tunnel? Did anyone else have this sort of slump with food here?

Coming from Japan, I find fruit VERY cheap here... and the variety is amazing!

I think a trip to a bookstore, or around the web might help.  Sounds like you don't do many rice or Chinese/Thai noodle dishes.  Japanese food is easy if you can get the ingredients.  Indian/Pakistani supplies are plentiful.  I'm learning to make chapattis! (A bit hard on my wrists..)

Are you far from shops?  Do you at least have a convenience store nearby?  Just wondering... I've been able to get the local convenience store to order in most of what I want.  Including bagels, tortillas, smoked salmon, organic stuff... most of the spices I use.. and the butcher sells me the herbs he has too much of.  I don't have to go into town for much. 

I don't know if this will work for you, but I tend to plan the week's menu by country.  Tonight is China, tomorrow may be Italy... then Japan, India, Mexico, etc.  Not strictly authentic... but themes help me. 

Coming from Japan, I find fruit VERY cheap here... and the variety is amazing!

I think a trip to a bookstore, or around the web might help.  Sounds like you don't do many rice or Chinese/Thai noodle dishes.  Japanese food is easy if you can get the ingredients.  Indian/Pakistani supplies are plentiful.  I'm learning to make chapattis! (A bit hard on my wrists..)

Are you far from shops?  Do you at least have a convenience store nearby?  Just wondering... I've been able to get the local convenience store to order in most of what I want.  Including bagels, tortillas, smoked salmon, organic stuff... most of the spices I use.. and the butcher sells me the herbs he has too much of.  I don't have to go into town for much. 

ETA:  cream cheese is available... Sainsburys and Tesco have it... in a bunch of flavours, as well as plain.

I don't know if this will work for you, but I tend to plan the week's menu by country.  Tonight is China, tomorrow may be Italy... then Japan, India, Mexico, etc.  Not strictly authentic... but themes help me. 

I think most of the things you have mentioned in your post are here in the UK, it might just take a bit of looking around to find them.  For example, I know they probably don't compare much, but all supermarkets make bagels, and you can also find fat-free cream cheese--haven't found any flavored yet though!

Have you seen the selection of fruit smoothies in the stores? I know Tesco makes their own version, but there is also PJ's smoothies and Innocent.  They taste great, but are pricey.  You can make your own smoothies as well, I just made one this morning (milk, OJ, 4 strawberries, 2 kiwis, 1 banana). 

I think the biggest thing is to adjust your ingredients of the things you used to make.  Like making your chef salad, but with different lettuce, or try creating a new kind of salad dressing.  My fav kind of dressing is some natural yogurt, any herbs like basil, parsley, cilantro, lots of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice.

I agree with Madeira, you have to work with what you have.  Go with the Indian/Pakistani foods, they are plentiful around the UK.  Trying new things is maybe scary at first for you, but I'm sure you'll begin to like them.  I'm sure it is difficult when you don't have too much time.  Can you try and prepare a few things to eat for the week one day, when you have some spare time?

Oops, must have hit the quote button instead of 'modify'.

I know about the flavoured cream cheese because I accidentally bought pineapple flavour instead of plain.  It was a bit weird with smoked salmon...

I think the biggest thing is to adjust your ingredients of the things you used to make.  Like making your chef salad, but with different lettuce, or try creating a new kind of salad dressing.  My fav kind of dressing is some natural yogurt, any herbs like basil, parsley, cilantro, lots of garlic, olive oil, lemon juice.

I agree with Madeira, you have to work with what you have.  Go with the Indian/Pakistani foods, they are plentiful around the UK.  Trying new things is maybe scary at first for you, but I'm sure you'll begin to like them.  I'm sure it is difficult when you don't have too much time.  Can you try and prepare a few things to eat for the week one day, when you have some spare time?

I think part of what makes adjusting to the different food hard is that you're trying to recreate the taste and ingredients of the dishes you used to eat back home and unfortunately it's not always possible to do that. Instead of wishing the food tasted like it does in the US, why not think of the meals as new tastes and experiences you can enjoy... you can eat healthy and tasty breakfasts here without bagels and cream cheese, it's just a matter of doing some research and finding some cookery books to try out .

When I was in the US (I'm British), I found myself craving things like sausage rolls, Kingsmill bread, Sainsbury's mature cheddar cheese, UK Cadbury's and salad cream (!), but I knew that I wouldn't be able to find those tastes in the southwestern US, so I had to make do with New Mexican cuisine... and grew to love spicy food!!

I know it can be scary to try new foods and often it seems easier to go with what you know you like rather than try out something you might hate, but if I hadn't ventured into new territory a few years ago, I would still be eating nothing but my mum's English cooking and Italian food. Now however, I'll eat Chinese, Japanese (but not sushi), Mexican and Indian, all of which I spent years declaring that I hated because I'd never tried it!

thanks everyone...I'm thinking I might try some Indian food soon...everyone says to try korma, and who knows I may like it...after all I told dh I'd *never* eat beans on toast became a staple when I was pregnant

Thanks for the tidbit on cream cheese madeira, I'll look as am going to sainsburys in a moment...our tesco is rather small though and they have hardly anything even though they are a lot closer..walking distance vs 15 min drive to sainsburys. I picked up their sweet and sour chicken last night and when I cooked it it smelled like a dead animals behind (well..what one would imagine such a thing to smell like, I dont know personally!) so had chips for dinner :/

I have been getting tortillas, and was making tacos but ran out of mix (brought from home), and making my own didnt work too well...not nearly spicy enough, but worth a try again

Sainsburys definitely carry flavoured low-fat cream cheese. I use the garlic and herb one to make pasta sauce sometimes.... They have bagels too.

Pick up a copy of the magazine Easy Cook. It's full of really good recipes that are very simple - last issue about three or four recipes became staples in my house. It only comes out quarterly but I noticed at the weekend that the Spring one just came out.

Pick up a copy of the magazine Easy Cook. It's full of really good recipes that are very simple - last issue about three or four recipes became staples in my house. It only comes out quarterly but I noticed at the weekend that the Spring one just came out.

is it at sainsbury?

I love the Woman's Day magazine month of menus that they publish every month.  You can look at them here: http://www.womansday.com/printable/

You will need a decent general cookbook, and there will be days when you don't want to eat what's on their menu.  But the menus are relatively simple and you can find the ingredients here (or reasonable subs).

t ran out of mix (brought from home), and making my own didnt work too well...not nearly spicy enough, but worth a try again

add more chilli powder!

...was making tacos but ran out of mix (brought from home), and making my own didnt work too well...not nearly spicy enough, but worth a try again

add more chilli powder!

Aeonix, listen to Q-G!  You don't even need a mix to make Mexican -- you just need the spices, which are readily available here.  I put onion, garlic, chopped fresh chillies, salt & pepper, hot chili powder (they sell mild & hot here), ground cumin (or sometimes cumin seeds) -- I think that's about it on the seasoning.  And don't be shy with the garlic, chillies, chili powder either -- put a wad of it in there!

If you don't like the Old El Paso refried beans, make your own beans (from dried beans) & you can make them as yummy as you want.

I'm sure others will have quicker & easier suggestions, or even better suggestions too!

Aeonix, listen to Q-G!  You don't even need a mix to make Mexican -- you just need the spices, which are readily available here.  I put onion, garlic, chopped fresh chillies, salt & pepper, hot chili powder (they sell mild & hot here), ground cumin (or sometimes cumin seeds) -- I think that's about it on the seasoning.  And don't be shy with the garlic, chillies, chili powder either -- put a wad of it in there!

If you don't like the Old El Paso refried beans, make your own beans (from dried beans) & you can make them as yummy as you want.

I'm sure others will have quicker & easier suggestions, or even better suggestions too!

I do all of these things...
Google it... there are tons of recipes for home-made taco seasoning mixes online, depending on your tastes.
I make mine with Hot & Smoky chilli powder (bought online from Cool Chile Co), cumin, salt, pepper, and dried minced onion.

I also make my own refried beans with dried pinto beans and a ton of garlic!

Pick up a copy of the magazine Easy Cook. It's full of really good recipes that are very simple - last issue about three or four recipes became staples in my house. It only comes out quarterly but I noticed at the weekend that the Spring one just came out.

Thanks.. im going to have a look!

I got a Delia Smith Cookbook for Christmas and I love it!  I'm a pretty good cook, but found it a bit of a challenge to cook in the UK because of the availability of some items, temp differences, cooker difference, etc.  I found this cookbook very helpful and very easy to follow.  Made me a little more at ease in the market and in the kitchen!