low budget cooking

Do lentils need to be soaked? I don't think I ever do.

For me, chicken isn't cheap because we try not to buy anything but free range chicken. It's the one ethical area I find it hard to compromise on. But we do eat a fair bit of mince. I second the big pot of chili. Last night I used mince to make a meatball curry, and I've got enough left to make spag bol this week, too.

I think I started a thread or 2 on budget eating... I'll see if I can dig them up but I've gotta go get the little one from nursery first.

Definitley make more use of your chicken - there's a thread abou that here, too!

I soak lentils--it makes them easier to digest and makes cooking time a bit quicker as well. 

The only lentils I don't soak are red lentils which cook up very very quickly and tend to fall apart into a mush which is great for thickening soups and sauces or just on their own.  You really  have to rinse them very well though because so much starch (I think that's what it is) comes off of them when you do.

Also--throwing food away and not freezing it-- very bad, but you know that.  You could make a nice chicken salad out of the rest for lunches during the week or a curry or whatever for the next meal.  I almost always cook a double batch of whatever it is I'm making with the intention of freezing it for when neither of us feels like cooking--just defrost and re-heat!

For me, chicken isn't cheap because we try not to buy anything but free range chicken. It's the one ethical area I find it hard to compromise on.

Me too... but luckily there is a free range farm a few miles from us and it sells the chicken for the same price as the cheap stuff at the supermarket. The other day I got two large bonless, skinless chicken breasts for £3. 

I think it depends on the person.  I'm vegetarian (no eggs, very little dairy) and don't eat any more than meat eaters do as far as I know.  Just the normal light breakfast, snack at lunchtime, and dinner.

I guess so. If I eat a meal that is mostly carbs, my stomach feels full very quickly and I can only eat a small portion, but then an hour or later I'm starving and I have to make myself something to eat again.

So, I can have a chicken curry for example, which is mostly rice, and I won't be able to finish it because I will feel all full and bloated from the rice. Then an hour later I will have to make myself somethig else to eat.  Or I can have chicken breast, with some veggies on the side, not feel bloated, but also not be hungry again for hours. 

Protein takes longer to digest than carbs.

By protein I don't only mean animal protein.

Stews are great...if we splurge on a leg of lamb or a roast for Sunday dinner or if I bake a chicken then Tuesday always features a stew with the leftovers...just throw veg and some starch such as pasta or rice in the slow cooker in the morning and by dinner time you have a great meal served with salad and rolls/bread.

The other thing is casseroles. America seemd to be much better at this one, but in addition to the traditional tuna one and lasagna I also make baked zitti, shepherd's pie (which the British do make better than the American version) and have even found substitutes to make a Tater Tot casserole.

With a big family, we always feel the crunch and food shopping is the first place to make those cuts.

I'm happy to post specific recipes if anyone is interested.

Protein takes longer to digest than carbs.

Not if you go with complex carbs...wholegrain bread, wholewheat (brown) rice and pasta.  It's just the simple carbs that break down quickly.

Vicky

Somewhere around here there is a Chicken Challenge thread... several of us bought a whole chicken, then reported back as to how many meals we managed to stretch it out to!

I'm happy to post specific recipes if anyone is interested.

I'd LOVE the one for the tater tot casserole

Good ideas on these threads as well:   

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=45696.0

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=40598.0

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=39493.0

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=40268.0

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=3866.0

is the chicken challenge in there?!

Yep, it's still there!  We did one awhile back:  roast chicken x 2, chicken curry x 2, chicken sandwiches x 2, plus two quarts of chicken stock - 1 of which has made risotto since, and 1 still in the freezer. 

Yep, it's still there!  We did one awhile back:  roast chicken x 2, chicken curry x 2, chicken sandwiches x 2, plus two quarts of chicken stock - 1 of which has made risotto since, and 1 still in the freezer. 

You got all of that from 1 chicken!? How big was it?

You got all of that from 1 chicken!? How big was it?

Medium size, I guess?  It wasn't huge, but it wasn't tiny either.  A free range chicken.

To clarify - 'x 2' = 2 servings, so that was two dinners for us (1 roast, 1 curry), 1 lunch for us (sandwiches), and then the chicken stock I made from the carcass.

Not if you go with complex carbs...wholegrain bread, wholewheat (brown) rice and pasta.  It's just the simple carbs that break down quickly.

Vicky

Yep.    Also, vegetable protein (a complete protein usually being beans or legumes and a grain) by it's very nature is high in complex carbohydrates. 

Medium size, I guess?  It wasn't huge, but it wasn't tiny either.  A free range chicken.

To clarify - 'x 2' = 2 servings, so that was two dinners for us (1 roast, 1 curry), 1 lunch for us (sandwiches), and then the chicken stock I made from the carcass.

That's really good. I have a feeling that DF is a much bigger eater than your DH! 
With a small to medium chicken we usually get 2 meals. I usually pop the carcass into the freezer until I've collected 2 to make stock.