low GI on a budget?

[blue-kat]

any thoughts on doing low GI on a budget?
particularly for family households.
I've got a family of 5, the big kids mostly self-cater, but I do provide some healthy meals for them to offset the pasta and pizza.

We've had salmon one night and smoked haddock another. even on the Buy One get One 1/2 price offer that was £12 for 7 portions.
there's less fish fillets in the packets than I recall.

I've noticed food packages getting smaller, i.e. lower fill sizes so they can keep prices 'down' or rather appear to do so.

any thoughts on stretching protein sources without losing the GI effect?
also without being a big effort?

it's hard to eat to budget without becoming a kitchen slave.
I'm not adverse to preparing ahead, but I do avoid very labour-intensive recipes.

 

[blue-kat]

I'm looking forward to trying the savoury low GI recipes from the stick thread above. For now I'm keeping away from the sweeter recipes as they are big trigger for me.

 

[Plumfoodie]

What counts as 'being a big effort'? You can make slow cooker recipes, for example, and then freeze extra portions. This would let you make best use of what's on special offer without getting sick of it. Don't forget vegetarian sources of protein; beans/legumes are the obvious ones but soy products (including frozen meatfree items and tofu) are also good. What about eggs? We buy frozen fish fillets (plain) to keep in the freezer although I haven't done a comparison on prices recently - I believe you can also buy things like frozen chicken breasts etc.

Somewhere in chickpea chat there's a link to a list of sources of protein, some of them may surprise you.

Don't forget that frozen veg can be a good way to keep bills down, it can be cheaper to buy and there's no waste as there might be with fresh. Markets and greengrocers (or farm shops if available) can often have veg cheaper than the supermarket.

(I agree, everything just keeps getting more expensive!)

 

[goldrush2009]

I found the same problem when I started the low gi. One night after work I went to tesco and saw at the veg isle they were reducing all sorts at a 90% reduction!!!! It was around 1930-2000

 

[Plumfoodie]

I forgot to say, don't forget that low GI is not Atkins or Dukan or similar. Yes, you need protein with meals and snacks, but it doesn't need to be the size of a Flintstones brontosaurus steak. Many low GI books will tell you that your plate should be 1/2 veg, 1/4 good carbs and 1/4 protein. For us in practice we usually have 3-4 oz (90-120 grams, ish) protein per person at a meal which means that often we can cut a supermarket portion in half to feed both of us. This works especially well in stews and sauces.

Good luck, let us know how you're getting on.

 

[irish molly]

I agree with Plum. Low GL is much cheaper for me than my previous food intake. Once you move from bigger protein servings to smaller( quarter of the plate75g) with larger green veg or salads( half the plate) and small white carb(quarter plate) you'll see it can be cheaper.
Meat or fish portions need only be 75-85g per person. Weigh it out, it's tiny! Chopping it up makes it look much more.
Frozen veg is nutritionally as good as fresh, so no problem there. Buy fresh veg on offer and base menus around those.
Tinned chick peas, broad beans, borlotti beans, cannelini beans etc are very cheap and can be used as a carb portion or as a carb and protein portion.
lentils also are a great alternative.
Quorn is great. Low fat and low GL and not too expensive.
Turkey breast in the 800g pieces can be sliced into smaller 75g portions and frozen.
Big filling soups with whatever veg you have to hand are a great low GL lunch or light dinner.
Frozen berries are cheap and make a yummy dessert with a tablespoon of yoghurt.
Chopped apples with yoghurt are good too.

Check out the recipes in the thread in the stickies section. You'll see lots of one pot type recipes. All my recipes are quick one pot ones with extra portions in the fridge to make life even simpler.

 

[Plumfoodie]

All good points from Molly!

On the subject of beans, you can also make your own 'ready' beans at home as the dried are usually cheaper. We usually soak 3 different packs of dried beans - maybe pinto or black for chilli/tex mex, cannelini or haricot for stews, and chickpeas for almost anything - (in separate bowls) overnight then put three big pots on the stove the next morning and boil them separately (as cooking times will likely be different) but at the same time. You could also do a giant pot of mixed beans as long as the cooking times are about the same. When cooked, drain completely and leave to cool. Finally we portion them up into either 1/2 cup (one person) or 1 cup (two person) servings and freeze. The soaking, boiling and cooling stages don't require our attention so the only time consuming part is scooping them into portions. 3 packs of beans will last us for AGES though so we might only do this once every 3-6 months. You can either defrost to use cold in salads etc or drop the block into a pot of something like chilli where it will thaw and heat up.

 

[blue-kat]

thanks for all the suggestions. Totally agree it's best to batch cook and freeze in portions, saves money and effort. I got a stack of take-away style rectangular plastic tubs so can keep it all stashed in the freezer.
I'm also Gluten/wheat free, but can tolerate oats, which is an added restriction.

I used to add a tin of beans to stews but there's only so many pulses the 'kids' will put up with. So I let this good habit slide. Time to bring it back or add beans to my serving.

I lent my slow cooker, but am calling it back.

I'm wondering about adapting a recipe for kidney bean burgers, which includes a lot of soy sauce (which is not GF).

I do most of my food shopping online with occasional visit to excellent local whole food store to pick f+v.
It's too wearing doing family shop otherwise, and by the time I've paid for carer to push wheelchair, it costs more than online supermarket.

 

[blue-kat]

I've got a turkey crown, bought 1/2 price in Jan, in the freezer. So that should make for a stash of freezer meals.

 

[Plumfoodie]

Can't remember which but think you can get GF either tamari or shoyu to use in place of soy sauce. There's one that specifically says it's GF. Maybe clearspring? The goodness direct website might list it.

 

[CaliSweden]

Molly and Plum make very good points. I myself find that doing low GL turns out cheaper at the end of the month, because I'm not buying all the sodas, cookies, crisps, candies etc. I tend to buy my meats on sale, and freeze them for future use, it helps keep the cost down. Also with using low GL I use a lot of oats, barley, buckwheat, quinoa and spelt, they are a bit pricey but a lot more filling so we eat less to feel full. Chickpeas have become a favorite around the house too, making chilli beans is very inexpensive and very healthy, also it freezes down well. Buying frozen veggies help keep the price down too

My OH wasn't too excited about trying some of the low GL foods in the beginning, but the foods taste so yummy and are fresh that he has grown very fond of low GL. I really can't wait for warmer weather to start here so I can start eating tons of salads with lemon juice

 

[blue-kat]

thanks - first I'm going to experiment with spices and balsamic vinegar as I have them already. I sorted through my spices and some had ancient use by dates, so am making an effort to use up cupboard supplies !

 

[irish molly]

Plum, I didn't realise beans freeze well. Do they keep their shape after thawing or go a bit mushy? When I boil them from dried I just make three portions and keep them in the fridge. I keep cans handy for when I have not pre cooked any. Batches in the freezer would be great.

 

[blue-kat]

I freeze half tins of beans, when 1/2 a tin is all I need.
the frozen beans been fine for adding to stews, but perhaps a little mushy for salad.

 

[irish molly]

Thks blue Kat. I must try freezing some beans next time I cook a batch.

 

[BigBurd]

I thought I would have the same issue, but we eat a lot less than we used to as a family because cravings are kept at bay. I have 4 kids and we found that the hot meat section in morrison's do 2 cooked chickens for £7. They look small but they actually provide two meals and we get those for Friday when I have absolutely no time to cook and then the other reheated for a roast on Sunday.