Author Topic: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons  (Read 36626 times)

TrMama

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #50 on: December 18, 2017, 10:36:27 AM »
Thought of another one from when I was extremely sick when pregnant with my second. Protein bars. I was able to tolerate sweet foods, but my doctor wanted me to get at least some protein. So I bought some super high calorie protein bars meant for body builders. Half of one bar was apparently enough to sustain me for a day.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #51 on: December 27, 2017, 02:10:45 AM »
Oh this is easy. Cheese and Vegemite toasted sandwiches :)

FTFY.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #52 on: December 27, 2017, 07:17:13 AM »
Our food for those times when we have no energy left is to make mashed potatoes and spinach. Combine a package of frozen or canned spinach, some mashed potato flakes, and some sort of milk (regular, plant milk, etc.). Microwave, mix up and eat. An option is to add cheese or some sort of fat to increase the calories.


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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #53 on: December 28, 2017, 06:11:37 AM »
I've had a few low spoon periods over the years unfortunately. The food has evolved, and become healthier and more moustachian. These days:
- baby carrots raw. So cheap and easy.
- hommus. Woolworths sells a big tub for $5. I try and keep on in my fridge. Carrots can be dipped in it. Or rice crackers...there are so many supermarket varieties now that they always have some discounted heavily.
- boiled eggs (from mum and dad's happy chooks), boil up about 7 at a time (what fits in my saucepan).
- those Heinz Bean cans are ok, and often on special, though I'm not the biggest fan of the flavour.
- vegemite on toast (discounted bread that I've frozen). Stuff that often goes on top (in various combos); Hommus; cheese; tomatos; avocado; sliced boiled egg
- country ladle brand vegetable soups (Ministrone, Garden Vegetable,...). Buy up when on special, invariably every few weeks at major supermarkets. The Heinz brand is similarly good and cheap but I avoid them after Mum pointed out they use imported vegetables (food miles, etc...). I keep cans of this at work and often have one for lunch.
- nuts. Every few weeks I mix up a tub of a variety of nuts. I then put them into these small (appx 100ml) Decor brand containers that I got cheap years ago. Most of them go in a drawer at work, some at home. Its extremely healthy.
-my morning oats. If I'm low on spoons I always try and force myself to put them in a bowl, and add cold water. If spoons low I don't bother opening the jar of chia seeds in the fridge and tipping some in. Sometimes I do fail to do this (one of my Baddasity aims for 2018 is to not miss a single morning oat day).
-bananas. Lately I've been buying more of them. My daughter needs fruit to take to Kindy. I make sure there are at least a couple spare for me.

Hope you all have more spoons today :-)

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #54 on: December 28, 2017, 09:09:48 AM »
I had gluten free Oreos for breakfast this morning. Calories yes, nutrients no. But by starting with calories I can add nutrients later.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #55 on: December 28, 2017, 03:49:46 PM »
I don't have a chronic illness, and am not Australian.  I have friends and acquaintances, however, with CFS, Lupus, and Fibro though.

Probably the one time I remember having "no spoons" for a solid month was when kid #2 was 15 months old, and I got bronchitis.  I would wake up, take a shower, eat breakfast, and fall asleep on the couch while sitting up.  I am so lucky to have a husband who was able to juggle his job, all of the cooking, chores, and childcare for that month.  Even when I was able to get back to work, it took all of my energy.

No spoons meals:
string cheese and dried fruit or apples
Nuts and fruit
Smoothies (frozen fruit, ice, water, protein powder)
Yogurt
raw veggies and store bought hummus
frozen pizza

Some low-spoon meals:
quesadillas or grilled cheese (these require a spoon)
thai chicken curry (rice in rice cooker, can of coconut milk, can of chicken, mixed frozen veg)
canned or boxed soup
plain pasta with butter and parmesan
scrambled eggs on tortillas
bagel with cream cheese

I try to eat veg with every meal, so there are always frozen veggies in my freezer.  Plain or mixed.  Microwave or roast.

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #56 on: December 28, 2017, 03:57:50 PM »
@Eucalyptus or anyone else: what's the easiest way to peel boiled eggs? Even when I'm not low on energy, it all just seems too hard and fiddly.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #57 on: December 28, 2017, 04:10:20 PM »
@Eucalyptus or anyone else: what's the easiest way to peel boiled eggs? Even when I'm not low on energy, it all just seems too hard and fiddly.

Soak them in cold/ice water for a few minutes until they get to room temperature before trying to peel them, it's so much easier than peeling them warm.  Still a bit annoying, though.  Also, boiled eggs keep well in the fridge, and pickled eggs even longer, so I've started making half a dozen whenever I'm running low, and just toss them in the same jar of pickling brine I've been using for 6 months.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #58 on: December 28, 2017, 05:35:33 PM »
The spoon explains chronic illness so well!

Our go to quick meals are toasted cheese sandwich, ravioli from aldi with steamed broccoli. Hommus with vegetables, avocado toast, boiled eggs. Back when we had a microwave I had batches of tomato sauce frozen and all I had to do was boil some pasta and microwave the sauce. There's a place near where we live that make Zaatar for $1.50 so I'll sometimes get that with the kids.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #59 on: December 28, 2017, 06:02:02 PM »
I'll add that when I was sick (hyperemesis gravidarum ) I drank hot chocolate. It was the only fluid I could tolerate for most of my pregnancy and it didn't hurt so much to vomit up because the fat coats your oesophagus to protect it from the bile.  I wasn't able to spend more than a few seconds in the kitchen without vomiting from the smells so preparing hot chocolate with the microwave gave me some independence.

I also ate a lot of nutella, I was only able to keep a small amount of solids down so I had to make them count calorie wise and the less chewing the less likely I was to vomit so hot chocolate and Nutella pretty much got me through without ending up in hospital. When calorie consumption wasn't so important I had spinach and leek soup. Fry leeks and onions in butter then add full fat milk. Add baby spinach leaves and when wilted blend with a stick blender.

When my kids were infants a friend  taught me the easy chicken soup recipe. 1 chicken in a saucepan with water and some soy. Roughly cut carrots and onions, or other veggies,   simmer for an hour then 10 mins before finishing add some pasta. I loved how easy and nutritious it is. 

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #60 on: December 28, 2017, 09:25:52 PM »
@Eucalyptus or anyone else: what's the easiest way to peel boiled eggs? Even when I'm not low on energy, it all just seems too hard and fiddly.
I heard somewhere that putting them into hot water rather than cold means they are less likely to stick to their shells. Haven't actually tested it myself though.
Also, I peel mine under cool running water, with something lie a sieve (when I remember) to collect the shells.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #61 on: December 28, 2017, 11:26:30 PM »
When my kids were infants a friend  taught me the easy chicken soup recipe. 1 chicken in a saucepan with water and some soy. Roughly cut carrots and onions, or other veggies,   simmer for an hour then 10 mins before finishing add some pasta. I loved how easy and nutritious it is.
+1 we have a slow cooker, and I dumped 2 chicken breasts, rough cut veg and enough stock to cover in. Cooked on high for 4 hours. That was a "low spoons" meal, but made enough for 3 days worth of meals (YMMV depending on how much you eat & number of people). We could have added more liquid to make it last longer. A boring beef stew can be made the same way: meat + veg + liquid. It won't be as nice as if you add some herbs and brown the outside of the meat first etc, but it will be edible.

My no spoons meal of the day is a baked potato with baked beans tipped over it for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #62 on: December 28, 2017, 11:34:21 PM »
@Eucalyptus or anyone else: what's the easiest way to peel boiled eggs? Even when I'm not low on energy, it all just seems too hard and fiddly.

The trick is a few different things. Main point is making sure you have older eggs. Fresh eggs don't have enough air in between the shell and the membrane, so they are always harder to peel. Eggs a few weeks old are going to have a larger air pocket, usually at the fat end, so it is easier to get under the membrane and just slide the shell right off in almost one piece.

I boil the eggs this way: start out with cool water, add eggs, start heating. As soon as they reach a bubbly boil (slightly more than a simmer, but less than full on boiling), I turn off the heat, cover the pan with the lid and let it set according to whether I want soft or hard boiled. 12 minutes for hard, 6 minutes for slightly soft (I like a tiny bit of custardy texture sometimes in the centers). But you'll need to test the "doneness" yourself (google cook times for soft/hard boiled to confirm what I put down).

Once the timer goes off, drain water, add ice and cool water and leave until the eggs are cooled down enough to touch/pick up (but still warmish since fridge-cold eggs are a bit harder to peel). Proceed with peeling by cracking up shell and pinch off the large end first, and slide your finger/thumb under the membrane area around the surface of the egg to remove shell. I usually am able to remove them in one large spiral if not slipping off the bottom half of the shell in one piece this way. I do this over a garbage can and it goes VERY quickly.
« Last Edit: December 29, 2017, 11:03:32 AM by Frankies Girl »

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #63 on: December 29, 2017, 12:53:19 AM »
Thank you!

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #64 on: December 29, 2017, 02:50:59 AM »
@Eucalyptus or anyone else: what's the easiest way to peel boiled eggs? Even when I'm not low on energy, it all just seems too hard and fiddly.

Alternative suggestion: bash them on the counter round the middle, cut in half with a knife, eat out of the shell with a teaspoon. No peeling required! But slightly more washing up.

Eucalyptus

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #65 on: December 29, 2017, 02:52:49 PM »
Eggs: some great replies!

Mum and Dad (and myself as a kid) always wrote on the date the eggs were laid. I can strongly confirm that the biggest factor in how easy they are to peel is age. We'd use older eggs for boiling, newer ones for everything else.

I also use a cold water, bring to boil, then turn off method. I usually chuck a tea towel on top. I don't normally think about the time, I just leave them there for at least half an hour, usually chuck my tea towel on top. They turn out great.

Spoon tactics: boil eggs when your spoons are a little higher. They'll keep for a few days in the fridge.

Oh, another spoon tactic that is probably important for nutrition for many eating spoon meals: I keep Vegan multivitamins on my kitchen bench. If you aren't getting much meat and perhaps no or low dairy, you need Vitamin B12 after a while. The Vegan Multivitamins have this. Your protein might be good and balanced from beans, eggs, vegetables, nuts, and grain sources, but you'll still likely miss the B12. Having the multivitamins on the bench, as well as my big container of fish oil, means that I feel fine about my nutrition on spoon days.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #66 on: December 29, 2017, 02:59:22 PM »
I have an egg peeling trick. Put the egg in a tumbler with a small amount (inch?) of water, hand over the end and shake (over the sink). Does require energy for a few seconds but the shell will fall off.

I keep the kitchen stocked with the following things for bad weeks. None of it will go off so we'll be ok if I'm too tired to shop / think about meals. In theory I have the energy to batch cook but I never do.

- breaded frozen fish, frozen mash and veg. The fish is just plonk on baking tray for 20mins - we have 1.5 each, one's not enough. The mash is 3 mins in microwave. Frozen veg is a godsend - zero prep but nutritious, so I always have peas, corn plus one other in the freezer.
- "Posh pasta" from the chiller section with a creamy or meaty sauce. The expiry on these is a month or so, so you can keep them in the fridge for a long time for emergencies. I boil the pasta and then put the sauce in the same pan once drained to heat up.
- Chunky tinned soup, although I find them too salty so add frozen peas and more water.
- spaghetti and pesto - we add frozen veg to the pasta while cooking.
- tinned tomatoes and rice - cook rice but add a tin of chopped toms to the water. Serve with cheese if you have it. I keep grated mozzarella for pizza in the freezer so I have that if the fridge is empty.
- frozen pizza - add tuna or other stuff if I can be arsed.
- frozen gyoza - these are microwavable in 5 mins and a great when I need something quickly. We mostly have them as a starter when dinner is going to be late.
- tins of plain tuna and pasta.
- microwave scrambled egg - approx 2 mins but you do need to keep stopping and stirring. Getting the tub clean after is probably more effort than using a fry pan tho!
- jars of simmer curry sauce & 90 second microwave rice - I keep frozen meat in the freezer but of course when I'm tired I forget to get it out, so I pick up already chopped meat on the way home, plonk in pan, add sauce and frozen veg. Of course, this is also a tasty meal with just veg.

I also always always have oats and milk on hand. We have a uht milk in the pantry for emergencies. I try to always have cheese, yoghurt and eggs in the fridge but fresh stuff is harder to maintain. I buy a dozen eggs at a time as they don't go off quickly.

What I do find is - too many quicky meals and I start to need a meal with some decent chunks of meat. That's where the fish is great but also when I might get takeaway Thai or a big chicken salad from a place that puts a whole breast in.

Other than that, I do have a few meals that I've repeated so often that I can do a cheat's version in my sleep. Eg sometimes I can pick up things like already chopped chicken and microwave rice on my way home and do Tom Ka Gai (basically poach chicken in tin of coconut milk and water with ginger (jar in fridge) chilli, fish sauce and frozen veg). Given more energy I make a more proper one with bashed lemongrass and whatnot.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #67 on: December 30, 2017, 04:29:10 AM »
When my kids were infants a friend  taught me the easy chicken soup recipe. 1 chicken in a saucepan with water and some soy. Roughly cut carrots and onions, or other veggies,   simmer for an hour then 10 mins before finishing add some pasta. I loved how easy and nutritious it is.
+1 we have a slow cooker, and I dumped 2 chicken breasts, rough cut veg and enough stock to cover in. Cooked on high for 4 hours. That was a "low spoons" meal, but made enough for 3 days worth of meals (YMMV depending on how much you eat & number of people). We could have added more liquid to make it last longer. A boring beef stew can be made the same way: meat + veg + liquid. It won't be as nice as if you add some herbs and brown the outside of the meat first etc, but it will be edible.

My no spoons meal of the day is a baked potato with baked beans tipped over it for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.

M kids will love that potato recipe! Usually I just hand them the can of baked beans and a spoon...

Fresh Bread

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #68 on: December 30, 2017, 04:47:07 AM »
When my kids were infants a friend  taught me the easy chicken soup recipe. 1 chicken in a saucepan with water and some soy. Roughly cut carrots and onions, or other veggies,   simmer for an hour then 10 mins before finishing add some pasta. I loved how easy and nutritious it is.
+1 we have a slow cooker, and I dumped 2 chicken breasts, rough cut veg and enough stock to cover in. Cooked on high for 4 hours. That was a "low spoons" meal, but made enough for 3 days worth of meals (YMMV depending on how much you eat & number of people). We could have added more liquid to make it last longer. A boring beef stew can be made the same way: meat + veg + liquid. It won't be as nice as if you add some herbs and brown the outside of the meat first etc, but it will be edible.

My no spoons meal of the day is a baked potato with baked beans tipped over it for the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.

M kids will love that potato recipe! Usually I just hand them the can of baked beans and a spoon...

Hey AV, that's pretty much how I do all my slow cooker meals now, once I realised the outcome is nearly the same as more effort. I add a can of chopped toms to beef stew also. I used to get dirty potatoes but now get washed, cut them in half and bang, straight in.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #69 on: December 30, 2017, 10:20:00 AM »
DH and I contracted noroviris over Christmas, which led me to discovering an excellent low spoons meal: egg drop soup and rice from the Chinese takeout. $9 US got enough of both for 3 meals for the two of us. I'm feeling a bit better than him so I added frozen peas to mine.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #70 on: January 03, 2018, 01:23:55 AM »
Tonight's low spoons dinner, served in a bento box because fancy :D

SSS brand hommous from Woolies
carrot sticks
red capsicum sticks
Greek feta cheese from Aldi
1 sliced pickle
leftover roasted red capsicum strips from a few days ago

Yum! (dessert was a couple of choccies from a Favourites box - Xmas pressie from a neighbour)

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #71 on: January 03, 2018, 02:42:24 AM »
My dinner is the same as last night & my morning tea - a chicken sandwich. We poached 2 extra chicken breasts when we made chicken soup, then took them out for sandwiches.

Eucalyptus

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #72 on: January 03, 2018, 03:22:11 AM »
Heinz Beanz Creations tins are now on sale at Coles*. 2 for $3.

(As mentioned by myself and others up-thread)

John West small flavoured Tuna tins are also $1 at the moment (half price). I find the John West ones better than the Coles brand (though I rarely by fish any more), and likely the JW is more sustainably sourced.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #73 on: January 03, 2018, 03:27:47 AM »
The Bento Box looks yum! My dinner was a zero chop special: ready chopped chicken plopped in a bowl with dollops of yoghurt and tandoori paste and mixed about then empty onto a Pyrex dish, baked in oven for 30 mins. Oh I lied because I added a mini eggplant cut in half. Served with rice cooked with peas. I pottered in the kitchen cleaning up while it cooked so I feel like I'm winning.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #74 on: January 03, 2018, 05:43:14 AM »
Tonight we had fish and chips. The chips were a $2 bag from coles, gluten free as per youngest child request.  In the oven for about 40 minutes.  The basa is fried in the kambrook electric pan for about 8 minutes in butter.  Fed a family of 4 for under $7 with low effort.  Not the best health wise, but good for a night when we couldn't be bothered.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #75 on: January 03, 2018, 10:17:00 PM »
Tonight we had fish and chips. The chips were a $2 bag from coles, gluten free as per youngest child request.  In the oven for about 40 minutes.  The basa is fried in the kambrook electric pan for about 8 minutes in butter.  Fed a family of 4 for under $7 with low effort.  Not the best health wise, but good for a night when we couldn't be bothered.

Sounds good. Sometimes you gotta do it. $7 is pretty cheap. Fish is good for you even cooked that way for the most part.

I try and eat a baby carrot or two if I'm naughty and have a fish and chips meal. Makes me feel better.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #76 on: January 04, 2018, 01:57:27 AM »
I like to keep a few "emergency" meals in a corner of the freezer - perogies, frozen pizza, frozen lasagne. The trick is to not use them when I'm feeling lazy but to use them when I'm actually out of spoons.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #77 on: January 04, 2018, 02:00:42 AM »
Tonight we had fish and chips. The chips were a $2 bag from coles, gluten free as per youngest child request.  In the oven for about 40 minutes.  The basa is fried in the kambrook electric pan for about 8 minutes in butter.  Fed a family of 4 for under $7 with low effort.  Not the best health wise, but gGood for a night when we couldn't be bothered.

Sounds good. Sometimes you gotta do it. $7 is pretty cheap. Fish is good for you even cooked that way for the most part.

I try and eat a baby carrot or two if I'm naughty and have a fish and chips meal. Makes me feel better.

FTFY

No food shaming in this thread, not even of your own food. The point is to be fed and therefore alive. :)
« Last Edit: January 04, 2018, 02:03:13 AM by Astatine »

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #78 on: January 05, 2018, 06:35:44 PM »
A tbs tomato paste on flatbread, beans and cheese on top. Heat it up in  oven for 10 mins.

Rice pud in pressure cooker.  Or slow cooker.

I make soup packs  (onions, carrots, celery)for the freezer and throw them in the slow cooker w a can of beans.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #79 on: January 05, 2018, 10:06:19 PM »
Tonight we had fish and chips. The chips were a $2 bag from coles, gluten free as per youngest child request.  In the oven for about 40 minutes.  The basa is fried in the kambrook electric pan for about 8 minutes in butter.  Fed a family of 4 for under $7 with low effort.  Not the best health wise, but gGood for a night when we couldn't be bothered.

Sounds good. Sometimes you gotta do it. $7 is pretty cheap. Fish is good for you even cooked that way for the most part.

I try and eat a baby carrot or two if I'm naughty and have a fish and chips meal. Makes me feel better.

FTFY

No food shaming in this thread, not even of your own food. The point is to be fed and therefore alive. :)

Good catch! Wasn't meant to be shaming at all, apologies!

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #80 on: January 05, 2018, 11:25:21 PM »
Tonight we had fish and chips. The chips were a $2 bag from coles, gluten free as per youngest child request.  In the oven for about 40 minutes.  The basa is fried in the kambrook electric pan for about 8 minutes in butter.  Fed a family of 4 for under $7 with low effort.  Not the best health wise, but gGood for a night when we couldn't be bothered.

Sounds good. Sometimes you gotta do it. $7 is pretty cheap. Fish is good for you even cooked that way for the most part.

I try and eat a baby carrot or two if I'm naughty and have a fish and chips meal. Makes me feel better.

FTFY

No food shaming in this thread, not even of your own food. The point is to be fed and therefore alive. :)

Good catch! Wasn't meant to be shaming at all, apologies!

No worries! I was a bit worried later that I'd been too harsh (I'm known IRL for being blunt and direct even though I work very hard on being polite and tactful...)

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #81 on: January 05, 2018, 11:27:43 PM »
Asatine, you're lovely! Thanks for looking out for everyone :)

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #82 on: January 05, 2018, 11:52:27 PM »
Asatine, you're lovely! Thanks for looking out for everyone :)


I'm mostly looking out for myself if I'm 100% honest. :) I'm not coping super well at the moment with food being labelled good, bad, healthy, unhealthy etc.

« Last Edit: January 05, 2018, 11:54:18 PM by Astatine »

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #83 on: January 06, 2018, 01:07:11 AM »
When I am low on spoons, my standard for "Excellent meal! Well done!" is "Is there literally one nutrient in this that is not sugar/carbs?" Protein, calcium, vitamins and fibre all count. So cheese on toast is definitely a win, and even a doughnut and an apple would count as an adequately nutritious meal. Bonus points for remembering to take a multivitamin. If you're managing some calories and a multivitamin, you're doing OK.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #84 on: January 06, 2018, 01:33:33 AM »
I'm a type 1 diabetic. Sugar is literally a lifesaver for me when my blood glucose levels are dangerously low.

I have a friend who has advanced kidney disease. Too much fruit and veg will literally kill him (or put him on premature dialysis).

There is no one uniformly 'healthy' diet.

And if one adds in a history of disordered eating...

(And arrrgh I'm so overthinking things. I don't want to pass judgement on those who label their food healthy/unhealthy either. But want to give extra context)

I should possibly only post when 100% sober. This is possibly not the case tonight ;)

tl;dr: I love you all! I have many hang ups around food, some physical/practical, some emotional/embedded in a trauma history






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Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #85 on: January 06, 2018, 01:40:38 AM »
Anyway. Getting back on topic. Tonight's dinner is leftover coleslaw (dressing is a mix of whole egg mayo and live culture natural yoghurt) and a sausage.

Future meals will likely be a cold sausage and some veggie sticks. Plus Dijon mustard because I love mustard.


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Dollar Slice

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #86 on: January 06, 2018, 02:34:30 AM »
PTF in spite of lack of Aussieness, because I've been terribly low on spoons the last six months.

Go to meals for me include:
Pasta with frozen veggies (usually broccoli), cheese and butter (just throw veg in a couple of minutes before pasta is done, one pot meal)
Faux quesadillas which are basically tortillas with sliced cheese and whatever else is handy, put in the toaster oven for 3-4 minutes. This has supplanted my cheese on toast meals - just as quick but easier to do variations and added nutritious items you have laying around.
Rotisserie chicken soup - pick off meat, toss carcass in Instant Pot with salt and water for easy stock... then make soup by heating stock with pasta, frozen veg, and the meat from the chicken.
Ditto, but put in a can of beans and tomato puree instead of the meat and it's minestrone.
Frozen pizza - I save the "crumbs" from the bottom of the frozen broccoli and cauliflower bags to put on frozen pizzas for a slight boost in vitamins and flavor. Plus whatever else is handy - leftover meats, flavorful cheese, etc.

I am pretty sure frozen vegetables are the only reason I don't have some sort of disease associated with long sea voyages in the 1700s.

shelivesthedream

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #87 on: January 06, 2018, 03:54:43 AM »
I'm a type 1 diabetic. Sugar is literally a lifesaver for me when my blood glucose levels are dangerously low.

I have a friend who has advanced kidney disease. Too much fruit and veg will literally kill him (or put him on premature dialysis).

There is no one uniformly 'healthy' diet.

And if one adds in a history of disordered eating...

(And arrrgh I'm so overthinking things. I don't want to pass judgement on those who label their food healthy/unhealthy either. But want to give extra context)

I should possibly only post when 100% sober. This is possibly not the case tonight ;)

tl;dr: I love you all! I have many hang ups around food, some physical/practical, some emotional/embedded in a trauma history

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Not sure if this was in reply to me or not, but I think we're in the same ballpark! Set your own standards and keep them achievable!

Anatidae V

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #88 on: January 07, 2018, 05:43:23 AM »
I wasn't sure what did would be available when I visited my parents this weekend, so I took 2 tins of baked beans down. I ate a whole tin in one sitting and it was excellently filling.

Anatidae V

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #89 on: January 07, 2018, 06:00:20 AM »
Have we covered seed/ nut/ dried fruit mixes? A handful or two of that will fill my belly pretty well, either to go with something less filling like a piece of fresh fruit or to give me enough energy to open the tin of beans to go on my toast (or other easy meal).

limeandpepper

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #90 on: January 07, 2018, 08:25:22 AM »
I wasn't sure what did would be available when I visited my parents this weekend, so I took 2 tins of baked beans down. I ate a whole tin in one sitting and it was excellently filling.

That reminds me, I sometimes eat tinned chickpeas or tinned corn to stave off hunger. Tinned tuna also works.

Fresh Bread

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #91 on: January 07, 2018, 01:39:02 PM »
I wasn't sure what did would be available when I visited my parents this weekend, so I took 2 tins of baked beans down. I ate a whole tin in one sitting and it was excellently filling.

Weather forecast at your parents: windy!

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #92 on: January 07, 2018, 07:28:31 PM »
Not Aussie, but have lupus. Luckily, have only rarely been in a low/no spoons situation. But, when that happens, refrigerated cheese tortellini (cooks in 3 minutes) with jarred tomato sauce. If I'm feeling bonus points, shelled edamame that just needs to be boiled & drained.

Minimal spoons: any kind of toast with peanut butter. Grab a few carrots out of the bag, call it a day.

Better Change

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #93 on: January 09, 2018, 08:51:51 AM »
Also not Australian, which will be perfectly evident as I sing the praises of peanut butter.  Do you guys love peanut butter like Americans do yet?  ;)  MaybeBabyMustache gets it!

I've found that yogurt is an excellent way to build a protein-rich meal without too much effort.  Stir some raw oats into it.  If you've got the energy, dice an apple (or whatever fresh fruit is in season) into it and stir with cinnamon.  Meal replacement powders and whey proteins taste great when stirred into yogurt, too.  I think it tastes like pudding.  Mmmm...pudding.

Bonus: big tubs of yogurt tend to keep for a week weeks in the fridge.  And you can go as fancy (Greek! Skyr!) or as basic as you'd like.  I buy the plain whole milk yogurt tubs from Aldi.

Astatine - I want to thank you for all you've shared in this thread and in your personal journal.  I'm generally a higher-on-spoons person, but your experiences have really shifted my perspective on how I judge the ableness of others.  Your honesty about your struggles is extremely eye-opening for me, and you've inspired me to continue to work to be more compassionate and empathetic for everyone, especially people who don't "look sick."  Keep up the badassity.

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #94 on: January 10, 2018, 03:46:49 AM »
Astatine - I want to thank you for all you've shared in this thread and in your personal journal.  I'm generally a higher-on-spoons person, but your experiences have really shifted my perspective on how I judge the ableness of others.  Your honesty about your struggles is extremely eye-opening for me, and you've inspired me to continue to work to be more compassionate and empathetic for everyone, especially people who don't "look sick."  Keep up the badassity.

Awww, you're so kind, thank you. I'm glad I've helped with the 'doesn't look sick/disabled' understanding. Huzzah!

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #95 on: January 11, 2018, 04:12:24 PM »
PSA for Aussies: Latina pasta for tortellini and ravioli etc is the only brand worth trying. DH and I occasionally get sucked into a cheaper brand and inevitably we are disappointed. Learn from our trial and error ;)

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robartsd

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #96 on: January 11, 2018, 04:31:51 PM »
I have never done it but am told sliced cheese freezes well, and presumably you can put that under the grill frozen. Maybe something to experiment with when you do have a few spoons in case it all ends in tears!
I don't think there'd be much problem with a frozen slize of cheese under a broiler; however, unlike sliced bread, frozen slices of cheeze do not separate easily. I don't recommend freezing sliced cheese unless the slices are separated by paper or similar.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #97 on: January 11, 2018, 06:38:46 PM »
PSA for Aussies: Latina pasta for tortellini and ravioli etc is the only brand worth trying. DH and I occasionally get sucked into a cheaper brand and inevitably we are disappointed. Learn from our trial and error ;)

A friend served the Aldi ravioli the other day, spinach and fetta maybe? It tasted like ... nothing.

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #98 on: January 11, 2018, 06:47:26 PM »
PSA for Aussies: Latina pasta for tortellini and ravioli etc is the only brand worth trying. DH and I occasionally get sucked into a cheaper brand and inevitably we are disappointed. Learn from our trial and error ;)

A friend served the Aldi ravioli the other day, spinach and fetta maybe? It tasted like ... nothing.

I can believe that. I find that non-Latina brand raviolis and tortellinis taste a bit bland and the pasta is too thick or something. The one we had this week (enough for 3 dinners which is a GREAT time to find you regret your choice of ravioli) was a random brand from a Supabarn that was randomly on special. It was edible but not great.


Edit: that said the Aldi pre-made cannelloni spinach and ricotta meals for one are pretty tasty. I had one for my lunch today.
« Last Edit: January 11, 2018, 06:50:46 PM by Astatine »

givemesunshine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #99 on: January 11, 2018, 10:18:06 PM »
I like the Coles brand filled ravioli/girasoli - it keeps for a month (and can be frozen) and I just boil and add pasta sauce. Don't even bother with veg at times.

I am a tuna mayo on toast aficionado and sing the praises of cereal for dinner regularly.

I also keep microwaveable rice on hand and eat that with tuna and canned corn or frozen peas (and maybe a splash of soy).

My favourite would be corn flakes with ice cold milk and a sprinkle of sugar. Yum.

 

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