Author Topic: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons  (Read 36622 times)

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #100 on: January 12, 2018, 08:23:05 AM »
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 ;)

Since Monday, I have eaten about 5 quest bars, plus occasional real food.

Thank you bar food

I had to google Quest bars. Turns out they are protein bars. That can be the 'new thing I learnt today'.

For whatever reason, brands of tortellini wildly vary in taste & flavor, even at the same price point. Agree that some trial & error will ensure you're not eating pasta sauce coated cardboard. In the US, Costco sells a brand we like. I also find that a high quality sauce, a sprinkle of parmesan & fresh pepper really helps things along.

ElleFiji

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #101 on: January 12, 2018, 10:00:54 AM »
By severely slicing work hours, I'm up to beans and chips and egg, and leftover beans and chips.

My dinner plan is to call family members or a kindly delivery person

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #102 on: January 12, 2018, 02:17:20 PM »
By severely slicing work hours, I'm up to beans and chips and egg, and leftover beans and chips.

My dinner plan is to call family members or a kindly delivery person

Good luck! If I had a teleport machine I'd send you some muesli bars too.

Eucalyptus

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #103 on: January 13, 2018, 08:05:42 PM »
I'm about to have a serious low spoons week at work.


Going to stock up tonight on lots of bags of baby carrots, small tins of flavoured tuna, fruit, boil some eggs. Grab, eat, shower, bed.

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #104 on: January 13, 2018, 08:09:19 PM »
Good luck! And sounds like a plan stocking up in advance.

Eucalyptus

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #105 on: January 22, 2018, 12:14:02 AM »
I survived!


I had a brainwave today that I'm going to test tonight; cooking small amounts of rice in a jar. Akin to vacuum flask or haybox cooking, but using cheap empty jars, then just covered in clothing. The idea being that I can leave a bunch of jars (eg empty jam jars) pre-prepared with rice at home and in my drawer at work. Just add boiling water when I get to work or before I leave for work, and done. Rice once cooked doesn't keep that great and I hate waiting for stuff to unfreeze, plus my freezer isn't huge anyway. I also dislike instant rice/its expensive.


So hopefully this is a Moustachian solution/idea that works ok to help speed up food delivery to my gullet.

shelivesthedream

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #106 on: January 22, 2018, 01:53:19 AM »
Another of my "I just can't even" foodstuffs is tinned fruit (in juice, not syrup). Open tin, dump into bowl (this step is optional), grab spoon, eat. Doesn't feel too heavy, contains fibre and water, contains an amount of vitamins, I find it delicious. Excellent when I am feeling overwhelmed by the thought of eating a whole meal of food, let alone cooking one, and tinned peaches in winter taste like sunshine and holidays :)

Anatidae V

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #107 on: January 22, 2018, 02:01:05 AM »
I survived!


I had a brainwave today that I'm going to test tonight; cooking small amounts of rice in a jar. Akin to vacuum flask or haybox cooking, but using cheap empty jars, then just covered in clothing. The idea being that I can leave a bunch of jars (eg empty jam jars) pre-prepared with rice at home and in my drawer at work. Just add boiling water when I get to work or before I leave for work, and done. Rice once cooked doesn't keep that great and I hate waiting for stuff to unfreeze, plus my freezer isn't huge anyway. I also dislike instant rice/its expensive.


So hopefully this is a Moustachian solution/idea that works ok to help speed up food delivery to my gullet.
Let me know if that works, I have some jam jars that would be just the right size for that. I was going to portion out some lentils & spices into them, but I hadn't thought about actually cooking inside the jar.

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #108 on: January 22, 2018, 03:10:14 AM »
We're in a heatwave and both of us are still lowish on spoons. Randomly we were outside a Coles on the weekend and needed bananas for brekkie, and decided to buy low spoon food for the week (not cheap but cheaper than eating out - very tempting when it's 30C in the house when we get home from work ETA dinner probably works out at $3 or $4 pp per meal ish). AND... I wrote up a meal plan for the week. Go me!!

Mon: Coles version of a kale-slaw, plus a couple of slices of Australian-style feta cheese

Tues - Red capsicum veggie sticks (maybe carrot too, depending on how tired DH is), plus labneh* and olive oil, a couple of slices of feta cheese, a spoonful of rinsed drained sauerkraut (bought a big jar of this a month ago, need to use it up)

Wed - cheap smoked salmon pieces, veggie sticks, labneh with olive oil

Thu - Red capsicum veggie sticks (maybe carrot too, depending on how tired DH is), plus labneh* and olive oil, finish off the feta cheese

Fri - avocado (if it's ripe) mashed with 95g tin tuna in oil, with finely diced red onion, parsley and chives from the garden, lemon juice, cherry tomatoes from the garden. Carrot sticks to dip into the avocado tuna mix.


Back up plan is leftover Mexican-ish-style bean stew from the freezer with instant rice and plain yoghurt.

Also bought a few instant meals from Aldi and Coles for us to take to work. Cheaper than buying lunch from local cafes. (variations on the theme of canelloni, lasagne or lamb roast)

*Labneh - impulse buy at an independent shop last week, we serve with olive oil and use it as a dip for veggie sticks. Or you can spread it on bread. (it's savoury, not sweet)


Flyingkea

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #109 on: January 22, 2018, 04:29:37 AM »
@Astatine that labneh looks interesting, might have to try it when I am allowedable to eat dairy again. Though za'atar ans pita bread also mentioned there looked good...

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #110 on: January 22, 2018, 05:50:53 PM »
I survived!


I had a brainwave today that I'm going to test tonight; cooking small amounts of rice in a jar. Akin to vacuum flask or haybox cooking, but using cheap empty jars, then just covered in clothing. The idea being that I can leave a bunch of jars (eg empty jam jars) pre-prepared with rice at home and in my drawer at work. Just add boiling water when I get to work or before I leave for work, and done. Rice once cooked doesn't keep that great and I hate waiting for stuff to unfreeze, plus my freezer isn't huge anyway. I also dislike instant rice/its expensive.


So hopefully this is a Moustachian solution/idea that works ok to help speed up food delivery to my gullet.
Let me know if that works, I have some jam jars that would be just the right size for that. I was going to portion out some lentils & spices into them, but I hadn't thought about actually cooking inside the jar.


Ok, so I left the jar with 60grams of brown rice, freshly boiled water, inside an insulated shopping bag wrapped in a fleece jumper. Was pretty much room temp this and the rice was only maybe 20% cooked. So that's a no go, with that level of insulation. I might try building a dedicated high R value container from scrap polystyrene foam to maximise heat retention. One issue will be the jar will absorb a lot of the heat, there's a fair bit of room-temp thermal mass in it. I filled the jar to the top; more water than required which offsets that issue a bit. (This issue doesn't exist with my ecopot as I heat the pot up to boiling temp on the induction stove as a prep it all. Can't do that with a glass jar). Might also need to briefly run the jar under the hot water tap on its outside, to pre-warm it a little. White rice, pasta (particularly spaghetti noodles as high surface area to volume) would probably work better. Couscous of course is done with just boiling water in an open bowl in a few minutes.

deborah

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #111 on: January 22, 2018, 06:40:31 PM »
They sell par-boiled rice at the supermarket. That would probably work. Also, thin rice noodles tend to cook this way.

Flyingkea

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #112 on: January 22, 2018, 10:09:56 PM »
I survived!


I had a brainwave today that I'm going to test tonight; cooking small amounts of rice in a jar. Akin to vacuum flask or haybox cooking, but using cheap empty jars, then just covered in clothing. The idea being that I can leave a bunch of jars (eg empty jam jars) pre-prepared with rice at home and in my drawer at work. Just add boiling water when I get to work or before I leave for work, and done. Rice once cooked doesn't keep that great and I hate waiting for stuff to unfreeze, plus my freezer isn't huge anyway. I also dislike instant rice/its expensive.


So hopefully this is a Moustachian solution/idea that works ok to help speed up food delivery to my gullet.
Let me know if that works, I have some jam jars that would be just the right size for that. I was going to portion out some lentils & spices into them, but I hadn't thought about actually cooking inside the jar.


Ok, so I left the jar with 60grams of brown rice, freshly boiled water, inside an insulated shopping bag wrapped in a fleece jumper. Was pretty much room temp this and the rice was only maybe 20% cooked. So that's a no go, with that level of insulation. I might try building a dedicated high R value container from scrap polystyrene foam to maximise heat retention. One issue will be the jar will absorb a lot of the heat, there's a fair bit of room-temp thermal mass in it. I filled the jar to the top; more water than required which offsets that issue a bit. (This issue doesn't exist with my ecopot as I heat the pot up to boiling temp on the induction stove as a prep it all. Can't do that with a glass jar). Might also need to briefly run the jar under the hot water tap on its outside, to pre-warm it a little. White rice, pasta (particularly spaghetti noodles as high surface area to volume) would probably work better. Couscous of course is done with just boiling water in an open bowl in a few minutes.

Would something like a thermos flask work? They are designed to keep food hot for hours.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #113 on: January 23, 2018, 08:22:23 AM »
I have cooked rice in a thermos before. It does need to be pre-heated and wrapped in a towel for best results.

Last night we had salads for dinner. I used a pre-cut Asian salad mix, which included packets of ginger dressing, sesame crackers and cashews. Tofu on top for me, grilled chicken for DH. Delicious and healthy.

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #114 on: January 24, 2018, 12:35:28 AM »
We're in a heatwave and both of us are still lowish on spoons. Randomly we were outside a Coles on the weekend and needed bananas for brekkie, and decided to buy low spoon food for the week (not cheap but cheaper than eating out - very tempting when it's 30C in the house when we get home from work ETA dinner probably works out at $3 or $4 pp per meal ish). AND... I wrote up a meal plan for the week. Go me!!

Mon: Coles version of a kale-slaw, plus a couple of slices of Australian-style feta cheese

Tues - Red capsicum veggie sticks (maybe carrot too, depending on how tired DH is), plus labneh* and olive oil, a couple of slices of feta cheese, a spoonful of rinsed drained sauerkraut (bought a big jar of this a month ago, need to use it up)

Wed - cheap smoked salmon pieces, veggie sticks, labneh with olive oil

Thu - Red capsicum veggie sticks (maybe carrot too, depending on how tired DH is), plus labneh* and olive oil, finish off the feta cheese

Fri - avocado (if it's ripe) mashed with 95g tin tuna in oil, with finely diced red onion, parsley and chives from the garden, lemon juice, cherry tomatoes from the garden. Carrot sticks to dip into the avocado tuna mix.


Back up plan is leftover Mexican-ish-style bean stew from the freezer with instant rice and plain yoghurt.

Also bought a few instant meals from Aldi and Coles for us to take to work. Cheaper than buying lunch from local cafes. (variations on the theme of canelloni, lasagne or lamb roast)

*Labneh - impulse buy at an independent shop last week, we serve with olive oil and use it as a dip for veggie sticks. Or you can spread it on bread. (it's savoury, not sweet)



So we're up to Wednesday now and this has been working really well! DH has some physical spoons after work so he can do a little bit of food prep like chop veggies and cheese, but neither of us has had much spare mental energy. It's been so great when DH asks what we should do for dinner and we both read from my handwritten list (it's in a notebook on the coffee table). :D

I think I'll try doing this each weekend if I can. Particularly while we are in summer when even if we had the energy to cook it's too hot to want to turn the stove or oven on.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #115 on: January 24, 2018, 01:06:31 AM »
We're in a heatwave and both of us are still lowish on spoons. Randomly we were outside a Coles on the weekend and needed bananas for brekkie, and decided to buy low spoon food for the week (not cheap but cheaper than eating out - very tempting when it's 30C in the house when we get home from work ETA dinner probably works out at $3 or $4 pp per meal ish). AND... I wrote up a meal plan for the week. Go me!!

Mon: Coles version of a kale-slaw, plus a couple of slices of Australian-style feta cheese

Tues - Red capsicum veggie sticks (maybe carrot too, depending on how tired DH is), plus labneh* and olive oil, a couple of slices of feta cheese, a spoonful of rinsed drained sauerkraut (bought a big jar of this a month ago, need to use it up)

Wed - cheap smoked salmon pieces, veggie sticks, labneh with olive oil

Thu - Red capsicum veggie sticks (maybe carrot too, depending on how tired DH is), plus labneh* and olive oil, finish off the feta cheese

Fri - avocado (if it's ripe) mashed with 95g tin tuna in oil, with finely diced red onion, parsley and chives from the garden, lemon juice, cherry tomatoes from the garden. Carrot sticks to dip into the avocado tuna mix.


Back up plan is leftover Mexican-ish-style bean stew from the freezer with instant rice and plain yoghurt.

Also bought a few instant meals from Aldi and Coles for us to take to work. Cheaper than buying lunch from local cafes. (variations on the theme of canelloni, lasagne or lamb roast)

*Labneh - impulse buy at an independent shop last week, we serve with olive oil and use it as a dip for veggie sticks. Or you can spread it on bread. (it's savoury, not sweet)



So we're up to Wednesday now and this has been working really well! DH has some physical spoons after work so he can do a little bit of food prep like chop veggies and cheese, but neither of us has had much spare mental energy. It's been so great when DH asks what we should do for dinner and we both read from my handwritten list (it's in a notebook on the coffee table). :D

I think I'll try doing this each weekend if I can. Particularly while we are in summer when even if we had the energy to cook it's too hot to want to turn the stove or oven on.

Great to hear, @Astatine!

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #116 on: January 26, 2018, 08:36:23 PM »
Belated thanks!

We just did most of our grocery shopping for the week and it was hard keeping meals for dinner straight in my head while shopping but I think I got there. DH has a few more spoons now*, so there is a little more wriggle room beyond veggie sticks and cheese on weeknights after work. Posting this partly for accountability and partly in case any of my meals or meal planning is useful for others.

Meal plan for the upcoming week:

Sat (tonight): cook potatoes and make potato salad. If the avocado (from last week) actually is ripe today, have that too mixed with tinned tuna and homegrown tomatoes.

Sun: Dinner at a friend's house

Mon: Leftover potato salad plus homegrown tomatoes plus a couple of slices of Red Leicester cheese (from Aldi)

Tues: Need to buy 6 sausages (from butcher if possible, supermarket if not). Fry all sausages, eat half of them between us with a vinegrette slaw (bought 1/4 red cabbage today)

Wed: Cold sausages, slaw (if there is any leftover from Tues), red capsicum sticks

Thu: Scrambled eggs, sauerkraut (from a jar, rinse with water before serving) plus homegrown tomatoes

Fri: Roast veg (capsicum, zucchini, garlic cloves) and haloumi, with a slice of lemon on the side


If any of that is too hard on a particular day, the back up plan is Mexican-ish bean stew from the freezer, nuked in the microwave and served on instant rice with some yoghurt.

*He had a gazillion blood tests last year, only thing that showed up was a slight vitamin D deficiency. Dr told him to start taking supplement 3x day, and not sure if it's correlation or causation, but he's a bit less trashed now. And I have a few more spoons too as I recover from my illness and improve my iron intake, but I'm spending them on more hours at work (I want to be back at f/t hours).
« Last Edit: January 26, 2018, 08:40:04 PM by Astatine »

Anatidae V

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #117 on: January 26, 2018, 10:40:41 PM »
@Astatine your meal planning incredibly helpful for me right now. I'm going to copy it with a few tweaks. Potato salad, sausages, stuff from freezer if stuffed. I think ours will be:
Potato salad
Brown rice salad
Sausages
Baked chicken
Garden salad
Hommus

I'll pick specific days to cook/eat those things once I've spoken to my DH about his schedule this week. Thank you so much!

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #118 on: January 26, 2018, 11:22:25 PM »
You’re very welcome! I’m glad it was useful. Can I suggest having your list handwritten somewhere obvious and easy to find? Cuts down on thinking/remembering.


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Embok

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #119 on: January 27, 2018, 12:04:45 AM »
I have a couple super easy standbys for when I have almost no spoons:

If it is summer, and I'm hot, I want cold food.  So cottage cheese with some berries or canned peaches or pears.  If the fruit is canned, you can store it and it is ready when needed.

If it is winter, I want hot food.  A grocery store roasted chicken and a salad.  A Joe's scramble of burger, onion, spinach, mushrooms, an egg and a bit of sour cream.  Or my own "too exhausted to cook" one pot meal:  cook oatmeal in water or chicken stock; throw in some frozen spinach, some canned drained black beans if you have them, some canned drained tuna if you have it;  stir over heat til warm; grate a bit of cheddar cheese over the top, add salt and pepper and serve.  Basically, it's like an oatmeal risotto, but takes about 5 minutes.

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #120 on: January 27, 2018, 07:35:40 PM »
Sounds good Embok! Need a couple of translations though: what's a Joe's scramble? Is that just chucking everything in a saucepan and stirring til it's cooked?

And is burger like mince meat or ground meat? (I assume not an actual burger with bread and salad)

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #121 on: January 28, 2018, 05:51:24 AM »
I haven't cooked lentils before, but I heard they were easy and delicious. Turns out, they also scale well and don't require much supervision. I could easily add some extra veg to this... But for a no-spoons meal it was just right. I might see what it's like frozen & defrosted.

1 cup dried red lentils
2 cups/500ml low salt stock
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried coriander leaves
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
Olive oil

Cook olive oil & spices in saucepan for 1-2 minutes (until fragrant). Add liquid and bring to boil. Add lentils. Cook until deliciously mushy, stirring occasionally. Consume.

Eucalyptus

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #122 on: January 28, 2018, 05:34:39 PM »
Thermos/haybox/ecopot cooking is becoming quite popular, and there are various brands of ecopot in particular on the market. I have an Australian one, literally called "Ecopot" that my parents bought a couple of years ago at the show and only used once. It works really well, but it is a very expensive item (hundreds of dollars!) Personally while it works just fine, its only useful for a single person if you plan to make a whole batch of meals for a whole week. If you use rice as a staple, rice generally isn't meant to be kept cooked in your fridge for a whole week (apparently, I keep being told/read, but it hasn't killed me yet. Though it sure isn't as fresh after a couple of days).


I'm not super impressed by the amount of insulation in this pot;its pretty thin. So thin that almost straight away I can feel heat coming out of it. If you read their website it does meet the requirements for food safety for a few hours. Also, the pots are specific to the kit. I really don't need to duplicate the pots and  take up extra space in my relatively small, minimalist, modest house and kitchen. So I'm planning to sell it for $$$ and make my own from foam with much thicker insulation to suit my current pot set. This will mean faster cooking times as higher amounts of heat will be retained. It won't be as durable for the road or quite as compact, but much less kitchen space overall (the insulation will be at least 3cm thick as opposed to ~1cm).


Also, I'm keen to make one for a single serve of lunch rice for work. Or dinner rice for home. I might make two. I'm thinking after my jar experiment that a glass jar is a bad idea. But a reasonable quality tupperware style round container of about 1L should work well. A round one will be best as that will reduce the surface area: volume ratio, vs a square or rectangular container, which will optimise cooking. The total cost will only be a few $ each as scrap EPS foam from packaging is very easy to get. I'll probably cover the outside with a layer of carboard and then plastic contact to protect it and make it more durable. I should easily be able to keep it in my drawer at work.


I'll report back to MMM with how I go :-)

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #123 on: January 29, 2018, 02:28:35 AM »
I haven't cooked lentils before, but I heard they were easy and delicious. Turns out, they also scale well and don't require much supervision. I could easily add some extra veg to this... But for a no-spoons meal it was just right. I might see what it's like frozen & defrosted.

1 cup dried red lentils
2 cups/500ml low salt stock
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried coriander leaves
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
Olive oil

Cook olive oil & spices in saucepan for 1-2 minutes (until fragrant). Add liquid and bring to boil. Add lentils. Cook until deliciously mushy, stirring occasionally. Consume.

Add a slice of lemon to this and it will be even more yummy. I make this mushy soup style in the slow cooker.

HappierAtHome

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #124 on: January 30, 2018, 04:05:34 PM »
Planning out some zero spoons food for Mr Happier's office stash, because he has a tough month at work coming up. Definitely going to include muesli bars and baked beans.

At home, I have consistently had enough spoons for bulk prepping food as needed, for which I am extremely grateful. But we're keeping some of our "easy food" on hand too (frozen crumbed fish, sliced bread, cheese to melt on bread for tasty toasties).

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #125 on: January 30, 2018, 04:39:13 PM »
Planning out some zero spoons food for Mr Happier's office stash, because he has a tough month at work coming up. Definitely going to include muesli bars and baked beans.

At home, I have consistently had enough spoons for bulk prepping food as needed, for which I am extremely grateful. But we're keeping some of our "easy food" on hand too (frozen crumbed fish, sliced bread, cheese to melt on bread for tasty toasties).

Frozen crumbed fish is so great. The other day dinner was jap pumpkin wedges, whole finger eggplant, whole garlic cloves unwrapped and fish. All baked on a tray and all I had to do was cut a bit of pumpkin (which was so soft, unexpected, will buy whole pumpkin again) and season the veg. Hubby sliced the rest of the pumpkin when he got home for the rest of the week.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #126 on: February 03, 2018, 12:46:21 AM »
@Astatine:  Joe's scramble is the name of a recipe that originated as a hearty breakfast at a San Francisco restaurant named "Joe's".  You fry in a skillet burger meat (minced beef), onions, chopped, mushrooms, sliced, season with salt and pepper, the throw in some fresh or frozen spinach.  Once everything is cooked, add a couple of eggs and scramble it all together.  It is super easy, and tastes great.  Reheats pretty well, too.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #127 on: February 03, 2018, 12:52:04 AM »
@Astatine:  Joe's scramble is the name of a recipe that originated as a hearty breakfast at a San Francisco restaurant named "Joe's".  You fry in a skillet burger meat (minced beef), onions, chopped, mushrooms, sliced, season with salt and pepper, the throw in some fresh or frozen spinach.  Once everything is cooked, add a couple of eggs and scramble it all together.  It is super easy, and tastes great.  Reheats pretty well, too.

Aaah. Glad I asked. Probably wouldn't have guessed that. (we share a language in common, sort of, but more cultural things like food can be quite different - I've learnt a lot from TV shows like Chopped and Cutthroat Kitchen but a lot of American food is a bit of an enigma to me)

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #128 on: February 03, 2018, 02:18:36 AM »
I've noticed that my local Woolies has a range of pre-cooked meats aside from good old BBQ chook. No bones in most of them too.

Some bags of salad or pre-cut roast veg and one of those might work. Found a lot of pre-made salads in the fridge at Woolies, which are nice but not always cheap.

I've had a couple of low-energy days the last week or so, but trying to eat healthier (so I'd rather avoid pies and frozen pizzas and the like).
« Last Edit: February 03, 2018, 02:24:36 AM by alsoknownasDean »

limeandpepper

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #129 on: February 03, 2018, 02:34:22 AM »
There is also already-marinated chicken that you can just chuck into a pan and put into the oven. We got a pack of marinated assorted chicken-on-the-bone pieces in Aldi the other day which was $6/kg.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #130 on: February 03, 2018, 02:38:53 AM »
I've noticed that my local Woolies has a range of pre-cooked meats aside from good old BBQ chook. No bones in most of them too.

Some bags of salad or pre-cut roast veg and one of those might work. Found a lot of pre-made salads in the fridge at Woolies, which are nice but not always cheap.

I've had a couple of low-energy days the last week or so, but trying to eat healthier (so I'd rather avoid pies and frozen pizzas and the like).
At Woolies there are two types of hot chicken - normal and free range. I found out at Christmas that the free range is also dairy free, whereas the normal one isn't.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #131 on: February 03, 2018, 03:21:54 AM »
I've noticed that my local Woolies has a range of pre-cooked meats aside from good old BBQ chook. No bones in most of them too.

Some bags of salad or pre-cut roast veg and one of those might work. Found a lot of pre-made salads in the fridge at Woolies, which are nice but not always cheap.

I've had a couple of low-energy days the last week or so, but trying to eat healthier (so I'd rather avoid pies and frozen pizzas and the like).
At Woolies there are two types of hot chicken - normal and free range. I found out at Christmas that the free range is also dairy free, whereas the normal one isn't.
You are brilliant. I know what we're having for dinner tomorrow night.

ElleFiji

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #132 on: February 03, 2018, 09:13:48 AM »
Yesterday I had the energy to buy an actual lettuce, chop, wash, spin, and put into an enormous ziploc with a papertowel. vegetables are handled for a few days

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #133 on: February 04, 2018, 04:08:34 AM »
Way to go EF!!

We didn’t get around to shopping for veg this weekend. Took friend up on offer to raid their garden for mint leaves when we were over for dinner tonight. If DH is up to it, I’ll get him to make a chickpea salad for Mon & Tues night using tinned chickpeas, tomatoes from the garden, any parsley that’s survived summer, mint leaves, lemon juice & olive oil.


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limeandpepper

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #134 on: February 04, 2018, 04:15:44 AM »
That sounds delish. Mint is definitely one of my favourite herbs. And I also like lemon in just about everything!

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #135 on: February 04, 2018, 05:34:45 AM »
I bought a 4 pack of tiny tins of chickpeas. Now I can have super quick salads on "baby-no-nap" days, and I'll be able to take them for work lunch next week!

FrugalAussie

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #136 on: February 04, 2018, 05:53:52 AM »
I haven't cooked lentils before, but I heard they were easy and delicious. Turns out, they also scale well and don't require much supervision. I could easily add some extra veg to this... But for a no-spoons meal it was just right. I might see what it's like frozen & defrosted.

1 cup dried red lentils
2 cups/500ml low salt stock
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried coriander leaves
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
Olive oil

Cook olive oil & spices in saucepan for 1-2 minutes (until fragrant). Add liquid and bring to boil. Add lentils. Cook until deliciously mushy, stirring occasionally. Consume.

I cook a similar recipe, instead of the spices I sometimes just add a favourite curry powder and when nearly ready some coconut milk.  I also throw in any vege lingering at the bottom of the fridge and greens out of the garden.  I usually serve with rice. What's included depends on spoons available. This can be a very tasty low effort (and low cost) meal. 

We use the sandwich press a lot so cooking salmon or steaks can be quick.  We wrap in baking paper first so all the juices are contained for easy clean up. The Good Guys regularly have these on special for $25. 

So glad to hear that you are both enjoying a little more energy. I've had life long iron issues which has sometimes impacted on my capacity to work and manage family and household tasks. This was one of my motivating factors for getting FIRE'd.   

HappierAtHome

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #137 on: February 08, 2018, 01:05:05 AM »
Loving grape season: just wash and eat.

deborah

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #138 on: February 08, 2018, 03:12:38 AM »
I guess this belongs here. Sort of. It's not very mustashian.

My parents have decided that mum is too exhausted to cook. Mum doesn't like dad cooking unsupervised (he gets easily distracted, and has burnt the porridge several times when I've visited recently, so I actually agree). They don't like meals-on-wheels because the food isn't nice (they used to run a B&B and mum is a good cook).

So they decided to try LiteNEasy, because it was recommended to them. The food is too stodgy, so they won't have it again. It also came in an enormous number of plastic bags.

They like the Pub Grub (not the real name, but I've forgotten it) frozen meals available from IGA, but there are only 3 varieties.

So the question: Are there any other frozen meals or similar available from supermarkets that people like? That you don't have to cut up vegetables for (mum has arthritis), and are instant but have a reasonable amount of veggies in them.

limeandpepper

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #139 on: February 08, 2018, 04:02:33 AM »
So the question: Are there any other frozen meals or similar available from supermarkets that people like? That you don't have to cut up vegetables for (mum has arthritis), and are instant but have a reasonable amount of veggies in them.

I don't know many frozen meals with a substantial amount of veggies... perhaps you can supplement the frozen meals with those steamfresh veggie packs?

HappierAtHome

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #140 on: February 08, 2018, 04:13:22 AM »
@deborah my friend recommends youfoodz, which she buys from her local IGA, and SuperNature Wellness Bowls, from Coles and/or Woolies.

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #141 on: February 08, 2018, 04:20:27 AM »
If you go with limeandpepper's suggestion of frozen steamed veggies, then the 'On the menu' frozen meals are pretty good - as long as you choose the veggie lasagne, the beef lasagne, the beef papperdelle or the meatballs and spaghetti meals (the others are edible but a bit bleah).

You can also get preprepared salads from most of the supermarkets, like kale slaw, coleslaw etc. Some of them come already mixed and others need you to mix the dressing with the salad. It's not as convenient as frozen meals, but maybe they could have them as a change now and then.

Do your parents have Aldi where they live? There are some non-frozen instant meals (next to the meat section, in the refrigerated bit) that might suit them. Their cannelloni and lasagne is nice (but only the fresh meal - Aldi frozen lasagne is pretty meh). We also sometimes see the 'meat and three veg' type of instant meals there, like roast meat with roast veggies that you just have to microwave. They're tasty enough, but the gravy is quite salty. We've also once or twice got Aldi's precooked lamb shanks that you just microwave (can't remember if it came with veggies or not).
« Last Edit: February 08, 2018, 04:26:57 AM by Astatine »

Fresh Bread

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #142 on: February 08, 2018, 04:24:14 AM »
I guess this belongs here. Sort of. It's not very mustashian.

My parents have decided that mum is too exhausted to cook. Mum doesn't like dad cooking unsupervised (he gets easily distracted, and has burnt the porridge several times when I've visited recently, so I actually agree). They don't like meals-on-wheels because the food isn't nice (they used to run a B&B and mum is a good cook).

So they decided to try LiteNEasy, because it was recommended to them. The food is too stodgy, so they won't have it again. It also came in an enormous number of plastic bags.

They like the Pub Grub (not the real name, but I've forgotten it) frozen meals available from IGA, but there are only 3 varieties.

So the question: Are there any other frozen meals or similar available from supermarkets that people like? That you don't have to cut up vegetables for (mum has arthritis), and are instant but have a reasonable amount of veggies in them.

I like the Superfoods range of frozen meals. I might be talking about the one called SuperNature one already mentioned. They are not cheap so I've only got them when they are half price. Like all frozen meals they are too small and your parents are not their target market (quinoa, etc etc) but they are quite good with the veg. There is also a very expensive brand of frozen lasagne at Coles that is way, way ahead taste wise than the others. Juliano or something like that.

How about frozen pies, chicken Kiev or breaded fish with microwave steam veg and frozen mash (you microwave it but you do need to stir it so maybe no good)?

ETA: The best frozen pies are Balfours.
« Last Edit: February 08, 2018, 04:27:31 AM by Fresh Bread »

MrMoogle

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #143 on: February 08, 2018, 12:52:59 PM »
OP: Thanks for starting this.

I came as a curious American wondering why you couldn't wash a spoon.  Thanks for that link.  I can relate.  My sister and I are now emailing back and forth talking about spoons.

I saw the microwave popcorn idea, and I do this sometimes.  There are also days where getting up twice to do this seems like too much.  My standard is crackers with peanut butter (already combined).

I abandon standard meal definitions.  Some old cheddar and a prepped veg like raw baby carrots straight from the bag. Also a protein powder you like, add a scoop of it, some milk/cream/equivalent nondairy in a blender, pulse and drink.  My basic requirements are no cooking required, no more than 2 minutes standing up, fairly non-spillable.
Using protein powder is a good idea.  I used to use it when I lifted, so I'm used to the taste, and it's pretty quick to do milk, protein powder, banana or frozen fruit and blend.

I eat out way too much, but driving through on the way home is usually easier than anything else.  Maybe some of these ideas will help.

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #144 on: February 09, 2018, 12:51:28 AM »
Deborah: I don't know how old your parents are, but as they age they'll mainly need to be concerned about two things in their meals: fibre and calorie density. Obviously vitamins and the like are important, but constipation can be a serious old-person problem, often exacerbated by medications they are on. And they will tend to eat less and less as they age, so they need the high-calorie cheese sauces and the like to make sure they are getting enough energy. I speak as someone with a 90-year-old grandmother who lives alone and hates cooking but was a nurse and has seen enough old people in her time who didn't eat properly.

For the constipation: tinned fruit (shelf-stable! But they may need a special tin opener), dried fruit, actual fruit, tins of soup, plenty of fluids (cups of tea and the like), smoothies/proper fruit juice, prepared bagged salads, fibre-rich cereal

For the calories: Horlicks made with full-fat milk, cheese sauces, nuts, plenty of butter on vegetables... (Haven't got many ideas for this one, tbh!)

My grandmother subsists on cereal, bananas, hard boiled eggs or sliced ham with a bag of salad or a tin of soup, and half-portions of frozen ready meals (like macaroni cheese or chicken korma)... and about 5000 cups of tea a day which are so milky she basically waves a teabag at a mug of milk and calls it good. She's not going to win any prizes but it's a decent enough old-person diet and only requires boiling eggs and microwaving. And it's mostly shelf-stable so she doesn't have to go to the shops often or worry too much about things going off because she can't get through them alone.

I think with a few modifications it is a fairly adequate low-ish spoon diet for most people. Not brilliant, but not terrible either.

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #145 on: January 24, 2019, 10:24:48 PM »
Resurrecting my old thread. We discovered Woolworths-brand fresh soups. Yum! This is an example. And only $3!


And given we're going through a loooooong heatwave, I thought I should also mention Aldi and Woolworths kale-based salads. Or combinations of deli meats (ham, roast beef), veggie sticks and hommous.


Anatidae V

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #146 on: January 24, 2019, 10:52:08 PM »
Thanks for reviving the thread!

I'm really loving the Goulburn valley tubs of fruit, some of them have fruit grown in Australia. It's a big hit in our house at the moment to add some of those on a plate of salad or yoghurt.

Jarred rustroasted capsicum is also popular for our meals right now. Eat to make a meal of beans or tuna & rice really tasty with them.
« Last Edit: January 25, 2019, 12:34:09 AM by Anatidae V »

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #147 on: January 24, 2019, 10:56:52 PM »
Thanks for reviving the thread!

I'm really loving the Goulburn valley tubs of fruit, some of them have fruit grown in Australia. It's a big hit in our house at the moment to add some of those on a plate of salad or yoghurt.

Jarred rust capsicum is also popular for our meals right now. Eat to make a meal of beans or tuna & rice really tasty with them.

:) I figured that even if the Aussies are all well atm, summer heatwaves sap everyone's energy.

What is jarred rust capsicum? Google was no help.


Also, smoked salmon (particularly cheap at Aldi) is a yum easy protein addition to a summer salad or veggie sticks.

And I can't remember if I've previously mentioned this, but mashing an avocado with a small tin of tuna, some finely diced red onion or green onion/shallot plus a finely diced tomato and some lemon juice makes a yummy nutritious dip to have with veggie sticks and/or crackers. (skip the tuna if you're vegetarian/vegan or don't like it)

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #148 on: January 24, 2019, 11:11:34 PM »
Roast chook and salad has been our go to meal this week. Heat, renovations and other issues have reduced our desire to cook.

Astatine

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Re: Aussie: keeping yourself fed when running low on spoons
« Reply #149 on: January 24, 2019, 11:12:56 PM »
Roast chook and salad has been our go to meal this week. Heat, renovations and other issues have reduced our desire to cook.

Understandable. At this rate, I don't want to use our stove or oven until March. (microwave is tolerable because it doesn't pump out much heat into the house)