Accessible ways to buy and prepare food

WhileIBreathIHope

thespiceman said:

Hello @WhileIBreathIHope   Please can I ask do you not shop on line.

Signed up to TESCO midweek saver under £4 a month.  You can shop many times as you like in a month.

Midweek saver is Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.  Order shopping on line Monday for any of those days to receive.

Not got TESCO look on line other supermarkets.

I do the following may be of use to you.

Do a stocktake a meal plan what I am going to buy.  Have a stocklist of every item, food and household do I need have I got.

For one week often split the shop in half do one .  First week then again Second week.

Means you have the essentials in all times.

They carry the shopping into the kitchen help you unpack or use like I do some times say. Have my own bags and will help you fill them at the door.

You can ask them to help you.

If you have to make meals thinks of ways to use up the left overs.

Left over vegetables make in to soup.  Use left over Gravy as stock bases with any vegetables.

Buy a blender or a food processor useful for making soups, stocks and sauces. Get rid of veggies.

Use and think about a slow cooker you can get different sizes.

Look on line AMAZON. I know some members have a small one for them selves or their partner and a medium sized ones for family members.

I use this my self for Chicken . Add in veggies some tomato passata, herbs and spices leave on and it saves a lot of hassle.

Spend some time I use a weekend to dice, slice vegetables Carrots, Celery, Onions all ready for use. Keep in tubs fridge .

Use a food processor slicer for Onions..

Look at your freezer for ideas and savers. I buy bread rolls buns and muffins, any thing like that useful when any one wants a snack or need a quick boost of energy.

Great for breakfast.

Space savers use zip bags or clip bags for vegetables, fruit, frozen label . Also Bolognese, Chilli, Meat balls in a sauce in a zip bag or clip bag.

Use tin foil to wrap meat in lot cheaper than plastic wrap and no freezer burn.

Hope that helps you, have used a lot of this learnt from volunteering in kitchens and other places.

Also my own personal experiences and health issues had to re educate my self with my diet and nutrition.

You mentioned problems.

Have you consider the Fodmap website. Have a look gives you all the foods you can eat if you have issues with IBS or other stomach, bowel complaints.

Please if I can help with anything any ideas or wish to know anything please ask.

Around food, nutrition and diet.

Pleasure to talk to you.

@thespiceman

We shop early evening twice a month, my partner picks up bread and milk as needed.

You may or may not be aware that supermarket prices are zoned and unless you drive to next town they are expensive and confirmed by relative working at local store.

If Lidl or Aldi did home delivery I would jump at chance.

I do cook stews in the winter as cheap and excess reheated next day or frozen.

mrbuttons

i have a pull chopper from qvc  under the brand name of Khun  Rikon, its like a mini hand operated food processor that has blades inside and you put the food you want to chop inside then cover with the lid and pull a string that rotates the blades quickly and chops the food finely. its brilliant. no more trying to chop stuff with knives that we cant hold.  no more trying to balance foods on a chopping board. i think you can get them on amazon, lakeland and JML too.

it goes by many names but here it is...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zyliss-Easy-Pull-Processor-White/dp/B00XYRVZHI

i swear by frozen veg and frozen fruit that the supermarkets sell but i cant get on with frozen chopped onions or green / red peppers that need to be chopped before use because the freezing process makes them soggy, not a problem for soups. but no good for frying or salads.

also there are times when only a good ready meal just can't be beaten which is where M&S are hands down the best. Ocado are a good runner up in the ready meal market.. i think you get what you pay for in terms of taste, quality of ingredients and presentation. its worth paying a bit more for a better quality ready meal and having them only once or twice a week if you can. but nothing beats home made fresh food for nutrition.

mrbuttons

I have 2 slow cookers. 1 small one for cooking 2-4 meals for myself and a family size one for batch cooking and cooking large amounts of stuff that was on sale. I also cook a whole small chicken in it then transfer to the oven to get crispy skin.
I put left overs in ziploc bags in the freezer they take up less space and are reusable.

I use a small rice cooker from asda to prevent me wasting burnt rice. slow cookers are also good for making puddings loads of recipes online esp you tube.
I love my sandwich maker for making quick cheese and mushroom toasties. Very filling and quick if you buy ready sliced mushrooms and grated cheese.
Its worth checking what you have at the back of the freezer and chuck anything over acouple of months old, if you were going to use it you would have done so. No point using energy to freeze unwanted food that might be freezer burnt anyway. Frozen food can lose its appeal after a while so dont keep longer than necessary.

I make a list for my carer who puts through the online shopping order for me and the delivery person takes it from the van to the kitchen. They are just brilliant. Pity there is a minimum order value but never mind its still better than going out to the actual shops.
Talking about food has made me peckish now. Its1am, time for a snack.

I'm thinking of buying certain things in bulk, dry stuff like rice and pasta, teabags etc are always on offer for mega big packs. Sainsburys had 1,000 pg tips for about £12.
I was tempted but lack storage space. I might get the carer to shuffle some cupboards around for me. Ive also seen bulk offers for offices on tea and coffee on viking.co.uk, ebay and amazon. Might be worth thinking about.

newborn

What  a brilliant  thread.  Thanks.  I try to have a FODMAPs diet plus eat organic, plus consider the planet.  Never tried delivery. 
Do any of them do organic?

Interesting that Asda lets you have food in hospital . 
Yesterday Tesco's were saying they would go for a no-waste system.  You pay a deposit as a one off, for the container.   Just like old fashioned  milk bottles, it is returned for cleaning  and  sterilization,  then re-filled. 

Chloe_Scope

Thanks everyone, some great suggestions here!