Healthy winter food

[Kizzy]

Cold weather coming now brrrrr!
Don't want salads I want something hot and hearty but still low cal and healthy.
Anyone got any faves or ideas?

[Ninastar]

soup

[Kizzy]

I like soup, but was thinking of like family meals.
Pork shoulder is only £2.50 per kg atm so made a massive pork and lentil stew that was lovely.
Started to buy dried beans and pulses too instead of tins, much cheaper.

[mizzy25]

I was going to say soup too
shepards pie homemade of course

[Cherie]

My slow cooker comes into its own this time of year. Google some slo cooker receipes Kizzy, you can usually cook enough for two days so can freeze one and have it later in the week. I do all sorts, chilli, curry, stews, bolognaise, soups etc.

[Kizzy]

Can I tell you a secret?....
I have NEVER used my slow cooker :laugh:
But I promise I will!

[Mrluvaluva]

A nice bowl of home made chilli. :pipe:

[smudgie]

Home made soups and stews....or casseroles. Yummy.
Much prefer cooking winter food.

[Josy]

I always have something cooking in my slow cooker during the colder months atm it's chicken legs/thighs, I will remove the meat from the bones and use it for tomorrows dinner with some veg then use the rest for a curry, soup and sandwiches, so probably for 3 or 4 different things and I think they were only about 4 quid from co-op.

I add lentils and broth mix to allsorts of things in the winter too like stew, goulash, hotpots etc and we always eat things like that with side veg as well as having chopped veg in them.

Our favourite slow cooker meal is bbq pulled pork.

Other healthy stuff we eat in winter for dinners is stir fry, pasta bakes, and tons of home made soups, omelettes, I will probably think of more..

[Kate!]

I want a slow cooker.

[Ninastar]

I would definitely advise the slow cooker. its how we get through winter.

you can make all sorts with it.

we cook a roast overnight and have it the next day and its soooo nice

[MTVN]

First time I've even heard of a slow cooker

[Josy]

I want a slow cooker.

You can pick them up quite cheap now Kate, Tesco do 3L ones for £15

[Kizzy]

I got one and then got paranoid about having it switched on while we were asleep :/
I get a turkey thigh and drumstick they are £4.50 (sometimes £3) and there's loads of meat on them easy enough for 2-3 meals and sandwiches.
I had no idea turkey was a lot lower in fat than chicken until recently, bonus :)
Will have a go at that bbq pork, my lad will love that!

[Ammi]

..soups definitely, I could live off homemade vegetable soups in the winter ...also any curry is lovely in the slow cooker, I like anything that you can just throw spices and pulses into it and be inventive....

[Cherie]

]I got one and then got paranoid about having it switched on while we were asleep :/[/B]
I get a turkey thigh and drumstick they are £4.50 (sometimes £3) and there's loads of meat on them easy enough for 2-3 meals and sandwiches.
I had no idea turkey was a lot lower in fat than chicken until recently, bonus :)
Will have a go at that bbq pork, my lad will love that!

I never cook overnight, usually 6/7 hours is enough, so you can start it about 9/10 ish in the morning and the food is ready by dinner time (evening dinner!)

[thesheriff443]

I always have something cooking in my slow cooker during the colder months atm it's chicken legs/thighs, I will remove the meat from the bones and use it for tomorrows dinner with some veg then use the rest for a curry, soup and sandwiches, so probably for 3 or 4 different things and I think they were only about 4 quid from co-op.

I add lentils and broth mix to allsorts of things in the winter too like stew, goulash, hotpots etc and we always eat things like that with side veg as well as having chopped veg in them.

Our favourite slow cooker meal is bbq pulled pork.

Other healthy stuff we eat in winter for dinners is stir fry, pasta bakes, and tons of home made soups, omelettes, I will probably think of more..

reading this makes me hungry.

[Josy]

Another one of our easy winter go to's is Smothered Pork Chops, this was the first meal I ever made in our own house when I was 16 years old and I think I phoned my mum every two minutes to double check everything she told me :laugh:

4 pork chops (bone in or out is up to you)
2 large onions
2 beef oxo cubes

I add some extras sometimes like mushrooms or carrots.

Place your chops in a casserole dish (you can brown them before hand if that's what you prefer)
Chop the onions and place on the top (as well as any extras)
Mix the 2 beef cubes with enough water to cover everything

Cover with foil then place in a preheated oven and leave to cook for about 40minutes, I then remove the foil and turn the chops so the top doesn't dry out then put them back in the oven for another 20/30 minutes without the foil.


You can buy a 4 pack of frozen boneless pork chops from Morrisons for £2 and they work well with this, just remember to defrost them first.

Edit - I forgot to add this serves 4 of us and we have it with mashed turnip :love:

[Vicky.]

Pfft. Healthy? Winter is the perfect excuse to eat a load of junk and blame it on comfort eating :D

[Josy]

Pfft. Healthy? Winter is the perfect excuse to eat a load of junk and blame it on comfort eating :D

:laugh:

[AnnieK]

I love winter - we hardly ever waste food in the winter as we turn all leftovers into soups etc. I always boil chicken bones to make stock and then chuck in loads of whatever veg I have left over, pulses, lentils etc etc. and make chicken broth etc...we always have a pan of something on the hob and freeze the rest....

[Josy]

We freeze a lot too Annie it's so easy just to grab something from the freezer to heat up rather than standing around the kitchen for hours making it.

I don't freeze soups or anything like that with potatoes in it though, I think they taste weird when they are defrosted/reheated :laugh:

[Cherie]

Pfft. Healthy? Winter is the perfect excuse to eat a load of junk and blame it on comfort eating :D

Exactly!


Kizzy, a real hearty soup again make it in your unused slow cooker, is Ministrone, you can lob in loads of cannellini beans and pasta to bulk it out, and just do a few meatballs for the boy if he needs his meat. You should get 3/4 meals out of one slo cook if it is just 2 of you.

[Kizzy]

I'm a bit weird with frozen meat and bones haha, I do drain the cooking juices from a chicken let it settle and skim off the oil to get stock, but not boil bones.
I wish I liked curry more, we are right wusses chip shop stylee is as hot as we go :D
Lad loves pork and braised steak, but you hear stuff about red meat and it puts you off :(

[arista]

First time I've even heard of a slow cooker



Cost effective
and you leave it on while you go to Work.


Pro People use them

[arista]

Pfft. Healthy? Winter is the perfect excuse to eat a load of junk and blame it on comfort eating :D


no keep Your Hips
Hot

[Cherie]

Cost effective
and you leave it on while you go to Work.


Pro People use them


:joker:yes Kizzy, not overnight when you are in bed!

[Kizzy]

Mmm that minestrone sounds lovely! deffo going to do that, if you do freeze meals whats the procedure?
If I were to cook double of a chicken stew today say, freeze half, with it have to be fully defrosted before reheating?

[Cherie]

I'm a bit weird with frozen meat and bones haha, I do drain the cooking juices from a chicken let it settle and skim off the oil to get stock, but not boil bones.
I wish I liked curry more, we are right wusses chip shop stylee is as hot as we go :D
Lad loves pork and braised steak, but you hear stuff about red meat and it puts you off :(

No I don't boil bones either the fox gets any chicken bones in this house.

[Cherie]

Mmm that minestrone sounds lovely! deffo going to do that, if you do freeze meals whats the procedure?
If I were to cook double of a chicken stew today say, freeze half, with it have to be fully defrosted before reheating?

Yes you need to fully defrost anything with meat it in. With anything just veg based, you can get away with reheating it without fully defrosting.

[Kizzy]

:joker:yes Kizzy, not overnight when you are in bed!

Haha my mates mum had one she came in from a nightclub and devoured whatever her mum was making overnight once :joker:
That's what made me think overnight haha!

[Josy]

This thread has made me want to go into the kitchen and start cooking.

[arista]

This thread has made me want to go into the kitchen and start cooking.


Yes do it now

Later Relax



Life In The Fast Lane

[Kizzy]

Yes you need to fully defrost anything with meat it in. With anything just veg based, you can get away with reheating it without fully defrosting.

Right, I'm on it! :)
soaked some butter beans and red lentils last night so here goes... Will post the recipe once I decide what it is, and if the result is edible :laugh:

[Cherie]

well did you dust off your slo cooker Kizzy?

[Vanessa]

Sausages. :amazed:

[Kazanne]

Slow cookers are great for stewing meats.

[Kizzy]

No... :laugh: I did a chicken and spinach concoction on the hob though night before last, can rustle up a stew in an hour now so will keep it in the cupboard for now:D here's how it went...
Chicken
dried mixed beans,chick peas,lentils (soak 24hrs or more)
onion
kallo stock cube (2 chicken1veg)
spinkle of shwartz 'season all'
3-4 drops fish oil (trust me)
splash soy sauce
black pepper
Bulger wheat and or quinoa
loads frozen spinach and mixed veg.

[Kazanne]

Mmm that minestrone sounds lovely! deffo going to do that, if you do freeze meals whats the procedure?
If I were to cook double of a chicken stew today say, freeze half, with it have to be fully defrosted before reheating?

baked potatoes Kizzy with coleslaw and other toppings.

[Kizzy]

Yep love a jacket tatty having them tonight ... well, it's tradition lol!
hate having the oven on just for a few spuds but meh, Or I could do a fritatta too?...:)

[fingers]

If you don't have a slow cooker the next best thing is just to use your Gas or Electric Hob with a Simmer Mat between the heat source and the base of your pot.
I use one all the time for slowcooking, you turn the gas to its lowest setting and cook for as log as you want.
Cheapest I've found online are from EBay, regular prices go from about £7 - £15 - EBay do them from £1.50!

> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/330980192871?hlpht=true&ops=true&viphx=1&lpid=95&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=95

[Kizzy]

I was trying to work out what is the cheapest cooking method too, is is slow cooker as the temp is so low or the hob for speed?
If I use the oven I try to do as much as poss to utilize the energy efficiently.

[fingers]

Can't answer that, kizzy, but I reckon that gas hob simmering has to be about the cheapest, you are using the absolute minimum when using a Simmer Mat.

[Redway]

Try these:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/top-20-winter

And the lot - http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=healthy+winter+recipes&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari

Admittedly googled it just now but they usually have some pretty solid ideas.

[michael21]

i just order Large Donner Kebab cant wait for it to get here

[Josy]

I'm making soup today, just ham and veg I think but may decide to add more meat later..

For a massive pot:

1 decent sized Ham Hock
7 large carrots (5 diced and 2 grated)
4 Onions chopped
2 large Leeks sliced
1 small Swede/Turnip diced
3 Potatoes diced
1 Cup of Pearl Barley
Half a cup of lentils
A couple of ham or veg stock cubes
Black Pepper

I blend mine a little once cooked with the hand blender.

Using the cooker to make this because I already have a gammon joint cooking in my slow cooker.

[kirklancaster]

I'm making soup today, just ham and veg I think but may decide to add more meat later..

For a massive pot:

1 decent sized Ham Hock
7 large carrots (5 diced and 2 grated)
4 Onions chopped
2 large Leeks sliced
1 small Swede/Turnip diced
3 Potatoes diced
1 Cup of Pearl Barley
Half a cup of lentils
A couple of ham or veg stock cubes
Black Pepper

I blend mine a little once cooked with the hand blender.

Using the cooker to make this because I already have a gammon joint cooking in my slow cooker.

Delicious, and apart from the pearl barley, you use the same ingredients as I do.

I love cooking ham shank with steeping peas, onions, a bit of celery and seasoning - scrumptious.

[Josy]

Do you not like Pearl Barley Kirk?

[Kazanne]

Can I tell you a secret?....
I have NEVER used my slow cooker :laugh:
But I promise I will!

Kizzy ,you should,they are a God send,put ingredients in ,in the morning and hey presto it's ready for tea time and beautifully cooked.

[Josy]

Kizzy ,you should,they are a God send,put ingredients in ,in the morning and hey presto it's ready for tea time and beautifully cooked.

I agree.

I love my slow cooker :flutter:

[kirklancaster]

Do you not like Pearl Barley Kirk?

No Josy, because we were very poor when I was a child and my dear old mum used to overuse it in stews and broths to 'bulk' them out bless her.

That and tinned fruit (for the same reason) are about the only foods which I don't like.

I really love home cooking though Josy and I'm grateful I was raised on good wholesome food - poverty turned out to be a blessing in this respect. It seems you're a keen home cookery fan too. Trouble is, this recipe of yours has got me wanting some now. LOL.

[Kazanne]

I agree.

I love my slow cooker :flutter:

Me too Josy,what did we do without them,I also like the halogen ovens,mines just broke,but have to get another.

[kirklancaster]

Me too Josy,what did we do without them,I also like the halogen ovens,mines just broke,but have to get another.

Yes, the Slow Cooker is indispensable in our kitchen.

[Josy]

No Josy, because we were very poor when I was a child and my dear old mum used to overuse it in stews and broths to 'bulk' them out bless her.

That and tinned fruit (for the same reason) are about the only foods which I don't like.

I really love home cooking though Josy and I'm grateful I was raised on good wholesome food - poverty turned out to be a blessing in this respect. It seems you're a keen home cookery fan too. Trouble is, this recipe of yours has got me wanting some now. LOL.

Yeah my mum and mother in law got me into home cooking and I get what you mean about the pearl barley, I actually use it to bulk out things too the same with adding grated carrot and stuff to other things :laugh:

And get in and make yourself a pot of soup, theres nothing better on a cold winters night IMO.

Me too Josy,what did we do without them,I also like the halogen ovens,mines just broke,but have to get another.

My mother in law uses her halogens constantly she has 2 and uses them for almost everything, she actually got rid of her oven because the halogen takes it's place and so now just has a stove top built into the worktop.

[kirklancaster]

Yeah my mum and mother in law got me into home cooking and I get what you mean about the pearl barley, I actually use it to bulk out things too the same with adding grated carrot and stuff to other things :laugh:

And get in and make yourself a pot of soup, theres nothing better on a cold winters night IMO.



My mother in law uses her halogens constantly she has 2 and uses them for almost everything, she actually got rid of her oven because the halogen takes it's place and so now just has a stove top built into the worktop.

Believe it or not, I'm on with it. I'm starving now.

[Josy]

Home made chicken and rice soup for me today,

So from a whole chicken it was stock for soup, some of the meat for the soup, the chicken breasts will be for a homemade chicken and veg pie tomorrow and the rest for sandwiches.

[LeatherTrumpet]

All i had for my fecking lunch was a cup of bovril and 2 bits of buttered bread as I was too busy to sit down and watch 15 mins of bargain hunt as normal.

"this hasnt arrived, will it arrive before Christmas" I dont fecking know I am not your flipping postman :fist:

Bloody cold all day iv been, the kitchen was 12 C for most of the afternoon. cant be arsed to cook any tea tonight but i may have a tin of soup later

I am turning into my Christmas user name


had a lot of pearl barley when i was wee and them wee orange lentil things

[Josy]

All i had for my fecking lunch was a cup of bovril and 2 bits of buttered bread as I was too busy to sit down and watch 15 mins of bargain hunt as normal.

"this hasnt arrived, will it arrive before Christmas" I dont fecking know I am not your flipping postman :fist:

Bloody cold all day iv been, the kitchen was 12 C for most of the afternoon. cant be arsed to cook any tea tonight but i may have a tin of soup later

I am turning into my Christmas user name


had a lot of pearl barley when i was wee and them wee orange lentil things

What do you mean when you were wee? :shocked: where you live those pearl barley and lentils should be a staple part of your diet.

[LeatherTrumpet]

What do you mean when you were wee? :shocked: where you live those pearl barley and lentils should be a staple part of your diet.

I have just had half a cup of Bombay Mix

so i am quite exotic

:hmph: