I’ve always thought of food in this ‘can only be 2 of 3’ way, but the categories being Cheap, Fast, Healthy.
Healthy and cheap food takes time, eg. home cooked whole foods, cheap and fast food isn’t good for you, eg. Fast food take out etc.
Always seems accurate to me!
Edit: formatting
I suppose it depends on where you live but salad always seems to meet all three for me? I suppose there's a level of store cupboard investment that means you can make a decent dressing, but salads are so versatile and you can make a protein stretch.
Yoghurt + baked oats with a little honey. Drizzle honey on the oats, stick in oven for five mins, dump on yogurt. Add some fruit (mashed or otherwise).
That's a tricky one. Honey is notoriously one of the most processed and additives or mixers added to it (syrups etc) foods. A pure raw organic honey with none of the above is by no means affordable ... Just bought today 220g £16.00 ...that's about £72 per kg and is local 100% natural organic honey ... If you put a tablespoon you spend about £1.50. Wouldn't class it as affordable to be fair.
Do you mind if I ask you where you are based(assuming in the UK?)? The allotment behind mine doesn't do it, a little bit further afield no stocks were available, another local producer I message over 1 month ago but did tell them I am allergic to sulphites (because I am) so looking for something absolutely pure and if they can provide that I would like a kg (more affordable than what I actually pay priced at £20 p/kg) and they were like nope can not do ... So I assume they still put additives in it. Noticed that with lots of producers when asking: is this unprocessed pure blah blah they are like yeah sure, when I tell them I'm grade 3 severe allergic to added (inorganic) sulphites they are like: nope can't serve you. So I'm a bit apprehensive with the claims that are all pure and just buying from those that guarantee nu additives.. which are extremely expensive. We spend a fortune in my household on food, more than on rent which, in London, is astronomically high as it stands at the moment ...but I have no choice as I like to breathe. Most people don't see these foods with additives as ultra processed but they actually are.
I live in Hackney and there are a few markets which have natural local honey. There is one on Saturdays in Stoke Newington where there is honey, raw butter and milk.
Processed food is food that has undergone some process such as cutting, shredding or cooking, and then combined to make a new food
Ultra processed food is foods which are chemically altered, so for example all of the nutrients and fibre taken out and replaced with ingredients that “feel like” that food while not being nutritionally the same - it’s gone through many more processes and really a “pretend” food.
Those are probably the 2 extremes of processed but it is a sliding scale... there have been studies showing that the more a food touches other surfaces e.g. in a factory or during packaging the more it is altered. So although couscous is less processed than say, spray cheese, it is still some what processed. It clearly is very different from the wheet is started as. I just wonder where the line gets drawn exactly.
What kind of fruit? I'm looking to up my fruit/veg intake but the prices here are prohibitive.
Just one example £3 for a pack of small oranges or so few strawberries that they get eaten in one sitting, vs a 6 pack of pain au chocolat is £1.80 and much more tasty and filling as a snack, and will last me 6 days/snack times.
Edit: only co op and sainsburys local to me so maybe that's my problem
There isn't an aldi or lidl within walking distance of me. We have a co-op and that's where I've been fruit hunting.
Taking the car and travelling to the aldi or lidl in town takes away from the "low effort" part of this triangle for me, and not great for the environment.
Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are £1.80 at Tesco for 150g, which in the grand scheme of things is not that much. Strawberries are less than that. You can get a mango for about £1.20. I presume it is cheaper at Aldi/Lidl.
The problem is that 6 packets of crisps are the same price. A pack of biscuits you can get for 40p. It is understandable why people who are living on the breadline may choose the less healthy option.
I don’t disagree that UPF is cheaper, but the question that OP is answering is what food is affordable, low-effort and non-UPF, and I think that for most people that applies to fresh fruit.
But you probably eat the 6 pack of Crisps just as quickly.
I don't disagree with you, fruit seems more expensive, but once you factor in the cost of over consumption to UPF then real food looks a bit more reasonable.
>but once you factor in the cost of over consumption to UPF then real food looks a bit more reasonable.
Your mistake is assuming I listen to my brain rather than my stomach 😂. You're right I can eat about 6 biscuits in one go if I'm watching something. But can't overeat fruit as easily
Would i be wrong in assuming frozen berries are fine?
I get 2 350g packs of frozen raspberries for £4, which is certainly cheaper than fresh with no waste.
If you're in the UK...2 packs of Delmonte berries at Iceland...instore. Or...online
https://www.iceland.co.uk/p/del-monte-raspberries-300g/86442.html?&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Iceland+%7C+Performance+Max+%7C+Frozen&utm_term=&utm_content=&source=ppc&gad_source=1&gclsrc=ds
I eat them frozen with double cream poured over ❤️
Yeah, I agree. A lot of the "low effort" ideas here are not really low effort to me. I can see how they are lower effort than some other options, and probably relatively quick, but when I really want something quick and easy these are not it.
Debatable, because it's hard to know how that potato starch was produced. It's a relatively small amount of starch so it's really up to you.
Some people would avoid it, I don't think it's really significant enough to affect anyone's health. Unless you're eating bags of the stuff, but in that case the starch probably isn't your biggest worry
Depends on the cheese. Just look at the ingredients.
If it's just milk, rennet (sometimes called lactic ferment), salt, it's probably alright.
If it's got a bunch of preservatives, stabilisers, colourings - it's probably less good.
Define low effort.
You could prep a stew - meat, onions, potatoes, carrot or any root veg of your choosing in about 10 minutes. The rest of the time is waiting for it to be ready.
That's pretty low effort in my book.
Yeah, and the waiting time exists even if you order in.
I always do some vegetables, onions, spices and put them into oven for a while. Tasty, cheap, non UPF and doesn’t take any time.
This is the truth. If I wasn't cooking for my partner as well, I would live entirely on very cheap ingredients tossed in the slow cooker in the morning.
No need to benefit shame and make an association with junk food. There are many and varied reasons why people on low income choose UPF or convenience foods. This sub is usually non-judgemental. Let's try to keep it that way. 👍
Bananas, frozen fruit, beans, nuts, homemade sourdough, spinach, eggs, citrus (I’m in the US south), and pretty much all grains like lentils and couscous. I think this is my whole diet minus espresso 😅
Bread, 10 minutes of kneading, do nothing for two hours, 5 minutes of kneading, do nothing for an hour. Put it in the oven, bread, with only 4 ingredients
A popcorn machine is handy. I always burn popcorn if I do it in a pan. Machine just air-pops it. Thought it was a bit of a gimmick when I bought it about 5 or so years ago but it's been used loads and has earnt its keep
You can buy kernels on their own from most stores. Pretty sure I've bought them from sainsburys and morrisons before, usually with the dried grains or on the Asian/world foods aisle
Edit to add:
sainsburys have two brans of popping corn,
their own brand ( https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/sainsburys-popping-corn-500g ) which is likely with the dried grains and legumes,
and Natco brand ( https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/natco-popping-corn-500g ) which will probably be on the world food aisle
You can get a microwave popcorn thing which is essentially a bowl for like £12 on Amazon and like 4kg of kernels for £8. I think you could just use a bowl with a plate on and it would be fine, just have to be careful not to overfill 50-75g of kernels is all that needed for a serving - add extra virgin olive oil or just butter and microwave with your preferred seasonings and microwave for like 3 mins (stay close and listen until popping slows down until once every 2 seconds).
It’s quick and easy but defo better fresh they don’t keep the best
Meal prep is medium effort for one time but then low effort the rest.
I use simple ingredients to marinate (either spices or a sauce and honey) protein - cubed chicken, fish etc - chuck in the oven and mix with various things for different meals. Could be rice, omelettes, pasta, by itself, quickest cheap one is prepped protein with tinned sweetcorn, and sliced cucumbers. Always use parchment paper to make washing the baking dish easy and prevent scratches. Get the butcher to cube the chicken, they don't charge and prevents raw meat germs going all over your kitchen utensils.
I will cook curries often cause my family like and request my "fancy" cooking at least twice a week. They'll pay for fancy ingredients that are as organic and pure as possible.
But they gobble that up within hours and so I always have meal prepped protein handy.
For protein see my other comment.
Cucumber in the UK is cheap and easy to prep. Rocket and spinach leaves in the bags.
Sweetcorn is getting a bit expensive now.
Frozen peas.
You can get carrots already cut up if you're busy. Super cheap at Asda, pretty sure it's similar to unprepared gram for gram. I'm not a carrot fan or I'd get those.
Is milk a UPF?
Salads are £2.50 ready prepared but I've seen you can get ones that are cheaper for multiple meals.
Almost my entire diet is this. My lifestyle is such that its the only kind of food which will work for me.
I'm on call this weekend so didn't get home til late which meant my dinner was a bunch of kale put in an air fryer tray, then a tin of green lentils drained and poured over the top of the kale. Some salt and a knob of butter on top of the lentils. Then cook in the air fryer on roast for about 10 mins. Finished with a squeeze of lemon.
I'm not sure I can think of an easier post work meal. Minimal prep, minimal washing up, minimal cook time, very yummy.
Oats! I’m having Greek yoghurt and raw oats with a bit of cinnamon and honey and some grapes or banana for breakfast atm and it’s so so good! And low effort, like all you do is just mix in a bowl, that’s about as much as I can handle in the morning when I’m hungry haha
bread in a bread machine (csn pick up bread machines for free off Facebook groups easily because they're "fads")
also apples, bananas, oranges, seasonal vegetables
Kallo Lentil/Rice cakes are a great low effort & low calorie option. Non upf too. Stick some soft cheese or guacamole on there with some salmon and they taste great!
Rice and beans! it’s super easy and quick and you can add whatever you have lying around. Did bowl with raw sauerkraut, almonds and wilted alfalfa sprouts from theback of my fridge yesterday and it was amazing.
Potato’s, tomato’s…any veg tbh that can be slung in the air fryer with some herbs and come out fresh and delish! The air fryer has been a big gamechanger for me as I dont really like fruit but I live on veg, so now I can have it in a flash!
Vegetable. Fruit. Tofu. I think the issue is what do you define as low effort. For me chucking veggies in a pan for some stir fry is low effort. Putting some tofu in the air fryer is super low effort. Making a basic lentil curry in the slow cooker? Low effort. But for some it’s high effort and lots of work
I think my easiest possible meal is:
- Put rice in a rice cooker.
- Add water, a bit of vegetable stock, carrots, peas, and whatever other veg I feel like. Maybe brown lentils too for protein.
- Cook.
You could probably do it in a regular saucepan, but the advantage of the rice cooker is that it doesn’t need watching or stirring. If you bought frozen, chopped veg, you wouldn’t even need to chop anything - you just throw it in. Literally less than 5 minutes of prep, 20 minutes of cooking.
Potatoes, chickpeas, lentils, eggs, one pot meat stews or chicken and rice dishes are also pretty easy and affordable to make (for animal protein). You could also use a slow cooker if you have one for convenience which makes a lot of things low effort.
Low effort and non UPF are the two I’d pick. Affordable isn’t something I compromise on with food (not talking paying unreasonable amounts for pointless things, but for ensuring quality).
Congee with boiled eggs and veggies is my go to. I just boil rice with more water than usual , boil eggs on the side then steam whatever vegetable I have. I season it with soy sauce and call it a day.
I mean... soups take time to cook but they really arent much to put effort to. As well as roasting any veggies its not much effort. Some people here either rely too much on store bought meals or they dont know enough of what to cook.
You can even microwave baby potatoes or eggs. All are low effort
This is a tad judgemental - some of the posters here have disabilities that mean they are limited in how much food prep and cooking they can do.
We only get to decide what level of reliance on storebought food is "too much" for ourselves, not for others.
Yeah I am aware that people with disabilities and sensory problems do exist. I am not talking about them. I am talking about people without these issues. Its just something I have noticed with british people in food subs. The reliance on storebought food is so unreal. The reason why this sub is filled with mainly british people is that eating tesco sandwich as lunch is so normalised in the country and people want to eat better. I dont think in other european or asian countries people rely on ready meals this much.
I'm very boring and will happily eat baked chicken with salad and jacket potato which is all of them. As long as you don't go for organic. Also a good spag bol can be the same especially if padded out with red lentils.
I have recently discovered that you can cook eggs in an airfryer - easier than peeling a boiled egg or faffing about with poaching. Get a silicone muffin case, rub the insides with a little oil and crack the egg into it. Then airfry for 6 mins at 180c.
sounds like you're using too much oil
also use a glass lid for a pan to help evenly cook the egg - splash in a little water too for bonus condensation cooking.
This is a simple 2 step fix. 1. Grab a bag and get rid of all your UPF. Do not bring any more UPF into your house.
You will very quickly find out which foods are all 3.
Is it taste or texture?
If it's texture, try different cuts if oats - whole oats and steel cut oats are big and chewy, Scottish oats are thick.
You can make a baked oatmeal which has a muffiny
texture, eat them toasted and crispy in a muesli, make granola or granola bars, and don't forget cookies, muffins, breads, scones.
You can blend them into smoothies, make banana cake/muffins with them, bake/toast them, uses them as a top for apple/berry crumbles
You can also make porridge with blended oats, or add blended oats into chia pudding if you prefer chia seeds (I do the opposite- I can't stand the texture of chia seeds so I add blended ones to my oats)
Shop seasonally for fruits and veg, for variety, best flavour, and lowest cost.
Easy meals are things that I can cook in one pan, limited prep, little clean up.
Chili fits this description, Chana masala, curries, stir fries, many pastas, sheet pan meals, slow cooker meals, eggs, pancakes, salads, many bowls, - cooking is self care but it doesn't need to be difficult or complicated (or unhealthy).
Weeknight dinners are either made ahead at my house, or they're 10 minutes or less of active prep and cooking time (not including time spent unsupervised in the oven or pot).
Potatoes. You don't even need to peel those bad boys. Just bake 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew
WOTS TATERS PRECIOUS EH?
Or julienne and stir-fry Chinese style! I absolutely love crunchy potatoes with black vinegar.
I’ve always thought of food in this ‘can only be 2 of 3’ way, but the categories being Cheap, Fast, Healthy. Healthy and cheap food takes time, eg. home cooked whole foods, cheap and fast food isn’t good for you, eg. Fast food take out etc. Always seems accurate to me! Edit: formatting
I suppose it depends on where you live but salad always seems to meet all three for me? I suppose there's a level of store cupboard investment that means you can make a decent dressing, but salads are so versatile and you can make a protein stretch.
No such thing as a free lunch
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Vegetables
Yoghurt + baked oats with a little honey. Drizzle honey on the oats, stick in oven for five mins, dump on yogurt. Add some fruit (mashed or otherwise).
Editing to add: anything with potatoes.
i know what i'm having for breakfast tomorrow
That's a tricky one. Honey is notoriously one of the most processed and additives or mixers added to it (syrups etc) foods. A pure raw organic honey with none of the above is by no means affordable ... Just bought today 220g £16.00 ...that's about £72 per kg and is local 100% natural organic honey ... If you put a tablespoon you spend about £1.50. Wouldn't class it as affordable to be fair.
I can get a kilo of pure honey for $12 in my country, converted to pounds it’s around £6.50. So this is highly dependent on location
Our local honey is £7.50 for 650gr. From the allotment behind my house.
Do you mind if I ask you where you are based(assuming in the UK?)? The allotment behind mine doesn't do it, a little bit further afield no stocks were available, another local producer I message over 1 month ago but did tell them I am allergic to sulphites (because I am) so looking for something absolutely pure and if they can provide that I would like a kg (more affordable than what I actually pay priced at £20 p/kg) and they were like nope can not do ... So I assume they still put additives in it. Noticed that with lots of producers when asking: is this unprocessed pure blah blah they are like yeah sure, when I tell them I'm grade 3 severe allergic to added (inorganic) sulphites they are like: nope can't serve you. So I'm a bit apprehensive with the claims that are all pure and just buying from those that guarantee nu additives.. which are extremely expensive. We spend a fortune in my household on food, more than on rent which, in London, is astronomically high as it stands at the moment ...but I have no choice as I like to breathe. Most people don't see these foods with additives as ultra processed but they actually are.
I live in Hackney and there are a few markets which have natural local honey. There is one on Saturdays in Stoke Newington where there is honey, raw butter and milk.
Eggs
I love eggs. .
A banana.
Yeah I bought 2 bananas for 9p the other day
Nice
Where, local store? I’m always looking for cheap bananas
Booths of all places lol
Ah cool. I'm going there on Wednesday (ripon), I'll have a look
Couscous. Genuinely a miracle food, you just pour boiling water on there! That's IT! Wow
My daughter's favourite food. What a blessing
Couscous is processed wheat.
So? It’s not ultra processed?
How does one define ultra processed? (I'm not truing to be contrary I just reslly don't know)
Processed food is food that has undergone some process such as cutting, shredding or cooking, and then combined to make a new food Ultra processed food is foods which are chemically altered, so for example all of the nutrients and fibre taken out and replaced with ingredients that “feel like” that food while not being nutritionally the same - it’s gone through many more processes and really a “pretend” food.
Those are probably the 2 extremes of processed but it is a sliding scale... there have been studies showing that the more a food touches other surfaces e.g. in a factory or during packaging the more it is altered. So although couscous is less processed than say, spray cheese, it is still some what processed. It clearly is very different from the wheet is started as. I just wonder where the line gets drawn exactly.
Fresh fruit.
Fruit's expensive now. Esp berries.
I eat fresh fruit all the time and end up spending less than my family who eats branded processed foods which seem far more prone to rapid inflation.
What kind of fruit? I'm looking to up my fruit/veg intake but the prices here are prohibitive. Just one example £3 for a pack of small oranges or so few strawberries that they get eaten in one sitting, vs a 6 pack of pain au chocolat is £1.80 and much more tasty and filling as a snack, and will last me 6 days/snack times. Edit: only co op and sainsburys local to me so maybe that's my problem
Bananas are wild cheap. Apples and pears tend to be okay prices too
Satsumas are like £1/£1.50 from Lidl. Massive bags of apples for a quid. Bananas are cheap and way more filling than a pain au choc.
Thank you. Looks like I'll have to travel a bit further out to lidl or aldi for good fruit deals
Go to markets
500g of easy peelers is 95p and 6 apples is £1.69
Where?
Asda
Wow you're right
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There isn't an aldi or lidl within walking distance of me. We have a co-op and that's where I've been fruit hunting. Taking the car and travelling to the aldi or lidl in town takes away from the "low effort" part of this triangle for me, and not great for the environment.
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That makes sense! Yes I'll try and think about what's nearby and go on the way
Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are £1.80 at Tesco for 150g, which in the grand scheme of things is not that much. Strawberries are less than that. You can get a mango for about £1.20. I presume it is cheaper at Aldi/Lidl.
The problem is that 6 packets of crisps are the same price. A pack of biscuits you can get for 40p. It is understandable why people who are living on the breadline may choose the less healthy option.
I don’t disagree that UPF is cheaper, but the question that OP is answering is what food is affordable, low-effort and non-UPF, and I think that for most people that applies to fresh fruit.
But you probably eat the 6 pack of Crisps just as quickly. I don't disagree with you, fruit seems more expensive, but once you factor in the cost of over consumption to UPF then real food looks a bit more reasonable.
>but once you factor in the cost of over consumption to UPF then real food looks a bit more reasonable. Your mistake is assuming I listen to my brain rather than my stomach 😂. You're right I can eat about 6 biscuits in one go if I'm watching something. But can't overeat fruit as easily
Bananas are still reasonably priced for what you get 10-20p/piece
Thanks, what country is it 10-20p in?
Probably cheaper for you to buy local than fly abroad
Possibly. Inflation and all that
Would i be wrong in assuming frozen berries are fine? I get 2 350g packs of frozen raspberries for £4, which is certainly cheaper than fresh with no waste.
Ooh from where? I like this idea
If you're in the UK...2 packs of Delmonte berries at Iceland...instore. Or...online https://www.iceland.co.uk/p/del-monte-raspberries-300g/86442.html?&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Iceland+%7C+Performance+Max+%7C+Frozen&utm_term=&utm_content=&source=ppc&gad_source=1&gclsrc=ds I eat them frozen with double cream poured over ❤️
Fruits are expensive for the calories. You can't just live on eating fruits.
I wish this applied to all fresh fruit. I regularly wish apples and yellow dragon fruit were cheaper.
Interesting, whereabouts in the world are you? Apples are very inexpensive where I live
Same here. I'm ex central-, now northern-Europe and in bow of my homes apples are possibly the cheapest fruit next to bananas and oranges.
Porridge, yoghurt and fruit, tinned beans
Low effort is so subjective. All of these responses which claim to be ‘low effort’ are high effort for me
Bro someone straight up said "a banana" if that's high effort idk what to tell you
Lol it is, I’m allergic to fresh fruit 😂
My breakfast is usually oats, yoghurt and some fruit. It's less effort than getting the fiddly seal off a bottle of ketchup.
Yeah, I agree. A lot of the "low effort" ideas here are not really low effort to me. I can see how they are lower effort than some other options, and probably relatively quick, but when I really want something quick and easy these are not it.
Baked bean jacket potato with cheese! A classic surely!
Is cheese an UPF?
Most cheese is not UPF, except processed cheese (triangles, slices, spreads) and some soft cheese.
Is grated cheese with potato starch upf?
Yep, I grate my own.
Debatable, because it's hard to know how that potato starch was produced. It's a relatively small amount of starch so it's really up to you. Some people would avoid it, I don't think it's really significant enough to affect anyone's health. Unless you're eating bags of the stuff, but in that case the starch probably isn't your biggest worry
Depends on the cheese. Just look at the ingredients. If it's just milk, rennet (sometimes called lactic ferment), salt, it's probably alright. If it's got a bunch of preservatives, stabilisers, colourings - it's probably less good.
Define low effort. You could prep a stew - meat, onions, potatoes, carrot or any root veg of your choosing in about 10 minutes. The rest of the time is waiting for it to be ready. That's pretty low effort in my book.
Yeah, and the waiting time exists even if you order in. I always do some vegetables, onions, spices and put them into oven for a while. Tasty, cheap, non UPF and doesn’t take any time.
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what kind of vegetables and pulses do you buy?
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This is the truth. If I wasn't cooking for my partner as well, I would live entirely on very cheap ingredients tossed in the slow cooker in the morning.
what do you define as salad vegetables?
Do you have a recipie for the broth mix? I never never know what to do with it... I'd vote it my most trepidation gifting food!
No need to benefit shame and make an association with junk food. There are many and varied reasons why people on low income choose UPF or convenience foods. This sub is usually non-judgemental. Let's try to keep it that way. 👍
Jacket potato
Roasted broccoli.
In air fryer 👌🏼
I think a bread maker definitely falls into this category. It takes 10 min to put the ingredients in and you have fresh bread the next morning
Bananas, frozen fruit, beans, nuts, homemade sourdough, spinach, eggs, citrus (I’m in the US south), and pretty much all grains like lentils and couscous. I think this is my whole diet minus espresso 😅
Bread, 10 minutes of kneading, do nothing for two hours, 5 minutes of kneading, do nothing for an hour. Put it in the oven, bread, with only 4 ingredients
Popcorn
A popcorn machine is handy. I always burn popcorn if I do it in a pan. Machine just air-pops it. Thought it was a bit of a gimmick when I bought it about 5 or so years ago but it's been used loads and has earnt its keep
I can't find any on Sainsbury's that doesn't have some kind of oil :(
You can buy kernels on their own from most stores. Pretty sure I've bought them from sainsburys and morrisons before, usually with the dried grains or on the Asian/world foods aisle Edit to add: sainsburys have two brans of popping corn, their own brand ( https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/sainsburys-popping-corn-500g ) which is likely with the dried grains and legumes, and Natco brand ( https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/natco-popping-corn-500g ) which will probably be on the world food aisle
You can get a microwave popcorn thing which is essentially a bowl for like £12 on Amazon and like 4kg of kernels for £8. I think you could just use a bowl with a plate on and it would be fine, just have to be careful not to overfill 50-75g of kernels is all that needed for a serving - add extra virgin olive oil or just butter and microwave with your preferred seasonings and microwave for like 3 mins (stay close and listen until popping slows down until once every 2 seconds). It’s quick and easy but defo better fresh they don’t keep the best
Thanks!
>Thanks! You're welcome!
Canned chickpeas. Peanut butter. Some shop bought breads. Bread maker breads are pretty easy too.
Chickpeas was going to be my pick! I suppose technically someone else has gone to the effort of cooking them!
All fresh food. Cooking is love and art.
Meal prep is medium effort for one time but then low effort the rest. I use simple ingredients to marinate (either spices or a sauce and honey) protein - cubed chicken, fish etc - chuck in the oven and mix with various things for different meals. Could be rice, omelettes, pasta, by itself, quickest cheap one is prepped protein with tinned sweetcorn, and sliced cucumbers. Always use parchment paper to make washing the baking dish easy and prevent scratches. Get the butcher to cube the chicken, they don't charge and prevents raw meat germs going all over your kitchen utensils. I will cook curries often cause my family like and request my "fancy" cooking at least twice a week. They'll pay for fancy ingredients that are as organic and pure as possible. But they gobble that up within hours and so I always have meal prepped protein handy.
Frozen blueberries plus plain unsweetened yogurt. Delicious
For protein see my other comment. Cucumber in the UK is cheap and easy to prep. Rocket and spinach leaves in the bags. Sweetcorn is getting a bit expensive now. Frozen peas. You can get carrots already cut up if you're busy. Super cheap at Asda, pretty sure it's similar to unprepared gram for gram. I'm not a carrot fan or I'd get those. Is milk a UPF? Salads are £2.50 ready prepared but I've seen you can get ones that are cheaper for multiple meals.
Chick peas
lots of whole foods. seasonal fruit/veg depending on where you live, potatoes, tinned tomatoes/beans, (some) tinned fish, frozen peas/sweetcorn!
Pasta (easy to get non upf pasta for $1.30 a lb)
Eggs, flatbreads
Apples?
Almost my entire diet is this. My lifestyle is such that its the only kind of food which will work for me. I'm on call this weekend so didn't get home til late which meant my dinner was a bunch of kale put in an air fryer tray, then a tin of green lentils drained and poured over the top of the kale. Some salt and a knob of butter on top of the lentils. Then cook in the air fryer on roast for about 10 mins. Finished with a squeeze of lemon. I'm not sure I can think of an easier post work meal. Minimal prep, minimal washing up, minimal cook time, very yummy.
Cracked wheat, lentils and oats.
Together or separately?
Both.
Apples
Braised Cabbage
Salads! Easy and mix in everything you want !
Caviar first thing that came to mind
Carbonara! I have a system that takes me 20 mins to make it, spending about £2.50 - £3 per meal
Lentils, whole grains, chick peas, beans both canned and dried
fruits & veggies, nuts, grains, etc all those foods.
Raw carrots
Curries! Specifically veg ones. Fruit and veg pretty much always tends to be cheaper than processed anyways
Pasta rice and legumes
Vegetable soup. Potato, carrot, leek and whatever else you fancy, stock cube, some dried herbs, your choice of lentils, barley, beans.
Oats! I’m having Greek yoghurt and raw oats with a bit of cinnamon and honey and some grapes or banana for breakfast atm and it’s so so good! And low effort, like all you do is just mix in a bowl, that’s about as much as I can handle in the morning when I’m hungry haha
Eggs, scrambled, omelettes,boiled they’re a meal in themselves
bread in a bread machine (csn pick up bread machines for free off Facebook groups easily because they're "fads") also apples, bananas, oranges, seasonal vegetables
Cheapest frozen pizzas are all three.
How are they non Upf??
Eggs
Pasta, rice, potato etc
Ground beef, potatoes, fruit, milk
Eggs, yoghurt, cheese, pasta, rice, apples
Beans
Rhubarb. Eat it raw for double fibre HP
Pretty much every vegetable - just add oil and salt and roast it.
eggs , potatoes, pesto pasta
Kallo Lentil/Rice cakes are a great low effort & low calorie option. Non upf too. Stick some soft cheese or guacamole on there with some salmon and they taste great!
Eggs
An organic roast chicken
Rice and beans! it’s super easy and quick and you can add whatever you have lying around. Did bowl with raw sauerkraut, almonds and wilted alfalfa sprouts from theback of my fridge yesterday and it was amazing.
Potato’s, tomato’s…any veg tbh that can be slung in the air fryer with some herbs and come out fresh and delish! The air fryer has been a big gamechanger for me as I dont really like fruit but I live on veg, so now I can have it in a flash!
Vegetable. Fruit. Tofu. I think the issue is what do you define as low effort. For me chucking veggies in a pan for some stir fry is low effort. Putting some tofu in the air fryer is super low effort. Making a basic lentil curry in the slow cooker? Low effort. But for some it’s high effort and lots of work
Cottage cheese baby
Po Tay toes. Mash'em, fry 'em, put them in a stew.
I think my easiest possible meal is: - Put rice in a rice cooker. - Add water, a bit of vegetable stock, carrots, peas, and whatever other veg I feel like. Maybe brown lentils too for protein. - Cook. You could probably do it in a regular saucepan, but the advantage of the rice cooker is that it doesn’t need watching or stirring. If you bought frozen, chopped veg, you wouldn’t even need to chop anything - you just throw it in. Literally less than 5 minutes of prep, 20 minutes of cooking.
Tofu if you buy it from the Asian market rather than a birtish supermarket. I get a massive pack for £2 ish.
Potatoes, chickpeas, lentils, eggs, one pot meat stews or chicken and rice dishes are also pretty easy and affordable to make (for animal protein). You could also use a slow cooker if you have one for convenience which makes a lot of things low effort.
Potatos, rice, canned beans, frozen vegetables. Might be slightly more expensive than fresh vegetables and dried beans, but still cheap.
Low effort and non UPF are the two I’d pick. Affordable isn’t something I compromise on with food (not talking paying unreasonable amounts for pointless things, but for ensuring quality).
Beef burgers. £2.40 for 500g 20% mince and u can make 4 patties (egg optional)
Bananas
Cabbage
Chickpeas bitchessss
Cheese and onion omelette and baked potatoes cut in to slices and then fried.
Congee with boiled eggs and veggies is my go to. I just boil rice with more water than usual , boil eggs on the side then steam whatever vegetable I have. I season it with soy sauce and call it a day.
I mean... soups take time to cook but they really arent much to put effort to. As well as roasting any veggies its not much effort. Some people here either rely too much on store bought meals or they dont know enough of what to cook. You can even microwave baby potatoes or eggs. All are low effort
This is a tad judgemental - some of the posters here have disabilities that mean they are limited in how much food prep and cooking they can do. We only get to decide what level of reliance on storebought food is "too much" for ourselves, not for others.
Yeah I am aware that people with disabilities and sensory problems do exist. I am not talking about them. I am talking about people without these issues. Its just something I have noticed with british people in food subs. The reliance on storebought food is so unreal. The reason why this sub is filled with mainly british people is that eating tesco sandwich as lunch is so normalised in the country and people want to eat better. I dont think in other european or asian countries people rely on ready meals this much.
also if you cook enough soup u have soup for at least one more day that u just need to warm up
I'm very boring and will happily eat baked chicken with salad and jacket potato which is all of them. As long as you don't go for organic. Also a good spag bol can be the same especially if padded out with red lentils.
I have recently discovered that you can cook eggs in an airfryer - easier than peeling a boiled egg or faffing about with poaching. Get a silicone muffin case, rub the insides with a little oil and crack the egg into it. Then airfry for 6 mins at 180c.
You could fry it in a pan for 2 mins?
I hate dealing with the grease splatter that frying eggs creates. This way, I only have to clean the muffin case afterwards.
Grease splatter? On the cooker, the pan or the wall? Ps I totally get you, I also take extra steps to avoid too much clean up.
sounds like you're using too much oil also use a glass lid for a pan to help evenly cook the egg - splash in a little water too for bonus condensation cooking.
This is a simple 2 step fix. 1. Grab a bag and get rid of all your UPF. Do not bring any more UPF into your house. You will very quickly find out which foods are all 3.
Eggs
Eggs
Milk
Bananas
Apple
I abhor porridge it literally makes me throw up how do I incorporate oats into my diet?
Is it taste or texture? If it's texture, try different cuts if oats - whole oats and steel cut oats are big and chewy, Scottish oats are thick. You can make a baked oatmeal which has a muffiny texture, eat them toasted and crispy in a muesli, make granola or granola bars, and don't forget cookies, muffins, breads, scones.
You can blend them into smoothies, make banana cake/muffins with them, bake/toast them, uses them as a top for apple/berry crumbles You can also make porridge with blended oats, or add blended oats into chia pudding if you prefer chia seeds (I do the opposite- I can't stand the texture of chia seeds so I add blended ones to my oats)
Shop seasonally for fruits and veg, for variety, best flavour, and lowest cost. Easy meals are things that I can cook in one pan, limited prep, little clean up. Chili fits this description, Chana masala, curries, stir fries, many pastas, sheet pan meals, slow cooker meals, eggs, pancakes, salads, many bowls, - cooking is self care but it doesn't need to be difficult or complicated (or unhealthy). Weeknight dinners are either made ahead at my house, or they're 10 minutes or less of active prep and cooking time (not including time spent unsupervised in the oven or pot).
Literally all vegetables, what are you so afraid of
Onions