Seems like I'm spending a fortune on food lately....

I like my food so tend to spend to much most times.

A good cheap hearty meal that I like is Italian sausages cooked and then sliced served with bacon, red onion and diced tomato served on a bed of Jasmine rice. (I'm also a rice cooker fan). Brussel sprouts or snow peas add a nice texture and colour.

Made a huge omelette for lunch today.

Dinner is Pork boneless ribs marinated in plum sauce served with crusty bread. Choc Mudcake and double whipped cream for dessert.


I tend to buy brand names on most things. The generic IMO are usually (not always) not as good and sometimes come from a questionable environment- Like prawns from Vietnam.....yuk!
I tend to buy local when I can.

Further to previous, I spent slightly more than planned but there was no way I was passing on a kilo of turkey steaks for €10. The €20 on meat today alone is more than enough for almost a week for 2, never mind the rest already in the freezer, so that €48 spent today is most of what is needed for the next 7 days, pretty much just need to buy or make bread and that's it.

Oh, one other thing,

Lucky Luke said:

I tend to buy brand names on most things. The generic IMO are usually (not always) not as good and sometimes come from a questionable environment- Like prawns from Vietnam.....yuk!
I tend to buy local when I can.

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Look up the EU horsemeat scandal. You'll find that brand names were one of the hardest hit there with horse marked as beef (was mainly processed stuff like ready meals and burgers, so they probably would have tasted better but that's beside the point). Just because it has a fancy package does not mean it's any "safer" than stuff with a white label for they all use the same crap at the cheapest price possible. Buyer beware, as they say, and it's one reason I won't buy Pangasius even though it's much cheaper than other white fish because I don't trust the source, whereas at least with the more "regular" types of fish, apart from salmon, you know it isn't disease-ridden "farmed" shite.

I average around $10 day. I eat a big breakfast daily, then maybe 1 more full meal a day. Usually just a bunch of small snacks over the day. Once or twice a month ill blow my budget and get a big ass porterhouse, some lamb or duck. I don't really eat out any more, i can cook better than most of the restaurants around here, if I do it's usually a burger from Wendy's. Lol.

I walk out of my store with 2 small bags of food and I just spent $50. That's for fruits, veggies (all fresh), ground chicken, buns, some milk and cereal (on sale) and a few other items like bathroom supplies or whatever the house needs. That stuff is gone in 3 days easy and I'm a damn good shopper.

It's where I live. I can't complain about it.

Thank god for the commissary

[QUOTE="Fubard, post: 14203772,



Look up the EU horsemeat scandal. You'll find that brand names were one of the hardest hit there with horse marked as beef (was mainly processed stuff like ready meals and burgers, so they probably would have tasted better but that's beside the point). Just because it has a fancy package does not mean it's any "safer" than stuff with a white label for they all use the same crap at the cheapest price possible. Buyer beware, as they say, and it's one reason I won't buy Pangasius even though it's much cheaper than other white fish because I don't trust the source, whereas at least with the more "regular" types of fish, apart from salmon, you know it isn't disease-ridden "farmed" shite.[/QUOTE]

I don't live in the EU so we have different food standards. I prefer to buy local and why if buying anything I look at the country of origin and the country of origin of the ingredients. I wont buy anything that comes from the waters of Vietnam or China. I prefer to support my local area and my country's farmers/fishers etc when I can.

I'm a biscuit lover, especially chocolate ones and the generic are no were near as good as the brand names that I favour. But allot of the frozen vegetables are normally local in some of the generic brands, Grown, stored, sorted and packed all within a short drive of me. So ill buy those after confirming the origin of the ingredients on the pack. If it says 100% Australian grown or 100% Tasmanian grown ill buy it. Otherwise I wont. But then If I run out of eggs and my friends don't have any I will only buy local free range eggs. Just the taste and freshness alone is worth the $ to me.

Lucky Luke said:

[QUOTE="Fubard, post: 14203772,



Look up the EU horsemeat scandal. You'll find that brand names were one of the hardest hit there with horse marked as beef (was mainly processed stuff like ready meals and burgers, so they probably would have tasted better but that's beside the point). Just because it has a fancy package does not mean it's any "safer" than stuff with a white label for they all use the same crap at the cheapest price possible. Buyer beware, as they say, and it's one reason I won't buy Pangasius even though it's much cheaper than other white fish because I don't trust the source, whereas at least with the more "regular" types of fish, apart from salmon, you know it isn't disease-ridden "farmed" shite.

I don't live in the EU so we have different food standards. I prefer to buy local and why if buying anything I look at the country of origin and the country of origin of the ingredients. I wont buy anything that comes from the waters of Vietnam or China. I prefer to support my local area and my country's farmers/fishers etc when I can.

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I buy lots of frozen stir-fry, and actually prefer the store brand at Walmart to some of the name brands. On my two fast days, green beans and stir-fry makes up most of my diet.

too larry said:

I buy lots of frozen stir-fry, and actually prefer the store brand at Walmart to some of the name brands. On my two fast days, green beans and stir-fry makes up most of my diet.

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I like a good stir fry to. I normally add one or two fresh vegetables (seasonal) to the frozen mix. It just adds something.

I can cook frozen veggies better for some reason. I do lots of fresh stir-frys out of the garden when it's in season though.

too larry said:

I can cook frozen veggies better for some reason. I do lots of fresh stir-frys out of the garden when it's in season though.

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I find steaming fresh vegs is the go. Its to easy to over cook and have them mushy if your boil them. If using in a stir fry I par steam them and then finish them off in the stir fry pan so you still get that crunch.

All this food talk has made me hungry. Time for some crumpets for breakfast.

Lucky Luke said:

I find steaming fresh vegs is the go. Its to easy to over cook and have them mushy if your boil them. If using in a stir fry I par steam them and then finish them off in the stir fry pan so you still get that crunch.

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I use a TBS of olive oil in a stir-fry pan. If cooking meat with it, I cook that in another pan and add it when the stir-fry is just about done.

Lucky Luke said:

All this food talk has made me hungry. Time for some crumpets for breakfast.

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I was able to Yogi some supper here at work.

My wife shops 2x a week. Once at the Giant Eagle and once at the oriental market. That's literally what's it's called. Oriental Market. She's there right now actually. It fluctuates but I bet we spend every bit of 150 a week for the 3 of us. We tend to eat healthy so it's pretty pricy.

My wife tells stories from her childhood of walking to the mountains to pick honeysuckle and walking back and selling them in town to buy a bowl of rice.

It would probably cost me more than I would want to pay for groceries. Its normal to feed 7-9 people at our house.

We raise chickens and eat thier eggs and the chickens themselves. We raise beef and hogs. I hunt and fish. We also grow a large garden and can and freeze a lot of vegetables.

It helps the wallet a lot.

Diabolical666 said:

Too much also
View attachment 4124330

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Hard to stop at only on be line..

Fridge pics!

Lucky Luke said:

I don't live in the EU so we have different food standards. I prefer to buy local and why if buying anything I look at the country of origin and the country of origin of the ingredients. I wont buy anything that comes from the waters of Vietnam or China. I prefer to support my local area and my country's farmers/fishers etc when I can.

I'm a biscuit lover, especially chocolate ones and the generic are no were near as good as the brand names that I favour. But allot of the frozen vegetables are normally local in some of the generic brands, Grown, stored, sorted and packed all within a short drive of me. So ill buy those after confirming the origin of the ingredients on the pack. If it says 100% Australian grown or 100% Tasmanian grown ill buy it. Otherwise I wont. But then If I run out of eggs and my friends don't have any I will only buy local free range eggs. Just the taste and freshness alone is worth the $ to me.

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You say you have different food standards, but it doesn't exactly take a long time to find examples of similar "substitution" in Australian food, especially in the processed ready meals market, like things claiming to be made with barramundi but use other fish as one example. Looking at labels is not always a guarantee of what is in things, even with your latest labelling system, as how well is that enforced? That's where things fall down worldwide, the food chain is now so complicated it's still something that relies on trust and that's when some will find a way to abuse that for profit.

So unless you're buying straight from the farm, you're relying on the honesty of a hell of a lot of people and that means things may not always be what they claim to be.

Fubard said:

You say you have different food standards, but it doesn't exactly take a long time to find examples of similar "substitution" in Australian food, especially in the processed ready meals market, like things claiming to be made with barramundi but use other fish as one example. Looking at labels is not always a guarantee of what is in things, even with your latest labelling system, as how well is that enforced? That's where things fall down worldwide, the food chain is now so complicated it's still something that relies on trust and that's when some will find a way to abuse that for profit.

So unless you're buying straight from the farm, you're relying on the honesty of a hell of a lot of people and that means things may not always be what they claim to be.

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LOL your an argumentative fkr at times arnt ya?. I recon you and I would have a ball over a few brews. If the label sais its 100% Australian the producer and stockest would be in some trouble if it wasn't. The newer laws are helping /helped crack down on that sort of substitution Just like the labelling laws and country of origin labelling. I don't buy "ready made meals" and don't even buy processed cheese...disgusting stuff that looks like plastic.

The food chain is evolving. You can see this with how food is now marketed as a region. King Island beef or Scottsdale pork or even the farm like Nicholls chickens and Ashgrove milk. Sea food at the fresh counter in supermarkets have to have the country of origin displayed. I'm sure you have the same thing happening there. People want to know were their food comes from and how its produced, the rise of cooking shows I think has made this nearly mainstream.

I prefer to buy local but I do live in a rural island State so im a tad lucky compared to people in large cities.

.I wouldn't buy Barramundi as its not local and would be frozen to be available here. Frozen fish is never worth eating. I do like a good Barramundi burger though, Derby Hotel in the Kimberley used to do a ripper. Instead I buy fish from the local fish shop who's trawler docks in town..ship to shop, mainly the Gummy shark or for a change fresh salmon from the supermarket or the other fresh fish shop in town (who farm salmon in nets in the ocean.)

Buying local supports the local economy. Buying Australian products supports the country's workers.

Lucky Luke said:

. . . . . . I don't buy "ready made meals" and don't even buy processed cheese...disgusting stuff that looks like plastic.. . . . . . . ..

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Most of what is in the grocery stores these days are food products, not food. My easy answer to what is food. If your granny ate it, it was food.

Or maybe great grandma for you younger folks.