Easy to make meals - Cheap - Young guy living on his own

Associate
Joined
29 Jul 2013
Posts
1,367
Location
Sheffield
I know nothing about cooking, literally.

I have mostly been buying takeaways and premade meals over the last 3 years,

now I live on my own I'd like to learn how to cook, more healthy cheaper and easy to make meals.


Does anyone have a good Youtube channel, website, or any easy to make meal guides that will come in handy for me?

I'm also clueless in the supermarket lol,


Thanks guys!
 
Soldato
Joined
25 Oct 2010
Posts
5,350
Gordon Ramsay has a 'Ramsay in 10' series on his youtube channel where he makes fairly simple/quick meals in or around 10 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTzMGnJjrsSy6H8uiX3XKWtUhhj2Vilw1

Some are cheaper/easier than others, I tried the fish and chips shallow fry the other day and it was spot on:


Some of the Supermarkets have recipes on them that are worth looking over, I know Tesco and ASDA do.

Something like this would be super easy to make and cheap:

https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/spicy-sausage-ragu-with-spirali.html
 
Soldato
Joined
9 Apr 2007
Posts
13,565
Cheap, healthy and easy. Why not try something like Huel.

https://uk.huel.com/
Complete meal, you can live on nothing but the stuff, its cheap considering your getting a properly balanced diet. Takes seconds to make. Ive been using it for years now have nothing but Huel Monday to Friday. 3 x 300g servings a day.
 
Caporegime
Joined
20 Oct 2004
Posts
26,508
Location
....
Fitmencook, is a great introduction to healthy cooking. Great app too. Simple, healthy meals. With both video and instructions.

Cheap, healthy and easy. Why not try something like Huel.

https://uk.huel.com/
Complete meal, you can live on nothing but the stuff, its cheap considering your getting a properly balanced diet. Takes seconds to make. Ive been using it for years now have nothing but Huel Monday to Friday. 3 x 300g servings a day.

Doesn't teach you how to cook though.
 
Soldato
Joined
5 Mar 2010
Posts
12,347
Cheap, healthy and easy. Why not try something like Huel.

https://uk.huel.com/
Complete meal, you can live on nothing but the stuff, its cheap considering your getting a properly balanced diet. Takes seconds to make. Ive been using it for years now have nothing but Huel Monday to Friday. 3 x 300g servings a day.

Does that not get a bit boring? Eating the same **** 15 times a week!

Edit: That doesn't seem cheap at all. I just looked through the bottle/"ready-to-drink" offerings (which i'm assuming is what you take). 3x a day Mo-Fi works out as 60 bottles per 4 weeks. On their subscribe and save that works out at £2.40 a bottle, which makes £7.20 a day.

That's actually very expensive considering what ingredients you could buy from a supermarket to make a healthy meal.
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
25 Oct 2010
Posts
5,350
I actually quite like eating a good meal, especially if with friends and family.

The idea of only 'eating' something like Huel every day of the week is pretty horrifying to me.
 
Soldato
Joined
10 Sep 2009
Posts
2,848
Location
Gloucestershire
Does that not get a bit boring? Eating the same **** 15 times a week!

Edit: That doesn't seem cheap at all. I just looked through the bottle/"ready-to-drink" offerings (which i'm assuming is what you take). 3x a day Mo-Fi works out as 60 bottles per 4 weeks. On their subscribe and save that works out at £2.40 a bottle, which makes £7.20 a day.

That's actually very expensive considering what ingredients you could buy from a supermarket to make a healthy meal.

Nah the majority order the bags on a monthly basis which works out to something like £1.45 per meal. Easy meal replacement for say one meal but wouldn't be a fun replacement a decent evening meal! So plenty of scope there for learning to cook and save some money at the same time.
 
Soldato
Joined
9 Apr 2007
Posts
13,565
Does that not get a bit boring? Eating the same **** 15 times a week!

Edit: That doesn't seem cheap at all. I just looked through the bottle/"ready-to-drink" offerings (which i'm assuming is what you take). 3x a day Mo-Fi works out as 60 bottles per 4 weeks. On their subscribe and save that works out at £2.40 a bottle, which makes £7.20 a day.

That's actually very expensive considering what ingredients you could buy from a supermarket to make a healthy meal.
No i use the powder, works out at £3.97/day, almost 1 bag per week at £22.50 its costing me £84 every 5 weeks is what i have my subscription at. And not at all, i look forward to them, it does depend what food background you come from i was already a healthy eater (just too much of it) but if you like burgers and chips Huel is probably going to take some getting used to. Its tastes like flavoured porridge. They keep me fuller for longer, i have more even energy throughout the day (i really notice this as at weekend i have a high and low after eating)
And as above you use it when you like, i originally started it as just breakfast, then with work allowing me to basically cut out lunch and go home 30 mins early at the end of the day i had it for lunch as well. Dinner soon followed when i didn't want to waste my afternoon/evening with cooking.

Its actually increased my love of food, as when weekend comes i especially look forward to something like a curry or steak. Not to mention it also means i no longer take a multivitemin as Huel has it all in, only extra i take now is Vitamin D.
 
Last edited:
Caporegime
Joined
20 Oct 2002
Posts
74,206
Location
Wish i was in a Ramen Shop Counter
Jamie Oliver has a couple of books, 15 mins meals (probably more like 30 mins since he knows exactly what he is doing and some ingredients prepped already. Also his 5 ingredients meals, but he expects you to have some herbs and spicies to hand already. But both are a good starting point, perhaps more intermediate in some recipes, still. Some are nothing more than 1 pan meals.
 
Soldato
Joined
14 Jan 2018
Posts
14,740
Location
Hampshire
Cheap, healthy and easy. Why not try something like Huel.

https://uk.huel.com/
Complete meal, you can live on nothing but the stuff, its cheap considering your getting a properly balanced diet. Takes seconds to make. Ive been using it for years now have nothing but Huel Monday to Friday. 3 x 300g servings a day.

Doesnt teach you how to cook. Nothing but huel is a miserable life.
 
Caporegime
Joined
20 Oct 2002
Posts
74,206
Location
Wish i was in a Ramen Shop Counter
Its actually increased my love of food, as when weekend comes i especially look forward to something like a curry or steak. Not to mention it also means i no longer take a multivitemin as Huel has it all in, only extra i take now is Vitamin D.


Same conclusion as this article.

https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/vb9nb4/huel-soylent-effects-miss-food

I make it to the end of the week and rip that band-aid off as soon as possible. Jerk chicken with rice and peas. Food has never tasted so good.

Why force yourself to do that? urgh. Sure if you only got £5 a day to live on but geez, learn to cook Fresh, tasty meals that is nutritionally balanced. Humans has done it for thousands of years, why changed now? Enjoy every meal, don't hate what you eat 5 out of 7 days a week. Is this life? I mean I would treasure real food more if I am forced to drink that puke every day.

Pure PR and BS if you ask me.

Are there any peer-reviewed science papers that support it is an actual full meal replacement that you don't need to take any supplements on? A paper with no association to the people who makes it?

Learn to cook, it is an important skill in life even if you have no desire to be a chef. It will save you money from going out, healthier eating, portion control, learn where food comes from and their ingredients, learn about the science in cooking etc. It is a topic that one can spend an entire life into.

p.s. I take no supplements in my diet.
 
Soldato
Joined
9 Apr 2007
Posts
13,565
Same conclusion as this article.

https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/vb9nb4/huel-soylent-effects-miss-food



Why force yourself to do that? urgh. Sure if you only got £5 a day to live on but geez, learn to cook Fresh, tasty meals that is nutritionally balanced. Humans has done it for thousands of years, why changed now? Enjoy every meal, don't hate what you eat 5 out of 7 days a week. Is this life? I mean I would treasure real food more if I am forced to drink that puke every day.

Pure PR and BS if you ask me.

Are there any peer-reviewed science papers that support it is an actual full meal replacement that you don't need to take any supplements on? A paper with no association to the people who makes it?

Learn to cook, it is an important skill in life even if you have no desire to be a chef. It will save you money from going out, healthier eating, portion control, learn where food comes from and their ingredients, learn about the science in cooking etc. It is a topic that one can spend an entire life into.

p.s. I take no supplements in my diet.

Not the same conclusion at all. There is no forcing myself, I enjoy my Huel id happily eat it at weekend as well. I know how to cook as well, thanks. But i also enjoy a couple of meals with family at weekend.
If you think its BS its not for you, but your wrong, and i only need suppliments because i dont eat the recommended daily amount, the vitamins are balanced for 2000 calories a day i only eat 1200. Plus i think you will find most people in the UK should actually be taking some form of extra vitamin D.

If you can find the BS im sure a lot of people would be very interested in your feedback.
https://uk.huel.com/pages/the-huel-powder-formula-explained
 
Caporegime
Joined
20 Oct 2002
Posts
74,206
Location
Wish i was in a Ramen Shop Counter
Not the same conclusion at all. There is no forcing myself, I enjoy my Huel id happily eat it at weekend as well. I know how to cook as well, thanks. But i also enjoy a couple of meals with family at weekend.
If you think its BS its not for you, but your wrong, and i only need suppliments because i dont eat the recommended daily amount, the vitamins are balanced for 2000 calories a day i only eat 1200. Plus i think you will find most people in the UK should actually be taking some form of extra vitamin D.

If you can find the BS im sure a lot of people would be very interested in your feedback.
https://uk.huel.com/pages/the-huel-powder-formula-explained

Do you have any evidence to back any of that up?

You say I am wrong? you say that like you have a PHD in nutrition, I would be happy to stand corrected if you do however.

Did your doctor tell you that you need to take some Vit D?

And this following sentence.

If you think its BS its not for you, but your wrong

First, it is You ARE, second, how do you know it is not BS and it is for me? You are not my doctor.

I love to see some peer review science papers, not a link starts with Huel.com.

ps the reason I ask for peer review in the FIRST place is to avoid bias. There is no way a page on the website that makes the product is going to be a balanced paper.

All I really like to see is unbiased, evidence, not from Huel.com. The very fact that you linked to that really discredit your post IMO.
 
Last edited:
Caporegime
Joined
20 Oct 2002
Posts
74,206
Location
Wish i was in a Ramen Shop Counter
Really, sell it to me.

Sell it to me that it is tasty, filling and you look forward to eat when you are hungry.

A meal is more than just calories. I enjoy every meal, even quick piece of butter on toast. Not just twice a week on weekends. This modern life style of quick, easy on the go like pop tart or cereal is all as a product of industrialisation.

If I goggle online Huel and effect or feedback etc, not from forums, but journals or papers, none of them promotes it like it is a total meal replacement, at most they say you can eat it a few times a week and the real benefit of it is you can calorie count easier.

But really, sell it to me.

On taste.
On Satisfaction.
On unbiased science paper about long term effect use of it.

Because it would be silly to start putting thins in my body that is man-made like that just because its own website says it’s good for you. It is akin like tobacco company saying their product did not cause cancer and their own scientist says it doesn’t. I am not that gullible, and you shouldn't be either.

Hence, peer-reviewed.
 
Back
Top Bottom