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Forum -> Recipe Collection -> Healthy Cooking
A realistic israeli diet for a family on the daily
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amother
OP


 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 4:08 am
I would pay good money for a cookbook on this topic.
I love watching youtube videos with weekly meal prep, where you prep all your food for the while week. I also take inspiration from weekly magazines and save recipes.

But it's so frustrating to find recipes that work with an israeli diet.
No recipes with overly expensive items like broccoli, berries, spinach, kale, asparagus etc. I feel like 80 percent of the recipes I find aren't realistic financially. Or they are but only during certain seasons.

Normal families who have salmon only for chagim and chicken/meet is for shabbos and only once a week during the rest of the week.

Seriously. Is anyone else feeling me here?
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shabbatiscoming




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 4:13 am
You can still follow youtube recipes and magazines etc, just change the recipes for things that are in season and more financially friendly, thats all.
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amother
OP


 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 4:27 am
shabbatiscoming wrote:
You can still follow youtube recipes and magazines etc, just change the recipes for things that are in season and more financially friendly, thats all.


That's true. I do that. But I'd love if there was a cookbook or something that focused on utilizing what's readily cheap and available here well. Like lentils, rice, beans, the vegetables and fruit we can get. I'm not super creative and I get sick of doing the same things.
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banana123




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 4:27 am
I hear you. I share the same frustrations (except I don't love watching videos).

shabbatiscoming, technically you're right but it takes so long to dig up anything really worthwhile.
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amother
OP


 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 4:31 am
banana123 wrote:
I hear you. I share the same frustrations (except I don't love watching videos).

shabbatiscoming, technically you're right but it takes so long to dig up anything really worthwhile.


Exactly, I definitely have many friends who would buy such a cookbook in a second.
I wonder if there's a way to bring this idea up to someone who could really make it happen.
I think it's a profitable venture.
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amother
Seagreen


 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 4:41 am
I'm with you. I try to eat healthy and there are so few options and everything has to be made from scratch.
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Raisin




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 5:00 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
That's true. I do that. But I'd love if there was a cookbook or something that focused on utilizing what's readily cheap and available here well. Like lentils, rice, beans, the vegetables and fruit we can get. I'm not super creative and I get sick of doing the same things.


Maybe look for a vegan cookbook. Many veggies can be switched around. Cabbage instead of kale, for example.
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banana123




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 5:37 am
So can we share meal ideas?

For me 2-3 of the weekday suppers are Shabbat leftovers.

Other options include fried rice (cooked with frozen veggies), tuna pasta salad (hate doing it), and a few others. Pita pizzas, omelet sandwiches, with fresh vegetables.
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amother
OP


 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 5:46 am
Raisin wrote:
Maybe look for a vegan cookbook. Many veggies can be switched around. Cabbage instead of kale, for example.


When you start subbing all spinach, kale, and any leafy green for cabbage you start feeling at some point that every recipe tastes the same and you get sick of cabbage.

I suppose I could google lentil recipes, and learn about them on my own - but I'm just saying that I would love to not spend hours building my own recipes collection and schedule. It would be so much helpful if there was a recourse with matim recipes already.

Currently breakfast is cornflakes, omelets, and israeli salads and the afternoon dinner meals usually involve canned/steamed/or roasted veggies or a soup with place rice, pasta, or couscous.

I have some basics but I'm bored and want new things. But everything exciting and cool sounding has some ingredient or another that is just not something that is available here or realistic to buy on the daily.
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JoyInTheMorning




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 6:02 am
Out of curiosity: What are the vegetables and fruits that are usually available and affordable in Israel? I haven't been to Israel in a very long time (don't criticize me: I can't afford to take any vacations because I pay full tuition), but I remember from previous trips that Machane Yehuda was always full of many types of vegetables and fruits at very reasonable prices. Of course, I realize that very few people can go to Machane Yehuda. I also remember that at, say, the local makolet in Bayit Vegan, there were only tired looking bananas and oranges along with a decent selection of the kind of vegetables you need for salad.

I have actually rarely been in an Israeli supermarket. What are they like? Are the produce sections as large as they are in American supermarkets?
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JoyInTheMorning




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 6:11 am
OP, you say broccoli is expensive. How about cauliflower? Mushrooms? Those are stapes of my healthy cooking.

There are lots of good stir fries you can do that are not too expensive. Start with carrots, add two or three of: mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, par-boiled string beans.

I think the harder part is getting enough protein without chicken or fish. Omelettes filled with cottage cheese (kind of a peasant's blintz) are high in protein and quick. You can have some kind of a salad on the side. You can do frittatas with tomatoes and summer squash, and top with melted mozzarella and cheddar.

You can put chickpeas in soup (for variety, try tomato soup and onion soup as well as standard vegetable soup) for extra protein.

I don't know that we are meant to find food that exciting. If you have more than 6 dinner menus that you can rotate, you should be fine. You are not a restaurant.
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amother
Aubergine


 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 6:28 am
What about suppers with ground chicken or turkey? It's probably the same price or cheaper than tuna.
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amother
OP


 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 6:45 am
JoyInTheMorning wrote:
OP, you say broccoli is expensive. How about cauliflower? Mushrooms? Those are stapes of my healthy cooking.

There are lots of good stir fries you can do that are not too expensive. Start with carrots, add two or three of: mushrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, par-boiled string beans.

I think the harder part is getting enough protein without chicken or fish. Omelettes filled with cottage cheese (kind of a peasant's blintz) are high in protein and quick. You can have some kind of a salad on the side. You can do frittatas with tomatoes and summer squash, and top with melted mozzarella and cheddar.

You can put chickpeas in soup (for variety, try tomato soup and onion soup as well as standard vegetable soup) for extra protein.

I don't know that we are meant to find food that exciting. If you have more than 6 dinner menus that you can rotate, you should be fine. You are not a restaurant.


Broccoli and Cauliflower and string beans are expensive. It's like 10 - 12 dollars for a small frozen bag of them. A bag that is like 2 -3 adult servings. They don't really have raw ones.

The shuk you need to know where to go, where it's okay, how to check it - many rabbanim say it's impossible to check many of these items raw and many people don't live in Jerusalem.

Cheese is also expensive. Most israelis only have regular sliced cheese and cottage. Other types are expensive and not in the budget.

Fish is doable, there's cheaper types of fish but those types of fish are rarely used in the recipes I see. I don't even know what they are called.

We have lots of spices. We have tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, cabbage, squash, peppers, sweet potato, potatoes, onions, zucchini, carrots, celery, sprouts, mushrooms and some other greens like that and literally anything else is expensive or seasonal or BOTH. I recently saw cherries in our supermarket going around 48 shekels for 1 kilo aka 2.2 pounds. That's what I mean...by ridiculous prices.

Oh also nuts and seeds are expensive here. If something calls for pistachios or something - it's not a realistic thing I can afford on the daily basis. It's a treat. But again - there are things that are super affordable like sunflower and sesame seeds, and one or two types of nuts.

I get bored. I feel like I need a 2 weeks rotation at least - not one week.
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amother
OP


 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 6:46 am
amother [ Aubergine ] wrote:
What about suppers with ground chicken or turkey? It's probably the same price or cheaper than tuna.


I've never even seen that sold here. I've never seen turkey here that isn't cold cuts. People don't believe me when I tell them you can buy a whole raw turkey like a fresh whole chicken in America. Can't Believe It
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amother
Jade


 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 6:54 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
I've never even seen that sold here. I've never seen turkey here that isn't cold cuts. People don't believe me when I tell them you can buy a whole raw turkey like a fresh whole chicken in America. Can't Believe It


Osher ad sells ground turkey and chicken, and so do most other supermarket chains. I pay around 22 shekel for a 500g pack (turkey) or 16-17 shekel for chicken, which I can feed my family of 5 on for a whole meal. Once a week during the week, we have a meaty meal made from ground turkey or chicken.

Edited to add: Ground turkey and chicken is even cheaper if you don't mind it being cut with soy protein.
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Iymnok




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 6:59 am
עוף טחון
הודו טחון
Both cheap and available.
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imasoftov




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 6:59 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
I've never seen turkey here that isn't cold cuts. People don't believe me when I tell them you can buy a whole raw turkey like a fresh whole chicken in America. Can't Believe It

You can get whole turkeys in Israel, just ask the butcher store or department of a supermarket how much time they need to order one.

Turkey parts are commonly available without ordering in advance. Here is a page for turkey breast, further down on the page are other turkey products.

Also breaded turkey shnitzel is a common item in supermarkets.


Last edited by imasoftov on Fri, Oct 04 2019, 7:07 am; edited 2 times in total
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shabbatiscoming




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 7:06 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
I've never even seen that sold here. I've never seen turkey here that isn't cold cuts. People don't believe me when I tell them you can buy a whole raw turkey like a fresh whole chicken in America. Can't Believe It
we buy ground chicken and turkey all of the yime. Ftozen and fresh. Rami levi, osher ad, really any supermarket has these.
And as for turkey, its also sold, in parts, in msny butcheries and butcher sections of supermarkets too.
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amother
Aubergine


 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 7:09 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
I've never even seen that sold here. I've never seen turkey here that isn't cold cuts. People don't believe me when I tell them you can buy a whole raw turkey like a fresh whole chicken in America. Can't Believe It


I live here in Israel - ground chicken and turkey it's sold in every single supermarket. The Hebrew is as lymnok wrote it above. You can also buy turkey meat roll, turkey schnitzels etc.

Also you mentioned green beans are expensive, but they aren't. They are much cheaper than broccoli and cauliflower. Green beans are 10 shek for a pkt.
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amother
Aubergine


 

Post Fri, Oct 04 2019, 7:11 am
amother [ Jade ] wrote:
Osher ad sells ground turkey and chicken, and so do most other supermarket chains. I pay around 22 shekel for a 500g pack (turkey) or 16-17 shekel for chicken, which I can feed my family of 5 on for a whole meal. Once a week during the week, we have a meaty meal made from ground turkey or chicken.

Edited to add: Ground turkey and chicken is even cheaper if you don't mind it being cut with soy protein.


BTW many of the cheaper brands (eg. glat yerushalayim) have stopped using fillers. You can get in sharei revacha for 12 shek for 500 grams, 100% pure ground chicken or turkey. I'm sure in other supermarkets as well.
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