Anyone else interested in trying out ration dieting?

[LizzieMaine]

I need to get back to it. My weight's been yo-yoing for the past two years as I've gone from one crisis to another while stuffing myself with whatever greasy lunchroom food that happened to be at hand. Now that things are, hopefully, settling down a bit I'm going to try to get back onto a reasonable ration routine. Being put on meds for high trigycerides is another incentive to whip myself back into shape.

 

[Kim Covell-Campbell]

Same here. I need to try something that will peak my interest and I think this might be it. I have been eating through my emotions and living where we are currently (Texas) just is not my favorite location. We are headed back to the Midwest closing on a home soon. We'll have a nice sized yard so I can start a garden, my Victory garden!!

 

[lolly_loisides]

I've been eating more healthfully and exercising since April & have lost almost 30lbs. While I haven't followed exact ration portions, I try to only eat fruit & veg in season, keep overly processed foods to an absolute minimum and be mindful of portion control.
I have quite a few WW2 ration cook books & am happy to share recipes if you ladies would like to see them.

 

[Wire9Vintage]

That would be fun to share real ration recipes. How about we post recipes that we have tried, and that way we can discuss any substitutes for modern times. And, of corse, how successfully the recipe turns out and how it tastes. Anyone game? Only real ration recipes, with source?

 

[Kim Covell-Campbell]

That would be great! I know I could use some tried and true recipes. I have Clara's cookbook somewhere but we are moving and it may be boxed up. Need to find a good one on Amazon.

 

[lolly_loisides]

Sure, I'll be in that. I might make something up for lunch or dinner from one of my cookbooks.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've got a ton of "American Cookery" issues from the war era. I'll go thru and see what I can come up with.

 

[TimeWarpWife]

I've been eating more healthfully and exercising since April & have lost almost 30lbs. While I haven't followed exact ration portions, I try to only eat fruit & veg in season, keep overly processed foods to an absolute minimum and be mindful of portion control.
I have quite a few WW2 ration cook books & am happy to share recipes if you ladies would like to see them.

Congratulations! That's wonderful. :eusa_clap Last week I attended my first weight loss surgery class through my insurance company only to find out that even if I did the 6 months of classes, meeting with nutritionists, and having a psych evaluation, it's all for nothing because I wouldn't be eligible for the actual surgery until the beginning of 2015. Meaning that we'd have to meet our deductible before insurance kicked in - it's several THOUSAND dollars and we just can't afford it. So, for the last week and a half, I've been eating a lot like the British did during the ration years. I'm eating 3 meals a day with beans for protein at lunch, 2 oz. of chicken or turkey for dinner, lots of veggies with very little to no added fat, 8 oz. of skim milk, and a couple of servings of fruit. I haven't been hungry at all and my blood glucose levels have been much better because I'm not grazing all day (I'm diabetic). For now, I'm taking it one meal at a time.

 

[lolly_loisides]

I'm trying this egg free salad cream for the first time (we are having grilled fish and salad for dinner tonight).
It doesn't specify what type of made mustard, so I used hot English and I used about half the amount of sugar listed. Without eggs it's thinner than regular salad cream, but it's nice and piquant and definitely better than store bought.
The recipe is taken from "Good Fare, A book of wartime recipes" first published 1941 by Macmillan.

 

[sheeplady]

I had to look up salad cream. I had never heard of it. I don't think we have that in the U.S.

 

[LizzieMaine]

French's yellow mustard used to be labeled "Cream Salad Brand," suggesting some relationship to this.

 

[lolly_loisides]

Salad cream is the english equivalent to mayonnaise. It was produced commercially by Heinz in 1914 and was a very popular condiment during WW2. To make from it scratch you mix together boiled egg yolks, cream, vinegar, a little oil and mustard.

 

[TimeWarpWife]

My American grandmother used boiled egg yolks, cream, vinegar, oil, mustard, a little sugar, and celery seed as a cooked warm dressing for one of her potato salad recipes. My dad loved this cooked dressing version and his brother loved the regular cold mayo potato salad, so every Sunday my grandmother would make both versions.

 

[lolly_loisides]

I baked! The results were......interesting.

Cheese whirls (Recipe from The post war kitchen by Marguerite Patten, published by Hamlyn)

6oz plain flour, salt & pepper, 1/2t mustard powder, 2oz cooking fat (I used cooking margarine), 2oz grated cheddar, 1 egg, marmite.
Preheat oven to 350f. Sift flour, add salt & pepper and rub in margarine, then add cheese, mix well and add a beaten egg to create dough consistency (my note - It was still far too dry, I added another 2T of milk to the mix).
Roll out to 1/4 inch thick oblong shape. Spread with marmite (my note - I had vegemite, but any yeast spread would be fine, in fact any savoury spread that goes well with cheese would work). Roll firmly like a swiss roll then cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place on a greased baking tray, brush with milk & bake 'till golden brown (about 25 minutes). Makes about 12.


The flavour was good, but the texture of the pastry reminded me of pie crust, they could have been lighter (but I guess that means more fat & eggs, which kind of defeats the purpose of ration cooking) if I make them again I might try adding baking powder to the flour.

And another thing, these are very filling. One was more than enough for me.

 

[Wire9Vintage]

Salad cream is kind of sweet to me. I once made an Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk recipe for "mayonnaise" and while I thought it was disgusting, my Irish husband thought it tasted just like the Heinz salad cream he grew up with. I'll have to find that recipe again in one of my old magazines and post it...with a warning that it is probably not to american taste!

 

[Wire9Vintage]

Lolly, the cheese wheels look good and certainly nutritious! We don't do marmite over here, though... Anyone have a substitute for marmite (that doesn't taste anything like marmite

 

[vintageTink]

The first time I heard of salad cream was watching "Fawlty Towers".

How is every one doing with this?

 

[VintageLincoln]

Hi there. Does anyone know how much, approximately, meat you would get on ration? All my books just say how much in money you could buy. I'm aware it varied but is there an average which people are going by?
Thanks

 

[lolly_loisides]

Hi there. Does anyone know how much, approximately, meat you would get on ration? All my books just say how much in money you could buy. I'm aware it varied but is there an average which people are going by?
Thanks

There's a lady on Facebook who is following the ration diet, she eats about 5oz of meat per week. Take a look at her page, it's quite interesting. Lots of recipe ideas https://www.facebook.com/rationbookchallenge2015/?fref=ts

 

[Thunderhead19]

I`m just getting going on the ration diet. Has anyone been able to stick to it for more than a year?
The difference between the availability of food in the US and Canada vs the UK was obviously immense. Things like salmon, lobster and apples were available in obscene surplusses. On top of that Canada's Prime Minister of the time was a T-Totaller and put beer an spirits on the ration in the name of war productivity. I think I might use the UK system for my diet.