UK student living in Germany!

Hi, as the title says I'm a UK student and I'm spending a year in Germany. I've been here a month and have had my fun and I think it's time to reel my poor eating habits back in!

If anyone could help with my situation, Germans, English etc., I'd be very grateful.

-I need cheap and healthy meal ideas

-I can generally get what I need but I'm also working / can work with german ingredients too!

-I always cook dinner for myself and my flatmate who isn't so keen on veg or salad or fruit even, as me. (I know I can still have it but it's nice if we can have the same main component)

-I also have limited kitchen equipment...I have enough to cook on a hob and in the oven and a handy electric whisk...no processors, anything fancy etc.

-I have no fry light...do they do it in Germany? I haven't seen it and I feel ever so guilty using oil at the moment

-They have lots of quark here but I don't know how to use it well? It has a mixed reception at home as I'm sure you all know.

Thankfully have a lovely bf who is bringing out fry light and my kitchen scales soon.I've had to leave my SW books at home and it's time to gain some sort of control! Thanks!

Hi,
I lived in Germany for 15 years. Where are you? If you can get to a big supermarket like Real or sometimes a fancier one, you can find the American version of Frylight in the international section. It's called Pam.

One thing Germans do with quark, besides make cheesecake, is use it as a dip or sauce for Salzkartoffeln (basically boiled, peeled potatoes). It's quite yummy if you chop up some fresh herbs and even a few strips of green or red pepper and salt and pepper and mix it up. You can throw it on top of the potatoes, or even a baked potato, like you would sour cream. Quark is also good in place of bechamel or ricotta in a lasagna. You can mix fresh spinach with it and eat it with pasta.

If you can find a weekend farmer's market, usually in the main square of even smaller towns, you can get lots of nice veg there. There are some German vegetables that you can't really get here in Ireland that are nice, like Mangold - which is called Swiss Chard in American. It's nice sauteed or in a lasagna or something.

Aldi has belight products. Those might be good for SW. Spaetzle, which are yummy, would be free on EE.

I do a lot of "fried" rice. That would work too. Just cook up some rice and throw it in the pan with a bit of oil if you can't get frylight. Stir fry veg, add some egg and a bit of chili or soy sauce.

There are lower fat quarks (mager) as well. Not sure what the amount of fat is in quark over here, because quark to me is a German product. Just don't buy Sahnequark!

That's all I can think of for now.

Sarah (American, used to live in Heidelberg, now in Galway)

Hi,

Where are you? There are SW groups dotted around germany where the military are. There are also some shops that only sell english things, they are a bit more expensive but you can order on line and they will post to you. This one is the international shop in Dusseldorf: .:. Home .:. American & British foods, Snacks, Drinks and Magazines .:.. Hope this helps.


If you want to contact me on facebook you are more than welcome. (Adele Butler)

Adele
xxxx

Thank you Sarah and Adele for your great advice! It's just too easy to try all the yummy, calorific foods over here.

I'm slowly getting there! Enjoy the quark for lasagnes and desserts. I can't believe my flatmate doesn't notice the difference in our lasagne; she loves it! I had been wondering about the Spaetzle too, so will try some of that! I have Edeka and Rewe near me but I haven't seen an Aldi close enough to get to easily. Occasionally we go to Globus too.

I'm in Saarbruecken as a foreign language assistant in school. The months are flying by, so I'll be doing what I can, as before I know it I'll be back in England. Slimming is just that bit more difficult when you're always moving around and trying new things as students often are!

Thanks again

Dusseldorf

Hi, my son did the same as you-was exchange teaching student. (Linguistic Studies-French and German). He graduated with Honours and now teaches English and French in Munchen-Gladbach. He lives near Dusseldorf and uses the International shop frequently. He cannot recommend it highly enough. There are times when he craves something we take for granted here such as Irn Bru !!. He also uses the Turkish Shops frequently because I know he gets fed up of all the pork. that being said- he's not fading away, and seems to enjoy experimenting.

Im in germany too due to husband being in the army does anyone know if sauerkraut has syns its really nice with salads x

sorry and another thing the quark over here they have flavour ones which are beautiful was wondering if they had any syns or should i miss the out lol x