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Cheap meals needed?
fluffybunyip
09-03-2010
I was just wondering if anyone here could give me any cheap meal ideas, especially any without meat! I think my family are bored of the same meals, but as we're on a tight budget, the options aren't that varied.

I mostly cook:

Bolognese/Shepherd's pie/lasagne
Home-made pizza
Sausage (fried or casseroled) and chips/mash
Chicken or beef stew/cassoulet/etc.
Curry/Chinese with rice

Any other ideas, anyone?

TIA
Rossall
09-03-2010
Fish Cakes with Baked Potatoes and Broccoli/green beans/peas
cdtaylor_nats
09-03-2010
Make chilli with turkey mince. Cheaper, less fat and you can't tell the difference.

Increase the potato to meat ratio in shepherds pie.

Soup and bread can go a long way, once a week just eat that.

If you are doing shepherds pie make extra mash and have fishcakes the next day.

Stovies are good and can be made with potato, onion and cheap cuts of meat.

Use chicken thighs rather than breast.

Stretch mince by adding 10% quorn.

Vegetable stir fry

Ommelettes

Toad in the hole

A famous wartime pie
Woolton Pie

Ingredients:
1lb diced potatoes
1lb cauliflower
1lb diced carrots
1lb diced swede
3 spring onions
1 teaspoon vegetable extract
1 tablespoon oatmeal
A little chopped parsley

Method:
Cook everything together with just enough water to cover, stirring often to prevent it sticking to the pan. Let the mixture cool.
Spoon into a pie dish, sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Cover with a crust of potatoes or wholemeal pastry.
Bake in a moderate oven until golden brown.
Serve hot with gravy.
Espresso
09-03-2010
If you don;t do this already, it's a good way to spend a small amount of money for a number of days-worth of grub
Buy a chicken and roast it. Have that with veggies and spuds one day.
Take any uneaten meat off the bone for sandwiches or to make a curry or a chilli.
Use the carcass for stock and make a risotto or soup.

If you've got a big family, you might need more than one chicken, or maybe a turkey.
thediceman
10-03-2010
Originally Posted by cdtaylor_nats:
“Make chilli with turkey mince. Cheaper, less fat and you can't tell the difference.

Increase the potato to meat ratio in shepherds pie.

Soup and bread can go a long way, once a week just eat that.

If you are doing shepherds pie make extra mash and have fishcakes the next day.

Stovies are good and can be made with potato, onion and cheap cuts of meat.”

Agree use potatoes as much as possible as they are "cheap as chips" . Brought a 5kg bag of spuds for just 49p and they will last me at least a week, prob longer. Just google potatoe meals and your have plenty of suggestions. I like to dice them and part boil before roasting them after having flavoured them as I fancy. My favourite at the moment is garlic salt and paprika.

Originally Posted by cdtaylor_nats:
“Use chicken thighs rather than breast.”

The thighs are much tastier than the breast meat anyway.

Originally Posted by cdtaylor_nats:
“Stretch mince by adding 10% quorn.”

Quorn is never acceptable under any circumstances
zwixxx
10-03-2010
Toast and Marmite
Swarfega
10-03-2010
Toad in the hole. (ok not a massive departure from the sausages and mash that you do currently but it's something different which is always liked)

You don't list chilli, so I'd do that if I were you.
Binky Winky
10-03-2010
Homemade pizza. get a pizza stone and make some delicious white pizza. I make a scrumptious 12" for way less than £2
Binky Winky
10-03-2010
Originally Posted by thediceman:
“
Quorn is never acceptable under any circumstances ”

I'm a meat eater, but the other half is a veggie so I eat quorn quite a bit. It's actually really nice when cooked properly.

I wouldn't recommend it to save money though as it's far more expensive than meat.
Idlecat
10-03-2010
Buy a turkey thigh/leg . Asda's were 98p but now about £1.50
I like to slow cook them for as long as possible with whatever veg is cheap or use peppers onions and aubergine if you have a bit to spare, I find turkey is good for taking on other flavours, add mint, rowemary and garlic if you want a lamby taste or apple, cider/ onion for a porky one.
When the meat is falling off the bone just pull it off the spiky slivers that are tendons. There is enough meat there to feed a family of four.

Fishcakes are good using smoked fish if you find it on Asda's reduced counter.

I made curry last night with half turkey meat and half quorn, tin of chpped tomatoes, onions, aubergine left over potatoes and curry spices and pot natural yoghurt.
Never use prepared sauces they are expensive. And not always good for you.

Meatballs in tomato sauce is good. Make the meatballs from mince mixed with onion, seasoning and egg or buy reduced price sausages that you can squeeze the meat out of.
Sauce is 2 tins chopped tomatoes, 2 onions , garlic to taste ( paste is fine) any other added veg you have left over. Then add fennel seeds ( I grew my own and harvested the seeds) - ground up a bit and if you have any wine to spare that always turns this dish into something special. You can brown off the meatballs before cooking ( I don't always) add to the sauce and cook for about 30 mins . Pasta of any sort is great added to this, I find it easier to add some cooked separately which I do in the microwave while I make the sauce.

Make chicken casserole with cheapest chicken cuts, onions carrots peas and any other root veg and add suet dumplings or better still make a big lump of suet mix ( flour veg suet from Asda with salt/ pepper + herbs) I use half suet to flour like pastry) roughly roll out and put ontop like a pie crust.
Idlecat
10-03-2010
Originally Posted by Binky Winky:
“Homemade pizza. get a pizza stone and make some delicious white pizza. I make a scrumptious 12" for way less than £2”

That's another good idea Asda are selling a med size round garlic bread thing with SD tomatoes on for £1 It makes a great Pizza base if you're not confident about making your own .
HALibutt
10-03-2010
Idlecat - you have lots of good ideas - but do you really make pasta in the microwave? How do you do that!
Idlecat
10-03-2010
Originally Posted by HALibutt:
“Idlecat - you have lots of good ideas - but do you really make pasta in the microwave? How do you do that! ”

Help! I don't actually MAKE it, just cook it. I do the same with rice. Pop it in a tupperware microwave dish, water to cover, dash of cooking oil, salt if you like, cover with a lid and cook on med heat for about 6 mins. stir, cook for longer if necessary or leave lid on to carry on cooking.
HALibutt
10-03-2010
Oh ok thanks - just never heard of that before.
Mallaha
10-03-2010
Tacos - you can make the filling with beef or beans, both are good. The shells last for ages if you store them properly.

Stocking up on tinned tomatoes, capers, olives and anchovies will mean that you have a good base for hundreds of pasta dishes.
Teddybleads
10-03-2010
Cauliflower cheese is pretty economical and you need less cheese if you get a strong chedder.
stripeymouse
10-03-2010
Vegetable biryani... absolutely delicious & I didn't even miss it not having meat
http://britishfood.about.com/od/reci...vegbiryani.htm

I am on a bit of a budget myself at the moment food wise, and have came up with the following ideas...

Buy a whole chicken & joint it into 6 pcs. The breast sections can be used with one meal (chicken/chips, roast etc etc) and the thigh and leg can be used for another meal (curry etc).

Also, cook up a bulk lot of mince and make several meals out of it then freeze. Just take it out of the freezerr the night before and you can just cook as normal the next day. I make:
Individual Lasagnes
Spag Bol (sauce part only - just add pasta) x 2 meals
Cottage Pie (just freeze with the mash on the top so you can put straight into the oven)
Chilli (sauce part only - just add rice)

I have also taken to buying a joint of meat, say beef, and then cutting it into half and defrosting and using as required. At present I tend to make Beef Ghoulash with one half and then Stew & Dumplings with the other

The idea has mainly be to sort out my meals in advance (generally a month in advance) so I can buy things in bulk making it cheaper.
fluffybunyip
10-03-2010
Thank you for so many great ideas, really looking forward to trying them out!
mandelifeboats
10-03-2010
cole of cheap ideas that i use.

1. oven baked frittata -in oven proof frying pan, fry onions, mushrooms, peppers etc and any other veg you fancy.
add some fresh noodles, fry for a few more minutes. add whsked eggs - as many as will just cover the veg. i add peas now and sprinkle with strong cheese. bake in oven for 10 - 15 mins or until set to your liking. serve with bread and salad. i can do this on about 4 quid to serve five people.

2. basic pasta - fry mushrooms and onions until lighlty browned, add chopped tomatoes and a little garlic and basil - i prefer fresh toms, cook slowly. serve with shell pasta, grated cheese and garlic bread. about 4 quid total again

have to say my top tip really is to buy cheaper cuts of meat and casserole them for a long time. you can make anything taste fab that way.
hayley_kench
10-03-2010
I have a vast list of cheap meals I use to plan my weekly shop. I also tend to buy big packs of mince / chicken etc and get 2 or 3 meals out of it which works out cheaper. Turkey curry is a good substitute for chicken & making chili ot tacos with beans and veg is also cheaper than using mince etc. A good trick is to buy a big chicken / joint on a sunday also and use the leftovers. Below is a brief list of my favs;

Bean chilli with sour cream & tortilla chips
Bean tacos
Mince & sweet potato frittata
Vegetable soup
Lentil Dhal
Leftover meat pittas, curry, soup
Philidelphia Chicken
Gammon, egg & chips
Sausage, mash & onions
Pesto Pasta
Spaghetti Carbonara
Broccoli & potato cheese
Homemade pizza
Vegetable stir fry
Tinned salmon / tuna fish cakes
BBQ chicken drumsticks with wedges
Roast chicken with french stick
Jacket potato with leftover bean chilli, tuna mayo etc

On a Saturday & Sunday we treat ourselves and splash out lol all of the above are pretty quick to make too, which is ideal for a working couple.
HerMajesty
11-03-2010
Originally Posted by hayley_kench:
“I have a vast list of cheap meals I use to plan my weekly shop. I also tend to buy big packs of mince / chicken etc and get 2 or 3 meals out of it which works out cheaper. Turkey curry is a good substitute for chicken & making chili ot tacos with beans and veg is also cheaper than using mince etc. A good trick is to buy a big chicken / joint on a sunday also and use the leftovers. Below is a brief list of my favs;

Bean chilli with sour cream & tortilla chips
Bean tacos
Mince & sweet potato frittata
Vegetable soup
Lentil Dhal
Leftover meat pittas, curry, soup
Philidelphia Chicken
Gammon, egg & chips
Sausage, mash & onions
Pesto Pasta
Spaghetti Carbonara
Broccoli & potato cheese
Homemade pizza
Vegetable stir fry
Tinned salmon / tuna fish cakes
BBQ chicken drumsticks with wedges
Roast chicken with french stick
Jacket potato with leftover bean chilli, tuna mayo etc

On a Saturday & Sunday we treat ourselves and splash out lol all of the above are pretty quick to make too, which is ideal for a working couple.”


Mmmmmmmm, when can I come visit?!!!

Just 2 more ideas for the OP:

Salmon flakes/trimmings - just 88p for 120g (at Sainsbury's, Morrisons, not sure about the others) and a very little goes a very long way for adding flavour to potato dishes and the like.

Soup served in hollowed out thick crusty bread rolls is always a winner with children too.
Teddybleads
11-03-2010
Soup served in hollowed out thick crusty bread rolls is always a winner with children too.

Sod the Children...I want that!
Mallaha
11-03-2010
Nasi Goreng - an Indonesian speciality which you make with rice, spice paste, and whatever's to hand. I like it with tofu or prawns. The paste lasts for ages, the rice ekes it out and it has bags of flavour.
hayley_kench
11-03-2010
haha HerMajesty you can come to dinner anytime, as long as you remind my boyfriend how lucky he is lol

By the way the soup in a hollowed roll sounds yummy!
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