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Cheap and healthy meals for a single person.


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Old 23-03-2012, 12:58
Marshmallow1986
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Hi All

as of tomorrow ill be living on my own and i would like some ideas of cheap and healthy meals i could make myself but also freeze if need be. I have a slow cooker, so can make things in that as well. also another question. is it safe to leave the slow cooker on while im at work?

thanks xx
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Old 23-03-2012, 13:52
MICH78
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Some of the best value cooking is to make several portions and freeze them, rather than focus on a meal for one person as such. The usual mince meals; bolognaise, lasagne, chilli, shepherds pie. I've cut down my intake of processed meat, so i've got used to eating smaller amounts of meat in these meals, which makes it cheaper anyway. A roasted vegetable lasagne is nice as well.

Homemade soup is cheap and can be frozen. If making a stew, choose cheaper cuts like chicken thighs or lamb neck. I never like to leave the cooker on while i'm out, but i'm paronoid about these things, not sure if many other people do.
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Old 23-03-2012, 15:05
gemma-the-husky
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you can get stir-fry stuff - 3 things for £2.50 from a lot of supermarkets

bag of noodles, and stir-fryveg. throw in a few prawns or a chicken breast.

will easily do 1 person for 2 days. Cheap and healthy
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Old 23-03-2012, 15:49
c4rv
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From another thread. I usually budget around a 75p to a quid a meal including side salad, cooking and packaging costs. My portions are fairly generous, around 500g per meal.

I batch cook my meals and freeze. Take out the night before and its defrosted and ready to microwave by lunchtime. At the moment I have about 40 portions of,
- Sweet and sour paneer
- Sweet chilli chicken
- Sausage casserole
- Mexican beef chilli
- Thai Chicken curry
- Split yellow lentil soup

I would take indian curries as well but they do tend to make the office a bit smelly so I don't take them in any more, same with fish.

As I am also trying to eat healthy I have a salad instead of a carb heavy starch to go with them.
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Old 23-03-2012, 16:13
Welsh-lad
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Stir-fry; best thing ever, so quick and so many different variations
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Old 23-03-2012, 16:24
pinot_noir
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Chilli is really good in a slow cooker. It freezes really well.
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Old 23-03-2012, 16:48
ChoccyCarole
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If you can get to be inside your supermarkets at about half an hour before closing you may find lots of bargains
bread / veg / fruit / freshly cooked meats and Deli type stuff

I leave my sabichi slow cooker on sometimes overnight / or when I am out
and all has been ok

I cook up big batches of Quorn mince
and make it into a yummy thick chilli bolognaise sauce
then when cool
put a really good portion into a sandwich bag
then flatten each one out
and stack about 10 portions in the freezer

then you always have a quick meal
if you add each portion
to a bowl of rice or potatoes / with veg
or pasta [many pastas sell for about 39p]


I freeze butter
~after cutting it all up with a hot sharp knife
into individual thin square portions
ready to take from the freezer ~when ever you need it

I freeze all my breads
it helps if you FIRSTLY cut the baguettes up into individual portions
and slice open the rolls n buns

I then pop various breads into a toaster or microwave

I use a steamer with a lid / that fits on top of any pan
I FILL l it with assorted veg ~which then lasts all day
for nibbles or meals

tins of beans and tuna are always useful
for a quick meal or sandwich

Curry powder added to the beans makes them nice and tasty
and you could also add some finely diced / sliced onion / and some sultanas for a bit of a change
ground cumin is also a good flavouring

stir fry veg is brill ~raw or cooked
with added salad cream / cottage cheese
Asda do a great bag of stir fry veg ~taste fresh n cheap
AND only 138 cals for a full bag

frozen peas / runner beans / corn are great in the freezer
to add to many meals / snacks

if you buy a pie / cake etc
cut into an individual portion and pop in the freezer

A squeezy bottle of salad crean in the fridge is a must
also a jar of mint sauce / horseradish
to add that extra flavour to sandwiches
salad / tuna / potatoes / peas etc

A [quorn ]sausage casserole cooks well in a slow cooker
pasta cooks well in there too if you add it to a soup type mixture

A chicken cooled in the slow cooker
can make several meals / and a yummy soup
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Old 23-03-2012, 16:49
BomoLad
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Bag of chips followed by a run.
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Old 23-03-2012, 17:36
diablo
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I often leave my slow cooker on overnight, so if it is dangerous then I might be cooked while in bed. If you have yours on while you are at work then the worst that can happen is that the house/flat burns while you are away.

I've never heard of any dangers from them.
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Old 23-03-2012, 19:06
HollyC
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I leave my slow cooker (on low) on all day without worrying - it's what they're designed for!

I was going to suggest cooking a whole chicken in your slow cooker (with a little stock, just leave it on low all day). Because the meat just falls off the bone, you get a lot more meat than you think (you'd be amazed ). Then freeze the cooked chicken in portions and you can use it to make stir fries, pasta bakes, chicken salad, pies, sandwiches, whatever.

Another good tip is, when you're making spag bol or chili, use less mince and bulk it out with lentils - yummy and good for you (and lentils are pretty cheap)

If you've got a market near you, it is a lot cheaper to buy fruit and veg from there than a supermarket. I'm also a fan of frozen veg, which I tend to buy when it's on offer, so I've usually always got some in the freezer.

Before I got a breadmaker, I used to find bread mixes work out cheaper than loaves.
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Old 23-03-2012, 19:06
Espresso
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Roast a chicken for your Sunday dinner, then when the bird is cold, take all the meat off. You can use that for a curry or to have in a tomato sauce with pasta and for sandwiches or salads.
Make stock with the carcass and then you can have soup or make risotto.

A chicken is a very cheap thing indeed when you think how many meals you can get from it, whether it's for one person or not.

I leave my slow cooker on when I'm in bed or at work. Never burnt the house down yet!

If you have a fishmonger near you, see if he does fish pie mix. Mine does and you get a massive bag of small bits of fish, which are brlliant for cooking fish pies or stir fries with.
Also, mackerel is dead cheap and really good for you. I got a fresh mackerel for tea today £1.50 and the man filleted it for me so it made a lovely tea with some home made potato salad. I count that as a pretty cheap and healthy meal.

Keep your eye out for special offers in the supermarket - meat, fish, chicken, bread - and even if it's a massive packet you can portion it up and freeze it.

Amd thanks to this very forum, I cooked a chicken in my slow cooker for the first time ever and it was GEEEENIUS!
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Old 23-03-2012, 23:15
orangebird
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I leave my slow cooker on all day when I'm at work. It's fine!
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Old 24-03-2012, 00:22
big_hard_lad
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I'm not going to repeat what others have said, but my basic advice is that your freezer is your best friend. There's some great ideas in this thread!
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Old 25-03-2012, 13:56
ChoccyCarole
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if you make gravy from granules
you can add extra flavour if you add a teaspoon of mint sauce
or horseradish sauce~ or very finely diced onion
~ before you add the boiling water
mmmmmmmmm

A very quick snack can be made if you microwave
~a bowl of frozen potato croquettes~
topped with frozen peas
and maybe a few cherry tomatoes chopped up [hot or cold]

Then mix A GOOD Squidge of salad cream & a tsp of mint sauce
to drizzle all over the top when cooked

filling tasty and soooooo quick n satisfying

those flat packs of tortilla wraps freeze really well
and are easy to just remove one at a time
pop one in the micro wave for a short time
then fill with whatever you fancy

If you buy bagels~slice them in half before freezing them
then they are ready to pop in the toaster
for a toasty sweet or savoury snack
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Old 25-03-2012, 14:17
K's Kitchen
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If there are any tips I could give you would be to invest in storage tubs and freeze big batches - especially soup. Soup can be really cheap and healthy to make - make a week in advance and freeze for lunches or dinners.

Invest in dried herbs and spices too so that you can cook cheaply - costly at first cos you are buying them all at the one time but worth while in the long run.

Also - plan your meals in advance so you can buy correct amounts - I do this now because in the past I wasted so much vegetables. Shop weekly - look at food that has been reduced - I recently got an enormous bunch of bananas (about a dozen or so) for £1.15!

At the end of the week make frittatas or omelettes with left overs.
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Old 25-03-2012, 15:46
phill363
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if you buy a cheap chicken for about 2.99 you can joint it your self, there is video's on youtube for help then just boil the bones for stock, should get a few meals worth of meat and stock for a vegetable soup and you can do anything with it.
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Old 25-03-2012, 16:54
ChoccyCarole
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I would recommend exploring supernarket's
OWN BRAND Products
they are much cheaper and I find ALL the items to be very good quality
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Old 25-03-2012, 17:01
stud u like
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If there are any tips I could give you would be to invest in storage tubs and freeze big batches - especially soup. Soup can be really cheap and healthy to make - make a week in advance and freeze for lunches or dinners.

Invest in dried herbs and spices too so that you can cook cheaply - costly at first cos you are buying them all at the one time but worth while in the long run.

Also - plan your meals in advance so you can buy correct amounts - I do this now because in the past I wasted so much vegetables. Shop weekly - look at food that has been reduced - I recently got an enormous bunch of bananas (about a dozen or so) for £1.15!

At the end of the week make frittatas or omelettes with left overs.
Or grow your own herbs which provide a endless supply.
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Old 25-03-2012, 17:03
bowland37
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Instead of storage tubs i just freeze individual portions of Chilli/Curry/Bolognese in small freezer bags.

Things like supermarket frozen fish and veg are also good. I always have a large bag of value white potatoes/basmati rice in as well.
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Old 25-03-2012, 17:23
Emmersonne
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I love roasting sweet potatos - so yummy and you can fill them with anything.
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Old 25-03-2012, 18:24
K's Kitchen
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Instead of storage tubs i just freeze individual portions of Chilli/Curry/Bolognese in small freezer bags.

Things like supermarket frozen fish and veg are also good. I always have a large bag of value white potatoes/basmati rice in as well.
With freezer bags - you got to keep buying them - in the end it works out more expensive than buying plastic storage tubs.

I agree with large bags of value white potatoes - keep them in the fridge as with all veg - they last longer
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Old 25-03-2012, 19:07
Abriel
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With freezer bags - you got to keep buying them - in the end it works out more expensive than buying plastic storage tubs.

I agree with large bags of value white potatoes - keep them in the fridge as with all veg - they last longer
Just buy em from wilkinson or Poundshop - 600 for a pound,surely cost is neglible and they take up less space
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Old 26-03-2012, 10:36
Marshmallow1986
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thanks for the replies. some really good ideas.

today im going to make a lasagne, i got 4 chicken breasts and im going to make them with the paprika maggi so juicy and freeze them and i have pork loin steaks to cook with a sage and apple sauce. so will freeze everything in portions x
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Old 26-03-2012, 13:56
Gooby
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I keep every plastic tub/pot I get food in and use this for freezing. It is a lot cheaper than buying plastic tube. The downside is finding the right lid for a tub can be challenging and you also end up with lots of shapes and sizes which don't stack as nicely. But we usually muddle through.

After reading this thread I am seriously considering buying a slow cooker but I have been burnt with my juicer experience. Spent quite a bit on it and then found it was a 1 month wonder as it was a pain in the backside to clean and there was so much waste in the juicing process.

Has anyone regretted their slow cooker purchase?
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Old 26-03-2012, 14:27
norbitonite
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I don't regret my slow cooker, but I do find that everything comes out tasting a bit 'samey' regardless of the fact I've used different meat, stock, herbs, spices, veg. I guess I just haven't perfected the art yet.
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