Budget meals and batch cooking

Curry:
Casseroles:
Soups
are the top three.

I cook and freeze:
-soups - yellow split pea, mushroom, tomato, leek and potato, chicken, cullen skink
-bread - 2 loaves brown soda bread = 24 thick slices
-scones - 16 cheese scones to have with lunch instead of bread
-chicken - we have a roast chicken dinner, the meat is stripped and used for curry, jambalaya, chicken pasta pesto, enchiladas, chicken and bacon pie, etc
-mince beef used for chilli beef; chilli con carne; lasagne; bolognese; burgers; cottage pie etc
-fish - I poach smoked and white fish in half milk half water, use the liquor as a base for cullen skink and use for fish for fishcakes, soup, kedgeree etc
-vegetables - I buy whatever's on offer, blanch or cook it and freeze in individual portions
-stewing beef - I make beef stew in the slow cooker
-mixed beans - I boil up a huge pot of beans every few months, portion them up into 200g bags and freeze - very handy for adding to soups, stews, casseroles etc
-every time the oven is on, I make a tray of croutons (loaf ends cubed, sprayed with oil, dusted with salt and pepper), toast nuts (pine nuts for pesto or walnuts for waldorf salad) or dry out breadcrumbs. I bag these up and freeze - can add lots of texture and flavour to simple dishes with no extra effort
-eggs - frittata and quiche freeze well in portions
-potatoes - dauphinoise or baked freeze well
-pies/tarts - meat pies or apple pies and crumbles all freeze well, just heat directly in the oven from freezer.


Lunches are usually soup and salad, bread or scones for whoever wants them. Dinners are usually something from the frozen stuff with freshly cooked veg or veg from the freezer.

I portion everything for the freezer in individual portions, so bits can be pulled according to who's in or out or late or stocking up cupboards for college. I would say I spend two or three hours a week cooking and baking.