super quick family meal ideas

zippychick

Few linkies

Buying a SC which and why

In my SC today part 2 - have a browse through , see what peoplpe cook and if it would be useful for you. pie fillings, spag bol, chilli, curries, cassseroles, soups , stock can all be made in the SC as well as cheaper cuts of meat cooked up and tenderised after slow cooking for 8 hours

I would suggest you try to borrow one first rather than buying it and finding it's not for you. Slow cookers aren't for everyone, but i wouldn't be without mine

You bung it all in the morning, put on low, 8 hours later dinner is ready. 9 or 10 hours on low is also ok. I leave it on while at work but would recommend you use it first when you are home, to put your mind at ease

Freecycle might be worth a look for one too

sammy_kaye18

castri09 wrote: »

i second the cheese and potato pie with homemade bread is nice, my auntie makes her cheese and potato pie with an egg in it.

we sometimes have cheap nights like ham egg and chips or burgers, jacket potaotes.

try to have a few no meat days or try adding lentils to your mince to bulk it out.

We are exactly the same in our household.

Cheese and Potato Pie - which i never had until I moved to wales! is now a stable in our diet if I am out when boyfriend gets home or he needs a meal to feed boys on the days I work.

Ham, Egg and Chips - is there a better comfort meal in the whole wide world - although I do like to be fancy with mine and occasional have some sliced corned beef instead but its only me who eats it so its a rare luxury!

Burgers - enough said and if i have discounted rolls to use up then the boys and boyfriend will have them usually with discounted salad stuff

Jacket spuds - marvellous things cos you can literally jsut bung them in and leave them - even nicer if you have shepherds pie mince/veg, cook a baked spud, then scrape out a baked jacket potato, fill with mince/veg mix, then mash the removed potato and re top the stuffed jacket skin with cheese on top under a grill - YUM! although be careful too much gravy doesn't make them soggy

Boyfriend also likes cheese, bean and bacon bake. Which is basically grilled bacon bits chopped up, a tin of beans, and a handful of cheese chucked in a pan so it makes a gooey beany mess, put in a casserole dish and topped with cheesy mashed potatoes. Keeps him happy. You can also put he same mixture into toasties which is apparently lovely according to him but im not brave enough to try it.

Soups - might be another good batch cooked stable for you to put in the freezer or pasta sauce. You can also freeze mash potatoes and Im sure you can freeze cooked meats too so you would only need to reheat them later.

Failing that could you cook a joint of meat and keep it in the fridge and jsut reheat it in gravy later? Might give you a few more options - stir frys are pretty easy to do and use one pan so not a lot of washing up - just a case really of bung in meat and veg, rice if wanted.

twinklie

Thanks guys I really am appreciating all this. I'm a bit blonde!

Pink.

Hi twinklie,

These threads might give you some more ideas:

Cheapest recipes???

Meal for two for 50p. Suggestions?

The Cheapest Healthy Meal Ever!

Cheapest meal

Your Cheapest Evening Meal.

Meal idea's under £1

super quick family meal ideas

it aint haute cuisine but i like it!

What's your 'can't be bothered' dinner/tea?


Pink

lindseykim13

Am i the only person who goes to the fridge/freezer at lunch and dinner time and even though there is stuff in there and a fair bit. I say 'theres nothing here' seems to be a daily saying at the moment. I've just spend £110 on food shopping and i've got a list of 5 meals in front of me. The rest just seems like bits and pieces.
I don't know how i'm spending that much and on what really. I've cut a lot of junk out over recent months (no crisps/chocolate/biscuits) confused as to where its all going.
Need to get myself in order but finding it easier to just say theres nothing there and opt for either a takeaway or another food shop.

Seems to be too many obstacles in my way.
They need to be quick (i run my own p/t business, home school the kids & decorating right now)
Healthy
My dd needs stuff suitable to be chopped up small as she still has no teeth at 12mths and wont be spoon fed!
Non spicy as my two boys wont eat it.

We seem to have a basic list of meals going at the moment which consists of
roast
sweet & sour
casserole
fish &veg
something frozen with chips & veg

I'm getting a bit fed up of the same stuff I'm no jamie oliver though so don't like big recipes with too many ingredients. I was looking at buying his new book but i probably need 10min meals not 30!

mummyslittleboy

As its coming into winter my kids love meals like shephards pie, sausage casserole, Chilli, lasagne, chicken casserole and stews all are cheap and easy to make.

La-Cara

bit hard to suggest anything because I don't know what you have in! if you give us a list of what's in your cupboards, fridge, freezer etc we could suggest specific meals for you

JulieGeorgiana

We got into this rut ourselves... the same old dishes constantly being recycled!!!

First of all start making a menu plan for a week at a time. I set myself challenges to make food more interesting...

So each week you should have no more then 1 pork, 1 beef , 1 lamb and 1 chicken meal (unless you are making meat stretch then you can use them in alternative meals). This way you are not getting bored because eating the same meat can be boring!

Then add in the fish dishes, you should eat it twice a week (1 should be oily fish)... but we have it at least once and make Tuesday night fish night!!

Add in some vegetarian meals for cheaper/healthier alternatives!

Then make sure you don't cook the same meal for the next 4 weeks (Leftovers and bulk cooked items are okay)!

Batch cook when you can (When I make meatballs I use 1kg of mince, 500g for the meatballs and then the rest I make into shepards pies (x2) and freeze... saves time later)

At least once a month try a new recipe (I recently tried a Nutty chicken curry, took 7 minutes prep, 10 minutes cooking time - mainly unattended) this will add exciting new things into your life.

Write a list as you go of all the dishes you have prepared, so you can look down it and select your future meals from the list...

When I started in January I had 5 meals.... my list now has up to 75 different meals and I rarely cook the same thing within 6 weeks!

Just start slowly!

Oh and you can get a subscription to the 'good food' magazine for £1 for 3 issues... try it... I found so many real gems and insperation in mine!!

morganlefay

I echo all the above - v helpful. There are only 2 of us at home now and I still get fed up with even THINKING about food. I have found Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries really helpful (and a nice bedtime read too ) He does seasonal stuff, isn't a heavy meat eater and comes up with new ways of doing simple meals. Perhaps not entirely child-friendly tho ? And he does seem to have fabulous food markets nearby whereas I have Mr T and Mr W and Mr A and Mr M - not quite the same ! I would echo the Good Food mag idea as things in there usually not too expensive to make, and just a bit different.

radiohelen

I got Jamie's new book at the weekend and it's actually OK. You don't need to make the whole meal but everything he does is mega quick and easy and more importantly - quite kid friendly. I've got a two year old, no time and I think it will be a bit of a godsend.

I echo the good food magazine subscription. I make something out of that magazine every week - usually when I'm stuck for inspiration.