super quick family meal ideas

mamabear09

thanks. i'll have a look for those tomorrow. i do my main shop in asda.

stevenhp1987

Is the budget weekly, monthly etc... I find that I spend £60 per month for 2 people - So I assume weekly?

Okay, Do you have a supermarket near you which you can look at near close? If so then you can pick up some fab bargains of stuff "going off" - simply freeze it! Make lovely casseroles or stew from them?

Failing that, cheap meals I've found are sauasage casserole - if you shop in Asda, the asda smart price casserole sauce jar is lovely with it!

serves 4... (adults, so have some leftovers for lunch I guess!)

8x regular sausages
1x casserole sauce jar
1/3 casserole veg pack (frozen section)
1 onion.

Fry onion, fry sausages till slightly browned
Add casserole sauce jar, add veg (boiled for a few mins first)
Cook for 15-20 mins.
Serve with mash - Lovely!

mamabear09

i like the sound of that sausage casserole. i live quite a way from town dont have a car so i struggle to get near gone off food. i get a lift to asda once a week on a wednesday and the 35 is weekly.

ZoeGirl_3

Someone really helpful will come along and possibly join this into a thread that has heaps of this info, but maybe try the groccery challenge thread as one of the posts on first page always has a great big list of ideas and links to cheap meals etc. It is one of the sticky threads at the top of the OS thread page.

It is here at the moment, schroll down a bit and there is lots of info and links.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1522643

Sunnyday

Hi MamaBear,

my suggestion would be to keep bage of frozen sliced peppers and frozen sliced mushrooms in polythene bags in the freezer, onions work well too but freeze them flat not altogether otherwise you end up with a big lump that is difficult to break up.

Easy spag bol is a handful of each with mince and tomatoes added, maybe a litle garlic.

Omelettes can be made with a quick handful of each thrown into a pan and softened before throwing in eggs and oregano, they are also great for stir fries with a tin of beansprouts and some chinese 5 spice powder thrown in, serve with egg noodles just left in a pan with hot water, no need to cook the noodles as they cook themselves in a few minutes.

I like to do the pasta in a pan like this too, just pour a kettle full of boiling water over it, stir and put the lid on. Meanwhile stir fry the veg add sliced cooked sausages and pour a tin of condensed mushroom soup over and simmer for a few mins until the pasta is ready, pour it all into one pan and mix up for a very tasty sausage and onion pasta dish. When i`m cooking sausages i always cook the whole pack and freeze the rest cooked, just defrost for a quick easy meal whether it`s slices as above or in a sandwich.

HTH

SD

rosieben

There are a few easy recipes on this thread or you might like to have a browse through the recipe collection on the front page of each months grocery challenge;

last, but not least, there's always the Complete Cookery Collection

rachbc

I'd make a batch of fried chopped onion, garlic, celery and carrots then freeze in portions- this 'soffrito' can be the base of so so many things - cottage pie, spag bol, casseroles, curry - just add meat, tinned toms and seasoning (herbs, curry paste etc) of chioce. Much tastier, cheaper and healthier than packaged flavourings or jars of sauce.

For creamy sauces rather than make a white sauce or use tinned soup just melt cream cheese through hot pasta - again with veg, cooked meat or flavouring of chocie - great as is or topped with a little mature cheese for a pasta bake.

mamabear09

great ideas. i will try the spag bol. im just going to have a look at the links

Pink.

Hi mamabear,

Welcome to MSE :hello:

I don't want to bombard you with more links but this thread might give you some ideas:

super quick family meal ideas

Pink

rachbc

oh and another idea - sausage pasta - take your soffrito - add tinned toms and break up sausages into 'meatballs' and simmer. Yummy!

And incase no one else has mentions it yet a slow cooker will be your freind - literally chuck everything and leave it to do the hard work -if you can chop and measure you can ue a slow cooker. Make double everything so you have an effort free meal for everyone you cook!