Black-Saturn's Menu Planner

black-saturn

Spendless wrote:

black saturn - thanks for putting up the thread. Look forward to trying some of your recipes. Couple of questions i've never bought tinned prawns do they work out cheaper than a bag of frozen ones and the value pizza, we buy them and use as bases and add mozarella and pepperoni, do you add anything to yours?

I think they work out about the same in price but I prefer the texture of tinned prawns as fresh ones feel like you've got a dead worm in your mouth to me

black-saturn

calleyw wrote:

We eat well and neither of us get ill and that is with trying to get my husband to gain weight and me to loose. And we eat good varied meals based around loads of veg with a small serving of meat.

If I cut out virtually all fruit and veg fresh or frozen and bought value bread and value pasta etc. I am sure I could cut £50 a month off my food bill. But I am at my comfort level and knows what makes me feel good.

Neither me or the children are ever ill either. My parents are always religiously eating 5 portions of fruit and veg per day and they are always going to the docs and being ill. I think all thats just a scheme the government thought up with farmers to make people spend loads of money on the shopping.

Cutting my food bill down makes me feel good. Now I can afford to take the children on holiday, buy that new outfit and buy that dvd player!!

You all asked for a budget menu planner. Sorry if a budget menu planner doesnt include things like expensive pasta (which is exactly the same), value mince and granary bread. For the purpose of living on a tight budget these things will have to be lived with.

savingmum

I've enjoyed reading your menu - thanks - as we are veggie I can only adapt some of the recipes tomorrow will be the fruit cobbler as I still have some left over microwave sponge for todays pudding.

I really enjoy reading about other people's shopping please all continue

studentnurse

Hia,
While I dont agree that eating five portions of fruit and veg a day is just government propoganda I can see sense in what you are saying black-saturn. If by using your menu planner and budgetting like you do you are able to feel healthy, in that I mean good about yourslef as well as in general terms, and reduce the likelyhood of stress then thats a good thing for you personally.

I do not stick to a budget or a menu planner but then neither do I manage to eat my five portions of fruit/veg per day. I know Im a student but Im a mature student with my own family so have no excuse really. But I get ideas from here all the time and Ive even bought a slow cooker !

Ive enjoyed reading this thread, have copied some of your recipes into word to try out. I lurk here alot and pop into read the board almost every day but hardly ever post.

Thanks black-saturn, and a well done to you for managing so well !

Karen x

loopylass

i agree i have really enjoyed reading the recipes and how cheap you can make a meal i buy the big bags of pasta from tescos as it lasts ages and works out cheaper to buy it in bulk i usually buy my mince from the butchers but if i could only afford value mince or supermarket mince then i would buy that because whatever mince (yes it may have a bit more fat in it) but you can drain it as its a lot healthier than what some parents put on the kids plates i.e burgers and chips every day and if your on a budget then its better to make a healthy meal out of basic ingredients rather than go for cheap junk food so i say well done and keep up the good work:T

Penny-Pincher!!

Have the fruit cobbler in the oven as i type...will report back soon.

Thanks
PP
xx

pixie1

black-saturn wrote:

Neither me or the children are ever ill either. My parents are always religiously eating 5 portions of fruit and veg per day and they are always going to the docs and being ill. I think all thats just a scheme the government thought up with farmers to make people spend loads of money on the shopping.

Cutting my food bill down makes me feel good. Now I can afford to take the children on holiday, buy that new outfit and buy that dvd player!!

You all asked for a budget menu planner. Sorry if a budget menu planner doesnt include things like expensive pasta (which is exactly the same), value mince and granary bread. For the purpose of living on a tight budget these things will have to be lived with.

Im not saying this is the best thing to do, but i dont eat any veg except for spuds, toms and onions and Im healthy. The stress of keeping within my budget however is horrible. As long as I can enjoy a varied diet and keep within my spends Im happy, in years to come this may change, I may need to alter my diet to include fruit and veg but then in years to come hopefully I will earn more money too and therefore will be able to justify the extra cost.

Thank you Black Saturn for sharing with us your menu plan, I for one cant wait to try some of yor recipes.

Pixie

black-saturn

I've just finished eating tonight's meal which was as follows:

Chicken Pasta

Boil about half a pint of milk in a saucepan with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add a chopped cooking onion and turn the heat down so it simmers. Stir a little cornflour into a drop of milk and add to the mixture so that it thickens up. Add 3 small chicken breasts and simmer in the mixture until they are cooked (about 30 mins). Add about 2oz grated cheese and stir till melted. Meanwhile cook some pasta.

When the chicken is cooked cut it into small cubes and transfer back into the saucepan and thoroughly mix into the sauce.

Put pasta on plates and then spoon chicken mixture on top.

loopylass

hi
im going to tescos to get the ingredients to make this what temp for a fan assisted electric oven and is it best to drain the fruit before you add them or does it work both ways and how long should i cook it for thanks very much for this
also can you double the mixture to feed 6

black-saturn wrote:

Fruit Cobbler Recipe

In an oven proof dish add in 1 mug of self raising flour, 1 mug of granulated sugar and 1 mug of milk. Mix it all up so it's thoroughly mixed together and then add 1 tin of value tinned fruit of your choice on top. Bake in the oven on gas mark 4 until golden. The flour mix will rise up above the fruit.

thriftlady_2

loopylass wrote:

also can you double the mixture to feed 6

I cooked it in a fan oven at about 170c for about 40 mins.I managed to serve me and 3 kids with it yesterday and the same again today,OH didn't want any-strange bloke.