Bored shopper needs inspiration

pretzelnut

I used to do all my shooping in store but soon stopped when shopping started costing £100+a week and we hardly had any real food in the trolley.

Took me a while to get used to internet shopping but now i love it as we can budget way better and no longer impulse buy which has cut our weekly shop for a family of 4 down to between £40 - £55 a week including babies nappeies and wipes.

However, i seem to be getting into a rut and i end up ordering the same stuff each week and were getting really bored food wise now, i have dozens of cookery books but i have been through all the recipes i know we will eat.

Can any of you give me some inspiration, please. What do you cook for tea.

I like home cooking - we're not into really fancy food.

FreebieRocker

Do you have any slightly older kids (like other than babies as you say you get baby stuff)? Because you could buy pizza bases and then make your own pizzas? They're pretty cheap in Tesco I think. About 50p per base + veg and stuff to go on them.

Teahfc

Home made Meat balls with home made sauce.

I use combo of Turkey mince and pork mince made into little Egg cup sized and fried off for a few minutes before putting in a home made Sauce made of.

1 tetra pack of Passata
4-5 de seeded Tomatoes or 10-12 cherry tomatoes.
a grated onion
very thinly sliced garlic
a chili or a 1/4 teaspoon of tubed /jar product ( optional)

at this point I also add a small tin of anchovies (chopped) or a small aubergine that had been in the oven and scraped from skin into the sauce.

drop the meat balls into the tomato sauce and simmer whole lot for around 12 minutes. Keep stirring !!!!

Add to any pasta you wish !
Try Wholewheat spaghetti for a change its blooming lovely

pretzelnut

Yes my son is almost 7 and my daughter is 18 months. Neither are fussy eaters and will eat anything put in front of them.
I however have to fancy what im cooking otherwise ill cook it but not eat it.

FreebieRocker

What sorts of things do you like to eat and cook then?

pink68

We just had toad in the hole (Mr T's sausages used half a pack of 16 cost 98p, for half, and Mr S batter mix 8p)

home grown spuds, and a few veg out of freezer.

then had home made choc cake which was a basic sponge mixture but i chopped half a bar of Mr S value choc (27p per bar) and scattered it on top before cooking.

ALL DELISH!!!!!(even if i do say so myself..lol)

Sharon87

If you give us an idea of what you eat now, maybe people could suggest other ideas to spice your menu up, whether its a new dish or just something extra to it

Cornishpixie_2

Hi, I have 4 children between 4 and 11. I do tend to browse Sainsbury's online and look for offers, that I know we will all eat, I also try to vary the menu. The kids like chicken, fish, fish in batter, Hm quiche, Hm Burgers and wedges, pizza, sausage bagettes, pasta, jacket pots, potato cakes, bacon with new pots and veg, spag bol, savoury roll, Hm tomato and lentil soup, wraps with salad, bacon, chicken or cheese, turkey stirfry with noodles, scrambled eggs, toast and beans. and chicken curry. Hth's . For desserts I either bake a couple of cakes, or they have strawberries and cream or fruit and a bit of ice cream. Tonight we are have roast chicken, new pots, carrots and peas. Then I will save some chicken to do a curry. (My DS3 doesn't like curry, so I am going to save him some chicken to have with rice or noodles and veg). You could also have a look at some receipes over on the Grocery challenge. HTH'S:D

Fire_Fox

Spanish omelette and granary bread, eggs oven chips and baked beans, jacket potato with baked beans and cheese, jacket potato with tuna sweetcorn and onion, sticky turkey drumstick (honey/ soy sauce marinade) with rice, chicken (legs) and barley stew, lentil and veg curry and rice, leek and potato soup, French onion soup with cheese on toast, minestrone soup, turkey breast and peanut stir fry with noodles, pork mince fajitas, spaghetti bolognese (pad with red lentils), lasagne, meatloaf (pad with oats) ....

It's the meat that is the expensive part so if you can have eggs instead for some meals, or pad out with extra veg or use cheap cuts you are onto a winner.