Help! £40 to feed family for the month

mbaz

donnajt wrote: »

mbaz - it was 3 years ago (although OH and DD remember it as if it was yesterday). I will admit it would have been nice if i had cooked it straight away but here is the story...

it was something like a basic cheese sauce with finely chopped onion (and any other veg) poured over chicken and popped in the oven - stupidly i made it up when to collect dd from school - got dragged into the park on the way home - 2.5 hours later it finally went into the oven, it smelt delicious sadly the whole meal tasted like raw rotten onions, DD spat it out straight away, OH followed suit, I sat there and ate the lot because I did not want to accept anything other than domestic goddessness!!! Was literally heaving at the dinner table which OH/DD found hilarious, so as stubborn as i am i then helped myself to 2nds and spent most of the evening throwing up!!! SHUDDERING just thinking about it!!!

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Beki

I've just had a moment of inspiration (well, for me anyway! LOL) :rotfl:

I always serve dumplings with stew/casserole - BUT, to make an even cheaper meal i think i might alternate the stew/casserole with just mashed potato with gravy and dumplings. Or how about liver and onions with gravy and dumplings on a day when mashed potatoes aren't available. Dumplings are so cheap to make and IMO are filling and SO yummy!

Hmmm... think i might save the crispy potato skins i've got in the fridge for tonight's dinner, for tomorrow, and have mash gravy and dumplings instead tonight now

mbaz

I was so going to do my crumble today but I have spent the entire afternoon at my local hospital after DS put a small piece of pasta in his ear!! - what a waste of precious food! Very annoyed at the doc when he prescribed "icelollies"at the end!!

Ah well.

I am finally playing the bolognaise card...a bit risky so early in the month but I am feeling quietly confident!


1st - carbonara (just found a jar in back of cupboard)
2nd Lasagne (with added lentils )
3rd chicken and rice
4th jacket spuds with smartprice beans
5th defrost a curry
6th lasagne
7th omlette
8th chicken dinner
9th casserole in giant yorkshire
10th bolognaise
11th canelloni
12th shepherds pie (make 2 and freeze 1)
13th veggie sausages and mash
14th Beans on toast (gotta crop up somewhere)!!
15th chicken curry with 4p sauce
16th veggie burgers
17th pasta with cheese and tomatoe sauce
18th shepherds pie from 12th
19th risotto
20th Homemade soup
21th Chilli
22th Egg and chips chicken casserole
23th Shezza's sauce and pasta (I'll always call it that now!)
24th - Go to take away in middle of night when OH's salary goes in!!

steve40

Ice lollies for little money and always a treat - invest in some lolly molds possibly would have them reduced in Woolies at this time of the year and then fruit juice, stronger than normal squash or or personal favourite the value fromage frais and yoghurts that need to be eaten today layered up! DS much prefers these than unfrozen value yogs! Perhaps one for after this 3 weeks is over

Beki

Awww hope DS is ok after his little adventure! lol

twirlie

I got ice lolly molds at Sainsburys last week for 34p. They're the ones with the built in straws. They were by the BBQ's and reduced summer items. They MAY still be there if you're quick.....

My brothers and I used to have great fun making our own ice lollies, so I bought them hoping to have fun with my (now) 2 year old next summer!

border_collie

Excellent bit here;

"I was so going to do my crumble today but I have spent the entire afternoon at my local hospital after DS put a small piece of pasta in his ear!! - what a waste of precious food!"


he was probably trying to smuggle it out of the kitchen to have a little party later on :rotfl:

miggy

moggylover wrote: »

Note that you do not like liver Mbaz - but have you tried chicken livers? A pot of those, frozen, is about 35p in Tesco, and if you fry them in a little butter with mushrooms, peppers and whatever other veg you like, and then add a vegetable stock cube and just enough water to cover, simmer gently until cooked (when budget not so strained you can add a little white wine) and then add either cream or yoghurt.

That sounds yummy!
I'd recommend chicken livers too - I soften some diced carrots and onions in oil, add a tin of tomatoes and a pinch of sage,then a bit of bacon and the chicken livers - serve with potatoes or rice or even just brown bread... You can always play around with variations without adding much to the cost - kidney beans (pre-cooked of course), Worcestershire Sauce, new potatoes, etc.
I also like them fried with bacon and onion - the trick is only cook them very lightly otherwise you might as well try eating leather. :eek:
Cheap & easy - and very good for you.;)

miggy

mbaz wrote: »

Also got a massive bag of mushrooms that I've added to the casserole for 20p and have loads left so will add them to something else too. Will have a shift around as they'll need using by tomorrow I expect.

Mushrooms will freeze if necessary.

For when you have spare milk, mushrooms on toast, or the thinner version, mushroom soup, is very good: fry a bit of onion in butter & oil if liked, add sliced mushrooms, stir in flour to thicken and gradually stir in milk to taste. We used to have this as a thick spread on toast or, as I say, with plenty of milk as soup.

donny-gal

Hi
Woke early and got reading, just thought I would add a couple of other options, instead of dumplings, you could make a cobbler, plain scones just cooked on the top of the mince/stew in the oven to get a brown (piccy here just search on mince cobbler for various versions but this was only one with a piccy) though I am sure I have cooked these in the sc by just adding at the end of cooking (been a year or so since I have done this).

Another cheaper meat source is kidneys, often bring the same reaction as liver, but I love both, and cook them just for me. They turn a stewing steak into steak & kidney and make it go further, but the main bonus is the gorgeous gravy it produces. One I like is the kidneys (I use pigs or lambs) casserolled with mushrooms and just a little stock. I got two large pigs kidneys out of the freezer the other day and the price was 35p, added them to a packet of lean stewing steak from Lidl, mmmm. I am very impresssed with the stewing steak from Lidl very lean, needed no trimming could just be added straight from the packet, and I have a very fussy DH who cannot handle fat or grissle at all.

Well done to OP and all who've joined in.
DG