January 2010 Grocery Challenge

zombiecazz

Ok some inspiration.
Here are some of the cheap dishes that we use.
Pork mince bolognaise.
We bulk it out with beans (kidney, baked, chickpeas) and veg like onions, carrots celery. This make a pack of mince into a huge pot. First night we have it as bolognaise, second night as lasagne, third night add some curry paste or powder and mix the left over mince with pasta.

Potato bake
Cooked sliced potato layered with onions, cooked cabbage and any cooked meat we have available (left over suasgaes and or bacon from breakfast, smoked sausage, mince whatever) top with white or cheese sauce and bake.

Homemade soup with make your own sandwhich.
Cheap veggies soups like broth, lentil or potato, with homemade or reduced bread and some cold meat (asda do haslet for 46p) and cheese.

Frittata
Basically spanish omlete. Cooked potatoes, left over meat or bacon or smoked salmon, chopped veg lice spring onion, onion, broccoli,garlic, Fry up together then add whisked egg with seasoning and some milk until it covers your veg. cook bottom and grill top until cooked through. Serve with salad and toast.

Try making some home baked goodies like snickerdoodles (easy quick cookies) or weetabix brownies.
mince meat tarts with custard is lovely.

I'm sure more useful stuff will be along.

helen_jelly

Evening everyone

Welcome and Hi to our new people and hello to those returning, please take a few mins to read the posts at the start of the thread posted by Pink and Rosieben - lots of info and very good recipes, feel free to ask any questions that you may have as there are lots of lovely people on here willing to help out. Good luck

Budgets have been done up to post 263

Night night

Helen x

daisy1973

slscarborough wrote: »

Having spend nearly £75 on my weekly online shop that I know will not last the week I am after some advice. Surely £300 a month for a family of five is achieveable. I know it is possible if we eat rubbish but I want to feed my family healthy meals. I also know if I went to the store I could grab the reduced items but as I dont drive at present this is near on impossible with 2 little ones. (hopefully will change as have my drivign test next week!!)

I dont want to appear to be making excuses but I am already struggling.

Good luck with your driving test.:D

ceebeeby

Some fantastic ideas - thank you so much!!

Saturday 2nd Jan
breakfast: bacon omelette (using old eggs and 2 slices bacon and some frozen onions) and crumpets (whoopsies from the 31st).
lunch: salad pitta's and the bananas (they're just about edible still).
dinner: pork mince bolognaise (day 1) with pasta bulked out with tinned tommy's and beans to make the sauce go further. Pudding: chocolate cake (in cupboard) with custard??

(can I freeze the remainder of the pork mince bolognaise sauce do you know??)

I'll go to ASDA tomorrow night and see if I can get some potatos, carrots, root veg on whoopsies!

Thanks so much and keep them coming.

basscadette

Hia
Can you put me down for £80 for January, for 2 people. This is food only.

I'm hoping to do it for a lot less as we only really need veg for the next two weeks, have plenty of whoopsies in the freezer from xmas bargains to get through.

Our annual food only budget is £960 - hoping to do this through a combo of whoopsies and our local veg wholesaler.

ceebeeby

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

4 pkts fish pie sauce
1/2 pkt smoked salmon - is there enough to make a pasta sauce, possibly with some cream, or thicken up your milk

I could use the fish pie sauce to make it a pasta sauce (was only 1p a packet from the fresh section in ASDA as a whoopsie, and I've frozen it)??? - we all like the sauce, and the added treat of smoked salmon would be well received!!!

sashanut

Hi all:j

First day of Jan & a NSD so far......so budget still intact, but will have to buy the dreaded milk tomorrow methinks. Ah well, we may get free food at lunchtime tomorrow, if not, we have so much food theoretically I shouldn't NEED to shop.........................:D

misskool

yes, you can freeze the pork mince bolognaise for later.

Smoked salmon in cheese sauce with pasta. Make a basic white sauce, add some cheese spread and then toss in pasta. Put a few bits of smoked salmon on top.

Cook some veggies up, maybe with a fried egg on top and then the value noodles, half a packet will be enough per person if bulked out with veggies.

Your diced turkey add some toms, some onions anything else lying around. Then add some salad and then healthy wraps for dinner.

Egg and chips are cheap and easy. Maybe a bit of baked beans or some veg (whatever you have). Quiches and omelettes are cheap and easy to make.
A quiche base is shortcrust pastry. Bake blind then make a filling with eggs and milk with whatever veg you have around. you don't need very much to make it seem like a lot.

If you slice up your chicken steaks and then add potatoes and tomatoes with your curry sauce, that should serve up double.

Add grated vegetables into the main meal to stretch the meat stuff out further (and it's good for their 5 a day)

Hope that helps. and ration the crisps.

When serving up meat, don't serve one piece, slice and dice so it looks more

Ches

Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon on toast

Burgers and salad

Pkt diced turkey/curry sauce/rice

Pasta with cheese sauce and ham

Fajita wraps with meatballs and salad
Soup/bread/leftover salad/cheese
Pkt diced turkey/lemon chicken sauce/chips
Savoury pancakes/white sauce/ham/beans
Pkt pork mince/chilli sauce/rice
Pasta with cheese sauce and (1/2 pkt)crispy bacon
Veggie mince/bolognaise sauce (try to make this last 2 meals)
Soup again with toasted potato scones
Chicken steaks/beans

Lots of sweet things for puddings which will help fill them up. Ie.peaches/custard, mincemeat tart/custard, rice pudding,

Rest of bacon/cheese/pate etc for lunch boxes. Biscuits/crisps etc

I think you will definitely need more eggs so that you can make egg/cheese quiche. Poached egg with beans on toast etc.

angelatgraceland

leed wrote: »

The freezer I will just delve into and work my way through - I'm not standing in a freezing garage to investigate the contents. Should really keep a note book with things I put in for easy reference. Oh well - as the old school reports used to say - :rolleyes:'must try harder'!

That is exactly my situation with the freezer! Freezing cold going out to get anything let alone delve into it. I managed to find a chicken in the depths of it today while looking for a pot of frozen cream(its still in there somewhere).
Hoping to use some of my storecupboard stash I now have to buy a few ingredients for the recipes in the new cookbook. However-rather than get carried away Ive written the page numbers of the recipes in my diary and a list of the stuff I need to buy to make them.
Found a nice recipe for quinou(bet thats spelt wrong)I need some walnuts and dried cherries or cranberries to go in it. I was given the Readers Digest cookbook to "beat high blood pressure" from MIL who evidently wants to keep me around.:heartsmil. So-I'm being good and experimenting!
Todays cooking has now left no trace-all yummy-all gone!