6000 meals under 50p in 2010; feeding your family on a low budget

mark55man

Thu 25th - long day today - not all work just most of it

Breakfast: 6/6
Lunch : (6/6) : OP+OH - LO Chilli (1/2 portion) & Pitta - Kids : Sandwiches & Apple
Supper : (5/6) : OP - LO Chilli : OH+Kids - Baked potato beans and cheese

Today = 17/18
Total = 874/978 = 89%

EllieA_3

hey sorry i haven't read though everything but what i have read is very useful, can i ask how you work out the cost of each meal?

mark55man

hi ellie - if you look at the previous report-backs you will see I add together the cost of ingredients and then divide into the portions consumed.

if I am repeating a meal already documented I don't tend to put the figures in

if I am using small pinches of stuff I don't count it - if I am using part of a packet I estimate - sometimes I will weigh it if I know its going to be close to 50p.

HTH

mark55man

Fri 26th - hurray the weekend has started - need to pack up the whole kitchen this weekend - this may pose big challenge for the next month - but that's see how we go

Breakfast: 6/6
Lunch : (6/6) : OP @ work OH - bread and fruit Kids : Sandwiches & Apple
Supper : (5/5) : OH Work do, OP+Kids - Baked potato beans and cheese

Today = 17/17
Total = 891/995 = 89.5%

mark55man

Sat 27th -

Breakfast: 6/6
Lunch : (6/6) : 3 x bacon s/w (28+10) - 3x omelette
Supper : (4/6) : OP-OH: 1 chicken breast (100p per breast - normally 1/2 price (50p) but had run out) + 25p boursin (1/2 pack local market 50p), 200g rice (24p) = 149p = 72p. Kids - 2 x veggie burger and peas (37p + 10p)

16/18
Total = 907/1013 = 89.5%

mark55man

Sun 28th-

Breakfast: 5/6 - DS2 egg&bacon special
Lunch : (6/6) : 1/3 tin Tomato soup (17p) + 1/2 coop baguette 16p + 1/4 market camembert (12.5p) (camambert & baguette grilled)
Supper : (3/6) : OP-OH: (LO Chicken & Garlic & Sweetcorn & Rice >50p), Kids: Rice, Quorn and sweetcorn (200g rice 24p + 1.00 + 39) = 1.63 for 4 = 40p + extra ham (2 slices) for DS2 24p

14/18
Total = 921/1031 = 89%

misscousinitt

Hi Mark

Just a couple of thoughts and ideas about cooking without a kitchen - I had to do this about 4 years ago when OH re-did the kitchen - took about 2 weeks and there are some things I wished I'd done differently but the key thing is to set yourself up a little area for food prep.

Your kitchen friends in situations like this are: the microwave, toaster, kettle and if you have one a george forman type grill.

Is there anything that you already cooked and portioned up in the freezer that you can just nuke in the microwave for quick and easy meals?

George Forman suggestions: kebabs, sausages & chicken (or veggie subs), toasted sandwiches
Microwave suggestions: Jacket Potatoes, Beans, Scrambled Eggs, Soup (nice to serve with a cheese board and crusty bread!), Fish (very easy to cook in microwave), rissotto using packet savoury rice, extra peas/sweetcorn adding value prawns or quorn pieces for protein, noodles, hotdogs (veggie or otherwise).
Kettle: for making gravy, soaking cous cous etc...
Toaster: speaks for itself - try to think of easy toast toppers (tinned mackerel fillets, tuna & sweetcorn mayo, hummous, garlic sausage, beans, scrambled eggs with ham); warming pitta pockets, bagels (smoked salmon & cream cheese - can be done cheaply with smoked salmon trimmings and value cream cheese!)
No cook supper: panzenella salad - use up any bread you might have - check out bbc good food web site for recipes.

Hope this helps.

Good luck....

katieclampet

Hi have been following this thread since you started, and just popped in to say well done, you are doing great!! Will keep reading with interest, though you do make me feel extravagent at times!

katiex

mark55man

misscousinitt wrote: »

Hi Mark

Just a couple of thoughts and ideas about cooking without a kitchen - I had to do this about 4 years ago when OH re-did the kitchen - took about 2 weeks and there are some things I wished I'd done differently but the key thing is to set yourself up a little area for food prep.

Your kitchen friends in situations like this are: the microwave, toaster, kettle and if you have one a george forman type grill.

Is there anything that you already cooked and portioned up in the freezer that you can just nuke in the microwave for quick and easy meals?

George Forman suggestions: kebabs, sausages & chicken (or veggie subs), toasted sandwiches
Microwave suggestions: Jacket Potatoes, Beans, Scrambled Eggs, Soup (nice to serve with a cheese board and crusty bread!), Fish (very easy to cook in microwave), rissotto using packet savoury rice, extra peas/sweetcorn adding value prawns or quorn pieces for protein, noodles, hotdogs (veggie or otherwise).
Kettle: for making gravy, soaking cous cous etc...
Toaster: speaks for itself - try to think of easy toast toppers (tinned mackerel fillets, tuna & sweetcorn mayo, hummous, garlic sausage, beans, scrambled eggs with ham); warming pitta pockets, bagels (smoked salmon & cream cheese - can be done cheaply with smoked salmon trimmings and value cream cheese!)
No cook supper: panzenella salad - use up any bread you might have - check out bbc good food web site for recipes.

Hope this helps.

Good luck....

No forward thought at all - oops!!

Thanks so much - that will help us all a lot. Especially the soup bit as we will be without a boiler for a week - so they just told us - nice!!

mark55man

katieclampet wrote: »

Hi have been following this thread since you started, and just popped in to say well done, you are doing great!! Will keep reading with interest, though you do make me feel extravagent at times!

katiex

Extravagant not - sensible yes (I'm sure)