Batch cooking ideas please

VJsmum

Do you have a slow cooker? they make cooking soooo easy and make a little (and cheaper) go a long way. THey cost a small amount to buy (mine was £15 from Sainsbury's last year) but cost peanuts to run (about the same as leaving a light on) and you can make LOADS.

Bulk things out with cheap stuff - i.e. if i make spag bol i use equal amounts of mince with mushrooms (i whizz them in a mini chopper - really must get a food processor - cos son doesn't like them, but chopped this way they look like meat), or with red lentils.

M0neysav3r

Mincemeat is good for stretching and freezing. I tend to cook some mince (with added oats to stretch) add onions, peppers, courgette, carrot etc and a couple of tins of chopped toms and divide in half, add kidney beans and chilli to one half for chilli con carne and herbs to the other for spag bol, each of these is then divided in half again and frozen into takeaway containers (plenty for us as 2 adults and a child).

PippaA

I had to make a little go a long way when I was a mum and found that Mince was wonderful as you could do so much with it. As has already been suggested it will make - chilli, spag bol, cottage pie (bulked out with carrots onions peas mushrooms tinned toms etc), meatloaf and the old stand by savory mince with mash and peas! (I was a school cook in a previous life).
May I also suggest you buy chicken thighs. They are relatively easy to bone, just make a cut all the way down and then put your knife aginst the bone and cut as closr to it all the way round. Just mind your fingers. When boned (boil bones for gravy or stock) they can be filled with what ever you like - mushrooms, cheese, sage and onion, whatever you like- rolled up again and cooked in the oven until the juices run clear from the chicken. They make a great meal and can be made to look like a posh dish! Chicken thighs are cheap.

LittleBrownFrog

There are lots of good recipe ideas in the threads on here. Also, g00gle 'rubber chicken recipe'

smarties84

Wow thank you everyone for your suggestions
I did have a brand new slow cooker that was sat in my cupboard for a year still in the box, my mum then asked me for it (to borrow) and she has it now... may ask her for it back.
I did buy chicken thighs last week, they were quite cheap and i just did veg, gravy and tates with them - i would like to be more exciting and try new ways of doing things.
AAhhh yes i've heard people talking about buying a chicken and doing lots of things with, thats a good idea - i'll deffo give that a go.
Mincemeat is another thing i buy quite alot but just do a chilli and have none left, so i may buy a bigger pack and do as you have suggested, split it a few times - that'll be ace.

Talkin of chilli con carne, i cheat and add a packet to make the chilli con carne flavour, how do u make it without using a packet ( told u i cudnt cook lol) xx

RhiBi

Do you have a LIdl nearby? I look out for their weekend offers and bulk buy meat then. Beef mince can be 99p for 500g, so I get a few packs, pork chops were £1.49 I think a few weeks back, and chicken breasts too. I freeze them and always have meals to make quickly.

I agree about the slow cooker, so easy to make really tasty cheap meals.

claire21

get your slow cooker back - beef stew and dumplings (chuck all your veg in with it) so it's a whole meal in its self, I'm guessing the left overs you could put into a pie.

maman

smarties84 wrote: »

I did buy chicken thighs last week, they were quite cheap and i just did veg, gravy and tates with them - i would like to be more exciting and try new ways of doing things.

Mincemeat is another thing i buy quite alot but just do a chilli and have none left, so i may buy a bigger pack and do as you have suggested, split it a few times - that'll be ace.

Talkin of chilli con carne, i cheat and add a packet to make the chilli con carne flavour, how do u make it without using a packet ( told u i cudnt cook lol) xx

I made a great chicken casserole tonight. DH and I just had one chicken thigh each for flavour (although I generally use two each), with that went onion, handful of frozen leeks, carrots, mushrooms, tin of butter beans and a few bits of asparagus lying around. All in a sauce from stock (thickened with a bit of cornflour) with rosemary and thyme and served with roast potatoes. It was yummy!

With mince, I don't buy loads (usually just a 500g pack) I just add heaps of veg to it to make it stretch and to make it healthier. For chilli or bolognese I add onions, mushrooms, peppers and carrots plus courgettes (from garden when in season) and celery if I have it on top of the tinned tomatoes. Obviously beans with the chilli as well. I, too, use a sauce mix for chilli but often add some extra chilli powder or flakes as well. I make a huge pot and then portion it up for the freezer. I prefer it after it's been in the freezer, seems to marinate and has extra flavour.

Hardup_Hester

http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/
Lots of ideas on this site here

smarties84

Oh great stuff, thank you:)
I do have a Lidl about 20 mins drive away, i am looking forward to Wednesday when i can go shopping and seeing what i can do and make with your ideas