Food Shopping Help Please!

inspiremetosave

Hello, I need some help. Every week I go shopping, spend about £70, then can never find anything to eat all week! This is just me for and OH and 2 cats, and it seems we never have any meals in so end up having takeaways. I would love to cook but don't know how to. Could anyone suggest a weeks worth of easy home made evening meals for 2 please (no fish!)???

Many thanks

Punky

Start by posting what you have in your fridge / freezer / cupboards and teh gang on here will probably sort you out a few easy meals without having to shop. Lynzpower is REALLY good at this kind of thing.

newlywed

What about sausages and mash?
Spaghetti is easy.
Pasta
Pork chop and potatoes and veg?

All very easy to cook

taplady

You'll find lots of help here!
I find mince is a good choice as you can make several things and freeze it if you make double, saves lots of time!These are things we have all the time.

shepherds/cottage pie
lasagne
spag bol
sausage and mash
sausage casserole
beef stew and dumplings
chicken pie
beef and mushroom pie
home-made pizza

Also make a meal planner for the week and buy everything you need to make all the meals on it in one go then you know you'll always have stuff in for tea!Thats the best piece of advice I can give you plus base your planner on what you already have in your cupboards and freezer - even cheaper then!;)

undercoat11

When you go shopping, you need to do a list of all the meals that you would like to eat over the week. Then you can break it down into the ingredients. I know it sounds obvious, but if you can plan well, you need only go shopping once and save on eating out. We always used to be in chaos, shopping almost everyday, but if you do a meal planner, it prevents all this unnecessary shopping which saves money.

We rarely eat out any more, because I know that I can cook 10x better than in any restaurant.

lynzpower

Punky wrote:

Start by posting what you have in your fridge / freezer / cupboards and teh gang on here will probably sort you out a few easy meals without having to shop. Lynzpower is REALLY good at this kind of thing.

oooooh thanks PUnky

One place to start is

a) what sort of things do you buy from the takeaway
b) what sort of things would you have if you went for a pub lunch or out to cafe/ resturaunt.

Not everything is difficult to make, In fact, Id go as far as to say most things are fairly easy to make really.

Anyway, answer the 2 questions above, and as punky says, lets see whats in your cupbaords ( I do LOVE a good nosey ) and we can take it from there

:beer:

inspiremetosave

<<<<<going to check cupboards etc!!!!

inspiremetosave

Right.Here goes.
3 x tins tomatoes
1 x tin new potatoes
Pataks Korma Sauce
Red kidney beans
chilli sauce
popadoms
custard powder
melba toast
bolognese sauce
2 x potatoes
Pasta
stuffing mix
gravy
cereal
teriyaki stir fry sauce
pataks tikka wrap kit
tacos
dolmio pasta bake sauce
rice
spagetti(pasta)
instant noodles
1 x packets savoury rice
tomato stir fry sauce
beef casserole mix
3 x jelly sachets
peanut butter
Freezer:
onion rings
roast potatoes
wedges
oven chips
cauliflower & broccoli
sweetcorn & potato waffles (for 1 x person)
potato croquettes (for 1 x person)
swede
3 x single bags of microwave veg
7 x mini spring rolls
15 x mini potato rostis
6 x small chicken breasts
yorkshire puddings
half leg lamb
vegetable frankfurters
2 x packets bacon
6 x beef burgers
4 x sausages
diced beef
turkey mince
turkey rashers

Couple of things : I work days and partner works nights. I take breakfast and lunch to work, partner takes snacks, sandwich, and something hot to work and we eat main meal together. We have also both stopped smoking recently and have been picking alot more. We like to have puddings - at the moment its usually an (expensive!) ice cream. Any ideas much appreciated!
And to answer lynzpowers questions - 1) my fav take away is indian - partners is chinese 2) probably steak/mixed grill for OH and cajun chicken etc for me!!!

inspiremetosave

thats a lot of food just sitting here going to waste!!!

tryhard_2

chicken korma with rice and poppadums
vegetable korma - use pataks sauce for both the dishes
noodles with stirfried vegeable and chicken and spring rolls
satay using peanut butter
soups - tomato

i cannot see any spices for you to make curry at home from scratch
you can nibble on diced carrot/other veg if feeling peckish
lots of the reipes are in the indexed collection in the blue section at the top of the thread

lynzpower

Ok, well theres very little veg in here, so thats one thing you will need to get- HOWEVER let me see Ive highlighted in red the things you MIGHT need to buy

Soup for work ?
1 tin tomatoes
1 veg stock cube made into half pint stock
tin kidney beans
teapoon cumin/ teaspoon corinder powder
touch of chili powder or a tablesppon of chilli sauce
onion

Chop onion & lightly fry in large saucepan
Add spices as above
Add beans & chopped toms as above Add stock made as above
Cook on a medium heat on the hob for 20 mins
then wizz with a stick blender till its nice and thick.
Makes 3 generous portions & freezes well.

Bolognese sauce, with the turkey mince & onions & maybe some chopped mushrooms? serve with pasta?

Chicken roast
new pots cooked in pan
roasts from freezer
2x chicken breasts - wrap in foil and roast on 200c for 25 mins- stick sharp kniofe in- if juices run clear your safe
stuffing & gravy
cauli & broccoli yorkshires :drool:

1 x chicken breast cut small & bulked out with veg like peppers/onions/mushrooms or a can of drained chickpeas? , rice, korma sauc, rice & poppadums

Chicken wrap kit, using another chicken breast, sliced & stirfried with veg as above and served with the instant noodles? or the sav rice?

the diced beef is screaming to be made into a lovely warming stew with those 2 potatoes, gravy, onions/mushrooms carrots

Chicken teriyaki
another chicken breast
more of the veg as above - maybe beansprouts too?
Instant noodles spring rolls
teriyaki sauce

English breakfast style dinner
rostis, sausages, turkey rashers, baked beans?tinned toms? mushrooms? slive of bread, mug of tea :coffee:

Pasta bake with the pasta bake sauce, pasta, and bacon & veg?

That will still leave you all this lot left

What to do would be to try adn use up something every day- so say when you go shpopping you might decide

Ok well have this tomato stirfry sauce with rice which Ive got in- what ELSE do I NEED to buy to turn it into a meal.


Right.Here goes.
3 x tins tomatoes
chilli sauce
custard powder
melba toast
cereal
tacos
rice
spagetti(pasta)
tomato stir fry sauce
3 x jelly sachets
peanut butter
Freezer:
onion rings
wedges
oven chips
sweetcorn & potato waffles (for 1 x person)
potato croquettes (for 1 x person)
swede
3 x single bags of microwave veg
15 x mini potato rostis
6 x small chicken breasts
half leg lamb
vegetable frankfurters
2 x packets bacon
6 x beef burgers