Very cheap recipes for this lovely hot weather!!

Teg-Rem

Hi everyone. The weather is finally heating up at last, and like everyone else I really don't feel like cooking much, but how can we eat reasonably cheaply without doing so? It is so hot in our kitchen in the evening, and most things that don't need much cooking can be very expensive when you're on a tight budget, so has anyone any ideas for me. I know all you lovely people out there are so good at eating cheaply and healthily no matter what the situation. Tonight am using leftover chicken from Sun with a stir fry and noodles so that's ok. So any help will be appreciated. thanks.

Gillyx

How about chicken drumsticks or thighs with salad? I had this Sunday and it was yummy.

TryingHardToSave_2

We eat alot of mixed salads with new pots, boiled eggs, slices of ham, chicken, left over meats etc. Normally whatever the main bit of the meal is has a side salad with it lol

Jacket pots, toasted sarnies with side salads, homemade burgers, cold mixed rices and pasta, chicken drumsticks/thighs in various marinades

Home made coleslaws and potatoes salads.

I buy my salads/veg etc from local green grocers/markets find i get alot more for my money and things are bigger than in supermarkets x

ixia

Cous cous, salads anything goes, vegetable kebabs, pasta

hermum

Canned beans or chickpeas, pasta or rice, meat eggs or fish of choice, dressing & salad.

rabidbun

I lose the will to cook as well in the heat. Mostly I leave food till last minute and hope I can throw something together due to heat related lack of planning too!

I'm having three different salads tonight (leftovers for lunch tomorrow) - a fairly classic potato salad, a spanish style tomato potato salad and a mozzarella and tomato salad. Last night it was nachos with melted cheese, tomato and coriander salsa, half fat creme fraiche and guacamole (from value avocados that took the whole week to ripen and managed all at once!). The night before was ricotta/flour/egg yolk gnocchi with a premade tomato sauce and some parsley bread.

In each case I am using up storecupboard bargains (half price or less on things like premade tomato sauce, nacho chips) and/or home grown (parsley) or reduced veggies (I had lots of 50p tomatoes last week from the Co-op which are still fine). I am also getting the creme fraiche/mozzarella either from Lidl or Sainsburys value range. So all in all, not as costly as it might look from the above.

Edit: I am also debating making some houmous burgers (basically houmous from a tin of chickpeas with whatever you like in it, an egg or two and some flour to bind with egg/breadcrumbs around the outside if you want) to have either with rolls or baked tatties. These also freeze well for defrosting the next heatwave.

happy_lass

salads, savoury rice (any rice), cold meats, jacket potatos, i make big omlettes with eggs, peppers, mushrooms, garlic, onion, sweetcorn and lots of cheese. the kids love it.

ms_night_ryder

salads, at the moment they are doing the big bag of mixed leaf, for 1.00 in sainsburys, spotted them in tesco today for 1.74, think its called flourettes or something, dunno don't quote me, 1 carrot and a small cabbage maybe half, with sweetcorn and mayo make a wicked coleslaw (could do with some myself).

Teg-Rem

wow!! so many wonderful replies. some were of course obvious if only I had used my heat addled brain, and others I hadn't thought of. thanks once again I am sure that when the next heatwave comes along I will have a wonderful repertoire up my sleeve to serve lovely meals without the hassle. best of course BBQ's but that's only weekends. it's the weekdays that cause the probs.

Kazipoo

Like others, I really can't be bothered with standing over a hot stove, so I dusted off the slow cooker and nearly every day I have made something, today we have sausage and tomato casserole (which is divine), yesterday we had stewed steak in gravy, we have curries and casseroles on the go most days because of the heat. I prep it all in the morning, shove in the slow cooker and leave it to work its magic, it is my best friend at the minute

DCFC79

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