Economy Meals question

kingshir

I have often look through the meal planners for inspiration but find that they are often made up of stuff we aren't keen on. My OH loathes pasta dishes accept spaghetti bolognese and macaroni cheese and my family consists of all grown ups so 1 chicken (even a big one) does not do for 3/4 meals and I personally do not class soup (no matter how full of veg) as a meal.
I guess I'm lucky I don't have to watch the pennies too much when buying food and I do like to serve up substantial, tasty meals but I'm still an OS at heart, so what does everyone else think/do?

newlywed

I find two medium chickens roasted together will give more meat and be more economical than one large chicken. OH gets a drumstick and we all get generous amounts of meat with his roast and I strip (and sometimes freeze) the other chicken to make chicken pie, chicken curry etc.

If you do things like spag bol, cottage pie, curry etc then I find padding them out by adding in extra veg is a great way to stretch it further and everyone gets extra portions of veg. I then freeze half of it for another day.

With so many recipes on the recipe index, I think you just have to search through for the ones that suit your family?

Noctu

Just to add, lentils can really bulk out mince dishes e.g. spag bol, shepherds pie etc

kingshir

I don't mind shepherds pie, cottage pie etc but they never feel like a 'substantial' meal - all wet and mushy even when I add lentils or baked beans etc! Like Newlywed I do 2 chickens at a time and get 2 meals out of them and all the 'strippings' make sandwiches for packed lunches. I buy a big joint of meat for Sunday (usually 6/7 adults to feed for dinner) then have it cold with jacket, chips or bubble and squeak on Monday and the remnants go into a stir-fry on Tuesday and last little bits go into sandwiches. Thursday night (and I'm sure this is the most popular meal of the week) is always chips, eggs, bacon, sausage, toms and baked beans. Friday night is usually curry (India or Thai) and other nights I try and ring the changes.

DawnW

jacket potatoes with something (leftover bolognese sauce or curry for example), with a big salad? Think of standard pub/cafe fare...

bigpaws23

My dh is the sort that likes a 'substantial meal' when he has had a day of physical work.

Tonight the cupboards were bare so to speak so I made him up a meal which he has just devoured and raved over. I guess it was a sort of omlette but he said it was very filling

I fried an onion and a red pepper
Added left over cooked rice and 3 beaten eggs
Cooked it until the egg at the bottom was set, but the egg on top was still runny
Grated some cheese over the top and grilled until brown and bubbling.

I served it with rocket and watercress but maybe chips and beans would make you a bit fuller?

HTH someone

bigpaws x

thriftlady_2

kingshir wrote: »

but I do 2 chickens at a time and get 2 meals out of them and all the 'strippings' make sandwiches for packed lunches. I buy a big joint of meat for Sunday (usually 6/7 adults to feed for dinner) then have it cold with jacket, chips or bubble and squeak on Monday and the remnants go into a stir-fry on Tuesday and last little bits go into sandwiches. Thursday night (and I'm sure this is the most popular meal of the week) is always chips, eggs, bacon, sausage, toms and baked beans. Friday night is usually curry (India or Thai) and other nights I try and ring the changes.

Sounds like you're practising good home economics to me. I think you've got to accept that if you are cooking for a family of adults it's going to cost more than if you're catering for kids.

Would just egg and chips on Thur suffice? Then you could do toad-in-the-hole as another meal or sausage casserole (to stretch the sausages as far as poss). What about pies or pasties ? They seem quite substantial to me, but you can fill them with veg/pulses/cheese rather than meat, or just use a little meat with lots of veg. Savoury pancakes are filling too.

kingshir

thriftlady wrote: »

Sounds like you're practising good home economics to me. I think you've got to accept that if you are cooking for a family of adults it's going to cost more than if you're catering for kids.

Would just egg and chips on Thur suffice? Then you could do toad-in-the-hole as another meal or sausage casserole (to stretch the sausages as far as poss). What about pies or pasties ? They seem quite substantial to me, but you can fill them with veg/pulses/cheese rather than meat, or just use a little meat with lots of veg. Savoury pancakes are filling too.

We all love egg and chips but have to have a 'solid' pudding after otherwise we're hungry an hour or so later (no we're not lard-!!!!!! either:rotfl: ) Cornbeef and potato pie is loved by all as is chicken and asparagus or leek pie.

I just wondered what other people did - I'm just a nosey beggar!!:o