Feed a family of four for £20 a week challenge

Butterfly_Brain

Thanks jackel, yes I am feeling a lot better than I did xx

Went into Aldi for the weekly shop and was shocked how quiet all of the shops in town were.
People really have tightened their belts this year, I didn't see any heaving trollies at all.
I need to get lettuce, tomatoes and cream for the trifle on Tuesday and that is all I am spending.
My local greengrocer just delivered a sack of potatoes, so I am set foodwise well into the new year

Butterfly_Brain

Pork chop, chips and peas tonight.
We tend to eat very basic just before Christmas and after as well.
DH loves Egg and chips on twelth night (5th) when most of the left overs have been scoffed

jackel

Today we have had for our main meal(midday for us) HM home grown oven chips(0).A tin of mushy peas - I think they are 16p now but they wern't that much when I stockpiled them(think 6p), HG runner beans which I salted - say 5p for the salt,and one fish portion each -Tesco Value 85p for 4 so 43p. Really nice and very cheap for fish. We like the breaded version over the battered. jac.xx

Butterfly_Brain

Sausage and kale gnocchi tonight
This is enough for four

• 200g curly kale
• 400g of potato gnocchi bought or homemade, this is the recipe that I use:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Gnocchi

• 1 small onion
• 1can of chopped tomatoes and herbs or the cheap pasta sauce from Aldi
• 3 sausages
• 100g mozzarella

Heat the oven to 200°C/ fan180°C/gas 6. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Shred the kale , then drop into the water with the gnocchi and cook for 30 seconds. Drain and rinse both under cold water.

Finely chop the onion.

Heat a little oil in a large frying pan,gently fry the sausages and then slice ( I cook sausages in the oven to reduce the fat)

Add the chopped onion and fry for 7 minutes or until just soft, then tip in the tomatoes or pasta sauce, whichever you are using

Toss the kale and gnocchi through the sausage mixture, then transfer to an oven dish.

Tear over the mozzarella and season with salt and pepper, then bake for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

Cheap as chips and very tasty


Kale is from my garden so free, but 200g in the greengrocer is approx 25p



gnocchi = 1.5kg potatoes 30p/ 1 egg 7p/ 400g plain flour 10p salt and pepper total for gnocchi total 47p


mozzarella 44p


onion 8p


Tomatoes 34p



Total cost £1.58 /39.5p per serving

joedenise

Have just done my shopping list for the weekend (and hopefully won't need to go shopping again until the new year!).

Will go to Icel*nd for some eggs, milk & bread. Morries had a special on Jac*b's crackers so hopefully they still have those! Also need to buy some quark.

Will get everything else from the farm shop - sack of pots, salad, carrots & courgettes.

Think that's all I need to get.

Denise

Butterfly_Brain

DH got a hamper from work today, with cheeses, crackers and 3 kopparberg cider.
The teachers had a whip round for him and he also got a gift voucher for a country pub for both of us to have a meal to the tune of £80, so will be going out to dinner in the new year .

Butterfly_Brain

Use up left over cauliflower cheese, make into pasties using either shortcrust, flaky or puff pastry add a little paprika to the cauli cheese to spice it up a bit if you want or add some chopped up ham or bacon.

dory22

your ideas are great i only buy food when i work away (i live at home) but i often make low fat cheap pasties out of pizza dough mix, you can put anything in them, i usually do potato and veg ones. also 'american'(as i call them) hash browns grated potato and onion mix in an egg some black pepper and fry, they need to be browning on top and out of a large baking potato or two you get so many portions (depending on the size you do them) i normally have them with a cooked egg, salad/spiniach and garlic philly. also i usualy make 10 veg soup buying 1 or 2 of each veg from the market which works out uber cheap, any fresh veg/meat i have left i normally buy one of those cheap kids pizzas and pile up with mushrooms, spring onions tomato etc what's ever left and take to work, also cheese and potato pie is a favourite of mine so filling and cheap to do.

Butterfly_Brain

Just popped on to wish everyone a Very Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year xxx

Tillytrotter1

Thank you so much for all your meal ideas and shopping info over the past year. You are such an inspiring, thoughtful person. Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year!