meal plans for large families

bagpuss38

Thanks pinky pig.

I have just discovered the virtues of frozen mixed veg and am now chucking in to anything i cook in abundance!:j

ginger_tony

l make cottage pie but use beef mince as my kids dont like lamb or pork mince.
900grms of mince(aldis are really cheap)
carrots (fresh or tinned)
Frozen swede(£1 from F foods)
Couple of Onions
about 3 or 4 veg stock cubes to add flavour.If you prefer beef stock that will do as well
couple of tbls of corn flour(to thicken the veg stock)
bag of potatoes(when cooked mash and smear over the mince)
I ridge the potatoe by running over it with a fork anf it looks the biz.
This is a real cheap dish under a fiver and if served with loads of veg or bread for dipping in is very filling.

borderlakland

other than those dishes already mentioned, we often have tacos/tortillas smaller amounts of meat, bulked up with peppers/onions etc and salad. for a change instead of pasta with bolognaise type sauce we have rice (cheap and filling)

huge thumbs up for jacket spuds, they can have what ever is kicking around and needs using up with them. mix up a tin of hotdog sausages with the beans for a change.

toad in the hole, roast spuds and loads of veg.
basic tomato based pasta sauce with anything found lurking in the freezer/fridge added to it. or try a tub of soft cheese or creme freche with cooked/sliced sausages and lurking veg with pasta

krlyr

Something like chicken fajitas - the chicken and pepper mix is all cooked and served together and then get the teens to lay the table with salad, grate some cheese, chop up some cucumber, etc. Then everyone constructs their own wraps. Less effort for you, a fairly social meal (tip: put salad etc. into two bowls so not everyone is reaching for just the one bowl at the same time), plus you can get away with using less chicken if you bulk it out with peppers, cucumber and salad. Or last time I chucked a couple of sausages in place of an extra chicken breast, gave it a slightly different taste with a slightly cheaper meat. You could even cook some kind of spicy potato chunks, hash browns or similar to add to the wraps if you're feeling brave - the other night I padded out my last wrap with some onion rings as I had bought some different wraps on offer and they were larger than normal - so there's another tip for you, smaller wraps take less meat to fill yet OH and I are always full up with two of the smaller ones. We also serve it up with HM wedges (we batch-prepare a load of potatoes and freeze, so they're as convenient as oven chips) which cuts down on the amount of meat needed - my mum never serves sides when she does fajitas and everyone tends to go for a third wrap instead, which means more chicken.
You can do similar meals with wraps, salad etc. - for example, chili goes quite nicely in a wrap! Or a Nandos type marinade (I'm sure there are recipes for HM cheaper versions, or we buy the Nandos one when it's on offer), I've done buffalo 'wings' but used chicken fillets cut into small goujons, etc. for a change from the usual fajita mix.

borderlakland

another filler for wraps to make the meat go further is refried beans, also a mexican style spicy rice.
strange, my kids will eat almost anything if its in a wrap.;)

have also served a chilli up with wraps like this

bagpuss38

Thanks guys, some great ideas.

Never would of thought of wraps beyond fajitas.

Tonight is hm pizza night. Always a fav.

zaxdog

Soups (especially thick ones like Scotch Broth)
Curries
Mince n tatties (I always add either oatmeal or lentils for bulk)
Stews
Sausage hotpot
Rabbit casserole
Cheese & potato pie
Corned beef pie
Pasta bake
Chicken Myers
Risotto

bagpuss38

Thanks zaxdog,

Wot Is chicken myers?

Hardup_Hester

I used to make chilli & added sweetcorn as well as kidney beans, mix it with cooked rice & serve with wraps, salad, salsa & mayo or soured cream, a little mince went a long way served like this.
When I did a roast I always served stuffing, sausages & yorkies what ever the meat, as well as roast pots & other veg.
Another cheap favourite was sliced onion, sliced potatoes & scraps of bacon or ham in a white sauce.
Hester

JulieM

bagpuss38 wrote: »

Thanks zaxdog,

Wot Is chicken myers?

It's a sort of chicken and broccoli casserole made with a tin of condensed chicken soup. If you google it, there are plenty of recipes.