Cheap but healthy meals for December

craigywv

cheap meals well we having today sausages ,turnip, mash and roast spuds yorkies gravy and carots comes to approx 1.30 thats going by what we will use eg, half a turnip so other half froze, half pack saus same again rest froze,tin of carots 18p,yorkies is pennies, i love turnip so would usually freeze loads for when they not in season.

cutestkids

I often do a sausage and bean casserole and I find that if you cut the sausage up it goes much further.

Example last week I used a pack of 12 sausages each one cut into 4 pieces fried off with 2 onions, 3 sticks of celery, 4 carrots, a tin of baked beans added and a tin of tomatoes and a couple of oxo cubes about half a can of water and left it all to simer in the slow cooker, added a few chilli flakes and cooked it for several hours.
Served with spicy veg cous cous and cabbage and there was enough for the four of us that night with another meal for the four of us in the freezer.

babyshoes

Beans and peas are also pulses and contain protein. Baked beans are surprisingly healthy, apart from the added salt and sugar. Apparently, beans on 2 slices of wholemeal toast is equal in protein to a steak, and contains fibre and vitamins that you wouldn't get in meat.

Dairy products (milk, cheese, yoghurt etc) also contain protein. A bit of cheese on top of your food goes a long way towards your daily protein requirements. Most of us eat far too much protein anyway. In terms of meat, a piece the size of a deck of cards daily is adequate - and if you are having other sources of protein you don't even need that much.

The main advantage of meat as a protein source is that it is a 'complete' protein, which means that it contains all the amino acids we need. The only veg source (afaik) that is a complete protein is soya. I know a lot of people 'bulk out' regular mince with soya mince, and apparently their families can't tell the difference.

It doesn't matter if you don't get all the amino acids on one day though, if you eat a variety of types of veggie protein you will get all of them over a few days, and if you are eating meat some of the time then a day or two without much protein won't hurt you in the least. I believe beans plus dairy is a good combo to get most of the amino acids.

I am a carnivore myself, but I learned a lot of this at Uni supporting a veggie friend who campaigned for more balanced vegetarian meals, containing a variety different protein sources in the dining hall - most days the veg option was yesterday's left over side vegetables in a white/tomato sauce with cheese on top and pasta or potatoes for bulk. They started introducing soya mince and other 'meat substitutes', as well as more bean and pulse based meals a few times a week by the end of her campaign.

As I said, I do enjoy meat, but I've started trying to cut down on our meat consumption. I will often make a potato bake with a small amount of chopped, cooked value bacon sprinkled in and a meaty flavoured soup powder as the base. Stir fries need very little meat, and can be made with leftovers. Soup can also taste quite meaty with a meat stock and very little actual meat. I bulk out bolognese with a handful of oats, extra tins of tomato and plenty of grated veg. Maybe have a think about meals like these that you make, where you could reduce the meat to a flavouring rather than a main element. Also, serve less meat, thinner slices of roasts, smaller chops etc with extra veg, carbs and gravy. Dish up leftovers into containers for lunches / freezer meals at the same time as you dish up the plates so there is less temptation to pick at the leftover meat. If your OH is still hungry after a meal, you want him to be eating toast and jam / cheap pudding, rather than the meat that you have earmarked for another meal!

I have been making microwave sponge puddings recently if our main has been a bit small, they are very cheap and easy to make and go well with value instant custard for a filling end to a light meal...

Ingredients: 4tblsp each of SR flour, sugar and marg/butter, one egg and a splash of milk, plus something to top it with.

Toppings can be pretty much anything you fancy - jam, syrup, choc spread (you can replace a little flour with cocoa powder in the sponge if you like), stewed fruit etc all work well. You could also skip the topping and just put dried fruit into the mixture.

Method: Mix together the sugar and marg, then add in the rest of the ingredients and mix (you don't need a whisk or anything fancy for this, I use the same spoon I measured with). Add more milk if necessary to make it a fairly thick pouring consistency. Put your topping into a bowl and pour the sponge mix on top. Microwave for 2 mins, then check on it. Keep microwaving in short bursts (30sec to 1 min) until it is only just cooked on top - I can't give you a definite time as microwaves vary so much, and the timing can change from day to day if your mix is slightly wetter or drier than last time. If you care about presentation, turn the pudding out onto a serving plate, if not just dig in and dish straight into bowls. Serve with custard or cream.

Bananas and custard is another cheap, filling pudding that feels somewhat healthy because of the fruit!

attentionseeker1

Mmm bananas and custard!

The thing is - if you bulk out a meat dish with oats/ carrots/veg, you are not replacing the protein obviously. I have just bulked out my chilli con carne with lentils, kidney beans and chickpeas so I know that a serving of it will definitely count as a serving of protein.

I know we all eat too much meat but surely you are supposed to have a serving of protein a day, whether it be eggs/pulses/meat? Mind you if dairy counts then I guess that goes a long way too.

Fruball

attentionseeker1 wrote: »

Mmm bananas and custard!

The thing is - if you bulk out a meat dish with oats/ carrots/veg, you are not replacing the protein obviously. I have just bulked out my chilli con carne with lentils, kidney beans and chickpeas so I know that a serving of it will definitely count as a serving of protein.

I know we all eat too much meat but surely you are supposed to have a serving of protein a day, whether it be eggs/pulses/meat? Mind you if dairy counts then I guess that goes a long way too.

Oats are a good source of protein. 11g of protein per 100g which is more than baked beans and only a bit less than egg (which surprised me).

http://www.howmuchprotein.com/foods/ Listed as "porridge oats"

quintwins

I'd go for stew

bag of value spuds 80p
few onions 80p
half bag of carrots 90p
beef shin (small amount hubby won't notices mines like yours but i can get away with £1 off beef shin in stew for all 5 of us) £1
gravy £1

£2.59 but this makes a huge pot which should do 2 of you 3 meals


full pot cover with water and simmer for several hrs (i just leave mine on the 2 setting on my hob for about 4 hrs you can slowcooker it but i like mine softer) then thicken with gravy

sheperds pie

bag of value spuds turned into mash 80p
half packet of value mince £2.60
rest of carrots above
onions above
frozen peas £1
frozen sweetcorn £1
gravy above

£5.40 this should do you 2 meals and you have minec and veg left from another meal

Chilli

rest of mince
onions
peas
sweetcorn
rice 40p
chilli mix 26p (you prob have all the spices you need in anyway but just incase your don't)
kidney beans 18p

84p again you should get 2 meals from this with lo rice

tode in the whole

7p batter mix
eggs £1 (use the rest for breakfasts)
value frozen sausages £1 for 20 (use 2 each split down the middle so it seems like theres more)

sausage casarole
use sausages above, 2 each split down the middle and in half so there seems like more
use carrots onions and sweetcorn from above
sausage casarole mix is 26p

homemade pizza
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/13141/basic+pizza+dough- value flour is fine

top with passata 29p, value grated cheese is £3 if there is no good offers, sweetcorn, value ham, tinned pineapple, mushrooms from the fridge basicially whatever you have

lunches i would buy value baps, these are 12 for 35p as adults you'll need 2 they are small, i'd fill with salad and tuna or egg for protien

breakfasts-porridge is cheap and filling, or egg on toast

purpleivy

Hi
I know that ALdi lardons are a reasonable price, but you can get a whole lot more bacon for your money if you want to make carbonara. I used to get the bacon scraps at morrisons bacon counter for this. I think it sells out really quickly these days, you have to be there at the right time.

attentionseeker1

Fruball wrote: »

Oats are a good source of protein. 11g of protein per 100g which is more than baked beans and only a bit less than egg (which surprised me).

http://www.howmuchprotein.com/foods/ Listed as "porridge oats"

Great website- wish there was one of those for all food groups!

Fruball wrote: »

You can make a small piece of meat look more substantial by egging and breadcrumbing it. Schnitzel stylee! Spices can be added to this too

That way you can make a pack of thin frying steak (which is fairly cheap) go further... Beat it out with a rolling pin to make it larger

Thanks Fruball. Battered out my reduced pork today to make schnitzel and the OH absolutely loved it- couldn't believe his luck at such a filling meaty dish! ;);)

GFN123

Since you're popping to Aldi and buying lardons, I recommend their chorizo too. The one shaped like a sausage, not the slices. It's about £1.30 from memory.

It keeps forever and adds a distinctive taste, so a little goes a long way. I dice it into small pieces and use in risotto, Mexican style rice as posted above or frittatas (omlettes, basically, with sauteed onion and peppers). I probably use less than a third of the 'sausage' per meal for two of us. You could make pasta sauces with it as well.

Do you eat fish? If you're into protein with each meal fish is definitely an excellent source. Again, Aldi do a bag of frozen wild Alaskan salmon fillets very reasonably and I stock up on these as they defrost while I'm at work and are quick to cook. I find them much nicer than other supermarkets dyed pink versions!

You could also get inventive with cheaper cuts of meat. Pork belly is delicious cooked in a variety of ways. Yes it's quite fatty but again a little goes a long way and it is wonderfully tender cooked slowly. Or skirt steak - a butcher should have it, and Morrisons definitely do. It's actually really tender and I haven't found the need to cook it for ages like tougher cuts. My favourite is to make a marinade which fills about half a mug - two thirds soy sauce, one third honey, grated ginger and garlic. Fried up after it has marinaded a while (half an hour or more) and it goes with lots of things

scaredy_cat

carrot, sweet potato and parsnip curry is lush and makes alot!

Carrot, Parsnip and Sweet Potato Curry

1 onion
10 oz each parsnips, carrots and sweet potatoes
1 teasp grated ginger
400 gm can chopped tomatoes
100 ml reduced fat coconut milk (I use 2 sachets of Pataks)
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp mild curry powder (or to taste)
3-4 tbsp artificial sweetener
½ pt chicken stock/ vecon
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper
5 tbsp chopped coriander (if using dried 2-3 tbsp)


Method

Prepare the vegetables – finely chop the onion, crush the garlic, peel and chop the parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes into bite sized chunks.

Fry the onion and garlic in fry lite for 2-3 mins. Add the ginger and curry powder, fry for another 30 secs. Stir in the parsnips, carrots, sweet potatoes and can of tomatoes. Bring to the boil.

Stir in the sweetener, coconut milk and stock, cover and simmer for 25-30 mins, or until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened.

Season with salt and pepper, stir in the chopped coriander and lime juice.

Serve with your choice of rice


or Butternut Squash Curry -

Fry Light
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 medium butternut squash peeled, deseeded and chopped
2 tbsp medium curry paste
1 x 200g can chopped tomatoes, drained but retaining the liquid
Vegetable stock (Vecon and hot water)
100g dried red lentils (I have used green lentils)
Baby spinach

To serve
Heaps of boiled rice
Very low fat natural yogurt, if liked

method

1. Heat the oven to 170°C/Gas 3. Spray a heavy, ovenproof pan with Fry Light and cook the onion with the lid on for 5 minutes until softened. Add the butternut squash, tossing with the onion then cook for a few minutes again with the lid on. Stir in the curry paste and tomatoes.

2. Add the vegetable stock to the retained tomato liquid, until the tomato and stock mixture is up to 600ml. Add to the pan along with the lentils. Stir well and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and place in the oven for 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of your butternut squash chunks.

3. The curry is cooked when the sauce has thickened and the lentils are tender but still whole and a knife slides into the butternut squash easily.

4. Remove from the oven and stir in a handful spinach. Replace the lid and leave to stand for a few minutes until the spinach wilts. Serve with the rice and a swirl of yogurt.

they are Slimming workd recipes but you can use oil instead of fry lite