The Big Post Christmas restock :)

kerrypn

We always empty all the cupbiards/freezer after christmas to take them down to bare minimum and I do a huge shop to restock in January. I am in desperate need of new recipes/ ideas for evening meals, we are getting fed up of the same dishes, so I though I would ask before the shop so I can get any special ingriedients as needed.

I am OK at medium difficulty recipes but have three children so can't spend all day making them
The children are fairly unfussy though so willing to try all sorts!

We normally have things like homemade soup, cottage pie, corned beef hash etc so some new ideas would be much appreciated (and the more money saving/ old style the better!)

Thanks in advance

freedom2011

I am on the the same hunt for info too.

Although baking & herb/spices are still well stocked I am out of everything else. We are family of 5 too. I am thinking of writing out a 4 weekly meal idea which I can swap around as need be to help me stay in my budget. My food budget is tight, I am on-board the frugal challenge. No room for fussy eaters here so any ideas welcome.:)

joedenise

I find things made with beans are quite cheap and filling to make. There is such a large variety beans and pulses you can use. Try Googling for vegetarian meals as well - should give you lots of new, cheap, ideas. One of our favourite meals is a sort of cassoulet - uses white beans, chopped up sausages and if I've got a bit of left over chicken from a Sunday roast I'll put some of that in.

Denise

Islandmaid

Have a look at the mealplanning thread and the what are you making for dinner thread, they always give great ideas that you can 'borrow'.

rubytuesday

I made a lovely frittata today for the first time - roasted half a squash I had with some lurking parsnips, red pepper, some baby potatoes and leeks then covered with in 250mls of reduced cream mixed with four eggs and a bit of cheese and spring onion tops and baked it for about half an hour.

You could use whatever veg you fancy or have available.

kerrypn

Thanks so much for the ideas so far, the frittata sounds lovely definitely going to give that a try :j

I have had a lurk about, just fancy something a little bit different but can't tell you what!

Any ideas with mince and sausages would be especially appreciated since we have done them to death. I dont mind if one or two recipes are a bit pricier just for a bit of variety

I have never tried white beans, are they butterbeans?

Honeythief

Do you like sausage casserole? I only discovered this dish very recently but it is very cheap and cheerful! The recipe I usually use has carrots in, and no bacon or beans, but this one looks so good that I might try it next time:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/great_sausage_casserole_73010

kerrypn

We do but feel i need to rejuvenate it a bit, maybe something to put a bit of a twist on it?

Ever have those times when you want to cook something really different and tasty? thats me at the moment!

sarah222

I agree Im not over keen on sausage cass but that recipe sounds nice. Think I be trying that one mmmm

mummybearx

Other things to try are different ways to cook the mash or veg!

I sometimes slice up some spring onions, add them to the mash just before serving and stir them through. Adds a whole new flavour! You could also add in cabbage.

Instead of steamed or boiled veg, roast some carrots and parsnips with some honey and salt and pepper.

Roast potatoes with some paprika sprinkled on them, serve with a warming sausage casserole.

Just a thought

Honeythief

zepsgal wrote: »

I sometimes slice up some spring onions, add them to the mash just before serving and stir them through. Adds a whole new flavour! You could also add in cabbage.

Otherwise known as champ and colcannon. If there's one thing the Irish do well it's potatoes

If I wanted to make a variety of things from a relatively small store cupboard I'd go for Indian food. Make a base sauce in bulk (I like the one from the Takeaway Secret book) and use that to start off almost any sort of curry you can think of. The best part is that you can use most meats and vegetables that you have to hand, and a simple tweak of spices will bring variety. Mmmm, curry...