Help needed for reluctant cook!!!!

kimmie35

Well if anyone could help would be soooo chuffed. :j

My problem being that we need to really budget in May and i seem to feed my family on processed ready meals and dont really cook often apart from a traditional sunday dinner.. I need some receipes that i can cook and freeze in advance and cook in the oven. Dont have a microwave so they would need to be something that can defrost and times to defrost needed and cooking instructions.... Sad but i passed my home economics o level!!!Long time ago... :rotfl:

I work 3 nights a week from 10 til 6am and would be able to spend a wednesday cooking in bulk really...

So any cooks out there that can help me create tasty meals for hubby and 3 kids on a very very tight budget would be really grateful..... :beer:

Thanks in advance........
Kim

Kimberley

I also have 3 kids and ask the same as Kimmie I tend to cook frozen chips, fish fingers. I do Rice and Pasta but two of my kids hate Rice and pasta..

So like Kimmie i'll enjoy reading any tips Sorry to nab your thread Kimmie but it saves doing one myself..

kimmie35

Not a problem we must be as stressed as each other!!!!!

Kimberley

Yeah i know :rolleyes: I'd love to be able to cook and bulk freeze to save money :think:

Penny-Pincher!!

Hello, this is my 1st post..so please be nice

Right-my quickie favs are:

(1)Shephards Pie

1lb Minced Lamb
Tin Of Baked Beans
Tin Of Chopped Toms
Onion
Potatoes for Mash
Grated cheddar


Boil pots for mashing.
Fry onion and mince, when cooked through add toms and beans, simmer for 3-5 mins. Add to pyrex/oven bowl, then mash spuds and add to top, then I either cook for 20 mins with some grated cheddar on top, or freeze and use later. If cooking from freezer, I normally get out night before-defrost, then cook 30 mins in oven with cheddar on top. Takes aprox 20 mins from start to oven. Very tasty. Serve with Veg and gravy. Kids love it!!

(2)Quick Chicken Curry

2-3 Cooked Chicken Breasts
Tin Chopped Tom
Tin Mixed Beans or Tin Kidney Beans or Baked Beans
Tablespoon of Pataks Curry Paste
Onion
frozen sweetcorn/peas etc


Fry onion lightly, break up chicken into small strips and add to onion, add paste, let paste sink into chicken, add toms and whatever beans you want-if using kidney beans drain, add frozen peas and or sweetcorn. This will take about 5-10 mins to cook from scratch and can be served straight away woth rice/jacket spud etc, or you can bag and freeze. I take out night before I need then it defrosts fully. Heat in pan or microwave. Very tasy and daughter loves it. If I have any left, I normally have on jacket day after. The above sized curry will serve 4 good portions.

I have a few more, but dont want to bore you!! I dont spend alot on food and we eat well. I will help in anyway poss.

Good luck.

Penny-Pincher!!
XXX

Lucie_2

this is the "food" thread from the top of the page. There are 100s of recipes in there - just scan through to see if anything takes your fancy & go from there.
My favourites to bulk cook & freeze are curries, chilli con carne, bolognaise sauce etc etc. As long as you remember to take them out of the freezer in the morning, they are then defrosted by teatime. I also make burgers in batches & freeze them too. Much nicer than nasty shop bought ones containing....??....allsorts!

Kimberley

<<<My favourites to bulk cook & freeze are curries, chilli con carne, bolognaise sauce etc >>>

Yeah but my kids don't like all that sort of stuff..grrr then again if it tastes nice they may

kimmie35

Trust me you wouldnt bore me the chicken curry one sounds lovely try that wed and let you know.......
Anyone got a chciken soup one for leftover cooked chicken???

I am starving now.. Wish the stew would hurry up and cook!!!!!!

Glad

kimmie35 wrote:

Trust me you wouldnt bore me the chicken curry one sounds lovely try that wed and let you know.......
Anyone got a chciken soup one for leftover cooked chicken???

I am starving now.. Wish the stew would hurry up and cook!!!!!!

just fry any available veg cut into small peices,
add leftover chicken and some stock,
season and add herbs if wanted and leave to simmer until veg cooked,
thicken with cornflour or add some cream, adding lentils at beginning will give a thicker soup too

Lucie_2

kimmie35 wrote:

Anyone got a chicken soup one for leftover cooked chicken???

Use the leftover cooked chicken for a curry & make your chicken soup from the carcass.

Put carcass into big pot (prob can do it in your slow cooker) with whatever veggies are looking a bit sorry for themselves in the bottom of the fridge. Add onion, garlic, seasoning for a bit of flavour, and a few peppercorns/bayleaf if you have them.
Cover with water & leave to cook - you might have to skim a bit of fat/scum off as you go along. You could crumble in a chicken oxo if you want to, but generally it doesn't need it. Strain out all the bones & the veg you can either take out & leave in. Blitz for a lump free soup & to disguise the vegetables! You could add a bit of milk or cream and/or sherry if you're feeling flush.

Penny-Pincher!!

Hi Again

2 more I have thought of. We dont eat beef as i have allergy, so have lamb instead, but either works, or even minced chicken or pork!


(1)Chilli Con Carne

1lb mince lamb/beef
tin chopped toms
tin of kidney beans
teaspoon of chilli powder
onion
mushroom
frozen mixed peppers
frozen sweetcorn

Lightly fry onion & mushroom and add mince, cook thoroughly, drain excess fat, add chilli powder, add toms and drained kidney beans, add frozen mixed peppers and sweetcorn, add water if needed and more chilli powder depending on how hot you want etc. Serve with boiled rice. This freezes well in portion sized bags, I just defrost night before and re-heat etc. This is very tasty and can be adjusted to individual taste and strength. Cooking time aprox 20 mins max! Rice 15-20 mins. Easily serves 4 good adult sizes-so should be fine for your lot :eek:

(3)Quick Tasty Spag Bol

1lb Mince Lamb/Beef
2 Tins Chopped Toms
Onion
Mushrooms
Garlic Powder-small amount
Frozen Peppers
grated cheddar

Fry onion & mushrooms, add mince-cook and drain excess fat, add small amount of garlic powder or fresh, add peppers, add tinned toms and simmer for 10 mins. Serve with long spaggetti or pasta shapes and grated cheddar. This freezes well in individual portions. Get out of freezer night before needed and re-heat. This will serve 4 good portions-so again great for your lot!!

Following threads from this site i have cut back on grocery shopping alot. Last 2 months I have moved over £300 to savings account, just by making meal plans and sticking to them :T I used to be a brand food snob, but now all my cupboard store stock items that I cook with beans (11p), kidney beans (13p), tinned toms(14p), tom puree(25p), pasta(21p), dry spagetti (11p) tinned spagetti (18p)long grained rice(35p)etc are mostly smart price and taste mainly the same. If I have beans on toast I have to have heinz but cooking with cheapie beans are fine and will bulk out any curry, chilli or spag bol. Nettos had Heinz beans for 19p a tin last week so bought 18 tins :eek: I only have these on toast or jackets, so should last a couple of months.

We sometimes have puds, but these are mainly rice-pudding, semolina, yogurts, ice cream etc. There is 2 adults and 1 hungry 10 year old daughter, we spend about £25 a week on food which includes all food items!! Once every few weeks we go to Makros and get our loo rolls, wash powder, coffee, tea and fabric conditioner (I know i could cut back on this but I wont compromise any of these for cheaper brands-sorry), but breaking this down over a year, probably comes to about £3-£4 a week topps So I think £30 a week is pretty good for us, and we eat very well.

Breakfasts are Cereal & Toast & fruit juice for daughter, I have a bacon sarnie, and hubby normally has a banana sarny and juice or egg on toast & juice.

Lunch are Packed lunch for daughter(fussy) (sarny or chicken & rice) fruit, yogurt, crisps, 2 x jaffa cakes, squash. I have a jacket spud with either cheesy chilli beans, tuna and salad, grated cheddar and salad or chicken curry. Hubby has either same as me or beans on toast or makes these wicked hawaiann toasties (4 yes 4 slices of bread, grated cheese, ham, tinned pineapple then grilled-just like a pizza-cheap & very tasty!!)

Dinner is normally either: shepheards pie & veg, chops, pots & veg, Curry & Rice, Chilli & Rice, Spag Bol, Roast Dinner all trimmings, Toad In Hole, mash & veg, Stew & dumplings, Lamb Hotpot, Sausage, mash & veg, Sauasage cassorole, BBQ Chicken & rice, pie & mash...some more but cant think at the mo.

So as you can see we eat well, we have aload of fresh fruit and veg daily and we are on a very low income. Im also disabled and hubby my carer...poor guy :rotfl:

I have to eat certain things daily and eat a high calorie diet. So am aften found drinking milky coffees and scoffing biscuits, but again cheapy biscuits :eek: My body doesnt absorb some food properly, so have to eat high fat etc...sounds great, but wish I didnt suffer with it :mad: Also have Lupus and FMS, but having a good day today (very rare and will suffer 2morrow as Ive done toooo much)

Good luck & please PM me if you need further help, always willing to help.

Penny-Pincher!!
XXX