Desperately need help with my menu planning

Kayalana99

Does anyone have any idea of how to make baby/simple potatoes pretty nice?

I've done them before and they taste OK...but when we go to Toby cavery (well before they changed it for mash) they always tasted sooo nice.....

I boil them maybe I should try roasting? Most people say to boil though? Is it just a case of changing potatoes or can you do something other then stick them in a pan for flavor.

Sorry just wondering what to do 2night :-)

BitterAndTwisted

Boil them in their skins then slice and pan-fry in a little butter then chuck some chopped parsley or any other herbs on them.

Gillyx

New Potatoes roasted with chorizo, peppers, onion and paprika. Meal in itself, nom nom nom.

I quarter them sometimes (if they're biggish and make wedges)

angelil

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

Something that does surprise me about the above lists is how much meat is eaten - on a tight budget, personally I'd buy far less meat and far more nice fruit / veg / etc.

We tend to have meat about once a week, fish once or twice, and the rest veggie.

Yes!! Thank you!! I was going to say there is FAR too much meat and fish on this thread.

You ask about people eating so cheaply OP...I wouldn't mind betting they buy the uber-cheap chicken/beef every day that's been stuffed into a tiny cage and had Justin Bieber pumped in to make it grow faster I'd a million times rather have NICE meat once or twice a week that I know has been raised outdoors and taste great.

I know some veggie recipes can *sound* gross - but you won't know until you try them whether you'll like them or not. My favourite veggie meals are so delicious, so filling, and so much cheaper than eating meat every single day.

I'll come back with a few ideas for you tomorrow....2 favourites though are Ainsley's root veg & nut pie, and a shepherdess pie

SuzieSue

pesky85 wrote: »

Breakfast: porridge (with various added extras to mix it up eg honey, jam, fruit, raisins) / yoghurt + muesli / eggs and toast (scrambled, poached or boiled) / or just toast and banana if I'm in a hurry!

..

Whole raw almonds taste great with porridge and a bit of honey and aren't that expensive and are very filling. When someone suggested it to me I didn't think the combination would work and I almost didn't try it, but I am so pleased I did.

paulineb_2

I just made sweet potato and lentil soup (well it was going to be sweet potato and lentil) and I added some red onion, a red cabbage that I got for 45p in Morrisons today and an aubergine. Add some veggie stock and blended it when the veg was soft. Cost about £1.50 for a large pot that I'll be eating for 3 days or so.

I dont eat meat and I dont eat dairy either. If you want to save money cook from scratch and eat veggie meals a couple of days a week. Or more.

Loads of recipes online.

jenhug

a spaghetti omelet is quick cheap and filling, you can add in left over pasta from night before, chopped onions, peas, sweetcorn, ham or sausage, fry it all off, add beaten egg, and cook til set. The family actually quite like it and it only takes ten minutes.

Bangton

I don't know how you managed to do a shop without the meal plan first ( I can't!!!):D

But anyway completely ignoring the list and hoping this might help another week I've had the following recently casting my mind back:

Stuffed peppers and rice (basically mixing together chopped vine tomatoes, taken off the vine of course but they taste sweeter and nicer to me with a little bit of basil, some pine nuts and a drop of oil, adding to yellow peppers halved and de-seeded. Topped with feta cheese and baked for 15 minutes)

Grilled halloumi and avocado ciabatta (taking the same tomato, basil and pine nut mix and heating for ten mins. Mash an avocado, spread onto the bread, pan fry some halloumi lay on top of the mashed avocado and finally add the tomato mix once out of the oven) Tastes amazing with a handful of salt and vinegar tyrell crisps and takes about 10 minutes to make.

Tuna and sweetcorn pasta bake

Quorn stirfry and rice ( I buy Quorn chicken pieces and ready prepared stirfry and whack it in a pan with Aldi's hoisin and garlic sauce)

Home made pea and mint soup

Home made pizza using feta cheese, any remaining vine toms and a bit of rocket

Mini full English - scrambled eggs, heinz 5 beans, toms usually left on the vine to make it look posh and grilled with a little oil spritzed over, button mushrooms and toast.

There's a brand called Higgidy who sell a pie made of feta, peppers and pine nuts which I have with a salad if I'm being lazy.

To be honest I do vary what we eat each week but my starting point tends to be to buy ingredients I know will stretch across a few meals.

I go mad for vine toms and salad as I take salads to work and I can put it with tea time meals too. Vine toms, feta cheese, red grapes, lettuce and rocket go on every list as they make up the base of my salads and the feta and toms can go on tarts, pizzas, stuffed peppers etc etc if I want them to.

Tend to buy eggs as my partner eats omelettes for breakfast and again these could be used for scrambled eggs at tea time or boiled eggs. (Actually boiled eggs with asparagus tips is another meal we sometimes have)

I love tuna and sweetcorn pasta bake and take any leftovers to work.

Oh and jacket potatos always make an easy meal so I tend to buy them and make random toppings.

If I do have leftover food I'll look up a recipe online using whatever ingredients I have. Love BBC and Channel 4 websites. I think it's BBC website that has meals kids can help with too if they ever get under your feet or refuse to eat things you've made (my theory..more likely to eat food they've helped to make!)

I should say all my fruit/veg comes from Aldi and costs roughly £25 for a week but my partner and I also make our own juices in a big old juicer so that increases the budget. A lot of meals include fruit and veg and my partner is big on snacking on it.

Aldi do a range of 39p fruit and veg each week which you can check online and base meals around too before you set off out.

MadDogWoman_2

I do a weekly meal plan too. I split my shop between Aldi and Sainsburys (for the bits Aldi don't sell)

I also try and suss out when the yellow sticker items are put out saves me a lot of money as a lot if can go into the freezer too.

This week our menu is:
Today: chicken tikka masala, poppadoms and naan bread. I made the mint and yoghurt and onion chutney myself but bought a jar of mango chutney.
Wed: Toad in the hole.
Thurs: Macaroni cheese
Fri: Salmon, new potatoes, and veg
Sat: bacon, dumplings, parsley sauce
Sun: leftovers
Mon: Pasta

I'm also a big fan of cheap-family-recipes.org

I have several cook books for cooking cheap, healthy food that I also fall back on.

Another good site for stocking up on the basics is approvedfood.com.

eskimo26

Chicken is a god send in our house, by far our tastiest, quickest and freshest recipes involve chicken.

Chicken breast halved, wrapped in bacon or pancetta and stuffed inside with boursin herb cheese and served with a boursin sauce. Stick it in the oven the bacon keeps the breasts moist.

Chicken kiev- half it and stuff it with fresh herbs/garlic/ham and then breadcrumb it and fry on low heat. Very quick and easy.

Chicken arrabiatta- Using chicken breasts or thigh, cover with tomato sauce of the families preference and oven bake, then add mature chedder cheese towards the end and continue cooking till the cheese is crispy.

Good quality sausages with fresh mash and greens are liked, porky whites brand is the only ones we buy. Very easy under the grill but obviously needs supervision. The mash is also easy, peel and boil potatoes with salt till soft, add small amounts milk and butter/marg while mashing till you get the desired consistency.

We do everything fresh its not as time consuming as people think.