amounts

double_mummy

i want to do a months batch cooking for a family of 4 and a single guy (local older gentleman)

needs to be stuff i can throw in the oven so i have thought of loads of easy meals but cant work out how much i need to get

planning on having each meal once a week

bolognaise
lasagne
chilli
beef caserole
shepards pie
chicken curry

and then cook fresh on a sunday a roast etc

so i have 2 large eaters 2 medium eaters and 1 small eater

how much mince/ chicken/ beef should i buy?
how many tins of tomatoes/ kidney beans/ curry sauce/gravy etc to feed everyone

thanks you all you wonderful Old Stylers xxxx

pigpen

I have 2 huge eaters, 2 starved teens, 1 bird teen, 3 small girls and 2 toddlers.

I use 750g of mince to feed 10 of us... usually bulked with lentils, rice, grated veg.

1 extra large chicken feeds 5 in here

a 1.5Kg lump of meat does 10 helpings in here... I tend to do less meat and stack up the veg as it is cheaper and better for us... plus the children prefer veg.

I got the biggest pyrex oven dish I could find which does a lasagne/cottage pie for 10

Jars of sauce I use 1 small jar for 1 meal so you could get away with half a small jar.

gravy granules I use enough to make it taste how I want it.

ostrichnomore_2

This isn't that helpful, but I know I'd get bored sick eating 4 meals of mince every week for a month...

OrkneyStar

Look on the grocery challenge thread (sticky at the top of this board), find the recipes for each dish and then just work out how much you need. I agree it is quite red meat heavy though, have you thought of making one of the dishes with quorn or soya mince- honestly chilli or bolognaise made with these tastes just as nice as you are adding herbs and spices to it, but a lot healthier. What about making some quiches (ham, or cheese and onion, or vegetable) as an option, they could be sliced into pieces and frozen in batches?

pigpen

ostrichnomore wrote: »

This isn't that helpful, but I know I'd get bored sick eating 4 meals of mince every week for a month...

so buy smaller portions.. I feed 10 not 4... divide and freeze so you eat it once a week and have 3 nights worth to save cooking 3 nights through the rest of the month.

We also vary between beef, pork and turkey mince so it isn't always the same.

We have mince in the form of lasagne or bolognaise with pasta and mine in the form of savoury mince or cottage pie with potatoes once a week.. the other nights we have pork, gammon, carbonara, sausages, chicken. usually breasts rather than a bird full of bones, and a night of freezer rubbish on a Wednesday when I have an hour to cook and feed everyone between after school clubs.

ostrichnomore_2

Yes, but the OP's plan was for
bolognaise
lasagne
chilli
beef caserole
shepards pie
chicken curry

That's 4 meals of mince a week...

OrkneyStar

ostrichnomore wrote: »

Yes, but the OP's plan was for
bolognaise
lasagne
chilli
beef caserole
shepards pie
chicken curry

That's 4 meals of mince a week...

That was why I suggested perhaps using a veggy mince (quorn or soya based) in one of the mince based ones (chilli or spag bol would likely work best) and also consider making something like quiche, which freezes well in batches.

kerrypn

How about soups?

I usually batch cook potato and leek, carrot and coriander, chicken soup (from roast carcass), tomato soup, mushroom soup etc. I did a batch of potato and Leek yesterday-there are 5 of us, I got 3 meals worth plus a portion for MIL to try.

You could do lentil curry, nice and easy to make. This would help stretch your mince out over more weeks too

double_mummy

hmmmmmmm maybe need to replan i didnt think about ot being so heavy on mince

think i may surf a few other threads to find some alternatives thanks

Nicki

double_mummy wrote: »

hmmmmmmm maybe need to replan i didnt think about ot being so heavy on mince

think i may surf a few other threads to find some alternatives thanks

Sweet and sour or teriyaki chicken are good. You just chop the chicken into pieces and marinate in the sauce in a freezer bag and freeze raw. When you want to eat it, tip it into an ovenproof dish in the morning and cook in the evening in the oven for about 30 mins covered in tinfoil or a lid.

You could use lamb mince for the shepherds pie to mix up the flavours a bit. Or do a veggie chili with tins of mixed beans and chopped peppers.

ciderwithrosie_2

Has the older gentleman you're planning to cook for eaten your meals before? I only ask as a lot of elderly people don't/can't eat things like chilli and curry - they're either not keen on 'foreign food' or the ingredients upset their insides.