Cheapest recipies.

CCP

horsechestnut wrote: »

Always buy lean steak mince. I know it is usually the most expensive but there is no waste and the taste is soooo much better than the cheap stuff!!! Maybe that is why you don't like mince!

That's a really good point. I find that cheap mince tends to be very greasy, and always ends up a bit gritty-tasting no matter how long you cook it for. Decent quality mince is definitely worth the extra money, and you can always bulk it out with veg and/or lentils to make it go further.

LJM

cheaper mince is ok i boil mine twice and skim

Bronnie

Hi!

What is it about mince you don't like?

Have you tried turkey mince, healthier and lower fat, cheap and tasty!

Mince is so versatile , so even if you don't like it, if you can get your 3 kids to get a taste for mince dishes when they're little, it'll be really handy for you in the long run!

Try making a simple cottage pie using turkey mince and with some finely chopped veg in and a nice buttery mash on top.

bezybee

for me its the texture (i have tired turky mince, was the same)
the kids (well 2 of them lol, )get mince
as dh loves it so i make him sheperds pie, or mince and pots and they get some,
some days they eat it more than others, and i think if i found one i like ten would help loads more.

when we have spag bol, ( i just eat the spag and sauce lol).
if i am honest i think most of it is in ma head, (my mum was a fling it in a chip pan cook or from the chippy).
i am gettin better with my home cookin, but was never brought up with real homecooked meals, so find it hard to come up with new ideas, (esp ones to keep the kids interested in)

Bronnie

You sound like you're on the right track and doing really well to me!!

It all comes with time!

There are usually lots of easy family recipe books in the library and also cheaply in charity shops. Don't ignore some of the old-fashioned looking cookery books there, they are often great for teaching and explaining step-by-step new cooking skills and for recipes for traditional simple family food.

Have a look here too. How easy is this? You could use left-over roast chicken and chicken or mushroom soup soup if you wanted, add tinned sweetcorn or lightly cooked drained brocoli or frozen peas.
Or add some cooked bacon or smoked sausage sliced or leftover ham.

http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/food/399819/Chicken--ham-and-sweetcorn-pie

You could use the same technique for the topping but use browned sausages, baked beans, small tin of tomatoes plus whatever they'll eat from onion/ carrots/ sweetcorn/ peppers.


Good luck!

EDIT TO ADD Obviously the soup in the above recipe is unsuitable for weaning, but you can easily just put aside the plain chicken and veg for the baby, before you make up the dish!

deebee

if you have a slow cooker you are off to a great start, lots of info on here - type slow cooker into the search bar, also, an omelette is a great easy and cheap meal, had a yummy cheese and onion one last night

Butterfly_Brain

Welcome bezybee
Tinned Tuna is versatile I make Tuna pasta or fishcakes both cheap and easy to make.
Sausages are a good option but try and buy the ones with the most meat content.
I use a lot of streaky bacon because it is the cheapest and has the most flavour. You can cut it up into small pieces I use it fried on HM pizzas or sprinkled on to HM soup.
Chicken is cheap and healthy, or buy a Turkey leg, slice off the meat and use in stir fries, stews etc
Eggs are cheap as well
Have a look at the economy gastronomy page on the bbc website it has useful recipes.
There is also a thread on cheap recipes just put in cheap recipes in the search box
Aldi have good deals on fruit and veg and sometimes if you go in at the right time they have good reductions on stuff that is going out of date
HTH x

bluebag

Hi, nobody in my house likes mince either, that was until I switched to pork mince. Everyone loves it, about £2 a pound so not too bad.
Give it a try one night but have the chippy on standby in case it gets the thums down.
bb

Penelope_Penguin

As this has fallen from the front page of OS, I'll add it to the Cheapest meal thread to keep ideas together

Penny. x

WLITC

Hi all, I remember a while back seeing some threads for healthy meals on a budget. Searched a little but can't find any decent threads, with many actual meal suggestions. Lots of cheap meal threads but I really need to clean up my diet so its important that they are fairly healthy as well as cheap. Can someone point me in the right direction. Thanks!