Help with lowering grocery budget.

Mayflower10cat

Veggie chilli is one of my favourite meals - I use green lentils as the protein and follow a Madhur Jaffrey recipe. If you just leave out the spices, you end up with a delicious savoury 'mince' which is brilliant as a veggie shepherds pie base. Or stick some root veg in & maybe some dumplings for a hearty stew.

I cook from scratch, mainly. But can recommend Icelands own brand Indian range as very tasty and incredible value. You can add a few more prawns/chicken bits if you have them or more veg to bulk them out a bit. I'd be hard pushed to make the same dishes cheaper. I also love their frozen plain fillets of fish (salmon/cod/etc) as they're so versatile and no waste as you use just as much as you need.


I've just discovered the delights of anchovies. I used to think I hated them as they were so strong. However, they are cheap and delicious and that savouriness goes a long way. Google a recipe for 'Janssons Temptation' which is soft sticks of creamy potato with a hint of anchovy and a crispy top. Perfect for this time of year. Here's another favourite which you can bulk up with as much cheap kale/pasta as you like. (I use Tesco Value 'Italian Style Hard Cheese' not parmesan; it's far cheaper and veggie.)



Kale pasta (for 2 very hungry adults!)


250g penne or other tubular pasta


4 tbsp olive oil


2 red chillis, finely sliced (seeds in or out - it's up to you)


4 garlic cloves, finely chopped.


Jar/tin of anchovies, finely chopped. (Use half a jar if you're not all that keen on anchovies)


200g young kale (use more if you really love it)


juice of 1⁄2 lemon


50g Parmesan half finely grated, half shaved





1. Heat half the oil in a saucepan, then sizzle the chilli, garlic and anchovies. Add the kale, then gently fry until tender, adding a drop of water if needed. Boil the pasta towards the end of the cooking time.





2. Drain the pasta, reserving a few tbsp water, then toss the pasta and water through the kale, adding the rest of the olive oil, lemon juice and grated Parmesan. Serve scattered with the Parmesan shavings.

jackyann

I would look at doing "risotto" or "pilaff" type of meal, base rice & tinned tomatoes / stock + left over diced meat, lots of veges (I cook extra sausages to chop and add)
Do you have a microwave? I'm a fan of jacket potatoes that you can add all sorts of left overs to - and just with baked beans & cheese makes a nutritious meal.
I wonder if a Remoska (look them up in Lakeland) would be a good investment? It may depend on when & if you replace the oven - but even then they can save on fuel. You can cook a great deal in them - I think there's a thread on this board.

MrsSippi

Thanks again for all the replies. I hadn't thought of trying a pizza in a frying pan so I'll definitely give that a try. We do primarily use lidl and aldi, I just get some toiletries elsewhere as I find lidl and aldi stock quite limited. I do have a Remoska which is on almost daily (I love it and have had it for years) as well as a slow cooker and a hob. I also managed to pick up a second slow cooker in Asda for £5 a couple of months ago which means I can use both at the same time and batch cook loads of mince etc (makes it easier when preparing it).

Thanks also for the recipes, I'll give them all go.

Butterfly_Brain

Slow cookers will roast as well as stew and make puddings too.
We had our cooker die on us one Christmas, so we bought a mini oven from Argos for £39.99, well worth the money. There is one on ebay at the moment with an hour remaining for £14.99, well worth buying if you can push the budget a little
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cookworks-Mini-Oven-Stainless-Steel-/262727321334

Butterfly_Brain

Have a look on the £20 a week thread for cheap meal ideas

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4148389

The grocery challenge has lots of cheap meal ideas as well

VEKETA

hi, how does this work - do you dry roast or need to add liquid if you put a chicken or joint in the slow cooker? thanks, i'd like to try this

joedenise

I've done chicken and gammon in the SC and it just falls apart once cooked. You can either cook it on balls of foil to keep it off the bottom and the juices collect underneath. Alternatively you can put chopped veg in the bottom and they'll cook in the juices and you can use them to make gravy.

The other joint which is good is a shoulder of pork to make pulled pork, you just cook it in a BBQ sauce and it's lovely served in rolls.

Denise

VEKETA

so just to be sure, its not essential to add water or stock to a slow cooker?

chaddsue

I use lidl light cheese spread as sauce base, with mustard powder and veg stock cube, mix in chopped bacon and pasta, along with enough of the water you cook the pasta in to make a sauce,and baby toms or sweet corn if you wish. A very cheap and delicious supper.

joedenise

VEKETA wrote: »

so just to be sure, its not essential to add water or stock to a slow cooker?

Yes no liquid needed, although I like to keep the meat off the bottom of the SC.

Denise