Help Please - Cooking without shopping

bettertogether

Hi guys
I'm new to the forum and we are going through a real rough patch finances wise. I wanted to try and alleviate this as much as possible by spending the minimum amount on food shopping this week for the three of us (dinners for 2 adults, 1 kid, packed lunches for 2 adults)

We have a lot in our freezer and cupboards but I'm feeling pretty rubbish and just don't even know where to start for our meals this week - would appreciate ideas for using up the stuff we already have.

Freezer:
Peas, Fish Fingers, 3 frozen chicken breasts, wholemeal chapatis, mixed berries, veggie sausages, chopped chillies

Cupboard:
Spaghetti, penne, aborio risotto rice, yellow split peas, gravy granules, stock, tomato pasta sauce, tomato puree, red kidney beans tinned, butter beans tinned (x2), chick peas tinned, mackeral fillets in tomato sauce (x2), pink salmon tinned (x2), tuna tinned (x2), jarred beetroot, salsa, thai curry paste, coconut milk x1, olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, mint sauce and lots of herbs and spices, peanuts, cashew nuts, peanut butter, honey, porridge oats, plain flour, self-raising flour, caster sugar, custard, nutella, jam, tea, herbal tea, coffee, salt.

Fresh: Milk, Butter, Cream Cheese, Halloumi, Feta cheese, a bag of salad tomatoes that are on their last leg, bag of spinach.

Would really appreciate help and advice as I'm feeling pretty stumped,
thanks A

jackyann

There will be loads of posters along with ideas.

Use the porridge oats for breakfast, cheer up with jam / honey.

I'd save the fish fingers until I could afford some large potatoes, then cook potato wedgies to go with.

You've got tinned fish that can be mixed with tomatoes / sauce to make a pasta sauce.
I'd also consider a pasta sauce with the cream cheese & tinned salmon and a few of the tomatoes.

I'd do a risotto with the arborio rice + cashews and/or chick peas, frozen peas and/or chopped tomatoes and crumble in the feta cheese.

I'd do a curry with one of the pulses, and either serve with the risotto rice (not traditional, but make it up like a risotto, but with spices) or chapatis

Simple veg chili with the kidney beans, split peas & salsa, and serve with the veggie sausages.

I'd save the chicken breasts & thai curry paste for an evening when you can't see what else to make. it will be a nice meal that will cheer you along! Having said that, one chicken breast can be chopped and stretched with any of the pulses.

Halloumi cheese kebabs with your chillis. You can make a nice dip with butter beans.

The things I would try to afford are:
Bread
Dried milk (cheapest way to make porridge)
Possibly potatoes as I think you can dump anything on a jacket potato!

I hope that starts a helpful train of thought. Good luck

bettertogether

Thank you for your ideas - really appreciated! Think I just stood in front of the cupboard feeling overwhelmed!

Tonight's dinner is a chickpea and spinach curry, tomorrow will have a simple chilli with the beans and veggie sausages and i'm slow cooking a big batch of tomato sauce to use up the tomatoes!

Thanks A

gonebust

A bag of spuds will help


Salmon or tuna fish cakes

I would also say chickpea and spinach curry

The chicken, poach one, thinly slice, mix with mayo and any salad bits and if you have gherkins, olives, capers etc, that's 2 days sarnie fillings


Use another fillet to make a risotto perhaps? Or a chicken and chickpea curry. Use another with some veg for a stirfry if you can spend some money for veg, or if not use those toms and some spices to make a sauce, mix with the cooked chicken, stir into pasta, top with the hallomiu

The tuna and the salmon will also make pasta bakes

Pilchard make nice juicy sarnies

Fish finger sarnies in the chappatis

I really would look at spending a few pound on veg and salad. Go around 7pm and by the reduced stuff. Get what you can. A packet of leeks reduced for example with spuds will make the easiest soup in the world for pennies

MandM90

bettertogether wrote: »

Hi guys
I'm new to the forum and we are going through a real rough patch finances wise. I wanted to try and alleviate this as much as possible by spending the minimum amount on food shopping this week for the three of us (dinners for 2 adults, 1 kid, packed lunches for 2 adults)

We have a lot in our freezer and cupboards but I'm feeling pretty rubbish and just don't even know where to start for our meals this week - would appreciate ideas for using up the stuff we already have.

Freezer:
Peas, Fish Fingers, 3 frozen chicken breasts, wholemeal chapatis, mixed berries, veggie sausages, chopped chillies

Cupboard:
Spaghetti, penne, aborio risotto rice, yellow split peas, gravy granules, stock, tomato pasta sauce, tomato puree, red kidney beans tinned, butter beans tinned (x2), chick peas tinned, mackeral fillets in tomato sauce (x2), pink salmon tinned (x2), tuna tinned (x2), jarred beetroot, salsa, thai curry paste, coconut milk x1, olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, mint sauce and lots of herbs and spices, peanuts, cashew nuts, peanut butter, honey, porridge oats, plain flour, self-raising flour, caster sugar, custard, nutella, jam, tea, herbal tea, coffee, salt.

Fresh: Milk, Butter, Cream Cheese, Halloumi, Feta cheese, a bag of salad tomatoes that are on their last leg, bag of spinach.

Would really appreciate help and advice as I'm feeling pretty stumped,
thanks A

- Mackerel and butter bean penne (some HM tomato sauce, broken up mackerel and 1 tin butter beans through the pasta)
- Spit pea curry with chapattis
chickpea and kidney bean burgers with homemade flatbreads and halloumi or a beetroot and feta salad
- Chicken and pea risotto - one chicken breast for 4 portions, crumble with feta for oomph
- Thai chicken curry
- Salmon and pea spaghetti (make a sauce with stock and add cream cheese for creaminess)

Breakfast:
- Berry/honey nutella porridge

If you can get some potatoes, beans and a loaf of bread:

Paupers fish pie (fish fingers, baked beans topped with mash (and cheese if you like) baked until golden)
Beans on toast
Mackerel on toast