menu planning again

tooties

hi everyone,
i feel i have been somewhat "playing" at being os.
im off work sick and as a result am now on half pay and need to make cutbacks.
my family me, oh and 3 adult sons who eat like horses have a massive grocery bill every week.
i need to start menu planning to cut this back and completly cut out the take aways which we have a lot off!!!!!
trouble is they are all very plain eaters and we need to incorporate potatoes into our meals loads as we get them free from oh's job.
all they like are
Mince and potatoes
stew and potatoes
egg and chips varaitions with sausages, burgers etc
spag bol is about our most adventourous meal so my problem is what can i cook them to keep variety on my plain eaters
thank you in advance
tooties

razra

Hope you get better soon

If you eat takeaways how about finding recipes to recreate those at home? that way it should work out cheaper and it instantly increases the foods they eat.

Umm I take it they like good old fashioned cooked food so how about putting a pie crust on the mince and tatties and making it into a pie? I know its still the same sort of dish but with a pie topping it might feel different.



Is this site any good for ideas?
http://www.britishpotatoes.co.uk/recipes.asp

Magentasue

I use Curryqueen's curry sauce with cooked potatoes and onions and call it Bombaby potatoes - on the takeaway theme. I could eat potatoes every day without a problem - potato pie (cook potatoes and chop, fry onions, mix with grated cheese, parsley and seasoning and use to fill a baked pastry case), cheese whirls (mash and cheese in puff pastry), baked potaotes with whatever, potato wedges with roast veg, potato gratins, cheese and potato pasties ...

All vegetarian but you could serve with meat dishes. Leek and potato soup is also a meal in our house with garlic bread.

GardenMillie

How about some home made soups - tomato and chickpea (you can whizz it up with a blender) then they won't know the chickpeas are in. Or Lentil with bacon goes a long way for not too much.

On the potato theme how about doing some sort of Lancashire Hotpot and slicing potatoes on top. Also make potato wedges as an accompaniement. Or good old sausages, mash and onion gravy. Aldi have had some lovely sausages on offer for £1 per pack.

Happy cooking :j

thriftlady_2

Things with potatoes as the main element:
Potato, bacon and onion hotpot-delicious http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=1669907&postcount=340 you will probably need to double the quantities for your chaps you can use bits of ham or even smoked mackerel instead of bacon.

Keema curry -they must like curries if you have lots of takeaways ? This is just Indian mince and potatoes with rice on the side. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=3382840&postcount=2

Homity pies -cheese and spud pies http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=469353&postcount=98

Cheese and mashed potato pie -just mash with grated cheese and fried onions on top then more mash -delicious with blue cheese

CBH -corned beef hash with or without an egg on top.

Big baked spuds with fillings -cheese, baked beans, broccoli and bacon in cheese sauce(or any veg in a cheesey sauce), chilli, plain mince, lamb's kidney wrapped in a rasher of bacon and baked, with an egg cracked into spud and baked till set, smoked mackerel mashed up, tuna and sweetcorn, smoked haddock cooked and mashed with butter (yum).

thriftlady_2

Just been reminded of pasties on another thread. In my experience men love pasties. You can get away with using less meat if you're covering it in pastry They can be meat or veg.

tooties

Thanks everyone,
im off to check out those links and make a menu planner and new recipe book.
thanks so much
tooties