Super frugal recipes

[Deleted User]

Poppy1984 PM me honey and I send you some ideas


JackieO xx

Poppy1984

JackieO wrote: »

Poppy1984 PM me honey and I send you some ideas


JackieO xx

Done thank you x

Lolly_willowes

For me it's always dal when I'm feeling poor but still want something filling and healthy. Lots of variations available so just google one that looks good to you. It's also great as it freezes well and you can add different veg to it to make it even more nutritious and tasty. I like either frozen cauliflower or some grated carrots in mine. Serve with either rice or Nann on its own. Bonus if you have different pickles and chutneys available to change the flavour slightly each time.

suki1964

Also look at where you shop

I have to cook for a huge eater - DH is a builder, not an inch of fat on him, but he takes some serious packing, Myself who actually eats very little and hates certain textures or even the look of some foods, and mum who is getting very picky around food as she's ageing - and I do it on around £35 a week ( thats average spend over a year)

So I shop mostly in Lidl. I head straight for the savers in the meat and veg department and then work out what meals we are having from there.

I make good use of the freezer, If say chicken breasts are on special ( as this week, 4 huge ones £2) I buy 3 or 4 packets. Meatballs are often £1, I stock up on those - etc etc etc. The veg offers I do the same, Ive often got squashes and onions and stuff like that sat in the house for weeks till I get round to using them. But a squash for 49p is better then 99p

So that we all have a chance of getting a meal in us that we all like, I often do a roast or two mid week. A chicken will easily feed 3 of us two nights with some for sandwiches or a Chinese style dish another night. It doesn't take much time once the meat is cooked and its easy to cook a couple of chickens at once if needed. Same with the veg, cook double so the left overs just need to be nuked. And I admit Ive resorted to chucking par boiled spuds in the chip pan for roasties for speed ( I work and some days Im knackered when I get in )

I will even make a "roast dinner' with sausages and burgers to ring in the changes

Soup is my best friend. Its filling, its cheap, and I get to eat my veggies

Salad is my other saviour. I don't like much in the way of traditional salt veg, a bit of lettuce, a tomato ( usually manage half) a bit of onion, but then I like things like roasted red peppers, gherkins, pickled walnuts, pickled cabbage - on the plate it all goes, pretty filling and cheap enough as a jar of anything lasts ages.

Don't be afraid to buy frozen meat and fish. Its all perfectly ok, if the texture might not be quite right. But in a pie or a stew its fine or even breadcrumbed or flavoured its ok

try to keep fruit and veg choices seasonal - so much cheaper. If you buy things like cartons of fruit juice, buy the basics made out of concentrate - they are actually better for you - more juice or something and certainly a lot cheaper. Lidl often do huge cartons for 69p - I stock up then

Siebrie

I was a picky eater until I left home at 20


Mum would serve me just the basics, while the rest of the family enjoyed the full meal. I got plain rice with some butter, sugar and cinnamon, while they had curry. I had plain brown beans with treacle, while they had chilli. But: I always enjoyed veg, and had a filling breakfast and lunch, and snacks would be fruit or veg (carrot, tomato, cauliflower). And Mum would usually serve a filling pudding, sometimes even porridge, for dessert.


I have some texture/taste issues, in that I cannot eat certain cooked foods outside: eggs, meat, and fish. The taste changes so much, that it makes me want to gag. Grilled is fine, though


Sugary and fatty snacks were reserved to 1 per day (biscuit) or the weekend (1 dessert bowl of crisps).


I'm 46 now, 6' and 70kg, so it didn't hurt me

buildersdaughter

I didn't mean to post on the same thread as 2 different people, but my tablet automatically logs me in as 'jackyann' but my computer won't allow it!
A young relative of mine had similar issues and really annoyed me when he came to stay. But he needed a bit of calm space not someone bossing him about, so I did as Siebrie's parents did - that was my compromise between recognising his intense dislikes, and not pandering to them. I didn't want my own teenagers to get the idea that I'd be cooking to order - but actually they thought him rather silly.
He is fine now, fit & healthy and has a good job. He doesn't enjoy food, and would never, for example, go out to dinner as a treat. He and his live-in just cook (aka heat up) for themselves, eat when they feel like it, and it suits them fine. When he comes to us, he eats a wide enough range now for it not to be an issue - he will pick at bread and most meat, and enjoy the companionship of sitting round a table chatting.
I would be clear about what can be afforded, and if he has a few meals that are nothing but pasta or rice, I wouldn't worry - he will make up his proteins or vitamins somehow!

[Deleted User]

Poppy1984 sent and done let me know if you got it Ok

JackieO xx

Tink_04

Soup is cheap and easy to batch cook and freeze! Same if you make a cheap tomatoe pasta sauce then you can use some with pasta - some as pizza base (on your flat breads) and freeze some in the right size portions.

Sausage - chicken breasts anything like that make sure you are separating before freezing so you don’t need to take 8 sausages out of you only need two etc.

Big pan of chilli & spag Bol are great to have in and you can chuck loads of veg in to pad it out - the big 5% mince from Ald* is great and I get loads and freeze into ‘ready meal’ sizes so I can just pull one out of the freezer.

There is loads you can make up and freeze and if you make 8 portions of something that’s 1 a week for 8 weeks - then make something else etc and you will have loads of variations to have!

Good luck!

Broomstick

A favourite meal in our house is eggy bread with wilted spinach and fried tomatoes on top, topped with grated cheese and black pepper. I buy frozen spinach when we don't have it growing at the allotment. Three slices of eggy bread (two eggs) will fill growing boys. If you beat the egg with extra milk you can make one egg do two slices. It's a really lovely main meal or brunch.
B x

determined_new_ms

I have a few very low cost meals - these are generally for me and I freeze as my oh can be a bit more discerning!

savory pancakes - some ham, mushrooms - peppers if I have them - and a basic cheese sauce with a bit of mustard to bring out the cheese favour (and therefore reduce amount needed ) cost is pence. I more often than not buy ham when it's reduced and freeze, cheese buy blocks ys, grate and freeze. Sam with mushrooms

Jack Monroe's website is great - favourites of mine are chilli bean soup, best ever chilli, chicken & mandarin tangine, gigantes plaki

spicy bacon & tomato pasta - cheap as pasta (29p a bag in Lidl )

lunches more often than not I make a big batch of soup every week or 2 and freeze in portions - so I always have a few varieties in. Make a big batch of bean, chilli & cheese rice and freeze in portions

buy f&v when either on offer or ys freeze to use as needed or cook and freeze. Berries are great for this, especially if you can get at a great ys price. A handful of berries out of the freezer in the morning, popped into a pot of yogurt - I buy a big pot from Lidl and it lasts a couple of weeks

Homemade pizza - so cheap, just top with whatever you have in. I generally double up on the dough and the sauce and pop in the freezer for an easy meal the next week.

finally think about growing some salad bits if you have space for free food over the summer. Now's a great time to start