Really struggling with dinner ideas

MrsSippi

Hi all, I am really, really struggling with ideas for (cheap!) dinners at the moment and wondered if anyone can throw some inspiration my way!

So, due to when pay day falls, I need 35 meals. I know I can double a few up and will probably even just come up with maybe 20 and sort the rest out later but I'm so stuck for ideas.

So far I have:

Chicken (4 dinners to be decided)
Minced beef (4 dinners to be decided)
Pie and pots/veg
Sausage casserole with yorkies and veg
Shepherds pie
Beef kebabs (from freezer stock)
Meatballs (from freezer stock)
Chicken goujons (from freezer stock) - accompaniment to be decided


So that's about 14 dinners but I would rather spread these out a bit as it's a lot of red meat to be eating day after day!

Please help, I really need to get my grocery spend back on track as its gone AWOL lately. My budget is currently £300 pm for everything (toiletries, lunches, all food) and we are a family of 2 adults, 2 kids under 10.

joedenise

How about some veggie/vegan meals? Pulses are really cheap compared to meat. Have a look at Jack Monroe's recipes - https://cookingonabootstrap.com/category/beans-lentils - this is the section recipes using beans & lentils. One of her recipes which I really like is a mixed bean goulash which is very cheap to make. As there are only 2 of use I make enough for 4 and freeze half for another day but it would be easy to double or triple the recipe and have loads to freeze for later.

Another favourite here is cauliflower cheese, again fairly cheap if you can get a cheap cauliflower.

Veggie curry/chilli are other cheap dinners, bulked up with red lentils to thicken if you like (but don't forget to add extra stock if you do).

Do you eat fish? There are some fairly cheap fish in places like Aldi, Lidl & Iceland.

Could you do soup & pudding night once a week? Seems a popular option on here but not one I use myself as I don't eat puddings!

Also have a look at the thread "What are you having for dinner" - loads of ideas on there.

HTH

Denise

bouicca21

Add a couple of veggie and fish dinners. Lentils (I prefer the green/brown ones) make an excellent bolognese type sauce. When I'm stuck I often go for egg and chips - except in my version the chips are sweet potato wedges.

suki1964

Jacket spuds and cauliflowers are on @49p in Lidl NI, may be the same in England?

Ive picked up a few cauliflowers and have made a really large cauliflower cheese which is doing two night, have one in the fridge and I froze the other. The jacket spuds will last a week or three in a cool dark cupboard so Im in no rush to use them up

A Kg of gammon is around £2.50 in lidl ( never had a horrible one yet) one of those is a roast dinner for 3 adults, a quiche, and ham egg and chips

Have a look at the reduced veg in the supermarkets, seems to be a lot of courgettes and tomatoes about, add an onion and a aubergine and a tin of toms with a sprinkle of herbs and seasoning , cook up till soft and serve with pasta of choice

Mac and Cheese, just needs a salad

Have a look at Indian veggie dishes online, some beautiful curries to be found using all types of cheap veg, Im doing a chickpea and spinach one which will cost about £1 for the 3 of us

Same with Chinese cuisine, a lot of veggie meals or meals where very little meat is required ( I use a £2 pack of pork for example or two loin chops to feed the 3 of us in a good braised stirfry dish which has loads of leeks, peppers and onions, but very few if any baby corn or mange tout (only if reduced) )

Good filling soups are also great this time of year, lots of pumpkins and squashes about, leeks, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, all can be turned into amazing soup. You can even just use the stalks of the above mentioned cauliflowers instead of chucking them ( I use the broccoli stems to make broccoli and stilton soup for example )

Welsh rarebit makes a really filling supper, esp if you can get hold of a reduced crusty loaf. You don't have to use beer. Two chunky slices and a salad is really filling

Pooky

One my kids loved when they were little (and still do now) is loaded nachos. Shops own brand tortilla chips are around 45p a bag and I layer them up with whatever's going spare. We might have chilli topped with cheese with them, left over ham, cheese and a few chopped tomatoes, tuna and sweet corn and cheese ones are great too. Just whack under the grill to melt the cheese and serve with a bit of salad or some veg sticks. I found this can stretch a normal portion of chilli even further as you don't need so much as it's just a topping.

Similar sort of thing but using up odds and ends of meat and veg on a sheet of puff pastry is always a winner and can stretch meat out. I usually serve this with some home made wedges and veg and then there's plenty left for the next days lunch.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

Bitsers Roulette!


Any bits (Bitsers) left in the fridge chopped up and tossed into the pan. Sir with soy, or any sauce. Serve on its own or with rice or pasta. Add chilli flakes for the roulette element!

POPPYOSCAR

Yes that is a lot of meat.

How about a fish pie?

I use frozen cod fillets in the bottom of a deep dish covered with a homemade butter sauce. Then a layer of sweetcorn and broccoli topped with mashed potato and a sprinkling of cheese.

Sayschezza

Kedgeree
Fish pie
Breaded haddock or cod with HM chips (or oven if you can't be bothered)
Ham, egg and chips
Pizza and coleslaw
Quiche and salad
HM scotch eggs and salad
Macaroni cheese
Sweet and sour prawns with rice
Chicken and/or chorizo pasta bake

MrsSippi

Wow, thanks for all the replies everyone, some fantastic ideas here, probably enough to see me well into November! And thanks for the mention of Jack - has prompted me to dig out her 2 cookbooks which were languishing in my loft. I've got loads of ideas from there.

We are big meat eaters, but not through choice really, just because I've never really attempted veggie based dishes so I will try and change that this time and try a lentil bolognese etc. If it saves a few pennies, then even better!

I might attempt a fish pie at the end of the month as we have a fresh fish market nearby and we do treat ourselves at the end of the month if we have been good with the budget (not happened for a while, but I'm feeling optimistic for October now, having got all these fab ideas).

suki1964

MrsSippi wrote: »

Wow, thanks for all the replies everyone, some fantastic ideas here, probably enough to see me well into November! And thanks for the mention of Jack - has prompted me to dig out her 2 cookbooks which were languishing in my loft. I've got loads of ideas from there.

We are big meat eaters, but not through choice really, just because I've never really attempted veggie based dishes so I will try and change that this time and try a lentil bolognese etc. If it saves a few pennies, then even better!

I might attempt a fish pie at the end of the month as we have a fresh fish market nearby and we do treat ourselves at the end of the month if we have been good with the budget (not happened for a while, but I'm feeling optimistic for October now, having got all these fab ideas).

TBH I wouldn't waste money on fresh fish if its for a pie, Tesco do two bags of frozen mixed fish for £6, one bag with two hard boiled eggs does the three adults in this house in a fish pie and we eat it quite often

Fish cakes made with tinned tuna or salmon also make a good healthy cheap meal as well

Tinned tuna in a pasta bake

luckofthe_irish

suki1964 wrote: »

TBH I wouldn't waste money on fresh fish if its for a pie, Tesco do two bags of frozen mixed fish for £6, one bag with two hard boiled eggs does the three adults in this house in a fish pie and we eat it quite often

Fish cakes made with tinned tuna or salmon also make a good healthy cheap meal as well

Tinned tuna in a pasta bake

Could I have the recipe for the fish pie?? I love fish pie but never been brave enough to make it myself so always pester my Mom to make one when I visit home!