Hi, I'm new, and I would like your opinion on this please

Hawthorn

Great stuff, thanks Floss. I'll find my way around here eventually!

dancingfairy

I was just going to say - maybe start cooking one or two new things a week - sure some you'll love and some will be need a little improving and 1 in 25 or so might be gross but perhaps just experiment. Cut your food bill down gradually? Maybe just stretch a piece of meat for an extra meal etc - otherwise it might all be a bit too different. I am still working on it. I think it would be a huge shock to the system to just go completely old style overnight and cook all new recipes so we try one a week if poss. My recipes so far are carrot and leek soup, hm homous (bf loves it -I'm not too keen). We also love spagehtti/sausages and potato/veg burgers/chilli/stir fry etc. Had microwave jackets the other day with hm chilli. Also instead of trying to eat everything we just freeze a portion or two - it is saving our stomachs and we are not wasting so much food.
Next things to try are a hm curry (dhal?)
Chocolate sauce for vanilla ice cream I think
hm bean burgers (onions,garlice,butter beans and kidney beans I think)
so that should keep us busy for a while.
Find soups are really cheap and dead easy to make as well.

dancingfairy

Maybe think of things you like to eat and see if you can make a hm version. Even if you 'make pies' with reay made pastry - the next time you can make the pastry as well as the filling etc.

Hawthorn

I can do this already dancing fairy. I just don't....call it bone idleness *blushes* I've gotten far too used to convenience. We were flooded last year and ate out every night. That tends to make you a wee bit lazy (or it did me anyway!)
The only thing I can't cook with any competence is chinese food. It never tastes anything like I expect it to.

Magentasue

dancingfairy wrote: »

We also love spagehtti/sausages and potato/veg burgers/chilli/stir fry etc. Had microwave jackets the other day with hm chilli. Also instead of trying to eat everything we just freeze a portion or two - it is saving our stomachs and we are not wasting so much food.

Another moneysaver is to serve plenty of filling padding - jacket potatoes, rice, mash etc. that stretch the more expensive meat dish.

floss2

Hawthorn wrote: »

.....The only thing I can't cook with any competence is chinese food. It never tastes anything like I expect it to.

Maybe you need to let it taste how it wants, and name it afterwards?! Rather than commit to making "chow mein", call it something like tuesday noodles!

floss2

Magentasue wrote: »

Another moneysaver is to serve plenty of filling padding - jacket potatoes, rice, mash etc. that stretch the more expensive meat dish.

When I first got my breadmaker, I was very short of money & housekeeping was very stretched - I would make fresh bread to have on the table every evening to fill my teenagers up, and it worked a treat!

Also things like steamed or sponge puddings or fruit crumble with custard fill growing kids up too. Custard can be made with powdered milk to reduce the cost.

There is a thread on here that you may find helpful: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=575356
It is long, but I'm sure you will get some ideas from it as you plough through - D&DD seems to have a similar set-up as you so you may find it interesting(home-grown fresh fruit & veg, growing kids, limited funds)

Mich_H

Hawthorn wrote: »

T I think the first one I had was a russell hobbs one? Much better, but something fell out of the cupboard and smashed the knob off, so unsafe to use

This may seem silly but I use tin foil over the slow cooker as we lost the top to it years ago. Never had a problem with spillage or anything like that - just use oven gloves to peel back the foil.

Hope it helps!

Hawthorn

No, not silly mich It was the knob on the front that fell off and there were wires dangling otherwise I would have made do.

Thanks folks!