help me: food shopping too much - freezable meals

teedy23 · 18 October 2006 at 7:42PM

my daughter freezes milk! I dont fancy it, but she,s been doing it for ages and still lives

Judi101 · 18 October 2006 at 9:17PM

How about spicy sausage casserole? Cook sausages, then chop into large sections. Fry chopped peppers and onion. Add chilli powder (to suit your own taste) add tin (or more depending on taste) of chopped tomatoes and some tomato puree. Dead quick to cook, and freezes great. A nice alternative to chilli if you like spicy food. I make it up with 2lb sausages, 4 tins of tomatoes and 4 peppers then freeze into portions. I use the chinese take out dishes and find a full one of those does enough 'sauce' (eg chilli, bol etc) for me and hubby.

Or if you are not a cook try starting with the ready made sauces from the supermarket such as sweet and sour. Add the meat and some veg. cook it up then freeze the rest. It can work out expensive but is an easy introduction to cooking your own meals if you are just eating ready meals. When you are more confident you can try making the sauce from scratch as well.

gargoyle · 18 October 2006 at 9:28PM

my menu this week is chicken chasseur, corned beef hash, beef stew, sausage casserole. Will all these freeze well and how long can they be frozen for?

System · 18 October 2006 at 10:16PM

ollym wrote:

Please help me. I'm spending up to £100 a week on food shopping for one person.

I am severely stunned that you could spend this!!!!

Sorry to be unhelpfull, I will get back at a later date with my sugestions once I get over the shock, I spend approx £20 per week for myself and thats with a bottle of wine.

System · 18 October 2006 at 10:17PM

teedy23 wrote:

my daughter freezes milk! I dont fancy it, but she,s been doing it for ages and still lives

I have done it for years.

Keeps for approx 1 month.

skimmed milk keeps longer for some reason, probably due to less fat in it.

System · 18 October 2006 at 10:19PM

gargoyle wrote:

my menu this week is chicken chasseur, corned beef hash, beef stew, sausage casserole. Will all these freeze well and how long can they be frozen for?

I personally freeze these for no longer than a month, but am not sure if its possible for a longer period.

JULIE · 18 October 2006 at 10:22PM

hi, there's an old thread on this site somewhere for feeding a family on £1.62 a day (or summat similar)...flippin great, there's a corned beef hotpot on it thats absolutely delicious the amount feeds 5 of us basic recipe is

wash and chop up 8 potatoes, couple carrots and onions, oxo cube & appropriate amount of water added and tin corned beef chopped into large chunks, bung it all in pot boil then simmer for 30-40 mins bish bash bosh yum yum....
i add all sorts to mine if i got stuff lying about like a pepper, garlic cloves, frozen veg and even dried pasta to bulk it out if i don't have many spuds etc

also cheese sauce... 1oz butter melt in pan, stir in 1 oz flour to form smooth paste, gradually add 300ml milk stir constantly til smooth consistency, add4oz cheese stir til melted, you can always add some mustard if you like a bit of zing..... just bung that over some cooked pasta and veggies... loverly jubberly oh this amount of sauce feeds five of us

System · 18 October 2006 at 10:27PM

lynzpower wrote:

Oh and another thing, for stirfries, or anything where you'll use chicken if you dont fancy buying a big one and doing rubber chicken, choose turkey, its really low fat, and significantly cheaper than chicken fillets

I would just like to confirm this turkey suggestion, especially when there is sauce involved, you can't tell the difference.

gb57 · 19 October 2006 at 12:04AM

How can anyone spend £100 a week for food for one person???

Echo what lots of people have said - don't buy ready meals, buy fresh fruit and veg every few days so that it doesn't go off. Don't buy pre-prepared chicken breasts, that sort of stuff, buy fresh and cook it. You can have fun trying things out, you are eating good food, and learning a skill for life!
And why buy pasta sauces when they are so quick, cheap and easy to make for yourself (and taste SO much nicer) - onion/garlic/tin chopped toms/tom puree from tube/herbs - basic sauce, add anything you like at last minute

Quick (cheap) recipe -

onion (and garlic if you like it)
tin chopped tomatoes (slightly more expensive than the whole skinned ones, but much tastier
mushrooms (the big brown ones are nicest)
dried mixed herbs or any fresh herbs that are hanging around

soften chopped onion/garlic in olive oil, throw in tomatoes (add some tomato puree from a tube if you have some - this keeps for months in the fridge once opened, though no doubt the Health Police would say you should throw it away after a few days), add chopped mushrooms, herbs, salt & pepper to taste

Cook for about 15 mins if poss to get a nice thick sauce (stir it occasionally)
cook pasta while sauce is cooking

use half the sauce one night, the rest can either go in the fridge or freezer for another night.

Tuna is inexpensive. 1 tin tuna, some garlic, a bit of leftover white wine, maybe green or red pepper, green beans or something, stir into cooked pasta. Anchovies are quite nice with this, and capers, but not essential

There's loads of stuff like this. i think there are some threads on here with recipes, or poke around the 'net.

Pasta and rice can be used with all sorts of inexpensive, quick sauces. A baked potato (v quick in microwave), with left over bol sauce or chilli sauce is great, i like tuna with a baked potato sometimes

A tin of baked beans on granary or wholemeal toast is actually good for you. Scrambled egg with e.g. green pepper is quick, easy, cheap. Buy good bread that you like rather than cheap cardboard that does not taste of anything and is not filling

Planning meals is a good idea, but don't feel that you have to eat something when you don't feel like it - either freeze it or keep for another night. Be flexible. Always have a list when you go shopping so you are not just chucking stuff in trolley without thinking, base the list on a rough meal plan.

Good luck!:o

wendy_ann1983 · 19 October 2006 at 2:46AM

I fancy trying something with lentils and pulses but they seem so fiddly to cook with the rinse, soak for 24 hrs, boil, etc any ideas to make easier?

I confess to buying ready meals from Iceland but my OH and I work shifts so may not see each other all week and I never fancy cooking for just me.

I remember when I lived with my parents Saturday night was "eat whatever you could make from the leftovers in the cupboard night" this resulted in me finding out that the expensive "Pasta with Chicken in White Sauce" in restaurants was basically pasta in chicken soup. You can use pasta or rice and it frezzes well. (on really lazy days I just did pasta in gravy with a raw carrot.. don't knock it till you've tried it)

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

help me: food shopping too much - freezable meals

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free