Cheap evening meal ideas - basic food nothing fancy

[finalpunt]

Trying to reduce food shop and I know I can do it because some of the stuff DH and DSS have is costly and probably not necessary but one of the things that DSS is bringing up a bit now is our evening meal.

He (and DH tbf) love a basic meal of either scrambled egg on toast, waffles fish fingers egg and beans - that sort of thing.

We do eat a large variety of foods and usually have a meal like this once a week - DSS hates a roast but eats one every Sunday, helps out loads, can cook from scratch, not entitled - just in case it comes across that I left him dictate.

So I was thinking that I will bow down and try a week of cheap type teas - I just can't think of enough, with variety to see me through a week - hit me with your ideas please (DSS doesn't really do veg unless its in something like a samosa) DH not a fan of rice.

Also cooking a meal using all the bits in the fridge that needs using. My favourite was a bacon potato and cheese bake I did. Just small diced potatoes, onion, all fried garlic. I did a roux with butter and flour. Add milk cream cheese and cream for cheese sauce. Put in oven dish topped with cheese and tomatoes and baked. Was absolutely delicious.😋

Some of these ideas may not be what he was thinking about but actually has given me some great ideas on how to mix things up a bit, cut down the shopping and hopefully give him some food that he is craving.

Thanks everyone

That is so my type of comfort food

He's a growing boy they love they're carbs. I get garlic butter from heron foods and do our own garlic bread. Slow cookers are good for casseroles etc.

Black bean and cheddar cheese quesadillas on mini corn tortillas with smashed avocado

Cacio e pepe pasta (could crack in an egg for more of a carbonara effect)

Tomato soup with grilled cheese dippers

Ramen with frozen veggies mixed in and a fried egg on top

Boxed Mac and cheese with frozen veggies and ham mixed in

I love a dhaal. It's so easy and so tasty. Sometimes put a chicken breast in the pan to cook with the dhaal and shred it once it's cooked.

Chicken nuggets and chips

Cornish pasties

Full monty fry-up

Quaesidilla
Brie and cranberry/bacon panini
Sausages in part baked baguettes
Nachos
Baked sweet potatoes with toppings

Roast chicken legs, wedges and sweetcorn
not breaded or anything, just drumsticks and spuds in the oven

its beige but not processed

Fish finger sandwich with a fried egg inside.
We have a toastie maker and dds constantly use it.
Crushed garlic fried off in oil and then add raw chicken breast strips. Fry off and add cream. Cook pasta at the same time. Add any curry sauce with the cream for a curry with rice.
Gammon, egg and chips.
Stir fry.
Chilli. Once you make a batch, you can use it with rice and then jacket potato later on in the week.
Goujons and salad with home made wedges.

Pizza - from scratch it’s cheap as… errrrr chips.

Teen Ds and dh favourite is them turkey dinosaurs And wedges or croquettes with beans and ketchup
The smell makes me heave. But they love them. Last time i did them they did a daft role play of dinosaur on their plates because id said how horrible they are..

My youngest 2 wont even eat them lol.

Beans on toast
Jacket potato with butter/mayo or baked beans on top
Soup and buttered toast
Omelette with cheese, red pepper and ham on top
Chips
Brown rice mixed with curry sauce

Lamb meatballs or kofta (often in the BBQ range over the summer) are good in wraps if he won’t eat falafel.

• Pasta Bolognaise (make large portion of bolognaise) and turn into chilli for day 2 with gnocchi or rice or jacket potato
• Toad in the hole is cheap and filling
• pizzadillas are quick and cheap to make, everyone loves them
• Tonight was Tacos, but we often do wraps with salad and flavoured mince or chicken or even chicken nuggets at a pinch.
• Chicken and veg roasted bake. Roasted veg with chopped chicken breast seasoned with salt and chilli is one of our favourites.

Swedish meatballs, gravy peas and mash.

Soup and a sandwich
club sandwich and chips
fish finger sandwich
pie and chips

Good old sheperds pie? (it's cottage pie with beef mince)(we have beef mince).

Gammon, egg and chips goes down well here.
I know it's basically bacon egg and chips but you don't fry the meat at least. A good tip is to boil the gammon in a big bottle of cheap coke for an hour or two. Makes it soooooo tender. Doesn't taste of coke at all :)

Egg fried rice, with or without the last bits off a roast chicken, and stir fried veg on the side - any old veg will do, you don’t need expensive imports like baby sweetcorn and sugar snap peas.

Southern style chicken in a pitta with coleslaw
egg beans and potato waffle
omelette and salad/ chips
corned beef hash
left over meat, fried potatoes, beans
bubble and squeak
all day breakfast
fishfinger sandwiches

Does he like spicy or Asian flavours? My go to carb of choice as well as quick meal is rice or noodle based. We whip up stir fries and noodle soups all the time using whatever veg/protein is around plus the spices you probably already have in the cupboard. It can taste like takeaway/wagamamas without much effort; is generally inexpensive and also nutritious.

I always freeze a cheese sauce portion so dd can have macaroni cheese if we fancy something she won't like. I make vegi curry for us and she has chicken nuggets and rice.

Corned beef hash, with baked beans, not potatoes.
cheese and onion pie.
Fred rice.
Creamy pasta (pasta,bacon, peas,, cream, salt and pepper, grated cheese).

Get them to listen to the podcast about ultra processed food and it might help them be put off the beige! It's put me off