Cheap but healthy meal ideas? £80 to last family of 4 until the 31st!

[Mealsonabudget]

Has anyone got any cheap but nutritious meals to last a family of 4? I have £80 to last me until the 31st. I’m thinking of just going and doing one shop to stop myself wasting it on silly things along the way. Please help!

Coins could be soaked in a bit of vinegar maybe?

Lentil dahl. Costs pennies, filling, plenty protein. I love the stuff. Sick some veg in there too, really nutritious meal.

The left over pork could make burgers or a meatloaf.

I usually use two meats for a meatloaf but you don't have to, bulk it out with cornflakes.

To clean coins soak in coca cola.

Old fashioned food, beans on toast or egg and chips have been the staple for working class people for generations because they are cheap.

Plan meals from meals eg if you do baked potatoes then cook double and the following day peel the potatoes, mix with flour and you have gnocchi - cook in boiling water or pan fry serve with a sauce made of what ever you have.

Have a look on olio, they tend to have tons of free burger buns/wraps etc - pulled jackfruit works when you serve it how you would pulled pork.

The pork mince could be a chilli bulked out with veg, lentils and beans.

Batch cook lentil bolognaise.
Sweet potatoes are nutritious. Roast in oven or cook with lentils in a stew.
Soup : carrot and sweet potato and potato go well with spices. Usually have with tuna and sweetcorn toasted sandwich - kids think this is a treat!
Any left over veg and meat bits can be cooked with leftover rice to make fried rice.

I have been making cottage pie recently and been adding green lentils and black beans to bulk the mince.
It adds a lot more bulk - and I hate lentils and beans and I it is fine for me

Pork mince makes a nice ginger pork which my DC loved at 4. Basically finely chop and fry an onion and some garlic, add the pork, grated ginger and as much grated carrot as you think DC will let you get away with - add a tin of sweetcorn if you have one. Fry for 10 mins or so and then add a tsp or two of soy sauce. Fry for another 5 mins or so. Serve with rice.

Lentil and sweet potato Dahl - look
up the batch lady recipe.

DH made a turkey mince shepherds pie recently? Turkey mince is about £2.70 for 400g. You do need to spice it to buggery though, it's a bland meat. DH put strong cheese in the potatoes.

My in-laws went to a farm shop and bought a big sack of potatoes for about a fiver. Is there something like that near you? Or a fruit and veg market?

www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/budget_family_meal_plan_for_four There are variations like veggie etc linked on the page too.

Also have you tried “too good to go” - it’s an app some shops and cafes use to sell off unused stock. I’m going to try the fruit and veg ones.