To ask you for your budget recipes?

[StElmo]

We've always been a family of three, me, my son and daughter. My fiancé has always lived in barracks so I only do meals for four at the weekend, I'll admit, we often have junk like tacos at the weekend, during the week I'll cook spag bol or cottage pie and freeze the remainders or cook something for the children and have soup myself. I'm used to budgeting but we are getting married on Saturday and moving into quarters, I've given notice at work so we'll lose my income. Can I please ask you all for your budget, healthy recipes? We have a chest freezer and Costco membership so meals don't necessarily need to be meat free but would appreciate anything! TIA

Why have you given notice, will you be looking for a new job? Sorry, know thats not what you've asked but us this temporarily or a permanent reduction in your income?

Check out the blog by A Girl Called Jack, it's invaluable for budget food ideas.

Hi, thanks for your reply. I've given notice because we looked at me commuting and moving to quarters and him commuting and staying where we are, it's cheaper for me to commute and the schools seem better in new area, but actually my job makes me miserable, the commute would be two hours on a good day but that would mean two hours paying someone else to look after my children when actually we can afford for ms to give up this job and look after my children and I can look for something in the new area or possibly go freelance.

Thank you! I'll look at the blog, just wanting to do something more interesting than jacket potato or omlettes!

There are loads of recipes out there, but I feel like you are panicking over money.

Are you also giving up/selling the home you are in now

One of my favorites though is left over bolagase, chuck some chilli powder and kindney beans and you got a chilli con carne.

very cheap curry ...
get in the basics - and these will last you a while especially if from an Indian supermarket
Ingredients
Diced Onion
Black Mustard Seeds
Oil
Cumin or chopped fresh
Ginger
Coriander
Garam Masala
Salt
Chilli Powder
Tin Chopped Tomatoes or chopped fresh
Diced Chicken / Tinned Chick Peas / Lightly Boiled Potatoes
Tomato Puree

(add tablespoon Pataks paste also for kick!)

Method
Fry Onion with teaspoon black mustard seeds in oil in pan until seeds start to pop
Add teaspoon all dry spices (and or fresh ginger) and fry gently - add a little water if goes dry
If chicken - add and cook gently
add tomatoes - cook gently
If Chick Pea and or Potatoes / spinach or other veg - add and cook gently

Cook until all heated through (or chicken cooked)

Add extra water if required and to thicken if required add tomato puree or Pataks curry Paste

Serve with rice / naan - or whatever

Once you have the spices which will last a while you should only need the main ingredients whether it be Quorn/ Chick Pea / Chicken / Potato/Spinach or combination of any veg - basically the sauce is the base and you add whatever ... it's a fab quick tea - 15 mins or so and costs very little.
You may need to experiment with the quantities of spices due to how many you are catering for - but just keep tasting along the way to get your desired choice.
Hope this helps x

Ah, forty doors, thank you for your message, I'm not panicked about money, we can live on my fiancés wage quite happily, we'll give up the extras my wage allowed us to have but I want us to put money away, children are only 7 and 8 but they will need uni tuition money one day! We also have the benefit of low cost housing, we've looked at 5% mortgages

Thank you Tilly, that's perfect and a big batch will last and freezable!

I suppose it depends on what you consider a 'cheap' meal? I have a friend who thinks a cheap meal is anything under £15...which for bog standard every day cooking I'd consider expensive.

Anything bean and pulse based. So lots of vegetarian curries with brown rice.

Wow gangster. If you were eating out then maybe 15 would be ok, I'm really just looking for stuff I can cook for my family, about pound is my budget per meal, although it doesn't actually work that way due to promotions etc. just looking for recipes really

My easiest budget (healthy and balanced) recipe is this.

Cook brown rice.

Add some frozen spinach, half a can of lentils, grated cheese and some pasta sauce. (You can add frozen veg or leftover cooked veg if you like).

Put in casserole dish and cook in oven. After about 10 minutes give it a stir so that melted frozen spinach is evenly distributed. Cook some more.

I don't think this freezes well (never tried) by it is cheap and very easy to make.

Buy a large chicken... get a roast dinner, a curry or chicken pie the next day then boil the bones and make a chicken broth with pulses and veg for 3rd!
I suppose you could make and freeze the pie so you didn't get all chickened out...

If you are SAHM buy the cheaper cuts of meat and make slow braised casseroles. Shin of beef or neck of lamb with barley.