Cheap but full of veg

[Igglepiggle78]

Overspent this weekend on Christmas stuff, probably best to have a low budget food shop this week. Any ideas for very low cost products that make meals full of veg plus fruit in the day etc (have a toddler so need go keep it healthy.
What’s the lowest food shop you’ve done for the week and what did it contain?

Veg quiche is easy to make and toddlers can pick a piece up and eat it easily with their hands. 4 eggs, 2 x grated zucchini, 1 x grated clove garlic, 1 x tablespoon self raising flour, about 100ml cream (if you have it). Mix all the ingredients, grease a baking tin with butter, spread with a thin layer of breadcrumbs and pour the mixture on top. Top with a few slices of tomato and cook on about 180 degrees for 1 hour. 1 slice each which can be bulked out with salad or some more veg on the side.

Raid your freezer.
Check your store cupboard.

Eggs are cheap and nutritious - omelette, in which you can whizz up veg really tiny (seriously the leftovers from a roast get put into an omelette if there’s not enough for bubble and squeak!). Pancakes with added cheese - bonus on these you can pack up and eat cold.

If it’s just the two of you, get a cheap chicken and cook it up to have with a roast, in a curry (bulked out with lentils or whatever you have that you can throw in).

Honestly you can probably get a whole week out of your cupboards and freezer if you don’t mind some odd combos, just topping up with milk and bread. I’ve done that myself and there’s five of us.

I can do a basic weekly shop for three/four people for about £40. Tons and tons of veg and fruit, both frozen and fresh. Cheap kidney beans, baked beans, cans of tuna (Tesco do four tins for around £3). Pasta, spaghetti, tomato purée, tins of tomato can all be picked up pretty cheaply. I buy pizza base mix in the packets, those are always a winner. I budget up to £15 for meat and fish.

For context I've got a nearly 3 year old, and she generally eats whatever we have. On the weeks when we have more money I stock up on herbs and spices to carry us through the leaner times.

Lentils & beans are very cheap (especially the dried ones) & add protein to whatever else you're cooking.

Red lentils (for bulking out anything like spag Bol or shepherd's pie).
Cheap seasonal, veg - carrots, swede, etc.

If you like main-meal soups, a handful of pearl barley is a v good, cheap and filling addition. That and red lentils ditto, plus a load of diced seasonal veg and potatoes, plus a stock cube, simmer until all very tender, add any chopped green veg (cabbage, sprouts) for the last few minutes. No need to blitz, serve with grated cheese.

Cheap meals bulk buy brown lentils chickpeas big bag of onions and potatoes and herbs from an Asian grocers . You can make lots of healthy soups stews curry's and bologna from these

Thanks everyone, lots of great tips here 💐
It’s for two adults and a toddler for a week, has to include Dp’s lunches (I normally buy a few baguettes and make egg mayo and salad or tuna salad etc) for him. To cover Dd’s breakfasts, on good weeks we have avocado, smoked salmon & egg on toast, leaner weeks-oats and Greek yoghurt. She has fruit for after breakfast and lunch/dinner too. Good weeks-berries and so on, I’ll go for apples and tangerines this week? Bananas? Lots of chickpeas and some rice, we have garlic, onions and spices, so can do chickpea curry. I have tinned tomatoes so could make a basic garlic tomato sauce to add to spaghetti

You can cut back on fruit for a week, she won’t get scurvy or anything

If you’re on Instagram, there’s a vegan cook I follow @maxlamanna - he does loads of vegan recipes but his thing is zero waste. I’ve made a lentil spicy thing of his which was great.

I've just prepped some cheese scones for breakfast and they're a cheap filling delicious thing whether you go cheesy like me or fruity for a sweet treat.

Only the 3 of us so this makes 6 decent sized ones.

125g sr flour
1 tsp baking powder
125g grated cheese
125g plain yoghurt or milk
25g butter

You can add a little mustard or paprika powder if you like

Rub in butter and flour
Mix in cheese
Add milk to form a dough
Roll or press out to about 2-3cm thick
Cut rounds about 7cm diameter or just chop into wedges
Brush with milk, sprinkle with cheese

Gas 6 preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Eat still warm with butter on.

I would go for
Soup
Frozen veg in curry sauce with rice/chips/naan whatever appeals
Garlic/garlic granules/mixed herbs/onions and tinned tomatoes, cook it down plenty and have with pasta and cheese
Frittata with whatever veg/cheese/leftovers
Large Sausage meat and stuffing balls with gravy and potatoes for a cheap roast
Vegetable cheese
Also, beans on toast with cheese is lush and one of your five a day

Can you get ham shanks where you live? I get them from the local butcher at normally £1-£1.50, and cook them in Instant Pot (or big pan). Afterwards there's the shank to have with something yummy like cauli cheese and potatoes, or in sandwiches, and all the fabulous stock to make a lentil soup. Yummy :)

Veggie burgers. Just grate some sweet potatoes or beetroot, mix with a handful of porridge oats add herbs and spices to suit.

I can’t believe that mixture would stick together without an egg.

cheap: carrots and onions and chopped tomatoes with savers mixed herbs for pasta sauce, with red lentils and spaghetti If you blend it it will make a good tasty sauce.

bread is cheaper than baguettes for sandwiches.

breakfast value weetbisc, sultanas, milk, porridge made with water and sultanas and sugar or jam
curry: carrots and onion base, add whatever veg you have (cauli is nice, as is courgette and sweet potato but they aremore expensive) tin of chick peas and frozen value peas or a tin of 21p garden peas. serve with brown rice.

Red lentils, beans, and eggs are very cheap sources of protein.
Cabbage, carrots, onions, swede, broccoli, and bananas are probably the cheapest fruit and veg.
Some of my cheap meals are -
Rice, frozen mixed veg, with a fried egg
Lentil bolognaise
Chilli rice
Pan haggerty or cheesy mash with baked beans
Bubble and squeak with a fried egg
Nut roast with roast potatoes and veg
Sausage (vegetarian for me), mash, peas and yorkshire
Spinach Omellete sandwich (have this for breakfast most days. Frozen spinach is very cheap).
Cheese toasties with tomato soup
Carrot and lentil soup
yellow split pea stew/soup
Daal and rice

Make sure you buy full fat everything.

Full fat milk, yogurt, real butter, cheese, coconut milk, etc. Don't use low fat anything.

Fat keeps you full