Meals I can make at home with limited food?

[OneBrightAzureBiscuit]

Hiya,

so I am skint til the 6th & don’t have a single penny to my name I’m overdrawn by £30 and am making do with stuff that’s in. There’s very random bits like cheese, fish fingers, tinned food etc does anyone have any ideas for a broke meal at home? Can’t make cheese on toast as no loaf of bread :((
thank you xxxx

What exactly do you have? I’m pretty good at throwing meals together but no point suggesting anything without knowing what you have as you mightn’t have an ingredient

Can you do a full list of everything you have in. Evan include things like a bit of flour etc so people can help you work out a meal plan

just eat whatever you have.

Are you feeding just you or your family?

How big is your overdraft? Can you borrow £20 off someone? Then with that £20 you can get a couple of cheap loaves of bread, beans, a couple big bags of pasta etc to tie you over?

Failing that have you got any community kitchens near you where you can often pick up very cheap or free food? Or Too Good To Go you can get good deals.

Who do you have to feed and what do you have? Any money on loyalty cards anywhere?

many vids on YT for this situation, you won’t be the only person making rice with butter or pasta and grated cheese, drink plenty of tea that will fill you up, hope your
money is in on time

If you've any money, buy eggs and potatoes as these will bulk out your meals.

What exactly do you have in?

That sounds difficult. There's a few websites where you can type what ingredients you have and they tell you meals you can make. Have you got a food bank locally? The Olio app tells you about food people are giving away for free near you. Churches and mosques are often happy to feed hungry people too if you pop in and ask if they have any food.

If you've got tins of veg, I'd make soup. Cheese on top.

OP see how quickly, thick and fast your responses are! excellent Mumsnet!

It’s tricky to give suggestions without knowing exactly what you have in, but here are some basics:

• jacket potato with cheese/tuna/beans
• noodles in sauce soy (potentially add fried egg on top)
• pasta with butter/cheese/marmite
• veggie chili (whatever beans you have in the cupboard, sweetcorn, onion, chopped/plum tomatoes, beef stock, etc.)
• egg fried rice
• omelette or shakshuka
• daal (lentils, onion, garlic, chopped tomatoes, etc.)

Check out Olio or your local food bank for freebies. Alternatively, is there anyone you can ask to help you out in the short term? I would happily bung a friend £20 to tide them over if they were struggling as you are at the moment.

Definitely Olio for free food!

Risotto is great for just adding a little of whatever veg etc you've got. A bit of bacon and leeks, peas or broccoli. Tomatoes and a tin of tuna. Anything goes really. Likewise pasta bakes.

Would help if you listed what you actually have so people can make suggestions?

Why not ask family to lend some money for buy some food? Or go to a food bank?

Or are you new to an area and have no friends/family and no food bank?

Someone near me has an outdoor station with free food from the supermarkets for anyone to pick up. There always seems to be loads of bread and cake based products on their Facebook pictures (as well as fresh flowers!). Is it worth googling if there is a similar zero waste project near to you?

Tell us what you have. I can make a meal of most things. Even for my fussy youngest!!

Sorry you're in this position op. It's shit. No one should be asking this.

Have you thought about trying to get things from a food bank? Just to get you through? Both my dcs school have them. Primary and secondary

Rice with any pain fried or frozen (and cooked) veggies. Off you have garlic and soy sauce even better. If you have an egg to egg fry even better. Either way dress with mayo (yes really it's common on Japanese food) and chilli sauce or sweet chilli. Add meat if you have it.

Pasta and pesto

Pasta and tomato sauce made with tinned tomato cooked in a pan. Add herbs, tomato puree, garlic if you have then. Bonus ingredients is a TSP of chutney/branston pickle.

My ' fridge' soup
Any vegetables, chop and toss in an oiled soup pan. Even better if you have bacon. Add any garlic and herbs you have. Cover the veg with water, add a stick cube of your choice. Dimmer until the veg is softened.
If you have any dairy (sour cream, cream, cream cheese) add in the last minute begor blending. Season to taste. Recommend carrots courgettes and sprouts.

A chorizo and bean stew? Or just bean stew . Tinned tomatoes, tinned cannellini, butter beans, chickpeas, veg stock, paprika, sugar, onion and carrots

Also. Is it worth starting to plan now for what next month (or another hard month if next is fine), might look like, in terms of what you’ve got in your store cupboard?

I had a whole Brexit cupboard which my whole family laughed heartily about. Then we both ended up on crutches after an accident. Despite being quite immobile, living with a small child in an isolated location, the cupboard kept us fed very well.

I’m sure many of us here can offer affordable suggestions on stocking on a budget x

Get the too good to go app for free food

Food bank, no shame in it, then any free food apps/sites like a community fridge/olio etc. Check your Tesco clubcard if you have one. Even a couple of vouchers will buy you a loaf. Also have you any change? If you use the self serve cash/card self serve till it lets you literally pay in loose charge. I know, I have done it. Yellow sticker food too. If you post a list of what you have in the house people will suggest loads of things. I do think you need bread and potatoes/pasta though.

Get Olio app - people give away free food

OP, please use a food bank and if you have a community fridge near you, use that. That’s what they are there for.