Could 25 quid last you a full week?

[BrightnessFalls]

If you only had yourself to th

Tesco do main for four, side for four and pud for four for £6.50. Cook, separate into portions, freeze. Could buy three of these and that would see you through food-wise for the week. Might be a bit dull, but would cover you.

I do it every week.

First big change was to stop wo0rrying about whether my food is organic/free-range/etc. A bag of value frozen chicken breasts (mine are £5 a kilo from Aldi) makes more meals than a chicken - and I am clever with old-fashioned cooking. Frozen mince is a godsend and onions an absolute necessity, I find, for padding and flavour. Cheap tinned fish is great value, and so are tinned veg (mushrooms, tomatoes & sweetcorn are cheaper than fresh.) Bacon makes things taste savoury, adds protein & fat, and is hugely versatile.

I use the oven sparsely as mine isn't efficient and I'm on metered fuel. Most meals get done in the microwave, slow cooker and/or health grill. I steam whole bags of rice at once, then freeze it.

I'm really missing fresh salad at the moment but, nutritionally, frozen peas do a fine job. Carrots are always cheap, bless 'em, and so are spuds.

It's not that bad.

Vivian, it's safe to freeze cooked food :)

for one who wants to low carb -- buy a bunch of eggs; cheap and relatively low carb.

To answer original question yes, could survive on very little -- first stop fo rme would be the egg shop; I also love porridge, lentils etc.

cheap recipies we live off at the end of the month:
homemade red cabbage-copped, steamed with some veg stock+cubed pieces of apple in. can have with potatoes or pancake, or as soup.

veg soup-onion, any veg, stock cube+water, lentils or barley, bosh it in the pressure cooker for 10 mins. can add dumplings for next to nothing-SRflour and a bit of water so forms a dough, make into balls, chuck on top of boiling soup, close lid+leave for 15 mins. they fill you up

for when things are really bad- melt marg in a pan, add wholemeal flour, gradually add some water that has had a stock cube dissolved in it, whisk till sauce forms. add to rice/pasta+peas

tinned fruit is cheap and still has vitamins as does frozen, some dried fruits are cheap like prunes so you can still get 5 a day.

Oh, Falls - smoke roll-ups! 25g tobacco about £6.50, papers & filters £2, will make 40-80 fags, depending on size. 25g lasts me two or three days and I've never met anyone who smokes as heavily.

Easy.

Shopping list;

Stock cubes
Cheddar
6 eggs
Milk
Plain flour
Butter
Small selection of root veg, ie the stew packs are ideal.
1 cabbage
1 chorizo sausage.
Bag of oats
1 loaf wholemeal bread.

Bean stew - 1 tin of toms, 2 x tin of whatever beans you choose, 1 stock cube, 1/2 teaspoon of chilli flakes, 1 clove garlic.
Simmer for about 35 mins. Season to taste and chomp.

Root veg crumble - chop half the root veg pack and one potato into chunks. Roast for 25 mins. Make a cheese sauce with the flour milk knob of butter and some grated cheddar. Pour sauce over. Mix a handful of oats with a handful of cheese. Scatter over then bake in oven for 15 mins.
Serve with some of the cabbage.

Baked cabbage and chorizo - chop about half the chorizo into rough chunks. Preheat oven to about 200 and then put chorizo in small oven proof dish. Bake for 10 mins. Remove, add a small chopped clove of garlic to the dish and leave on side whilst you chop a good handful of cabbage.
Add cabbage to dish, mix together.
Top dish with two slices of bread and grated cheese.
Pour over 3/4 pint of stock.
Bake for 20 mins. Leave to stand for ten mins.
Chomp.

Omelette - add potato chorizo carrot and cheese for bulk and taste.

Jacket potato with left over bean stew.

Soup - chunk up left over veg and chorizo, add stock, simmer. Chomp.

Bubble and squeak ish - mash potato and cabbage, fry off in rounds, add egg and cheddar. Chomp.

Seriously, if that's just food for one, then that really isn't difficult.

Sorry,gravy needed stirring.

Porridge will do your breakfasts as well.
Am assuming you already have tea/coffee.
Bread will do sandwiches or go with leftovers for lunch the next day.

I've got a joint of m and s gammon in the freezer, I've remembered!

Hurrah!

Mmm, gammon joint :)

That should do me for a couple of days. I should get some peas. Damn, I think I will have to go to Iceland!!

I am going to have to make some kind of bean casserole, Ive got five different types of beans, probably because I dont even like them!! I will need to make something quite spicy.

DD and I live on less than that some weeks. And it is definately safe to freeze cooked food then defrost and reheat.

www.favoritefreezerfoods.com/refreeze-food.html

It is possible. My friend has £20 a week every week to buy her shopping with.
How did you get on BrightnessFalls?

miniwedge that's a fab post and made me

yep, but i'm a stay at home mother