Food shopping budget but organic meat

[41sunnydays]

Family of 6 and I have been trying to reduce food shopping costs.

With four children who are fussy it's hard to find food they all like, and now for reasons I am not going to go into we need to buy organic chicken. We are going to try and reduce the amount of chicken we buy and any tips for organic vege alternatives that kids won't notice would be appreciated.

What are your tips for buying fresh food on a budget?

Also my problem is that I work full time so find it hard to fit in shopping and end up online food shopping.
Thanks

Aldi's free range and organic chicken is reasonably priced.

I have found buying a whole chicken and roasting it tends to be the absolute cheapest way to get lots of chicken that you can then spread over several meals. I can get a whole chicken for €5 and the amount of meat on it is equivalent to 4 packets of two chicken breast which sell for €6.50 each. It is a massive savings.

Definitely to buying a whole chicken and spreading it over a number of meals, and making a stock for the freezer which will add flavour to other meals.
Higher quality meat will go further too.

Thanks - do you have any recipes for stretching chicken out. With two teenage boys they have big appetites

Pulses and wholegrains. So a chicken stew with lots of barley in (it's a little chewy and very satisfying). Or a dhansak style curry with lots of lentils and smaller amounts of chicken. White chicken chilli with lots of csnellini beans.

Or other, cheaper sources of protein, so chicken fried rice or Singapore noodles, with egg making up some of the protein. Or a chicken pasta bake topped with a bechamel or cheesy breadcrumbs.

A one-pot dish where the chicken is stewed alongside some sort of carbs - anything like a biryani, paella, casserole, chasseur - especially something where it can be slow cooked on the bone which means you get the maximum amount of meat off the carcass, but also get the flavours of the whole chicken. I'd prob try a whole chicken at once and then freeze some of it.
If you take the breasts off they're not that flavoursome really and won't go too far.
Another recipe we like is to buy cheaper cuts like thighs, drumsticks etc and just do a big traybake - loads of veg and potatoes then on a tray with lemon, garlic, herbs, oil and roast it all up together. Again you can take the meat off the bone cleanly then, ensuring you get the lot, and then mix any remainders for another meal with pasta and pesto for example.

Make a veg pasta sauce with pasta.. filling and cheap

Yes to stretching out meat. If I make a chicken curry, then I use 1/3rd chicken, 1/3rd chickpeas, 1/3rd veg- usually potatoes, mushrooms or root veg,
Same with a stew- I like to cook a cassoulet with beans- butter beans always go down well, and root veg.
Ditto with things like fajitas, I use only 1/3rd meat, with onions, peppers mushroms or tofu options.
Tacos are a favourite in our house, I use only a spoonful of chicken or mince, and pile up with black beans, refried beans salad, salsa etc.

Rice and noodle dishes need only a little meat, stir fries can be loaded up with veg. If I make chicken fried rice then two breasts will feed 5 people.

I think the problem comes when people regard veg as something to stretch out the meat, rather than an important component of a balanced meal.

I think the problem comes when people regard veg as something to stretch out the meat, rather than an important component of a balanced meal.

Yes, I agree- but I have hardened meat eaters in my family.
I usually pick out the veg and beans for myself and leave the meat. My preference would be to leave out the meat altogether.

Chicken has become a staple in our diets because it's so ridiculously cheap. If you're using organic chicken and therefore paying what it "should" cost, it would have to be a rare treat for most families, like it used to be.

I agree with you, I don't buy cheap meat, but we eat vegetarian probably 4 days out of 7

I find the most successful vegetarian swaps are using "normal" recipies for e.g. spaghetti bol or chilli, but substituting finely chopped mushrooms and/or green lentils for the mince. If you don't need actual vegetarian food, a beef stock cube makes it more "meaty".

Most recipies for chicken e.g. casseroles or curries work equally well with chickpeas IMO

I try to buy as much organic as I can afford but vary it as it would be way too expensive otherwise.
Google "which foods you should buy organic" and it will give you lists of foods that you should prioritise due to the pesticide residues in non-organic, and which can be less of a priority, like this link here: www.hellomagazine.com/cuisine/2020042088348/food-you-should-buy-organic/