Budget recipes for fussy family

[Buttercupsanddais1es]

Hi, we’re really feeling the pinch these last few months (we have two children in full time nursery, which eats up my entire wage, plus a bit).
we’re obviously used to have a bit more disposable income, so we really need to change our habits whilst the kids are in nursery.

could I have all your budget friendly recipes, that might be eaten by two very fussy toddlers please :).

How about starting by telling us what they currently like to eat?

@OatFlatWhiteForMe not an awful lot, pasta, sausages, maybe fishfingers if I’m lucky.

I’m hoping there are some budget friendly recipes out there that are more that ‘pasta with sauce’, ‘sausage and chips’.

Thankfully they get 2 cooked meals a day at nursery, so for 5 days a week dinner doesn’t matter too much for them, so I’ll just offer whatever we’re having. (We’ll eat most things, just not lamb)

Take a look at the Batch Cook Lady - great family friendly budget meals . My friend has three kids ( older then yours ) and they are loving the meals

@suki1964 thats really useful, thanks :)

We like the Rebecca Wilson Recipe - her first book "what mummy makes" is very good for toddlers - simple, easy and flavourful recipes (and often written for 2 littles and 2 grown ups)
Both mine enjoy them and I find them to be fairly budget friendly - her later book are also good, and there is one on budget family meals.
Both mine (18m&6years) eat and enjoy meals form her books.
I also batch cook so I have leftovers (double the recipe or more) and feeeze which saves us money and time/energy so I'm only cooking 'fresh' a couple of nights a week

If they like sausages, what about a traybake?
Egg fried rice
Reduce the amount of meat by swapping for beans and pulses or mix in lentils to mince to use less.

I certainly would avoid feeding toddlers sausages

Cottage pie with a cheesy top
Penne with creme fraiche and broccoli (Delia recipe)
Chicken traybakes
Koftas and salad
Fajitas with mild seasoning
Fish pie
Omelette cheese and tomato
Pitta bread pizzas or other home made pizza
Risotto

Jamie’s 15’mins is also a good inspo.

They like sausage & fish fingers - that’s a start. (& probably ketchup!)

Easy meatballs & pasta - split the skins on the sausages, put the meat in a bowl & add a little bit of garlic, shape into meatballs & bake in a sauce- low salt tinned toms, some herbs to taste & serve with pasta. (As it’s sausages they should cook in the time it takes the pasta to, just check to be sure)

Fish pie: put fish fingers in an oven-proof dish (break up or not to taste!) Make a white sauce with parsley or tarragon, pour over & top with mash. Bake in oven for ~20 minutes.

You can also use sausages for a cheating shepherd’s pie, just add frozen veggies to it. If they won’t eat visible veg, (DD went through a phase of that!) make ‘4 veg mash’ ours was usually spuds, carrots, swede/turnip and parsnips with some Red Leicester cheese to explain the red tinge!

Also sausages / mince etc with couscous- cook it with some dried fruits (soak them in either oxo (adjust for which meat) / plain warm water for 30 minutes so they plump up & add right at the end) and maybe frozen veggies.

Good luck.

My dc were really keen on fajitas at that age - they liked filling them up themselves. Curries were popular too and they liked chapattis to dip, they used to help make them from toddlers.

I would say that batch cooking is your friend here.
Keep trying your toddlers with new tastes too as they will develop their tastes in time.
Mild chilli - can be served with rice/jacket potatoes or nachos.
Pasta dishes are so versatile - if you’re making a tomato sauce it’s a great way to get hidden veggies into kids - grated carrot and courgette work well. Also try them with different pasta shapes as variety will help them accept new foods.

My biggest tip with any fussy child is to get them to help make dinner, stir the sauce, put the cutlery on the table, sprinkle on the cheese etc. I know that’s not what you came on here to ask so feel free to ignore me!!

Bolognaise
jacket potato and beans
eggs beens and toast
dippy eggs
carbonara
chicken and egg fried rice

It's easy to make macaroni cheese sauce, add in sweetcorn and chop some sausages length ways to go next to it.
Ours love this tuna pasta bake too https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/tuna-pasta-bake

Jacket potatoes with beans and cheese
French toast
Frozen burgers (probably not very healthy but fairly cheap and very easy)

I'd also recommend getting your kids in the kitchen to cook with you. I know it's messy and slow, but it helps with introducing them to new foods etc. I've 4 kids and they all love food, but they always hung out in the kitchen helping. They baked from a young age too. Sorry, I know that's not what you asked, but if it helps widen their choices it makes your life a lot easier.

I have some very fussy eaters (including DH 🫠) and am also trying to budget.

Between us we like:

Risotto (with just peas and cheddar cheese)
Pulled pork sandwiches (the meat goes a long way anyway, and I also put grated carrot in it to make it go further)
Hidden veg bolognese
Soup and sandwiches/toasties
Indoor picnic
Brown lentils, with leeks, bacon and creme fraiche
Brown lentils with bacon, tomatoes, courgettes and peppers

We tried these easy pizzas by Jamie/Buddy Oliver this week - just SR flour, natural yoghurt and olive oil plus toppings - no proving needed. Could get the kids involved with toppings, they might sneak some chopped veg during the process?!

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pizza/buddys-quick-pizzettas/

Also at pre school age I loved Annabel Karmel’s Quick & Easy Toddler Recipes book and I still flick through it for inspiration sometimes 10 yrs later.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quick-Easy-Toddler-Recipes/dp/0091941520/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=25LTEMLV5DACM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.-TsNdx2UorTyOPbc9QSHiDSVuOyeR8mZAScOdo9q9Xj1Eo-QjhHp0cu1uuNXBIqfcvj95YbKDbQiDEYEOJykbtl9LK6tBQj-M2vpjRjrcqLTyo7YRvBvs4JNGY7STuHSNNs49y3YaQmSglTSiR36Ul9HvhZcihU0Tf2OuFOAxP2uO_1R2qLJ-9T9ItzTbFVpAlXqRKNzLpA4XNmSYGw7Mg.xq1bQ4vcbsP_0Wbl5Hq5gEdjYMBfc7EMmlbCpOSrAeA&dib_tag=se&keywords=annabel+karmel+toddler+recipe+book&qid=1748290194&sprefix=annabel+karmel+toddl%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-1

I really like taming twins - great for budget friendly batch cooking and does the most delicious one pan sausage pasta that suits both me & DD

Thanks for all the tips, my oldest (almost 3) does get involved with the cooking most days, it doesn’t make much of a difference to what he’ll eat, although he will sometimes try a raw veggie whilst I’m prepping them 😂.
I did have a chat to nursery and both boys eat well there, so I think I’m just worrying too much.

I’ve started batch cooking a bit and that’s definitely helped to bring the price down a little bit