5 cheap but healthy meals -----anyone please?

[streakywindows]

Need to meal plan as cheaply as possible.

We will eat anything except liver/kidney and have a slowcooker.

Any ideas?

TIA

have a look in the credit crunch section
loads of ideas there

here's one thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/credit_crunch/961821-Cheap-easy-fairly-healthy-meals

Pasta with Tomato Sauce ( tinned tomatos cooked down) with grated cheese
Pasta with lentil and tomato sauce (lentils cooked in a tin of tomatoes with grated carrot and onion).
Corn beef hash
Chicken Liver risotto or pasta ( I know you said no liver but it doesn't taste like liver.)
Stir fried veg in wraps with grated cheese
Veggie chilli with Rice or baked potatoes
Lentil soup or Dhal

Any meat on special offer cooked in slow cooker.
Roast Chicken made into 2 meals - roast one day and stir fry or pasta sauce the next day.

veggie and lentil/bean stew (add dumplings if you want to push the boat out )

stir fried veg and rice with soy sauce and honey

shepherds pie and fresh veg

macaroni cheese (with crispy bacon if you eat meat) and some veg

pasta and pesto

have you tried meal planning on a monthly basis? i have done that this month and seems i will save money...

baked pots with cheese/baked beans

pasta with tinned toms and cheese

baked beans on toast

sandwiches and fruit

chicken for roast and then stripped for curry for next day

i find stews really cheap and healthy if done right and can do a few days

Homemade pizza with wholemeal scone base
Egg fried rice (add any veg/leftover meat)
Beef & veg casserole(add cooked beans to bulk out meat)
Pork & veg stir fry with egg noodles
spaghetti carbonara

what is your budget? I'm trying to do the feed a family of 4 on £50 a week thing at the moment because we've had some unexpected expenditure. I've found it easier that I thought but I have bought quite a lot of own brand stuff and its very chicken heavy.

Cheap meals:

eggs on toast

A chicken can do two meals easily. We have loads of stir fries and pasta bake is a staple in our house as is cous cous with chicken pieces in it.

Homemade Pizza

Stuffed pasta with tinned toms or pesto.

I do a combination of meal planning and shopping the offers (however I accept that this is easier for me than it might be for others since I have the money to spend if I need to its just that we are saving). Because of this I buy things in bulk when they are on offer. This saves a fortune. For example this week I went into sainsburys late evening and the cooked chickens were reduced to £1.50 and so I bought six and stripped them down and froze the meat in ready to use portions.

Pasta Bake - cook whatever pasta you have, mix in pasta sauce ( homemade or jar). Mix in half a tin of mixed beans ( aldi, very cheap) and whatever veg you have lurking- pepper, grated carrot, mushrooms, celery are all good. Melt some butter and mix into breadcrumbs and herbs. Top pasta dish with breadcrumb mix( made from ends of bread that I freeze) and bake until golden. Great for using up leftovers.

Potato Bake -Thinly slice some potatoes- new potatoes very good and you can leave the skin on. Arrange slices in a dish . Stir in some gently fried bacon bits and onions if you like them. Pour over stock - I use 250 mls. Should be enough stock to cover bottom layer or so. Cover in tinfoil and cook for about 20 mins until potatoes soft. Top with aforementioned breadcrumb mix and bake until golden.

Kedgeree - filling but not too costly depending on how much fish you use. I use one small piece of frozen fish for 5 of us and bulk it out with peas and other veg in the rice.

Cook quantity of rice.

Poach a piece of fish in milk. Reserve the milk after cooking. Take fish out once cooked and flake into small pieces. Can use haddock but I also use coley or cod.

Chop an onion and fry until soft. Add 1 -2 tsp of mild curry powder and cook slightly. Add cooked rice to the onion and gently fry. Add fish to pan and the milk from poaching. Add cooked peas/sweetcorn/whatever other veg you like.

Can also add a chopped hard boiled egg.

Substantial soups are great, filling and cheap.

My favourite is lentil, carrot and chirizo.

I don't have a recipe but roughly:

Chop some onions and some carrots and fry. Add some small dices of chirizo and continue to fry. Add a tin of lentils (or some dried lentils) and some chicken stock. Cook for about 30 mins. Add a bit of tomato paste, or ketchup. cook for 5 more minutes then serve.

Home made quiche. Pastry, eggs and vegetables.

Use chicken thighs instead of breasts, or whole chicken as already mentioned.

A ham hock from the butcher is cheap, makes amazing soup and often yields enough meat for sandwiches or risotto.

Add lentils to things eg bolognese sauce, chilli etc.

Use your freezer - stock up on bargains from the reduced section and freeze or cook in bulk then freeze.

Potato, onion and bacon bake.
Use 1 large potato, an onion and 1 rasher of bacon(chopped into tiny pieces per person) Layer in a casserole dish, seasoning between cycles, pour over 1/4pint white sauce per person. Bake at 170 for about 1 1/2hrs-2hrs. Serve with frozen mixed veg.

Use the rest of the bacon, chopped, 2 onions, 2 decent sized potatoes and half a 2lb bag of frozen cauliflower to make cauliflower and bacon soup. Serve with bread.

Use the rest of the cauliflower to make cauliflower pasta bake. Cook pasta and cauliflower. Mix with white/cheese sauce, pour into oven dish, scatter with a little grated cheese mixed with breadcrumbs and bake till bubbly. Serve with mixed veg.

Spicy bean baguettes: make a veg chilli from 2 tins kidney beans, an onion, a tin tomatoes, chilli powder, garlic and a good pinch of sugar. Add a dash of lemon juice if you have it. Slice a baguette up thickly (or just use ordinary bread.) Toast one side of each side. Sprinkle the other side with a little cheese and melt under the grill. Serve toasted cheese slices with the beans on top.

Pasta in tomato, onion and herb sauce with grated cheese and garlic toast.

Shopping list:
6 baking potatoes
1 pack bacon (8 rashers or pack of cooking bacon.)
2kgs onion
1 bag frozen mixed veg
1 bag frozen cauliflower
Milk
small block cheese
2 loaves
2 tins kidney beans
3 tins tomatoes
1kg pasta

I am assuming that you have things like garlic, chilli, herbs, flour butter/oil and the like. If you do, you should be able to make these meals really cheaply.

Veggie chilli made with lentils.

Lentil and coconut and spices soup - buy the coconut milk in a the 'Ethnic foods section' where it's much cheaper.

Veggie sausage casserole.

Root vegetable hotpot.

Roasted root vege with veggie sausages.

Veggie curry or chickpea curry.

Basically, veggie stuff is much cheaper!

Fish pie can be made cheaper than my usual with king prawns. All supermarkts have white fish in the freezer under the 'value' mark. All you need a small bit of smoked cod to add depth. A few boiled eggs to top followed by a thin layer of mash. J.Olivers receipe is stunning.

I find a lot listed above is ok for light suppers but arent substantial and if partner has been out working all day will not want to come in to a jacket potato or beans on toast do they?

I think its very difficult as we have to assume what you have already got in the store cupboard.

Coucous can be cheap but would depend if you have dried fruit/nuts etc int he cupboard.

I also second chicken thighs, I always buy these as have the most taste. I use a good reicepe by Hugh Furney for this but once again assumes you have all the spices in the cupboard, all you need is coconut milk (which you can buy as block cheaper) and chillies.

Lamb mince is very tasty too and makes a change from beef dinners. I use a Gary Rhodes sheppards pie that only uses 500g of mince but he adds so much chopped veg it easily feeds 6 so depending on family size could make two sittings.

I knocked up a lush frittata tonight and thought of this thread. Lightly fry some sliced leftover boiled tatties, half an onion finely chopped and a clove of garlic. Remove from pan, add a knob of butter, whisk and season 5 eggs and pour into pan then spread tatties out, add a finely chopped tomato and cook on low heat for 15 mins ish. Then put the pan under the grill for a few mins, top with a sprinkle of cheese and grill again 'til browned. This made a huge one, would feed four with a side dish.

Have you tried substituting quorn chicken style pieces for chicken in sweet and sour stir fry? lidl had packs for a quid on offer this week. even dh likes it for a change

A weekly cheapy for us is pasta mixed with a can of tuna & pesto - v quick & tasty.

Also instead of buying garlic bread I buy the packs of ready-to-bake baguettes/rolls, slice them and top with garlic & butter (dried garlic granules work just as well if you've got no garlic in) then cook for 10 mins or whatever it says on the bread packet. Much cheaper & it means you can rustle it up v quickly to bulk out any meal.

Pasta bake
Lentil bolognese
Boiled eggs and toast soldiers
Home made burgers, Chips and beans
Tuna risotto

I can post recipes for lentil bolognese and risotto if you like?

I was brought up on boiled potatoes, veg and fishfingers/chops/sausages every night, so were most people pre 1980. Healthy and cheap food, just not particularly interesting or exotic.

I'd like the lentil recipes please Mummy2.

Tomato and bean stew

Soften onions, celery, carrots, add tins (or even cheaper - dried and homecooked) of beans such as cannelini, butterbean, chickpea, black beans, flageolet.. etc and tins of tomatoes along with some smoked paprika and garlic. Simmer for about 20-30 mins and serve with any starch you like. I like it with mash potatoes and some greens or with brown rice. It's also lovely with some cheese on top.

Stir fried rice and chickpeas or lentils is also yummy - just add some curry paste and peas or soy sauce and garlic.

Mackerel is a lovely healthy oily fish and much cheaper than salmon or fresh tuna. Lovely with bread and butter and some cooked veg.

Smoked mackerel can go a long way if you flake it and mix with some rice/bulgar wheat/couscous/pasta and season with lemon juice and pepper. Mix in broccoli and cannellini beans and some oil for a a complete meal. Sounds a bit odd but it's absolutely delicious and so healthy.

Frozen prawns make a nice curry espesh if you bulk it out with onions, peas and rice.

If you buy the basics white fish which is coley I think (sainsbos one is sustainably sourced, too) and make it in to a fish stew with tinned toms, onions and garlic and smoked paprika and serve with spaghetti.

Buy a medium sized gammonham joint - boil - keep stock

Day 1 Gammon, mash & veg

Day 2 Make ham and pea soup

Day 3 Make Quiche - ham and mushroom

Day 4 Pasta Bake - onions, mushrooms, left over ham, pasta and parsly sauce

Day 5 You'll be fed up of gammon by now so have couscous with roast veg

Seriously, I find of I cook a joint of gammon I can make soup and quiche which will freeze so you aren't eating the same meat all week