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the very cheapest healthy meal you cook regularly

77 replies

noddyholder · 30/12/2005 16:24

following on from the frugal living thread I thought it would be good to exchange budget healthy meal ideas as I'm sure we all cook the same thing over and over.Mine is loads of veggies, tinned tomatoes and chilli cooked slowly all day and served with crusty bread and sour cream

OP posts:
dinny · 30/12/2005 22:39

recipe for dahl, please, MM!

cheap recipes I do - veg/bean/lentil stews/soups, Quorn cottage pie/bolognaise etc.

myrrhthamoo · 30/12/2005 22:40
Rocker1971 · 30/12/2005 22:40

and can i have the dahl recipe?

jenk1 · 30/12/2005 22:43

thanks for the link

handlemecarefully · 30/12/2005 22:47

Probably an omelette / frittata. For family of 4, six eggs, grated cheese, generous handful of frozen mixed vegetables (obviously defrosted), 2 slices of chopped mixed ham or 2 rashers of chooped lean back bacon.

Serve with mixed green salad or new potatoes and peas, and wholemeal bread.

Omelette obviously healthy because of eggs being rich protein and iron source, calcium in the cheese, vitamins in the mixed veggies.

knat · 30/12/2005 22:47

has anyone got a slow cooker they don't want??? Sounds like it might be worth a go!

going4potty · 30/12/2005 22:50

potato carrot curry with rice. Very cheap ingredients to start with and is nice coldon bread for lunchnext day. Very filling

Blossomhill · 30/12/2005 22:51

moo - don't worry lovey. pls don't dig things out for me. I thought you just knew off the top of your head

Knat - got my slow cooker in Argos for a tenner!

knat · 30/12/2005 22:52

thanks blossomhill - will have a look

mazzystar · 30/12/2005 23:05

my v easy dahl recipe:

wash a bag of red lentils or yellow split peas and boil until cooked
chop large onion and 2-3 cloves of garlic finely
fry in vegetable oil until transparent, do not brown
if you have them to hand add some chopped root ginger and a red or green chilli, but if you don't, don;t worry about it
add a tsp each of ground ginger, ground coriander, cumin and garam masala, add some chilli powder to taste.
cook the spices over low-medium heat for 5 minutes
add cooked lentils and tin of tomatos
mix well and return to simmer for 20 minutes

you can also add lots of good things:
yoghurt with chopped cucumber, fresh coriander and onion
crispy fried onions
squeeze of lemon

myrrhthamoo · 30/12/2005 23:05

Lentil Dahl (don't know if this is at all tradtional but we like it, serves 4)

250g spilt red lentils (that's a bit of a guess)
1 large onion chopped
About 3/4s pint of vegetable stock (you may need more)
2 teaspoons of turmeric
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
2 teaspoons of coriander
finely chopped fresh garlic
Tin of tomatoes

Fry the onions and garlic gently in a good dollop of olive/sunflower oil. Add spices (according to taste). Add lentils. Add stock and tomatoes. Bring this to a boil and boil for at least 2 minutes, then turn down the heat to a simmer. It will take about 40 minutes to cook, but keep an eye on the pan in case you need to add more stock. The lentils should be soft.

Yummy with rice, naan and mango chutney. We also have it with chips sometimes, or a baked potato.

Lentil Hotpot

(this is very variable depending on what veg you have - can put anything in it really - cauliflower, whatever)

@8 heaped tbsps red lentils
1 large onion
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 sticks celery
2 carrots (finely diced)
couple of potatoes (cooked, chopped, good for leftover boiled potatoes)
Can of chopped toms
1 and 1/2 pints veg stock
small can sweetcorn
2 chopped garlic cloves

Fry onion and garlic, chuck in vegetables (not sweetcorn, put that in later). Cook until softened a bit. Chuck in lentils. Add stock and do the fast boiling thing. Add tomatoes. Cook for about 40 mins til veg and lentils soft. Add rest of veg (eg., sweetcorn) and cook through. S&P to taste. Usually have this with a big pile of pitta breads - it's very filling.

myrrhthamoo · 30/12/2005 23:07

Couldn't actually find my dahl recipe, blossom (had a recipe book clear out before Christmas -oops) so that is kind of off the top of my head No trouble!

NannyL · 31/12/2005 00:35

macoroi cheese with home made cheese sauce and veg eg carrots and frozen peas and sweetcorn

Elf1981 · 31/12/2005 00:44

minced beef is fairly cheap so the cheapest dish I do are spag bol or shepards pie.

Elf1981 · 31/12/2005 00:45

oh and grilled pilchards on toast with a little splash of vinegar is yummmmmmmmmy

noddyholder · 31/12/2005 09:29

thanks sparkly!!

OP posts:
Enideepmidwinter · 31/12/2005 09:32

is mince healthy?

If it is the cheapest stuff from the supermarket (lots of 'bits' mixed in and minced up) - probably not 'bad' for you but not as nutritious as a cheap cut of beef minced yourself. And prob doesnt taste as nice either.

Enideepmidwinter · 31/12/2005 09:33

kids had homemade pasta sauce last night

onion garlic carrot celery blitzed in blender
fried for 10 mins until soft
tin of toms, cooked for another 10 mins
blitzed again

on pasta with cheese

Enideepmidwinter · 31/12/2005 09:34

I count that as 'free' food as all the bits were in the fridge and cupboard anyway

Elf1981 · 31/12/2005 09:42

I never buy the cheapest mince, mostly I buy minced lamb (nicer). But for a shepards pie, even if you buy the most expensive minced beef, theres only an onion, some carrots and potatoes to add, so it isn't an expensive dish.

WideWebWitch · 31/12/2005 14:32

Omelettes with yellow pepper

knat · 31/12/2005 16:37

Blossomhill - did your slow cooker have any instructions with it - bought same one from Argos today but no instructions with it

MistletAero · 31/12/2005 16:39

tuna/veg sauce with pasta - like bolognese but with tuna rather than mince.

Hulababy · 31/12/2005 16:39

Probably big veggie casseroles - any veggies left over, esp root ones, go in. Add some stock and a few herbs and cook for a couple of hours. All served with crusty bread.

I through in left over meat or casserole beef for DH and DD too; nothing expensive as cooking it for so long tenderises anything

There's always left overs to freeze too.

Blossomhill · 02/01/2006 11:01

Marthamoo - thank you so much for the lentil recipies Have just jotted them down, as pronter not working.
Both look delicious so trying to decide which one to have tonight!