Idiot proof, convenient meal plan but not too expensive/processed - is this actually possible?!

[fuzzpig]

Seem to be starting threads all over the place lately - did ask this question on a longer food budget thread but it understandably got lost in the many posts.

Anyway, bit of background here (yes that's a shameless plug but no obligation obviously!) but basically things are really really shit and difficult ATM, both of us are exhausted/depressed/in pain in varying degrees. We have been following a 2wk meal plan and it had been going well but even that is too much right now, and it definitely will be when DH has surgery.

So I want to make a 1 week meal plan so I am getting basically the same stuff every time I shop (online). I would love to be the clever organised mum who nips out at closing time to grab yellow sticker bargains, who goes to the market or the various ethnic food stores, who cooks in bulk and freezes, etc... but for now it just can't happen.

I want really stupidly simple stuff that we can sort out even when we feel dead on our feet and that don't create too much washing up!

I can't think of much apart from jacket potatoes, pasta and sauce, beans on toast etc, would love some more ideas so we don't end up giving the DCs fish fingers and chips every night! I am quite off my food right now (VERY unusual for me as my weight indicates ) and would quite happily live on rice and grated cheese but I want the DCs to eat as well as possible.

Help! Please x

For background, our kind of meals were stuff like cottage pie, stroganoff, salad nicoise, chilli etc, but as I said even that is too much right now. Pathetic but there it is. I don't actually want to be getting ready meals every day I just want something that is almost as easy! It will hopefully only be short term. I guess stuff like pasta sauce are expensive for what they are (although probably cheaper than buying lots of fresh ingredients for one meal) so any recommendations would be great.

Friday night we did

Smoked mackerel w cherry tomatoes w broad bean hummus on toast

Piss easy, cheap and healthy

There is a nice recipe on the Jamie Oliver site for spinach tagliatelle

Risotto anything - peas & prawns - mussels & mushrooms

Cous Cous with pre cooked chicken, cherry tomatoes and spinach

Toasted sandwiches w cream corn w onion and ham

Ooh you mention creamed corn can you get that in England? Keep meaning to try it!

Should also mention DH is a coeliac.

Chilli beans and bulgar wheat is really cheap, healthy and easy to make. Soak the beans (if they are dry) overnight, boil, then add chopped tomatoes, a little Worcester sauce, a little chilli and boil the bulgar wheat.

Any sort of meat cut into small chunks and fried with onion and seasoning, some mushrooms and lots of cream over rice. Or with potatoes if you can't have rice.

Smoked mackerel straight out of the packet or tinned salmon mixed with salad cream, these can go with a jacket potato or into a wrap.

Wraps are generally good for shoving things into, and the dc can build their own, avocado obviously good or tinned fish, cheese, tomato, cucumber.

Ikea meatballs are ridiculously quick and ok i have found from their freezer section. They could go in a wrap too with some grated cheese.

my cheap, healthy and easy standby meals:

quorn mince chilli - quorn mince, carrots, tin of whatever beans you have in, chili and whatever herbs/spices you have in.

chickpea and onion curry.

sweet potato (jacket), sweetcorn and tin of tuna or salmon

don't groan - pasta, baked beans, grated cheese

couscous, tinned tuna, raisins/apricots

oh and yy to wraps, as you can cater for fussier eaters easily.

Oh I'm afraid I did groan at the baked beans and pasta combo :o

(am taking note of all suggestions though thanks)

fuzzpig - our shopping bill has gone through the roof since DD3 was diagnosed with a wheat allergy (which meant I am now a wheat free zone as well due to bfing her). All the alternatives to wheat foods seem so expensive!

What I tend to do is a lot of bulk making of foods, last night I did pasta bolognaise which was a 800g packet of pork mince -£4, 1 jar of passata £1 (though could easily be substituted for tinned toms), 1 can of kidney beans 33p (there was a '3 cans of pulses for £1' offer in Asda last week on the ethnic food aisle), 1 tbsp of Bisto Best gravy powder (no wheat!) 10p? and a pinch of value herbs (whole tub was 18p) - total for 2 adults and 3 children x 2 = £5.44 (pasta was extra though and I had to cook w/free and normal pasta).

Freezes well and defrosts pretty quickly in the microwave when needed. Can also be kept in fridge and turned into lasagne with the aid of some cheese sauce and pasta sheets, or topped with potato slices for a hotpot type meal.

One very very quick no fuss meal is soya mince and mash with peas - the health food shops usually sell big bags of soya mince for £1.50-£2 and you can get Sains value mash powder which is very tasty (price escapes me but it's pennies not pounds). Boil kettle and in one bowl pour hot water over soya mince, add gravy powder, in another bowl pour hot water over mash potato powder, stir both then add handful of frozen peas to soya mince and microwave for 1 min, add grated cheese/soft cheese to mash if liked or herbs/chives/what have you. It takes less than 5 minutes and is so cheap but very filling.

Other thing I do is have a can of soup for my dinner (35p) or a cuppa soup (I always do the 2 for £1 offers so 8 soups = 12.5p each) for my lunch with some fruit or a value yoghurt. It works out so much cheaper for me to do this than sandwiches or crackers/proper lunch. That way even if the children have a relatively expensive meal it evens out

Hi TS! :) I didn't know DD3 had a wheat allergy, is it wheat rather than gluten? (ie if wheat she can eat rye, barley etc) Agreed, the stuff is SO expensive. We only get by for pasta/bread because we have a tax credit prescription exemption thingy but it comes only once a month and takes up so much space in our tiny broom cupboard kitchen. Funnily enough, on Wednesday DH is going to ask the GP to refer DS for a coeliac blood test. 1 in 10 chance he's inherited it.

You've reminded me - lunch at work, argh! I was really getting into making my own stuff but just too tired now. More than happy with soup, but a can is too much and half a can is too little. I'm not sure a cup a soup would sustain me although maybe with bread (which I keep in the freezer there anyway) it wouldn't be so bad... hey maybe I'll lose a few stone pounds like I need to :o

Have got a few more ideas now. This weeks shop is going to be trying some stuff out and then put a new plan together for the week after.

She's had a RAST test (they only did wheat for some reason) and she had a minor reaction on the test hence the no wheat diet. She seems to be able to eat barley/malt/etc but only in small quantities as if she eats too much her skin does flare (prob a cross contamination with wheat than actual allergy I think). We have been referred to the dietician so we'll see what they say about being strict on the no gluten or if we can be a bit more relaxed and 'just' avoid wheat! Hope DS is clear for coeliac disease, has DD been tested previously or is DS showing symptoms?

I'd KILL for a proper bacon sandwich though rather than the piece of oasis that wheat free bread seems to be like. Some of the cakes and things are VILE which is good as it keeps me off them. I've lost a stone since getting pg and now have yet to put any weight on even though I am 6m. 'Luckily' I have reserves enough for baby and me and the whole street .

Have you tried the Weight Watchers soups - they are smaller than a normal can so will do a good lunch (though I am piggy and have a whole ordinary can if it's for dinner ), They are 2 for £1 in Poundworld at the moment too. You could always do a cuppa soup and some crackers or have two sachets rather than one for a more substantial meal - after all you are working hard and not sat on the sofa like me

DH has just swapped from having sliced meat and sliced cheese with mayo/pesto in his sandwiches to having meat/fish paste in his sandwiches and that has made a big difference to the food budget. 1 jar does 2 days and I can usually get 2 jars for £1 which means I can do 1 month of sandwich fillings for £5 rather than about £5 a week!

Taj the Grocers do some good value foods especially the fruit and veg and the dried pulses so might be worth a look after work.

these

with pitta bread cucumber chopped and tomato chopped and if not serve with baked beans

or falafels and again pitta bread and chopped tomato and cucumber

pasta pesto with frozen vegetables such as peas, sweetcorn and runner beans or french beans, brocoli - use a little creme fraiche to go with this - boil pasta and then 5 minutes from end put in frozen vegs then stir in pesto when done and a little creme.

this box of tomato with whatever olives garlic etc they do a selection and add a tin of tuna - heat on hob and at the same time boil spaghetti serve together

In Ivy's links you can click on the voucher box at the bottom and get £15 off a £75 shop with Sainsbos.

We like omelette, I don't like cheese in mine which is handy as cheese is expensive, normally have value bacon and onion.

A variation on jacket would be to scoop the flesh out, mix with your filler, scatter with cheese and pop back in the oven or grill to melt the cheese.

You could do a few of these in a row as they freeze really well.

I use left over chicken from one dinner to make coronation chicken that can be eaten with jacket or in wraps etc.

Some lovely ideas on your thread to help you along

Ooh lots of yummy ideas thanks :o I haven't actually booked this weeks shop yet so may take advantage of that Sainsburys offer!

Coronation chicken - love that, how do you actually make it? (in stupidly simple terms please)

TS yep he has been showing symptoms we think, hard to tell as he's still not very communicative though, but his skin does flare up sometimes as well (as does DSD's when she eats gluten) so we thought we may as well try. DD had a clear test 3yrs ago.

goats cheese, pear, salad leaves and vinaigrette

cherry tomato and mozarella salad

Yum! And avocado of course but they always end up going off.

And salad stuff... They always go off so fast! Or is that just us

Definitely need to keep up the veg intake if we are doing more stuff like pasta. Fruit they eat plenty of without prompting thankfully.

steak if you can afford it. takes 5 mins. serve with microwave mash or frozen chips (no nasties in either), bag o' salad or microwave some frozen mini corn on the cob. I hate frozen veg, but the corn on the cob are actually fine. .

fuzzpig... don't shop in sainsburys! i have recently become an asda convert and it's SO much cheaper. it really is

i have always shopped in sainsburys up til now, and my weekly food bill had crept up to well over £100 a week there.
i spend about £80 in asda, with maybe a top-up of bread/milk during the week.

regulars on our menu are:
veggie stew- i guess prepping the veg takes a while, but then you just bung it in the oven and leave it.

cous cous or bulgar wheat or similar with roast veg and feta

no good for DH, but a block of puff pastry, roll it out, top with pesto, add veg of your choice and bake in a hot oven til puffy and brown, serve with veg

jackets with various toppings

also bulk cook if you get a chance at the weekend. so make up a giant batch of chilli for example, then you can have it with rice, on a jacket, in a pie (no, really)
can do the same with chicken soup/casserole and then just defrost as you need it (will get my mums chicken broth recipe for you because it's the BEST and she used to be queen of inexpensive meals!)
chuck pulses/beans into everything to bulk it out and make it go further

also, do you have a slow cooker?
can DH prep meals while he is at home so that all you have to do is cook it when you get in? i've sat and peeled potatoes whilst watching tv a few times before now!

TIY - we have recently swapped from Tesco to Sainsbury's and it's so much cheaper (and the food is better!) which really surprised me. I do shop in Asda, Iceland, Morrisons, Lidl, Taj the grocer when I get the chance though (we went to Iceland today and bought 4 knock off Magnums for £1!) so I do shop around for lots of things. The PoundWorld in town seems to be good for quite a bit of food - they also have a reduced section at the back by the sweets and I got 6 bags of crisps for 50p amongst other bargains!

yes, Sainsburys def cheaper than Tesco right now. well, for the things i buy at least!

is morrisons cheaper than asda do you reckon? i keep forgetting we have one

Cooked chicken pieces, jar of sauce (curry for us), packet of microwaveable rice. 4 minute meal. Add naan if you like.

Stir fry. Using cooked chicken, or tinned chick peas. Saves on chopping and cooking time, and some washing up.

Scrambled egg with flaked smoked salmon on toast.

Buy frozen onion and peppers to chuck into stuff. Saves so much prep time! And is v good value.

Re work lunches, cook extra and take leftovers. Get one of these
aladdin bento

Some things in Morrisons are very cheap but some are pretty expensive - the gluten free bread is £2 in Sains/Asda (Asda's is beyond dry though) but it's £2.49 in Morrisons. The meat is cheap and good but that's not a consideration for you is it The greengrocer's over the street from it is very cheap - they had 10kg of onions for £1.99 Not that I need 10kgs of onions of course!