Weekend meals: what do you eat

[winkywinkola]

We're at home at the weekend.

Currently we are eating stuff like beef stew and rice, meatballs and pasta, bagels and various fillings.

It's costing quite a lot of money.

Can you tell me what you have if it's good for your budget, please?

My lot are quite conservative. Lots of hidden veg sauce but perhaps I should just try a ratatouille and rice instead?

None of that sounds terribly expensive OP.

But how about cooking a big joint of meat on Saturday, and then eating it in a different form on Sunday? We find that quite economical, particularly if you shop at the end of the day when supermarkets often mark down the prices of perishables quite considerably. Buy several joints at a time and freeze them until you need them if you need to make a special journey to the supermarket to shop at this time.

Buy veg that's in season, and no imported. It will be cheaper. And avoid speciality bread like bagels.

Friday night is takeaway night always so that doesn't count, Saturday night could be anything from bangers and mash to smoked salmon and salad, Sunday is always Sunday roast.

I work in agriculture and don't shop in supermarkets for much food anyway but only buy meat from the butcher we supply. I tend to go for whatever he has on offer ie there is a 3 lbs for the price of 2lbs on all braising steak just now so will probably do steak pie and mash on sunday.

I have to agree that your list doesnt sound hugely expensive - though I can't afford beef for stew, meatballs I can. Pasta, rice and bagels I can. But if you're going off budget it's probably the meat costing you.

When we are strictly low budget I drop meat we have things like

Bean burgers
Veg lasagne
Swede and potato pasties
A rice and spinach filo pie
Dhal and homemade flatbreads
Roasted squash stuffed with nutty spicy rice
Mezze- roast peppers, tortilla, humous etc

All cheap, I suppose would cost ten to fifteen pounds for four for the weekend- if buying everything- rice, chickpea, flour etc. less if store cupboards full.

Rid ay and Saturday night can be anything. We usually have a roast on Sunday and the leftovers on Monday. This week I'm roasting a chicken and making pie with the leftovers.

I would imagine the are reasonably priced meals

I often cook a curry in Friday and have enough left for Saturday evening so I can do my own thing sat afternoon. I bulk out curry with courgettes etc.

Sunday pork chops, gravy veg and mash or steak or salmon (I try and buy when on offer)

If I was really being frugal pasta and pesto
Sausages and mash

When you are doing beef stew or meatballs, how many of you are there, what quantities of meat are you using and what cuts?

Have you tried introducing a meat free meal. If they're ok with it you could do veg curry and rice or just jacket potatoes and beans

There are six of us in the family and two homestay students. Quite a lot of us!

Weekend lunches are often sandwiches, wraps or something with toast. Tin of tomato soup with cheese on toast, beans/beans and sausage/tinned spaghetti on toast.

We get the deli wraps if they are on offer for £1 for 8. We have with chicken and salad, chicken with Caesar dressing and lettuce, tuna & sweetcorn.

Tuna and sweetcorn pasta, just add tinned tuna and sweetcorn and mayonnaise.to cooked pasta.

Ah - that explains the expense.

If cost is an issue, how about making a huge pan of soup for one of the lunches and making at least one of the meals a bit cheaper? Minted pea or tomato soup are both pretty seasonal and mushroom risotto should be fairly inexpensive.