Help - need quick cheap nutritious meals!

[Imliketotallyummm]

Please help me mealplan. We are dh, myself and dd aged 14. I work fulltime, so don't have much time to cook, but would still like to put healthy food on the table. I've budgeted for up to £65 per week for food, lower if possible though.

I don't want to resort to processed food if I can help it, but also don't want to spend all weekend cooking for the freezer (which is a small under counter one, so can't fit much in beyond a loaf of bread, frozen veg and a couple of packs of mince).

I don't get in til 6 pm, so don't really want to spend longer than 30 mins preparing the food.

We're not keen on fish (except battered and that counts as processed I suppose) and I don't eat pasta, but dh and dd do - dd would live off pasta with tomato sauce and cheese if I let her! Dd is quite conservative in what she will eat, doesn't eat spicy or much meat.

The things we currently eat are chilli con carne, roast pork (and cold roast pork the next day with coleslaw), sometimes curry, meatballs in tomato sauce, meatloaf, lasagne ... It's getting quite boring.

Any recipes you'd recommend? Or any books I could get from the library? (I'm not a great cook, so nothing too complicated!)

Roast chicken pieces with veg
A few courgettes, peppers, mushrooms, red onion and chicken leg/thigh or fillet. Only the chopping and it's done in about 20 mins. i have it with cous cous-seconds to cook - and a spoon of harrissa sauce on the side.

can't think of any more that you don't already have on your list

Hi,

There are some suggestions and links on this thread from a few weeks ago - hope that helps for a start : )

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/food_and_recipes/2122710-What-is-the-absolute-cheapest-meal-you-can-make

Forgot to say, I do have a slow cooker - I often make the chilli in there, and slow cook the roast pork in there too.

Thanks Tyne, I saw that thread.

Jacket potatoes (10mins in microwave if needed quickly) with a filling such as these below and a salad:
-baked beans
-cheese
-cheese and chopped bacon
-chilli
-sliced onions fried gently, mix in cherry tomatoes heat through and soften, add feta cheese cubed (buy "Greek salad cheese" which is cheaper and practically the same)
-prawn or Tuna mayo (if not a no go)

Pasta carbonara

Ratatouille (can find a recipe if needed but quick version: cut up aubergines, courgettes, peppers, onions, roast in oven with some chopped garlic and seasoning, add tin of tomatoes and heat through). Serve on its own or with some crusty bread or new potatoes or even with a jacket potato as above.

Stir fries

Risotto takes about 20 mins and lots of different things you can put in it.

Oh and books - see if you can find ainsley harriot meals in minutes books, fairly old but loads of quick recipes and really aimple. Hugh fearnley whittingstall "everyday" books are a favourite along with Nigel slater books - various books, real fast food is one but there's also several more such as 30 minute meals.

The other thing you could try is the delicious magazine website lots of simple mid week meals.

I love jacket potatoes, but dh and dd don't

What do you put in a stir fry? I hate the look of the veg in those bags in the supermarket - all dried up and browning at the edges - but don't want to spend ages cutting up veg either! I don't have a food processor.

Risotto is a good idea - what do you put in yours? I'll look for some recipes.

More! Rose Elliot fast fresh and fabulous (veggie) lots of nice ideas and mainly easy.

Suggest some bean or lentil based dishes which will be cheap and healthy too.

I'll shut up now!

For risottos I do:

Bacon, pea, mint and Parmesan
Chorizo and Parmesan
Pea, mint and feta
Chicken and mushroom

Stir fry....I like to steam mange tout, tender stem broccoli, slice courgette and carrot then stir fry with spring onions, garlic, soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce then serve with tinned tuna or fish cakes

Stir fry is lovely. Just chicken fillets, courgettes, onions, carrot batons (whatever you want), soy sauce and five spice is all I use.

To save time, add ready to wok noodles.

Other ideas to mix up your menu a bit
Taco shells with bolognese. Looks lovely and could serve with salad

Chicken skewers with sweet chilli and rice- soak the wooden stick for half an hour

Fajitas

Pork chops and homemade apple sauce

Beef stew / chicken casserole later on in the year

Omelettes are great - so cheap and healthy

Oh and I do my risotto in the oven so I can leave it for twenty minutes rather than stand over it the whole time

I get the frozen stir fry mixes. Not as nice as chopped fresh veg, but every bit as cheap, if not cheaper, and quick

Sorry cross posted.

Stir fries: carrots, beans or mange tout, peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic plus chicken, fish, pork or beef (or no meat). For three it'll be very quick to chop up enough by hand. I make all the sauces from scratch as long as you have a recipe and the ingredients this is really simple but equally you could just buy some black bean sauce or similar from supermarket which are usually pretty good.

Risottos - mushroom, or chicken, or various veg such as asparagus (if feeling flush!) peas. Tomato and mozzarella is lovely (cook the tomatoes first by grilling or in a pan with a little garlic).

Oh and agree with risotto in the oven - so simple!

Thanks

Chicken stirfry sounds good - I'll try the frozen stir fry mix - also chicken and bacon risotto.

Not keen on eggs, so omelettes are out of the question.

Also not keen on lentils.

Think someone mentioned Delicioys Mag doing cheap and quick mid week meals. Olive mag is also ace for this.

Have just started a thread recommending it but the 'A Girl Called Jack' cookbook is absolutely brilliant. I got a copy from the library and after trying a few recipes bought it immediately.

The recipes are soo tasty and it's really simply written. Ingredients are quite basic and not a long list so really easy to tackle after a day at work. It's fab!

Thanks I'll see if my library has it.