Healthy, cheap and easy!

[ApocalypseNowt]

Hi,

I am fat and skint. Not really, really poor but at the moment not able to save anything and if I'm being honest we currently spend too much on food.

I need some recipes that are healthy, cheap and if they're quick and easy to make that would be a bonus. I do actually like cooking but on the days when I'm working I don't have much time between getting in and making tea/doing bedtime.

Should also mention freezer space is limited so unfortunately batch cooking is out.

Hit me with your best recipes people - I need some inspiration!

Sweet jacket potatoes with cottage cheese. Yum.

Bumping for more suggestions....

I'll definitely try sweet jackets and cottage cheese but woman cannot live on those alone! Thanks for the idea Hyena

Dhal as in lentils with rice
Veg(carrot, pepper, onion and mushroom) stir fry on instant noodles.
Chickpea curry
Veg soup
Baked potatoes with beans or cheese
Macaroni cheese

Thank you - these are great. I want to have a stack of recipes/ideas so I can start meal planning but obviously don't want the same things week in/week out. Need to get organised!

Do you have a slow cooker?

I rely on mine as I don't get home until after 6pm.

Great for quick baked potatoes and soups!

I just encountered Mob Kitchen online. They aren't calorie counter as such, but use lots of veg, and are quick and cheap, so they might inspire you.

Omelettes.. v quick and easy and low fat.. can fill with whatever you fancy, jacket potatoes also cheap and low fat

A firm (and cheap!) favourite here is what we call Fancy Beans. Chop a whole onion and fry with a couple of cloves of garlic. Once it’s sweated down nicely add a can of baked beans and a can of chopped tomatoes. Bring to a gentle simmer and then put it in an oven proof dish. Add a layer of grated cheddar and put under the grill until the cheese bubbles. Serve with toast or a jacket potato. Delicious and costs basically nothing. And counts as two of your five a day!

Omelette and salad. You can put anything in the omelette - leftover veg, leftover meat, potato.

Cauliflower and broccoli cheese baked with kale on the top.

Cabbage stir fry - cabbage, onion, peas, potato. Add butter and black pepper at the end.

Noodle and veg stir fry - make your own sauce with passata, garlic, ginger, sweet chilli sauce, soya sauce. Add cashew nuts, tofu or chicken.

Roasted veg with vegi sausage.

Huge Yorkshire pudding filled with veg and gravy.

Yes I do have a slow cooker I could dig out. I only really use it for doing roasts in on a sunday at the moment! How do you do jacket potatoes in them (sorry if this is a stupid question!)?

Will definitely give Fancy Beans a go!

Have found MobKitchen and followed them....will have a proper look through this weekend.

Omlettes I already do but will keep on and try some different veg in them (I always just do ham and tomatoes). Love eggs so will never get bored of them!

Beans on toast
Scrambled eggs on toast
Tuscan white bean soup (onion garlic rosemary, fry, add cannellini beans and stock, simmer til cooked, blend)
Veg chilli (HFW has a great recipe) - batch cook then freeze

Those are my staple suppers and all healthy, quick and cheap.

A good slow cooker recipe is a potato and broccoli garlic layer. Thinly slice 3 large potatoes. Cut broccoli into small pieces. Melt some butter and add lots of garlic to it. Layer the potato and broccoli in 4 layers. Poor the garlic butter over the top. Grate on a little bit of cheese and cook slowly.

@FellOutOfBed2wice that sounds like my dream meal, certainly going to be trying that one!!

DD's favourite meal.... she would have this every night if I let her.... we haven't decided on a name but basically....

Crack an egg on to a plate, few slices of tomato... sprinkle with cheese & cook in the oven for 5 minutes mop up with bread

Soups made from Aldi's super 6 whatever that happens to be
Omlette and leaves
Dahl

Glad to be spreading the love for Fancy Beans!! This started life as a Weight Watchers recipe of my Mums in the late 80s. She added more cheese and added some carbs to make it a suitable meal for 5yr old me and my 3yr old sister and it became an instant classic. Comfort food at its best. Great with white toast dripping with proper butter (although probably not what Weight Watchers has in mind).

Stir fries.
Steak or grilled chicken or salmon with salad or steamed veg.
Jacket potato with tuna & sweetcorn.
Tomato based veg sauce with pasta (I just use whatever I've got in the fridge).

What do you like to eat?

If weight is a concern then keep an eye on your portion sizes - especially of things like pasta, cheese etc

How about buying a chicken and having it one day as a roast with lots of veg, the next day you could make chicken curry and then use the carcass to make chicken stock and use that to make a risotto with whatever meat you have left

Cottage pie made half with beef mince and half with lentils

Frittatas are great as you can use whatever veg you have leftover in the fridge that is looking a bit sad

Portion sizes are a really good point- I will try to scale things back a bit.

I'm not a fussy eater so will eat most things. I'm especially partial to spicy food...I'm always chucking in a bit of chilli whether the recipe calls for it or not!

Thanks for all the suggestions x

Have a look at Jack Monroe’s site. Her recipes are fab when trying to stick to a budget. I would look at reducing meat consumption as that tends to whack the bill up. A big vegetable chilli is great value, chuck in plenty of beans for protein. Also has the benefit of being suitable for lots of sides, have one day with rice, another on a jacket, another in tacos.
I use frozen fish fillets. Much cheaper than fresh. Put fillets in a bowl with a marinade of a few tablespoons of yoghurt and some curry paste. Leave in the fridge all day and then cook in the oven when you get in.
I also make baked BNS falafel. Delicious served in pita with salad.

Will definitely give the fish fillets a go - that sounds delicious!

If you like spicy food this is one of my favourites. I make a big batch and freeze in individual portions for a quick dinner when I don't feel up to cooking.

meerasodha.com/gujarat-part-3-mumbai-street-food-in-gujarat/

Also chickpea curry and kidney bean curry are both quick and easy and always have a tin of beans in the cupboard.