Easy budget meal ideas please

[Itsmeaga1n]

I'm going through a tough time, suffering with depression and also moving house, plus lots of other stress.

I've been living off ready meals but need to start cooking again. The problem is I can't eat gluten and don't like eggs.

Has anyone got any suggestions for easy cheap meals?

TIA

What sorts of foods do you like?

Jacket potato with beans/cheese/tuna
Tinned fish with rice, tinned tomatoes and peas

I love jacket potatoes, also rice

You could make a big vat of vegetable and tomato sauce - onions, carrots, courgette, squash, peppers, mushrooms, aubergines etc all cooked with tinned tomatoes and herbs - and then add spices so it's like a curry to have with rice, or eat with chicken or fish and some bread. It freezes into portions so you can almost use it like a ready meal too!

@BrioLover when my dh was a student this was exactly what he would do. It's our fall back dish when money is tight.

You can also chuck a tin of chickpeas or other pulses in there to bulk it out

@bellinisurge same here!

Smokey beans - great with jacket potato www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/smoky-beans-toast I sometimes add some bacon if we've got any.
Bean casserole www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/home/recipes/recipe_directory/e/easy_bean_casserole.html
Tinned tuna is really cheap and I love this recipe www.taste.com.au/recipes/mediterranean-tuna-rice-bake/d2c21b30-21b2-4802-85ff-25d236b2725f
An oven baked risotto where you can just bung it in and let it do it's thing www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1120679/ovenbaked-leek-and-bacon-risotto

Can you get pasta, flour, pizza bases etc on prescription?

Chilli con carne is my go to. Bulk it out with veg and maybe some lentils. I make a huge slow cooker full every 2 weeks and freeze in portions. Can be served with rice, jacket potatoes, nachos etc.

Also don't mind gluten free pasta so make a big vat of Bolognese type sauce and serve it with whatever pasta I have in, or on a jacket spud.

Avoid things marketed as free from as the mark up is insane. Most things are naturally gluten free.

Chick pea , tomato and spinach curry with rice.
Dhal with rice.
Bean casserole with a few sausages if you wish.
Risotto can be very cheap depending on what you use for flavour.

Corned beef hash.

Tuna kedgiree

Hot dog sausage stew, or stew with any cheap meat.

Rice noodles with veg

Sausage casserole

Thanks.

I can't get a prescription because it's a suspected intolerance not allergy, just makes me feel really sick and causes bad IBS.

A lot of these sound lovely, especially rice based bakes etc, will be trying them out.

Tonight its simple baked potato with tuna mayo.

Do you have a slow cooker? So great recipes you can chuck in a slow cooker. Filling stews that don't cost much. I pretty much chuck anything on mine with a tin of tomatoes and some herbs/spices serve with rice or potatoes. It means you don't have to 'cook' too which is a god send!

Frozen fish fillets are great. Just sprinkle on a fe herbs, spices, squeeze of lemon, spread with pesto, sweet chilli sauce basically whatever you fancy and bake in the oven.

I make a bolognaise sauce with Turkey thigh mince, its cheaper than Turkey breast or beef mince. Freeze in portions. Spice up to make chilli, or curry.

Potato bake - slice spuds, layer in oven dish with sliced onion and some tinned tomatoes and beans. Pour over stock to cover and shove in oven for an hour or two. Its lovely with corned beef, if you have a tin about.

Thick bean soups are always good too, or broths if you can tolerate barley.

I buy cheap plain frozen fish too, and make fish pie with it.

Lentils are gluten free. I eat a lot if daal which can be made in big portions and frozen.

I struggle a bit with beans, IBS again I do have a slow cooker but have rarely used it recently. Hopefully now its cooler I'll use it again. What sort of meat do you use?

I use mostly chicken thighs (iceland frozen ones but defrost overnight before I use them) or beef (our butchers does a family freezer pack for £10 with stewing steak and mince in) not a fan of chicken breast in the slow cooker but chicken thighs or any chicken with bone in does lovely. I totally understand about it not being in use much recently, mine is the same! But it's a god send when the weather cools down!