So bored of meals, help! On a budget...

[mumofgorgeousness]

On a strict budget as money is due to become rather tight.

I'm looking for family meal ideas that can be planned in advance and won't cost a fortune.

Right now we always seem to choose curry, other chicken in sauce meals, meat with veg and potatoes, fish. All done differently but that's about the basics of it.

Which are all nice but it's getting a bit boring!

Can anyone help with really cheap ideas? We have two children, they're not particularly fussy.

How about something like risotto? The nicest one I’ve had and make is roast chicken and pea - and it’s a great way of using up roast chicken leftovers - you make chicken stock from the chicken carcass then towards the end of cooking you stir through the leftover meat - even the scrappy little bits work well - and some frozen peas and it’s divine

Fajitas/tacos/enchiladas

Homemade burgers (meat, veggie or fish) and wedges

Any of the Jack Monroe cooking on bookstrap stuff. I found that they seem to form a sensible shopping list taken as a whole. We love the Jacks chilli, the keralean curry (with her saag aloo), the car-brie-nara, bean cassoullet, and mushroom strogonoff, weve tried so far. I sometimes up the veg count a bit with frozen spinach and green beens or broccoli (either fresh or frozen) on the side and often add an extra tin of tomatoes where it only allows one tin. But the recipes are good and have got the kids generally eating better whilst i can fit the meals into a calorie counted diet

Have you tried vegetarian food. Chick peas and Lentils are high in protein and dead cheap.
Try to make some areas and casseroles with plenty of veg. Pasta bake is also cheap and easy just fry veg of choice, build a sauce around it (leave meat out) place in the baking dish mixed with pasta and top with cheese .

• stew not areas

Egg fried rice
Tuna pasta bake
Frittata www.asdagoodliving.co.uk/food/recipes/ham-pea-frittata
Cheese and tomato bread and butter pudding
Toad in the hole www.asdagoodliving.co.uk/food/recipes/toad-in-the-hole
Pitta pizzas recipes.sainsburys.co.uk/recipes/main-courses/fun-pitta-pizzas

Cottage pie
Chilli
Brisket
Slow cooked pork shoulder

All your mince dishes can be bulked out with a handful or 2 of red lentils.

If you're on a tight budget omelettes / frittata add lots of veg to bulk them out a bit. Chilli on rice or baked potato. If your children eat veg why not have a vegetable curry which would be a lot cheaper than a chicken curry. Tuna pasta bakes.

Sausages & beans hot pot
Lentil stew
Glazed Gammon (boiled then roasted with Honey/jam) - can freeze or keep for 2/3 days as leftovers of 1/2 gammon joint will be enough for 2/3 family meals
Mackerel
Jacket potato with various toppings