£45 shopping for a week for 3

[tigerbread20]

Due to a mix up with timesheets over the Bank Holiday I'll have to stick to around £45 for the shopping this week. We don't have many staples at home as we only moved last week.
I'm going to pop to aldi later, is there anything thsre I can get that would make simple dinners a bit nicer?
Have got jacket potato, pasta and Omlette on my food plan so far. Any other cheap meal suggestions?

I have to stick to £40 a week for 4 of us things we regularly eat are
Sausage with mash or Yorkshire pudding,
Spaghetti bolognaise,
Chilli with rice (often use up left overs with potatoe waffles),
Beans /egg on toast,
Jacket potatoes,
Fish finger sandwiches,
Pitta pizza with wedges and salad,
Chicken in pasta sauce,
Curry,
Soup and a sandwich,
Shepherds pie.
I bulk everything out with passata or vegetables. You don't need big meals every night.
For snacks/pudding they have fruit, popcorn (big bag can last for ages if sealed properly), a biscuit, rice cakes, jelly, a milkshake, rice pudding, fruit and custard.
Breakfast is a choice of toast, cereal, fruit and milk.

Check their weekly vegetable specials for 59p. Buy lentils and onions to make veggie bolognese sauce, chilli and cottage pie. Plain flour and yoghurt for flatbreads, etc.

We’ve been in the same situation before as-well so I can relate op!
Get a big bag of potatoes - can be used to make chips etc - fried egg and chips is a good one
Their frozen pizzas are good and about £1.29,
Cod fish fingers are about £1.30 - could do them with mash and baked beans?
Their mince is a good price for quite a big container that could stretch to two big meals easily (something like Bolognese or chilli con carne)
Pork belly is about £1.89- cheaper cuts of meat in general) are nice from aldi- could use as a roast with veg and gravy, or in a stir fry.

If you buy the mince suggested also buy some carrots. I get 8 servings from a 250g pack of mince by adding onions, carrots and mushrooms. All finely chopped so the family don’t notice it.

If mushrooms are too expensive then get lentils. The red ones cook down and really fill out dishes.

I used to use them with rice and frozen veg for a curry.

Pasta sauce, carrots, onion and tinned tomatoes.

Get full fat milk/yoghurt and don’t scrimp on oil when cooking.

Do you have any tinned fruit? Jack Monroe’s tropical oats is nice as well as filling. Recipe is on BBC, oats, tinned pineapple and mandarins, or whatever you have, mixed together and baked until golden. Add yoghurt for breakfast or desert.

They have 2.2kg XL whole chickens for £3.89. I know people scoff at the mythical Mumsnet chicken but you really ought be able to get 2 meals and a soup for 3 adults out of a chicken that size without feeling like you are scrimping eg roast with Yorkshire pudding and lots of veg, a chicken curry with veg. Spanish garlic soup with a poached egg and croutons is a great way to use the stock and make a meal out of the chicken stock. You can omit the sherry, parsley and paprika if you don't have them, it's still tasty without:

www.carolinescooking.com/sopa-de-ajo-spanish-garlic-soup/

Just copied my family's meal plan for this week (I always try and keep food shopping as low as possible)

Lentil bolognese

Quiche and homemade chips (leftover potato can go in the veg curry)

Veg and lentil curry and rice

Veg pasta or potato bake (either with tomato and stock cube or butter, flour and milk sauce)

bean, sweet potato and sausage stew or veg stew with dumplings (root veg are cheap and filling)

Homemade soup with a half a sandwich

Cauliflower cheese and garlic bread/balls

Bread, jams and cereal you can get really cheap.

You could make shortbreads/biscuits etc for pudding. My kids love that, a little makes a lot and they can last a few days.

Sorry if I've repeated anyone

Thank you, been really good for ideas. Will do a basic roast chicken dinner and hopefully have osme leftover for chicken chow mein

Their super 6 is a good way to get fruit and veg cheap. This week they have apples, pears and oranges so that's fruit sorted.

They also have 2kg of chicken drumsticks for £2.59 which would do at least 2 meals, if not more, assuming you eat 2 drumsticks each per meal.

They have nice jarred pasta sauce in aldi very cheap, if you're buying pasta anyway then that makes an easy lunch.

Check their weekly vegetable specials and buy lentils and onions to make veggie and plain flour and yogurt for flatbreads, etc.

toolsofchef.com/best-japanese-sushi-knives/