Challenge : 5 meals for £30 family of 4

[Banana7]

So I've got £30 to spend on food shopping till Tuesday. That's 5 evening meals for 2 adults and 2 children (3 and 7).
I don't want to use my credit card on food shopping, I've got enough to repay every month.
My 7 years old son won't eat anything with melted cheese or any other sort of dairy , doesn't like potatoes, no omelettes (but ok with fried eggs) and not really a meat eater. He's autistic with quite a few sensory issues, including food related.
So far, I've got fried eggs, baked beans and waffles and savoury pancakes with ham (that just about works). He likes pizza too.
Any other ideas please?

Can of tuna + tin of sweetcorn + tomato sauce with pasta
Tinned vegetable curry + tin of chickpeas + rice

Lentil bolognaise with pasta
Lentil Dhal and rice
Veggie Chilli
Veg and quorn fajitas
Beans and toast

Shepherds/cottage pie bulked out with lentils, perhaps with rice/pasta for spud-hater.

Egg fried rice?

Best of all made with leftover cooked rice, but could also just make the rice then heat a wok, fry eg a handful of frozen peas or 2 chopped spring onions - whatever greens you have - then break 2-4 eggs into a cup and break up with a fork, add to the wok and stir with the fork or chopsticks until not wet, then pour in the rice and mix like mad until all combined.

The BBC good food toad in the hole is a nice recipe. Would work with veggie sausages or maybe even cooked carrots or something like that. Other ingredients are just 140g of flour,.an egg and about half a pint of milk.

Beetroot, Chickpea and Coconut Curry - super tasty and very filling. I used ready cooked beetroot - the additional cost was offset by only having to have the oven on for c.20 minutes. Serve with some rice / couscous / grain of choice to soak up the sauce. I put the spices, ginger, chilli and garlic in a mini chopper so it was quick to prepare too.

Thank you all. Lovely ideas here. Again, fussy son doesn't really like meals with "sauces" so curries are a no 😭... Egg fried rice is good.

Cauliflower 'rice' is also a regular in my house - it's a great opportunity to clear out all the left over veg in the fridge.

Red lentil loaf is another good 'fridge clear out' -

c. 100-200g cooked red lentils plus any of the following:

peas (cooked)
grated root veg eg carrot / beetroot etc
grated cheese (I tend to use leftover rinds)
random going to go off any minute veg - chopped small / grated

plus:

chopped onion/ celery / sping onion / chopped pepper - cooked until soft

Optional:

garlic (add to onion / celery etc)
spices
chopped chilli
breadcrumbs (if you have some bread about to go off)

put everything in a large bowl. Add 1-2 beaten eggs (if you have breadcrumbs / cheese = 1 egg, otherwise 2)

Load into a loaf tin (lined with baking paper / grease)

Cook at 180 degrees for approx 40 mins. Serve with other side veg / salad / a poached egg etc.

Have a look at Feed your family for 20 quid on Facebook. She has some great recipes both there and on her website

What’s in the cupboard already? We could turn those into meals?

I'll start with doing a cupboard /freezer check. I reckon Quorn nuggets will be part of a meal, and then obviously pasta. It's going to be lean and a bit boring but we'll survive.

Is soup too much like sauce?