Those of you on a budget what meals are you cooking this week????

[MilaMae]

Need some inspiration, think my poor family is going to scream if I give them jackets with cheese and sweetcorn once more!!!

Lunch ideas too would be great.

Many,many thanks

lemon chicken with spring veg and noodles
lamb kebabs rice and salad
spag bol
chiken with walnuts, spring onions and mayo with jacket pots
moussaka, eat and freeze so does 2 meals

I could suggest jkt pot and beans...or jkt pot and tuna... but that prob wouldn't be very helpful

I try and do things that'll go for a couple of meals, but can be varied, IYSWIM - eg, roast chicken, then make risotto or chick pie the next night with the left overs, with veggies thrown in (leek, mushroom, pepper etc. - that way the fact that there's not a lot of meat the second night doesn't matter so much).

Second the spag bol - bulk it out with grated carrot, courgette, peppers etc. - sometimes I add chick peas too, then make a lasagne, cottage pie and spag bol out of it. (this one prob isn't that inventive tho' sorry)

fish pie, and make fish cakes with the same mix too

moroccan cous cous with chick peas & veggies

pasta with tomato sauce - tend to make up a huge pot of sauce and freeze in batches so can add diff stuff to it - the usual, tuna, veggies, sausages if had saus the night before etc.

every couple of weeks i make a huge batch of bolognaise sauce, its one by fern britton and its the best ive ever tasted can post recipe if you want, i freeze it and have it with spagetti, lasagne and sometimes with a jkt pot with cheese.

this week we are having

homemade fish pie
chilli and rice
bolognaise with something
prob fishfingers chips and beans
roast chicken then curry next day with leftover meat.

shepherd's pie with baked beans
vegetable lasagne with salad
paprika chicken with rice/salad
penne with Sacla olive and tomato stir-in sauce and added mozzarella

Friday night is takeaway night

Monday - leftover chicken made into a pie with mushrooms, vegetables and served with new potatoes

Tuesday - Butternut Squash Soup with homemade bread

Wednesday - Cottage Pie

Thursday - Homemade Pizza and Salad

Friday - Hot Salad made up of whatever is in the fridge - can be cheese, frankfurters, chicken, new potatoes....tis a family fave!!

Also, I do freezer days every now and again where we only eat what is in the freezer and that can be a real surprise as you forget what lurks at the bottom!!

baked potatoe

beans on toast

shephards pie with corned beef and beans

corned beef hash

stovies

scrambled egg on toast

ommlette

whatever is reduced in tesco

what ever is bogof in tesco

pasta and sauce

pasta salad

French Toast is another brilliant one served with beans.

jenk ooh could you post the fern recipe??
Thanks

thought of another one

veg fajitas

we have mushroom, onion, corgette, baby sweetcorn and baby toms fried in a little olive oil them put in the wrap with a little bit grated cheese.

yes, will dig it out tomoz

I dunno, whatever dp briings home from the supermarket marked down to something ridiculous like 9p.

Truly, he gets load like that, he works late so hits all the supermarkets from about 8pm onwards. There ar 2 Asdas, a gazillion Tescos, Morrisons and Sainsburies. He knows when to get to each one

I am doing my inflation proof lentil soup:

lentils (pre-soaked)
onion
leek
carrot
peppers
potato
bit of garlic
stock cubes
sausage (optional)
tomato puree

best eaten a day after making it. Make enough for 2 days, and freeze half. Eat with crusty bread.

Jenk, any chance of the Fern recipe.

I'm going to try this soup recommended by another MNer. We already have a big bag of red lentils from an Indian shop and a big bag of value-brand carrots, so it should almost be free.

By jenk1 on Sun 01-Jun-08 11:01:19
i said id post this a couple of weeks ago for someone.
its not a quick recipe, it takes a couple of hours but its the best one ive ever tried and tastes just like the bolognaise you find in italian restaurants, it also freezes very well.

Ingredients

450g/1lb lean mince beef
225g/8oz onion finely chopped
1 stick celery,very finely chopped
1 medium carrot,peeled and very finely chopped or grated
1.2 litres/2 pints skimmed or semiskim milk
2 cloves garlic,peeled and chopped
1 tbsp concentrated tomato puree
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1.4 litres/2 bottles fresh chopped tomatoes or passata
freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated parmesan cheese to serve

(if you dont have herbs it still tastes nice as ive made it without many times)

Put the raw mince,onion,celery and carrot into a very large saucepan or casserole.
Cover with the milk and stir to break up the mince.
Bring to simmering point then reduce the heat to the lowest possbile and cook gently for about 2 hours until the milk has almost evaporated and the meat "frys" again.
You will need to watch that the bottom of the pan doesnt "catch".
Milk burns easily so stir the meat from time to time to check.
If it does burn, dont panic just turn the heat down further and try not to stir the burnt bits into the rest of the sauce.
Stir in the rest of hte ingredients and cook over a very low heat for a further 50/60 minutes stirring occasionally.
you will end up with a rich,soft,creamy-textured bolognaise that will taste just like the bolognaise one eats in italian restaurants.

Thank you jobs.