Meal planning, sharing recipes and ideas to make the weekly budget go further.

[Seaside3]

Ok, snappy title, I know.

Having recently loved a thread where the op bemoaning the price of minced beef, (i didn't love that) and seeing how helpful people were, I decided to start my own thread.

We are a large family, but currently just 4 of us live at home. 2 adults, 2 teens who eat adult portions.

I aim to spend around £70 on average a week, we do eat out a couple of times a week, but £70 should roughly cover it.

New shop arriving tomorrow, hoping it will cover the week.

To start though, tonight we had Asian style pork, rice and garlic broccoli.

Asian pork - minced pork, onion, grated garlic and ginger, Chinese five spice, carrot, courgette broccoli stem, sweetcorn, peas, dark soy, chilli flakes Fry, add a little water if required.

Garlic and ginger broccoli... fried sliced garlic and root ginger, red onion, broccoli florets. Added a couple of splashes of water, soy and a sprinkle of sugar. Would have used honey, but didn't have any. Fresh coriander leaves.

Basmati rice

Added a fried egg.

Served 4 for dinner, 2 extra servings for lunches.

Would love to hear others go to family meals.

i love a vegetarian shepherds pie, with a tin of green lentils and plenty of vegetables
or a tin of black eye beans with basil, tomatoes and spinach

Thanks @OhNoNotSusan that sounds good, I can add this to my repertoire.

Tonight's tea was a really random affair. Husband was off out and wanted something simple, so wedges and eggs for him. Son ate out. Daughter and I had tomato pasta. She's a fan of a simple dish, it was quick as she came home late from school.

Shopping has arrived. £71.15 for the weekly shop. Included loo roll, dishwasher tablets and toothpaste. It did not include ground coffee or cat litter, so will need to get them.

Planning gammon and colcannon with veg.
Left over gammon for lunches.
I've got bulgur wheat from last week, so this looks good
Also some kind of curry chicken dish, a cottage pie, a veg pasta. I've never made an egg drop soup, so trying this.

Lunches will be soup, salads and sandwiches.

Breakfasts are porridge/overnight oats/eggs.

Apple crumble and probably an eves pudding, not made that before either, but read about it on a different thread.

How do you manage to shop for a week on £70 for essentially 4 adults?? I think you do very well!!

Years and years of having 4 kids and no money.
I learnt every trick in the book to make good food without letting the kids know we didn't have much money.
I'm also curious as to how much extra we might spend. I have a habit of not buying pudding, when everyone wants one. So I need to try factor them in. And as above, I forget things. So, part of this I seeing if I stick to budget, or go way over without realising.

Humza frozen chicken breasts are on offer in Tesco for less than half price for the next few weeks.

They are halal and grade A chicken, I used to get them a lot when the kids were small.

£3.20 a kilo, which is a magnificent bargain!

@Toastandbutterand thank you. I buy frozen chicken breast, so will take a look.

Today, brunch out for my husband and I. Son had a yogurt bowl and grazed. Daughter fed at work and then a friends.

Dinner - spaghetti bol.

500g 5%steak mince
1 large onion
Garlic, dried herbs, beef stock cube, salt, pepper, sugar
1 Celery stalk, grated carrot and mushrooms
Frozen peppers
Fresh tomatoes from last week (not very ripe so no one was eating them)
1 packet passage, 1 tin tomatoes, 1 tin lentils
Last of a pack of pasta

Enough for 3 large meals tonight, and approximately 6 portions of mince for another week in the freezer

Well, the weekend was a write off in regards to eating at home. It was just ine of those, where everyone was everywhere, so lots of eating out.

However, today I managed to make loads of food for the week, including : gammon, roast chicken breast, lentil dahl, broccoli and butter bean soup, roasted tomatoes, mash potatoes, carrots, cabbage, pearl barley and finally apple crumble. Oh ans boiled eggs.

I will list below the recipes and how I did it, what i intend to use them all for. Theres still plenty of food in the fridge from Fridays shop.

Ok. Here's how I managed everything ans recipes!

1. Boiled gammon

Whilst this happened heated the oven.

1. Boiled 5 eggs (all i had left)
2. Made lentil dahl Whilst they cooked. I didnt measure anything, but followed this recipe. It is delicious. Will use the boiled eggs on the top. 3 of us had it for lunch, there are about 6 large portions left.
3. Removed eggs from water, peeled potatoes for mash, added into the egg water.
4. Put 6 frozen chicken breasts in oven
5. Put mustard and honey on the gammon, put in oven. Keep the gammon water.
6. Peeled 3 large cooking apples, put them into a cast iron pan. Add water, sugar, cinnamon and sultanas. Put in oven to continue cooking.
7. Make the soup. 1 leek, 1 head of broccoli and the stem of another. A couple of bits of apple peel, garlic, Celery, 2 courgettes, 2 small potatoes. Use the water from the gammon and potatoes and simmer.
8. Mash the potatoes (step 4)

10. Make crumble topping. Used nutribullet. Added hazelnuts and oats. Put on apples and continue baking 11. Whiz soup in nutri bullet, once you've added butter beans 12. Chop carrots, boil. Think slice cabbage, steam above the carrots. Use this water to boil pearl barley whilst you eat. 13. I made a 'gravy' from a gooseberry chuney, some water and a stock cube. 14. Sit and enjoy gammon, mash, carrots, cabbage and gravy. Followed by apple crumble and vanilla ice cream.

We have mash, carrots and cabbage left, so will make potato hash for a brunch this week. Will need some more eggs.

Approximately 10 portions of green soup, 4 in fridge, rest in the freezer for future.

Dahl will be served with booled eggs, rice and yogurt.

1/3rd of the Gammon left for lunches.

Chicken breadts, sliced and put in freezer. I lot will be used for lunches, the other made to a Chinese style tea.

Somewhere in the day I roasted some tomatoes with garlic, these will be used in lunch salads with the pearl barley. The second lot of barley will be added to an as yet undecided meal.

So, my fridge and freezer.are filled.with easy meals foe this week and next week.

Some photos...

They eat out a few times a week on top

We do @Blondeshavemorefun once, possibly twice. Generally lunch. The kids are 17 and 18, so it's a guessing game when and how much they want to eat.

Today I had left over cabbage, mash, gammon with an egg for brunch. (Husband bought 6 eggs and milk this morning). He had overnight oats, then an egg sandwich. Daughter had porridge then took packed lunch. Son ate at college.

Tea was lentil dahl, some paneer curry from the freezer, rice. Daughters veggie boyfriend here so had to buy extra naan bread. Pudding was walnut, apricot, cinnamon oat biscuits with ice cream.

A also made a 3 tomato pearl barley salad for lunches. Used the tomatoes I roasted yesterday, alongside the barley cooked yesterday. Added sun-dried toms, with a bit of the oil, fresh plum Tom's, cucumber, capers, parsley, cucumber, avocado and feta.

Also made the eggs I boiled yesterday into egg mayo. I just leave all the different components in the fridge and people can make the breakfast/lunch they fancy, then I make tea.

Pics below.

I forgot to take photos today, but lunches were egg mayo sandwiches and green soup.
Dinner was a stir fried vegetables (broccoli, onion, ginger, 5 spice, carrot, pepper, sweetcorn, green beans) with 3 precooked chicken breast and the sesame sauce from this recipe. Served with noodles and a cucumber, spring onion, mango salad. Fed 5 (1 guest) with 1 portions of chicken left.

Still loads of food left. Going to make a effort to clear fridge of all the bits and pieces tomorrow, then see what meals are left in freezer/veg drawer/ tins. I think we can get by until Monday at least before having food delivered, but running low on washing powder so may place order for friday.

We had lamb shoulder in the slow cooker tonight.
I'm very into offers, and that's how I buy my meat. It was frozen from June, £3 a kilo!
Leftovers tomorrow.

I really like this thread! I too cook like the op.

If I can't find a good offer, a ham is very good value.

A lot of the winter products have come out this week.

There's a lot of finest stuff in Tesco that's a third off if you are having a small Christmas and want to prepare in advance by freezing.

I have found over the years that a lot of standard joints are reduced the week before Christmas and Easter though, so I make sure I have room in the freezer to have treats the rest of the year at good prices.

I was wondering the same. I.have been spending 90 just for me- no alcohol.income cut by half- have retired early and am now working part time- i need to cut down.

Hello @Toastandbutterand and @BCBird

@Toastandbutterand I'm glad im not just shouting into the void! I wasn't sure if anyone was interested, but I was carrying in as a way to make myself accountable!

We only have a small freezer, so I can't fill it with loads of 1 type of food, annoyingly.

@BCBird I don't find it particularly difficult. But then I dont worry about having loads in 'for emergencies' or having 'back up' items as there are several shops within walking distance, should I really need anything. I think it helps keep the budget down.

Today for brunch my husband and I finished off the mash and veg from Monday night, so served with an egg and baked beans. Daughter took some green soup, son ate at college.

Dinner was spaghetti bolognese, the bolognese was from the freezer.

I'm planning on a shop arriving tomorrow as I'm running low on stuff and that is when we will start buying from the corner shop.

Will let you know what I buy and spend!

Today's food

Some shopping, more screen shots to follow. It won't allow more than 5.

Last of the shopping im hoping to get tomorrow.

Some if the things I hope to make.

A butternut squash, lentil and feta salad like this.
Chicken butter masala
Another dahl like last week, but with this side
A riff on this Somerset chicken, but with cooking apple's rather than cider.
And a weird one... my husband loves a cafe liegeois, so im planning on making a coffee mousse to serve with vanilla ice cream, cream and some dark chocolate.

Lunches will be soups, salads, left overs. Breakfasts ~ yogurt, oats, eggs, pancakes

We have lots of food already in freezer, along with vegetables, some pulses, dried.goods, spices etc

This is great, thank you. Shows what you can do if you plan things out a bit!

@milski you're welcome.

Would love some other recipes, so if people have favourite cheap go to ones, let me know!

Today: an egg white left from the cookies I made earlier this week. Fried mushrooms in the oil from a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, a spring onion, added the egg white and cheese for breakfast.

Lunch was green soup and cheese on toast, with damson chutney.

Tea - in an attempt not to spend loads going out - i went to Tesco and spent £20. Made a picky tea for husband and I. Daughter out, son had stir-fry and rice from freezer. Loads left from picky tea.

Pics below.

Today I think i outdid myself. So much cooking, so much food!
Octopus had free electricity 12 -2pm.so decided to make the most of it! I also had help from my 18 year old son, he's into his food, so it was nice to have his help.

Today I made...
. A Moroccan inspired beef and sweet potato casserole
. Roast cauliflower soup
. Root veg mash
. Chicken in apple and mustard sauce (Somerset chicken)
. Bread crumbs
. Chicken butter massala with peppers
. Cabbage curry
. Chicken and roast potatoes
. Coffee mousse (fail)
. Chocolate panache
. Spiced apple and walnut cake

Lunch was some soup.

Tea was Somerset chicken, roast potatoes, root mash and green beans in lemony butter, finished with toasted breadcrumbs and hazelnuts

Cafe liegeois foe pudding

Now a rest is required.

Ask if you want any 'recipes', but be warned, I'm a "by eye" kind of person.

Wow, that was some undertaking! I also try to cook like this and use things up where we can. I’m finding it hard to adjust to only cooking for 2 now both DS have left home.

This week I have used up half a tin of leftover cherry tomatoes in an orzo dish instead of fresh. I have some feta and passata to use up so will probably make Greek style beans.

At the moment I’m trying to make a couple of soups a week so I have a soup library in the freezer for autumn and winter 😂. This week I made Chipotle Sweet Potato and Broccoli and Stilton.

@DiggoryVenn I honestly think theres enough in freezer with this lot and what was left from last week to feed us for about 10 days, minimum, which is great.

A soup library sounds good! I think i have 3 types in the freezer now. Your chipolte sweet potato sounds good, might have to give that a whirl.

I tried tomato Risotto last year and haven't looked back. It's lovely. Ne er had tinned cherry tomatoes, will order next time!

I will definitely have issues with cooking for two. It was hard going from 6 to 4, best year it will mostly be 2 of us. Im going to have to be strict on portions, or we will be huge!

Still here, chatting to myself. 🤣

Today we had lentil dahl (a large portion left in freezer), curried cabbage and egg for lunch.
Tea was some sweet potato beef, broccoli, caused root veg made into fritters and a Yorkshire pudding. Yorkies from daughters work.

Rest of the week..
Tuesday chicken butter massala with cabbage and rice
Wednesday tomato pasta
Thursday chicken with pearl barley (made last week)
Friday chilli beef (last week), sweet potato wedges,.salad
Saturday courgette and feta pasta
Sunday sweet potato beef with cous cous

Lunches - egg mayo pittas, soups, left overs, chicken and sweetcorn pittas

Breakfasts eggs, porridge, toast

May get eaten in a different order. Hoping that I will order food this friday, and the following week it will be a smaller order.