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.

Thank you, it sounds delicious

People, I made such a good tea tinight that I had to share!

Crunchy roasted new potatoes with zesty yogurt, courgette, steak and a herby dressing.

Easy, but yum!

Boil new potatoes whilst heating oven. In the meantime, thinly slice courgettes ready for frying. Once potatoes are boiled, drain and transfer to roasting tin. Crushe slightly, add oil, salt and pepper. Roast until crispy.
Fry your courgettes, whilst they're cooking add lime zest and juice, salt and pepper, sumac and mint leaves to greek yogurt. Place on plate. Make a herby dressing with thinly sliced garlic, acid (I used lemon and lime juice), oil, seasoning. I then used a bunch of coriander and a bunch of parsley. Mix.

Once courgettes are cooked, fry your steak. Leave to rest whilst you pile potatoes on to the yogurt, add some of the herbs and the courgettes. Add the steak (sliced) and the rest of the herbs.

Soooooooo good.

You're welcome x

Today - some oven bottom muffins led to a mcmuffin style brunch, no photos. Tea was tomato risotto with a kale and sausage topper for the hysband and I. Risotto hating daughter had cous cous and salad with chicken. Made enough so she can have left overs with eggs tomorrow for lunch. Husband and I will have risotto with eggs. Don had been away all week with college, back tomorrow, so expect to see more protein!

@Seaside3 Great thread
Some cheap things that go down well here
Cheesy courgette Muffins

• 1 small courgette (about 80g)
• 100g cheddar cheese
• 50g grated parmesan
• 225g self-raising flour
• 50ml olive oil
• 175ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 egg
• black pepper

Mix everything together bake 20 mins in muffin tins. makes 12

Ox cheek ragu with Gnocchi ( i get ox cheek from Morrisons about £2.50 each)

• 2 ox cheek
• 250ml red wine
• can chopped tomatoes
• large onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 stock cube
• worcestershire sauce

Brown beef cheek, saute onions, add wine cook down, add everything else then simmer 2 hours topping up or shove in pressure cooker for 30mins on high Season serve with packet gnocchi and fried sage leaves serves 4

Home made oat biscuits

• 150 g caster sugar
• 150g butter
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 150g SR flour
• 120g porridge oats

Warm (not melt) butter mix with sugar, mix in everything else and form into 2 sausage shapes 4cm diameter and chill for half hour. Slice into 1cm rounds and bake on a baking sheet with paper for 20 mins at 150 until golden (they spread so place apart. If the mix was a bit wet and they go splat you can reshape them into rounds when hot with a spatula. Makes 24

Some great recipes, thank you! Will definitely try the muffins. And probably the ox cheek. I like it, but fir aomw reason my family don't like.the idea. I just wont tell them what it is!

Spme thongs we have eaten over the weekend.

Marinara style baguettes made from 'bake at home'baguette, reduced price pork/beef mince, tomato sauce, lettuce and cheese. Served with homemade chips.

Yesterday was chicken roast and a salted caramel and chocolate sponge. Plenty left of both for today.

Shopping arriving tomorrow, I'm planning on making a cornbread to serve with bean chilli, feta and red onion pie, sausage and leek pan lasagne, curry, roast gammon.

Lunches will be salads or sandwiches: ham, eggs, cheese, cottage cheese

Cake - i think a lemon and berry one

Breakfasts - courgette muffins, yogurt, cereal, toast

Last night's tea - sausage, leek and cabbage pan lasagne. Tonight - bean chilli, cornbread, sweet potato fries, salad, yogurt.

The cornbread was a total disaster, so now o need to work out what to do with a pan of dry Polenta. Other than that, everything else was delicious.

Tomorrow - I think feta and red onion pie with veg and new potatoes. Friday everyone is out. Saturday curry, sunday gammon roast.

Still got to make the courgette muffins and a lemon cake - the one I made on sunday has only juat been finished.

So, if anyone had any bright ideas for the offending cornbread, let me know! Thanks

Could you make into breadcrumbs?

The polenta gnocchi recipe here should work with the cornbread https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/italian-food/hacks/how-to-turn-leftover-polenta-into-something-special

The offending cornbread made it to the bin, I just couldnt fix it!

Some things we've eaten of late... quinoa abd feta salad, a fruit crumble, lemon and red fruit drizzle cake, coriander curry, coconut rice pudding with mango, bean burgers with sweet potatoes.

This week - red onion and feta pie, lentil dahl with onion bahjees, cheesy pasta and vegetable bake and then we will see!

Some things we ate this week - I attempted onion bhaji, they weren't perfect, but have potential. Followed by dahl. Vegetable pasta bake with samphire. Eggs and tomato on toast, tonight we had a freezer tea. Wraps with various fillings, home made chips topped with black beans.

Other things included mushrooms on toast and a feta salad and rhubarb rice pudding.

Not sure what the weekend will bring.