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.

Sorry to hear about your partner, I hope you find aome inspiration here.

@ohnonotsusan that sounds good. Im yet to make a veg cottage pie, think I may have to try this week as it's all looking very meat heavy at the moment.

Sorry to hear about your partner, I hope you find aome inspiration here.

@ohnonotsusan that sounds good. Im yet to make a veg cottage pie, think I may have to try this week as it's all looking very meat heavy at the moment.

Urgh, WiFi issue, sorry about the repetitive posting.

Here's the beetroot soup recipe, if anyone wants it.

I'll share the corner one, and a waldorf style salad I made yesterday later.

Today will be porridge soup and chicken swarma with rice and vegetables for tea.

Tomorrow I think ham and veg pasta for tea, Wednesday lentil and egg curry, Thursday beef penang. Friday, left overs/see what needs eating. Well, that's the plan. Lets see if I stick to it.

I’ve recently been enjoying the challenge of using Olio and Lidl produce boxes.

To make the best of this you do need to have a well stocked pantry, happy to post a list of what I always have in if anyone wants, and then I search for recipes including the fruits and vegetables I’ve picked up in the boxes and from Olio.

I also use The Company shop - I’ve frequently gotten fresh soups for 10p, Bavon for 40p, cheeses for 1/4 the price. Again it’s hit and miss so you need a well stocked pantry to make the most of the ingredients you pick up on the extreme cheap.

In addition I go into Lidl almost daily last thing/first thing and will pick up meat and vegan products on half price (I will not buy these items unless they are half price)

I recently made a red lentil soup packed with vegetables for 8 for less than £1

@fiftyandme that sounds like a great challenge. My nearest lidl is a 20 minute drive away, and ive never heard if the company shop!
Yes please to your pantry list, I'm not sure mine is great to be honest. And that lentil soup sounds great! Feel free to share any good recipes you have found, I'm always looking for ideas.

Currently eating a bowl of beetroot soup topped with yogurt, dill and toasted almonds, with a fig chutney and cheese pitta bread. It's heaven.

The Company Shop is few and far between, but if you’re on certain benefits or work for NHS, Care Work, Social services, Police, Blood Transport, Lifeboat, Mountain Rescue you can join if you have one near. If you go in regularly it’s amazing what you can pick up.

ok, Pantry

Worcestershire sauce
Hot sauce such as Tobasco
Soy. sauce
Rice Wine vinegar
Mirin
Vhibese cooking wine
Mushroom Ketchup (once got this for £1/bottle so bought loads)
BBQ Sauce
tomato ketchup
Brown Sauce
Appls cider vibegar
red wine vibegar
balsamic vibegar
fish sauce
dijon
english
wholegrain (mustards)
Anchovies
tinbed chopped tomatoes
passata
tomato puree
paprika puree
Coconut milk
good quality Thai sweet chili
kecap manis
variety of tinned legumes
Lime juice
Lemon juice
Roasted red peppers
olives (Kalamata and green)
capers
chipotle paste
cocoa powder
dried mushrooms
dried lentils (puy, red, brown)
oats
pearl barley
quinoa
cous cous
bulgar wheat
plain flour
yeast
greek yogurt
cheese (cheddar, halloumi, feta, Parmesan)
miso paste
egg noodles
rice noodles
peanut butter
marmite
honey
drued chillie
chili flakes
smoked paprika (mild, hot)
turmeric
garam masala
cumin
nutmeg
cibamon
cloves
chili powder
oregano
dried basil
taragon
dill
preserved lemons
kimchi
hot dogs
garlic powder
sesame oil
raw cashews
peanuts
pesto
sun-dried tomatoes
Old bay seasoning or similar
cajun blackened seasoning/fajita seasoning
Chinese curry powder
oyster sauce
hoisin sauce
siracha
pickled lime
mango chutney
Chinese five spice

I think that’s about it.

That's an impressive list @Fiftyandme what do you use the mushroom ketchup for? I have most or the things on your list, I am bad at running out of things though.

I'll do mine later this week, it's a bit Monica's cupboard from friends at the moment so could use a tidy. And I may find things I can't see at the back!

It’s great as a Worcestershire replacement for vegetarians. I actually think it’s over than Worcestershire. It’s not cheap - best to get when on offer (or when an overstock batch lands at Hone Bargains etc

My ‘throw it all in’ lentil soup.

Largd cup lentils, soaked and rinsed.

Variety of root veg/squashes that needs using up (carrot, swede, butternut, courgettes/parsnips/swede/celariac) grated, 2-3 hands full, paprika paste, tomato paste, couple medium onions, 3-4 cloves garlic, smoked paprika, meat or meat replacement product - hot dogs/bacon/leftover roasted chicken/fakon bits, bit of turmeric if you fancy it, dill, source of lemon (if you’ve got seeet potatoes to use up convert it to a Thai style soup with coconut milk, sweet potatoes, chili, suracha, fish sauce, lime juice and cilantro)

Stock cube or two

water.

Dibt add any acids or salts until after the lentils are well cooked. Basically throw in the non acid veg and soften with oil, throw in lentils and water, cook, ad acids and salts once cooked.

That’s it

Tinned new potato’s - I forgot to put them on the pantry list. I know they seem a bit 70’s but they are really handy and if you get the budget ones, cheap.

They’re great done in the air fryer, great squashed and then pan fried until crisp, great in soups and stews. When money is running low they do come in handy.

pantry list

Also forgot green beans, sweetcorn, peas, cauliflower and chopped spinach and chips, plain un-breaded chicken tenders, grated mozzerella, crushed ginger and garlic, parathas, fishfingers, veggie meat products in the freezer.

Yes, they fry up really nicely with some garlic and rosemary. Must restock.

Your pantry is starting to sound like a dull shop to me @fiftyandme ! I have tried tinned potatoes, but dont like the starchy taste they get. I do like to have a pack of frozen fries handy, sometimes you cant beat egg, chips and beans.

Eggs chips and beans is fabulous

Omg full, not dull!!!! Sorry @Fiftyandme

One of DP's favourite meals is fried spam, fried egg, chips and beans.

He is a wrongun, I have the chips, but with fish and salad.

He was bemoaning the price of spam in the local shop, but saw a cheap deal on amazon so half my pantry cupboard (mild exaggeration but not that much) is full of spam. I despair. You can take the man out of the North....

I'm a northerner @murasaki, but definitely not a spam eater.

He then drowns the lot in brown sauce. I ignore it while tucking into my tuna steak or salmon fillet. It's the one meal we do where we eat different things.

We are veggi this week:
Last night five bean chilli wraps
Tonight spicy lentil and carrott soup with hm bread
Tomorrow Ottelenghi ragu pasta
Wednesday Cauliflower, chick pea and spinach curry
Thursday Tofu stir fry
Friday HM pizza

3 adults £54. Also have fruit, yoghurt, museli and eggs for breakfasts, vast of hm hummus for lunch and a sack of spuds.

@neurodiversitydoctor that's a brilliant qeek and so cheap! Great inspiration, thank you.

Tonight's dinner was Shepherd's Pie from the freezer. It was made with the leftover lamb and vegetables from Easter Day and topped with a carrot & sweet potato mash. Exactly what I needed today 😊.

Edited to say, it sometimes seems boring when you stash away meals in the freezer but a few month's later it can be an absolute Godsend.

I love that pantry list!

@diggoryvenn agree! Although nothing lasts months in my freezer! Even a couple of weeks later it makes for a good surprise!
Tonight we had chicken shawarma with corn salsa, herby cucumber yogurt in wraps and fruity seedy couscous.
I marinated chicken breasts over night, baked them on the oven with a sliced red onion. Grate a cucumber, season, add Greek yogurt, chop fresh dill and coriander. Corn salsa - frozen corn with a splash of vinegar. (Lime juice would have been good), Paprika, red onion, spring onion, 1/4 apple finely sliced, 1/2 avocado. Cous cous, cook with chicken stick, add seeds and chopped dried fruits.

Sounds lovely!

The soup went down very well with toasties today, the ham was off the bone from the butcher a couple of weeks ago and we'd frozen a few slices. Really good with gouda and a bit of brie and black pepper.

4 portions of soup for the freezer, i think.

Weary Wolf Adventures n YouTube does food challenges, recently there was one using tinned potatoes for a week of meals and another is he does 'soup of the week' He is well worth a watch and seems to be a lovely guy too.