HELP! I have made a complete mess of our finances this month. Need ideas for CREDIT CRUNCH BUSTING RECIPES please!

[MusntGrumble]

I thought that the monthly online shop bill was paid last month but it did not go through until December. So I was busy doing Xmas shopping and patting myself on the back for being so frugal as we had so much cash left and overspent madly.

DH and I just looked at the bank statements and I almost fell off the chair.

I have plenty in the store cupboards for the next two weeks but need some cheap but nutritious recipes for the rest of the month.

This is v.cheap and filling and is like the magic porridge pot...it goes on and on and on......

Gammon Soup.

You will need:

1 Gammon Shank - about £1.50.
Red Lentils - 69p (not the pre-soak version).
1 onion

Boil the gammon shank in a big pan or pressure cooker until cooked. I usually do about 30 mins in the pressure cooker, an hour in a pan.

When cooked take the shank from the pan and strip the meat off the bone. Throw away the fat and bone and cut the meat into bite sized strips and put to one side.

Keep the stock in the pan. (If leaving overnight the stock will settle and you may need to skim a layer of fat off the top but IME it won't kill you if you don't let it settle and just carry on).

Add the chopped onion and lentils to the stock in the pan and boil until the lentils have thickened into a soup. Add the meat back to the pan.

Ready to eat.

Sounds delicious. I am not sure if I can buy gammon here in Switzerland but will have a look. Thanks.

You may find a few things here. It is an American site though.

Cheap meals

that site looks interesting, thanks. Will have a good look later.

I don't have a "playful" husband underfoot though

Look at Sainsbury's Feed Your Family for a Fiver recipe index

hehe at feed them for a fiver - I can feed my family (if I put my mind to it rather than being lazy ) 4 times over for £5

Me too if I go veggie...but it gives you some ideas, eh?