Weekly Food Budget please help :)

[mrsdarcey78]

Hi I am disabled and have 3 disabled children. I struggle to prepare meals and cook, so we end up having takeaway and ready meals. This is costing so much money and being unhealthy as well. I am looking for family friendly, easy to cook, (struggle to peel and chop) meals, I also have a slow cooker and a rice cooker. Looking for meals the whole family can eat and are easy to make and cook. I really need some help in budgeting for food shopping and ideas for family meals, that will suit adult, teenagers and children. Thanks for any help :)

Hi bumping for you. X

Have you tried chopped frozen veg? They are just as good for you as normal veg and all the prep is done and there is no waste.

I do chilli in the slow cooker with frozen chopped onion, frozen chopped pepper, beef mince, a jar of red jalapeños (liquid and all and a couple of oxo cubes and it is blooming gorgeous! My SIL requested it for her birthday dinner!

Also fajitas with chicken and the frozen veg,

Frozen root veg can be a lovely curry with spices, stock and some fried red lentils.

Frozen Mediterranean veg roasted in the oven with harissa paste and tomorrow purée then stir cous cous in and top with some grilled halloumi/chicken/lamb

Good luck

Dried red lentils / not fried!

How about jacket potatoes with baked beans, and salad (microwaving is much cheaper and quicker than the oven) and salad can be chunks of cucumber, half tomato etc

Omlettes with chips and tinned or frozen veg

Frozen store gry veg with raman noodles and fish or chicken

Pancakes (buy the ready mix if needed) and add bacon

I have RA and when my hands are bad, i seriously struggle to cook so often end up relying on microwave meals as takeaways are so expensive. Its not a bad thing, I just work hard to get the balance right. Do you have a farm foods near you? I use them for their frozen veg, they do a bag of casserole veg that is diced celery, onions, carrots and swedes. They are 3 for £2 and can be mixed/matched with frozen peas/corn/mixed veg. Frozen and pre chopped veg is my saviour!

I cook a ham shank in a big stock pot, then remove it and pull the meat to shreds. Add a bag of frozen casserole veg to the ham water and add a bag of split peas and lentils. simmer until the lentils have fallen in and then blitz it and add the meat. I split it and freeze it so on bad days I can feed my kids a healthy meal that has their 5 a day in it. You can also make chicken and veg soup the same way. if you need to thicken it at all then you can add dried mashed potato flakes and it works a treat.

other good easy meals to increase veg is to add a jar of chopped tomatoes and sweetcorn to pasta bake. Super easy meal, you just add the sauce, veg and pasta to a casserole dish and chuck it in the oven, can be served with sausages for protein or you can even crack a few eggs on top and add grated cheese half way through cooking.

I know its hard at times, I really do. If I have to order a takeaway then I go for chicken kebabs with extra veg skewers and coleslaw. That really isn't a "bad" meal at all so I feel less guilty. Sausage and beans on toast with cheese on top is easy and quick and my kids will eat that all day long, just balance it with some fruit afterwards. Omelettes are a good option for adding stuff too-broccoli, cheese, peppers, tomatoes, ham, chicken, etc. And keep lots of fresh fruit on hand for when the kids say they are hungry! You will find that by putting some planning into place then it will be much easier to sort it all out. If I feed my kids 5 home cooked meals a week then I feel much less guilty if I they have to resort to frozen pizza or a takeaway.

Frittata is super easy and healthy. My version is to use a box grater to grate some onion, courgette and carrot (easier than chopping!) Fry it in an overproof frying pan until soft. You can also throw in some spinach at this point and stir until wilted. Then add whisked eggs with a dash of milk. When it's set on the bottom, put under the grill until the top sets, adding some grated cheese.

Homemade pasta sauce is also really easy. The classic Italian way is without onion (hurrah no chopping!) and it actually tastes better. Just peel a couple of cloves of garlic and bash them with the side of a knife. Fry them gently in a big glug of olive oil, throw in two tins of chopped tomatoes and then simmer over a low heat until reduced by half or so (about 30 min). Either serve like that with pasta, or stir in some cream and dried oregano for a creamy pasta sauce. I tend to make a big batch and then freeze. You can also throw in some tuna, capers, olives and dried chili.

I cannot recommend the Economy Gastronomy book enough....it'll help you plan meals for the weak and make your ingredients go further. You can pick up a copy on eBay at the moment for under £3. Plan, plan, plan. We did this a few years back, you can budget more effectively and eat better. Set aside a day to make the bedrock recipes, get a list of the key things you need and pick them up when on offer etc. Use supermarket comparison tool. We bulk buy in Costco which helps hugely with budgeting but you do need a membership card/someone who has one to take you as their guest. But - Is costly up front but we found helps in long run. If not feasible, do online shop to avoid temptation of impulse buys. Having a slow cooker is fab as makes cheaper cuts of (tastier) meat tender. But honestly, write out a fortnightly menu plan and stick to it. Sign up for supermarket newsletters for discounts. Lidl and Aldi have really good quality meat, veggies, fruit and basics and loads cheaper.