If you're on a budget - what dinners do you cook?

[lilacsky89]

Trying to be a bit tighter with money as we approach Christmas. Just wondering what kind of meals those of you who are on a tighter budget cook - I feel like I spend a fortune on meal ingredients each week!

Lentil dhal
Soup and toastie
Egg & chips
Bean chilli
Baked eggs and crusty bread
Stews

I've managed to cut our food shop budget down from about £115 a week to £70.

We're even managing to eat steak twice a week! I've been buying Sainsbury’s just cook steaks, they're often on nectar price discount and come with sauce or flavoring in the pack.

This week our planned dinners are...

Sausages, waffles and corn
Steak and chips green beans
Steak Mexican with sweet potatoes and corn salsa
Sausage ragu with dumplings
Halloumi tacos
Beef tacos
Katsu curry with tofu

I'm buying a bag of sweet potatoes, bag of cherry Tom's, sweet corn tins, broccoli, green beans, cauliflower and cucumber and using different combinations of the veg with different dinners.

Thanks @Frankinbeans ill check it out

Just did a massive pot of chilli in the slow cooker with loads of extra veg and beans. Was very tasty with some rice

Rice and dal, veggie chilli, vegetable tagine

@Icedlatteplease I'm vegan, my partner is vegetarian. I run marathons at a good pace for my age and he's an elite cyclist. Trust me, you can get all the protein you need from a plant based diet, it's not difficult at all!

Yes very true. My teenage son has been vegan for 3 years and he's very healthy, he goes to the gym several times a week. He's also had comprehensive bloods done recently and was told by the GP, all perfect results and he must be having a very iron rich diet looking at his results.

I never said you cannot be healthy on a vegan diet or that you cannot get enough protein from plant based source

What I said was that if you do it to save money its about much much more than switching portion for portion (which most people do) and you don't necessarily save as much and the effort required to do it right.

Most people who do get enough supplements with nuts etc. Which aren't cheap.

cauliflower and macaroni cheese
shepherds pie/moussaka
stir fry
lentil spaghetti
tuna and baked potato
aubergine and hallumi pasta

look at more veggie options, cannelloni beans, kidney beans, chick peas, red lentils, green lentils, plenty of recipes to be found

if you’re on a budget

pasta
rice
pork
shoulder
gammon
veg soup

are some of the cheapest things to buy right now

get the too good to go app amd see what is available near you - I’ve seen some fab products all for £3

Anything pasta based
Buy frozen veg as it's so much cheaper
Anything meat related is expensive

Mac n cheese
Pasta bakes

Plus there's nothing wrong with having beans on toast
Jacket potato once a week for a cheap meal

Chilli, bolognaise and curry can go a very long way if you bulk with vegetables and use less meat. Different types of beans in the chilli and sweet potato in the curry are very filling. I also always make loads and freeze portions for lazier days

i love a harira either with meat, not much, or without

Our go to quick meals are some of our cheapest and tastiest meals.

Red lentil dhal with spinach (chapati or rice to serve)

Spaghetti aglio è Olio with chilli

Soda bread / thick toasted bread with garlic mayo, fresh spinach, olives and sundried tomatoes with roasted chorizo and sweet potatoes chunks.

Falafel wrap with plenty of salad

Lemon, Asparagus and pea risotto

Toad in the hole and frozen vegetables.

Homemade tomato and lentil soup with crusty tiger bread.