Cheap Family Recipes :)

[kittenta 10]

I know exactly how the op feels at the minute. My shopping bill has almost doubled this year for no reason at all.

 

I've swopped some fresh veg for frozen. Fresh broccoli cost me over £1 for one meal, a bag of frozen costs me £1 and lasts two to three meals. Sausage is pretty versitile too and frozen are generally cheaper than fresh (like most things).

 

Cottage pie or stew are good, the leftovers made a good pie, make your own pastry.

 

Eggs, milk and some left over meat or veg go great in a home made quiche and there's always plenty for a couple of meals.

 

One thing I can't do is buy supermarket value peas, especially mushy, or beans. They taste awful and the kids won't eat them either (without knowing it's a different make).

 

Jacket potato's are a cheap meal too depending on what you have with them.

 

Let us know how you get on .

[tracyab 10]

Try spaghetti cabonara

 

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2876/learn-to-make-spaghetti-carbonara

[chorba 10]

......................

Edited February 11, 2012 by chorba

[CaptainChaos 10]

There is also an app for iPhone/iPad called big oven, this will let you search for a recipe based on ingredients you already have.

[CaptainChaos 10]

I made this last night and have to say it was delicious.

 

Red onion, spinach and feta bruschetta.

 

Slice a baguette in half lengthwise, spread with ready to use spaghetti sauce, (I used fresh tomato sauce but in the interests of speed and cost you can use a jar of dolmio or cheap supermarket one)

Top with some caramelised sliced red onion a bit of fresh spinach leaf, top with some chunks of feta cheese and drizzle with olive oil, add a few black olives if you like them and bake in a hot oven until golden.

[alib28 10]

I definitely second the idea of making things in bulk and freeezing them in portions, my partner and i regularly do this and it saves us a fortune. Chilli, spag bol, sausage stew and beef stew are the ones we tend to do on a regular basis, and the good thing about them is that you can add whatever veg is on offer or that you have left over. When making chillis and stews we bulk them out using lots and lots of beans which are cheap but filling and nutritious, we actually put relatively little meat in because it is so expensive. For example our chilli uses one 500g pack of mince to about 5 cans of beans and LOADS of chopped up mushrooms and peppers (we always buy those value packs of wonky peppers.) We then vary the meals by changing what we have with them, e.g bread, couscous, pasta, yorkshire pudding, jacket potatoes, rice, mash etc.

 

The good food website is actually a good place to look for stews and meals you can cook in bulk.

 

Look into lentils as well, they are cheap and you can buy them in large quantities that last for ever, great for stews and curries. Check out some of the asian supermarkets if you have any nearby as you can often buy things like that a lot cheaper than in tescos etc. You can often get cheaper veg and (halal) meat there too.

 

Also consider the possibility of using leftovers for lunches too - sometimes its cheaper just to make a little extra of a stew or chilli or something and then have the leftovers for lunch the next day. Or if you have leftover potatoes and veg at the end of the week, make a soup, or a spanish omelette (eggs can often be found really cheap in local corner shop type things - my local sells 30 eggs for something ridiculous like 2 pounds sometimes).

Edited October 29, 2011 by taxman

[diamondjack 10]

if like me you like a pudding after your meal, try using a supermarkets own sponge mix - about 25p just needs one egg and water. bake, drizzle with golden syrup or spread with jam and serve with custard - you could even put it on top of fruit - quick, easy, light and cheap - and serves 4 easily x

[stonecircle 10]

Slow Cooked Sausage Casserole

 

This is my husbands favourite winter warmer, so much so he requests that I cook it in the summer too, Its serves 3 to 4 people.

Ingredients

 

6 or 8 Quality Pork Sausages (I use Moss Valley Fine Meats Pork and Cracked Pepper - http://www.mossvalleyfinemeats.co.uk/ )

250g Mushrooms sliced

1 Green Pepper sliced and seeds removed

1 Red Onion sliced

1 Clove of Garlic crushed

125 ml Red Wine

250ml Hot Water

1 Bay Leaf Freshly Milled Black Pepper

I Teaspoon Dried or Fresh Sage

Oil for frying

1 to 2 tablespoons of Plain Flour to thicken

Method

 

Turn on your slow cooker and select the highest setting.

Heat oil in a frying pan or casserole on a low heat and brown gently.

Add to slow cooker once cooked. Next gently fry the mushrooms adding a little oil if needed, add to the slow cooker when they are starting to brown.

Add a little more oil and brown the onion, then sprinkle the flour to soak up the juices, then gradually stir in the wine and hot water adding just a little at a time to prevent lumps. Now add the garlic, bay leaf, freshly milled black pepper (as much or as little as you like) and sage. Cook for a few minutes and then add to slow cooker also adding the raw peppers.

Place the lid on and leave to cook for 2 to 3 hours.

 

I serve with creamy mashed potatoes, and occasionally Yorkshire Puddings too!

 

NB: This can also be cooked in a casserole in the oven or on a ring if you don’t have a slow cooker. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour on 170 C or gas 3

Edited November 3, 2013 by stonecircle