Much cheapness needed...

[mrsflibble]

I am sending the next two weeks doing as little shopping as possible, cooking our stores of food from the freezer and fridge and cupboards and only really going to the shops for milk; trying not to buy much else to be honest hahaha! I think i may even be making my own bread for the next fortnight cos if i go to the shop for bread, i will come out with lots of stuff we DONT need. it's an avoidance strategy cos i have no willpower.

This month we have had a major financial cock up in that we needed an MOT, new rear brake shoes, and had a final gasbill from british gas which was £154 to settle our account before we changed companies......so an overspend of about £220.... argh! James is doing all he can with overtime and whatnot; and i am very proud to have such a hubby., but i want to do what i can too.

i am trying my hardest to think of cheap meals to make from what we have, but have hit a blank cos my brain stopped working about 20 mins ago hahaha!

so, yeah. frugal food people!!!

[Green Aura]

What supplies have you got in, honey. It'll help us with suggestions.

[TheGoodEarth]

I find cheap meals tend to be big pots of soups and stews as the main content is water (v cheap). Try and stick to a couple of main ingredients like a meat and 2 veg (or 3 veg if veggie) and supplement this with herbs, spices and stock for flavour. Some nice homecooked granary and/or rice and away you go. Make a big enough pot and it could do you 3 or 4 meals if you freeze it.

[mrsflibble]

dried soupmix
lentils
tins of beans
tins of tomatoes
frozen meat (various, mainly pork cheap joints for slow cooking)
plain flour
sr flour
bread flour
yeast
no sugar, but gonna have to get some,
erm... readybrek?
various seasonal veg and finally
potatoes and onions.

extensive spice and herb selection...

[Loobyloo]

Lentils, tinned toms, onions (maybe potatoes and or beans to bulk it out further) lots of spices to make a big pot of spicey dhal and flour for chapatis on the side.

I love dhal, very filling and it freezes really well too.

[TheGoodEarth]

Defrost pork
Chop and sweat onions in some oil with a cardomom pod and a couple of cloves, add pork and cook for 15 mins
Add some chilli powder, turmeric, paprika, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Stir for 5 mins.
Add above to casserole dish with chopped tomatoes, potatoes and pinch of sugar.
Add 1/4 pint of water.
Slow cook for 1.5 hours.
Enjoy.

[Green Aura]

You can make all sorts of bean and lentil pates for lunches. While warm they also make good toppings for jacket spuds. And dhal of course.

If you like chinese, twice cooked pork is yummy (one of my current faves). Best with belly pork, chop up, boil in water with a little five spice and soy sauce. Then stir-fry with more spices, chilli and lots of green veg. Not wholly authentic but quick and tasty.

Pies and pasties make meat go a long way too. Bulk them out with lots of veg and sauces.

[Thomzo]

Make a casserole with a small piece of pork, some beans and loads of veg. Root veg will absorb the meat flavour and you won't realise that there's so little meat in it. Add some stock and top it off with mashed potato.

Jacket potato, beans (whatever variety) and tomatoes.

Cheers
Zoe

[StripyPixieSocks]

You can add baked beans, lentils and even porridge oats to minced beef to bulk it out and either use it as cottage pie or make pastry and make pies. You can make it into spaghetti bolognese or lasagne by adding tomatoes or even make chilli con carne with as much beans as meat.

We buy really cheap steak and make it into stew which is more vegetables than meat and I mean MUCH more vegetables than meat, we can make that last 5 days / feeding 2 people for around £10!

You can serve bread with it or dumplings to bulk it out

Soups are another fave loads of veggies, tomatoes and some pasta, barley or soup mix... go wild!

I tend to make things like Middle Eastern Chickpeas, Mutter Paneer, Soups and stews when we're really skint (Oh all the time then lol)

Another cheap one is, fried onion, 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables, curry paste, tomato Puree, Mango Chutney, Stock cube and cornflour to thicken

Makes a whole vat of curry to be served with rice or baked potato etc

3 Onions fried
1 bag mixed frozen veg
1 jar curry paste (I use Pataks madras)
3 large tbsp Mango Chutney (or to taste)
3 tbsp Tomato Puree
2 Vegetable Stock Cubes

Bring to the boil and then simmer it all up for about an hour with enough water to cover everything, thicken and serve! We have to freeze loads of it for later it makes so much!

Not ish, but when you're up against the wall it's really about what you can afford not what's good for the planet I'm afraid!

[Elizabeth]

You could make a great meat and veg pie.

[StripyPixieSocks]

I forgot about the meat and veg pie I make...

50% Grated Onion, Carrots and Potatoes (sometimes almost 75%)
50% Minced Beef
Beef Oxo Cubes (or Oxo Granules)

Mix the beef and veg together really well, mix in enough stock cubes or granules to really make the mixture go brown, pack into a pastry case and bake.

Cheap and absolutely lovely!

I lived on Campbells Condensed Chicken Soup and Paste for many a year when things got tough,

Add cooked pasta to a can of condensed chicken soup (or mushroom if you prefer) and eat or you can put it in a baking dish and cover it with some breadcrumbs and cheese and bake until golden... delish!

Make Mac and cheese and mix in a tin of tuna, bake as above!

Cheap tomato Sauce with a few veggies in it, pasta and bake as above as well

My favourite soup is Lentil Soup

Celery, Carrots, Onions and garlic sweated off until translucent, few cups of red lentils and some vegetable stock cubes and plenty of water, simmer until the lentils are cooked!

Also you can put in much less water (just enough to cook the lentils until dry) when you end up with a really thick paste let it cool, add to a food processor when cool with some tomato puree and blend until smooth... makes a lovely pate / spread for sandwiches or with toast!

[Rosendula]

If you can get or make some pasta the tinned tomatoes can be turned into a lovely sauce by playing with your herbs. I know I shouldn't, but I find a little bit of sugar takes away the tanginess of the tomatoes. I've often made a tomato sauce using tom. puree thinned down with water and milk. Really cheap, and if you make enough you can put a bit aside for lunch the next day. I think that has been my key to cheap meals - making a bit extra so you get another meal out of it.

Our second-nearest post office sells Heritage milk which is on special offer at the moment - 2 x 4 pints for £2.50, so look out for that brand. I don't have enough room in my fridge for more than 2 bottles, but at this time of year I can stand some on the stone floor of my shed and it's fine.

When using milk in cooking it can work out cheaper to use evaporated milk diluted to the strength it says on the tin.

[theabsinthefairy]

If you want to avoid buying butter or marg to make pastry for pies (lovely cheap bits of pork slow cooked makes a great pie)

Try some mashed potato mixed with flour a roughly one on one ratio and seasoned and some herbs to make a lovely pie topping.

Or a cobbler topping with different herby flavours - I particularly like rosemary.

These toppings mean you can make an all in one pot, slow cooked, with a more watery stock that you might otherwise make, because the toppings are great for soaking up the fluids.

for cobbler:

200 g SR flour
pinch salt
1 tsp baking powder (I don't always add this as I don't always have it - jsut adds some more fluffiness)
a BIG pinch of your preferred herb
2 tablepoons butter (again I don't always have butter -so use a bit of oil instead)
100 ml semi or skimmed milk


The potato topping also goes particularly well with a goulash - perfect for your lentils - add lots of paprika. yummy.

Monika

[Clara]

If you can run to a little cheese then pizza and chips!

[Graye]

If you live near a T***o they have some huge bags of TVP granules which would be great for bulking out pasta sauces, shepherds pies etc.