need cheap meal ideas!

Beans and Rice is always good and cheap.  And most soups done homemade - French Onion, Lentil, Potato& Leek, Vegetable, green chilie stew etc are VERY inexpensive to make.  Pasta is also a good way to go or stir fry if you don't mind not freezing.

Basically cutting out prepared foods and doing things from scratch saves a ton of money. We are a family of 4 (with 1 teenage boy!!) plus 2 cats and I always spend somewhere between £60-90 per week. Never more than £90 and usually less than £80. That includes all alcohol (and I do like my drink!) , cleaning supplies, toiletries and the occasional DVD or CD.  But I do a lot of cooking from scratch. I especially make soups and stews cause they are easy and cheap - and I can make a huge pot that will last for a couple dinners and a lunch or two.

Rosie

A cheap and healthy one i love and DH loves is:  (and this is approx. as i just throw stuff in!)

A big jar of salsa
A big can of corn
One chopped medium onion
One green Bell Pepper
One package of the leanest beef or turkey you can get
Brown rice (cooked)

Throw in bell pepper, onion and turkey.  Cook till turkey browns and drain. 

Pour in drained corn, jar of salsa and cook for 5 min on med high, or until corn and peppers are tender (but not too tender!).  Throw in rice and warm through.

This makes a massive quantity and is so filling it's unreal.  It usually makes 4 meals, 2 dinners (one man size!) and 2 lunches.

I love this, and it's not much at all......

I've been loading up on dried beans from the organic shop on our high street.  I spent two days soaking and boiling them and have frozen them in big ziploc bags.  I think I bought 500g chickpeas, 500g black beans, 500g mixed beans (haricot, kidney, mung, aduki, chickpeas, lentils, and black beans) on the 20th and now I have three FULL big bags of beans in the freezer -- I'm not even halfway through them yet and I think the total cost was about £6.  I've been having lots of bean salads and TONS of chili lately.   

I LOVE the organic shop on the Gosforth high street!!!! I miss it so much! I used to take the bus there whenever I could!

[end hi-jack]

The chickpea recipe in this thread is very good but I did modify it to a lazy/busy version:

2 tins chickpeas, drained
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 small chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 inch chopped ginger
1-1/2 tablespoons Pataks hot madras curry paste (or more or less to taste)

Saute the onion and garlic in a teaspoon or so of oil until transluscent. Add curry paste and cook another minute or 2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer as long as you have time for.

Serve with basmati rice or indian bread along with a cucumber, tomato, and yogurt salad.

I LOVE the organic shop on the Gosforth high street!!!! I miss it so much! I used to take the bus there whenever I could!

[end hi-jack]

The chickpea recipe in this thread is very good but I did modify it to a lazy/busy version:

That sounds really useful. I love the Pataks pastes - you can mix them with tinned tomatoes or yogurt and they're much nicer than commerical sauces. I also mix spoonfuls of different ones together so you have a different curry each time.

Yep, the Pataks pastes rock! They aren't 'sauces', they are proper mixes of spices with not much else. Easy peasy if you don't have the time or money to deal with all the spices necessary for a good curry and they keep in the fridge for eons.

and they are not as fattening as the sauces either....

Easy peasy if you don't have the time or money to deal with all the spices necessary for a good curry and they keep in the fridge for eons.

They also keep for eons in the cupboard without going mouldy if you didn't know they were meant to be kept in the fridge!

They also keep for eons in the cupboard without going mouldy if you didn't know they were meant to be kept in the fridge!

LOL!!!

where do i get the pataks pastes?!!!!!  natural food store?

Also speaking of which anyone got some good curry recipes?  Like Low fat Korma and all that?

I haven't made this for ages but this is yummy and nice and warming for winter, i haven't put in any measurements because I just don't cook like that, I just cook for however many people are eating:

Vegetable pie

Potatoes

Onions
Carrots
Broccoli
Spinach
Green beans

(or any veges you like)

Vegetable stock
1 packet dried mixed herbs



- Boil & mash the potaotes with lots of butter and mlik. Season well with salt & pepper
- Dice the onions & fry lightly in olive oil
- Add the other (chopped) veggies and cover with vegetable stock;
- Add the herbs
- Simmer the vegetables until just cooked
- Add a little cornflour to thicken the mixture

- Pour the veggie mixture into a casserole dish.
- Spread the mash over the top
- Top with grated cheese or sunflower seeds if liked
- Cook in a hot oven for about 30 mins or until browned on top

YUMMY!

ooooh i have a good one from cooking light!  it's more a light thai curry.....and could do with a little more kick, but DH and i love it!  i don't have the code yet....but when i get it i'll post!

We have a cheap and cheerful stand by for chilly days

Sausage Casserole:
1x pack of good quality sausages (waitrose are perfect)
brown in oven and slice into casserole dish
(or substitute some sausage with chorizo)

tin chopped toms & fresh if preferred (but must be very good quality or it becomes too watery and bland)
onion
mushrooms
courgette
zucchini
Yellow/orange peppers
Small pinch of mixed herbs

Put in oven for about 35-45 mins
can thicken up with some tomato puree` as desired.
A small bowl of this is very warming and filling, but my hubs likes it with rice/pasta occasionally. This will feed us 4 meals and is easy to take to work and re-heat.

(some great cooking light/low fat recipes here: http://www.aspoonfulofsugar.net/blog/

here it is:

 1/2  cups uncooked Chinese egg noodles or angel hair or vermicelli
2  teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1  cup thinly sliced onion
2  cups fresh basil leaves
1  garlic clove, crushed
2  teaspoons curry powder
1/2  teaspoon salt
1/8  teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2  pound skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4  cup light coconut milk

Prepare the egg noodles according to the package directions, omitting salt; drain noodles, and keep warm.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion; stir-fry 1 minute. Add basil, and stir-fry 2 minutes. Remove from pan, and keep warm.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add curry powder, salt, and red pepper; stir-fry 10 seconds. Add chicken, and stir-fry 3 minutes. Stir in milk; reduce heat to medium, and cook 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in basil mixture, and toss well. Serve over noodles.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 cup chicken with sauce and 1 cup noodles)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 475(26% from fat); FAT 13.5g(sat 4.7g,mono 3.6g,poly 3.9g); PROTEIN 35.9g; CHOLESTEROL 119mg; CALCIUM 122mg; SODIUM 709mg; FIBER 5.3g; IRON 4.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 51.4g