Cheap and cheerful meals

[oldfella]

One of my favorite meals is sliced beans fried in butter and Loooots of garlic and homemade bread, and just for a change add some salsify to the mix and enjoy.

[mrsflibble]

economy brands.
cheap meat.
reduced veg and fruit.
pulses.
pasta.

[SarahJane]

Well, I got up bright and early, determined to go to the supermarket and not spend as much as usual. Taking all of the above advice on board.

Did I spend less? NO!

BUT! I came back with a lot more than I usually do! I went for all the buy one get one frees, the fruit and veg on offer, the own brands rather than popular brands.
Enough ingredients to make my own bread, my own pizza bases, and although I had planned the meals for the next countless days, I had a bit of a re-think when I saw what was on offer.

Hopefully I wont have to go shopping for at least 2 weeks, with the exception of fresh bread (if I dont have time to make it) and maybe potatos, as I didnt buy any today as I have some that need using first and little space to store them.

I also bought extras (as it is Easter and my other half will be home on Monday and will need a decent beer!)

So although I didnt spend less I did buy more.

Now it is down to me to come up with some innovative and interesting menu ideas!!

[Hawthorn]

Shop at places like Lidl. I got a HEAVING trolley from there last night for just under £100. Normally a heaving trolley costs twice that. Some of it wasn't good value, but Lidl do organic fruit and veg too, which isn't much above the normal stuff.

If you do minced beef, add a couple of handful of oats to whatever you're cooking. It makes the meat go further, and the oats take on the taste of whatever you're cooking. Spag bol is fab done like this.

I fed, how many was it? 12 people on 2lbs of mince, and they were big portions!

If you buy a chicken, don't waste the carcass. Boil it up and use for risotto, or a nice soup/stew afterwards. Your chicken can last for three days like this :)

Make your own household cleaners if you don't already. They will save you a bit, and they're a lot greener.

Have porridge for breakfast instead of ready packed cereals. Healthier, will fill you for longer, and a darn site cheaper. Add sultanas or raisins for an added boost.

Bread flour can be used for making pasta too.......it has more gluten in it than ordinary flour, and doesn't have the hefty price tag of the Durum stuff. Lidl do bread flour at 48p a bag here in my city. That's the cheapest I found.

[Thurston Garden]

As has been mentioned previously, Risotto is a regular here. Often only with peas in it. Leek and spinach is a favourite.

Last spring we were particularly skint and I only bought stuff that was reduced. We had some particularly odd, and sometimes repetative meals, but it saved a fortune.

You often also find that when food has had an offer, say 2 for a pound and then its reduced cos it's going out of date, buy 2 - the till almist always takes the offer discount off as well. At the end of the summer, the local co-op was selling lamb burgers two packs for £3. I saw them all reduced one day to 50p a pack and bought the lot. They almost ended up paying me to take them away!

When you buy your tatties, try and keep them in the fridge. They last far longer that way. They are harvested in the autumn but the supermarkets make the farmers keep the tatties in a big cold store for the rest of the year, supplying the packer on demand. You buy the tatties and pop them in the cupboard under the sink where it's warmish and dark and all they want to do is sprout and go soft.

[ina]

One of my best buys once was a whole kg of Stilton for 99p... I was a day before its use-by-date, which is usually when cheese just starts being properly mature!

I've also found out there are massive differences between several of the roadside farmshops around here. In one, they charge £1.50 for a bundle of leeks; another one, 60p for the same; and similar differences for all their other veg. So I buy lots when I happen to get to the cheaper one! And whenever I see a new one - they seem to be sprouting from the ground lately - I stop and have a look.

[frozenthunderbolt]

You buy the tatties and pop them in the cupboard under the sink where it's warmish and dark and all they want to do is sprout and go soft.

at which point you cut 'em up, wack 'em in the ground and wait for your own crop of tatties to appear

[caithnesscrofter]

for cheap, exciting, highly nutritious veggie power food... Start sprouting! Then add them to everything u make. Tatty salad, stews, make hoummus and breads. Grow cut and come again salads and herbs on every windowsill if u dont have an area to grow outside.

[Cassiepod]

Planning and having your store cupboard goodies has to be the backbone. I've got out of the planing habit and it's costing us both in monetary terms and quality of what we're eating.

I used to have moments of being impulsive planning loads of stufff and then not managing to cook it all so beware of buying too much perishable stuff

risotto, pasta, good meat joint made to last 2 or 3 meals and soup are all thestaple of eating on the cheap.

Cheap meat is a false economy I think because it doesn't last in the fridge or spread so far when you cook it.

the best meals have to be those fromt eh store cupboard when you're hungry

[Birdie Wife]

Egg fried rice, filling and nutritious. Boil your rice and let it cool. Whisk up an egg with a bit of soy sauce, heat a frying pan or wok with some groundnut/sunflower oil and throw the rice in, turning it all over to coat in the oil. Add the egg mixture and stir vigorously until the egg is cooked. Season and serve. A good handful of peas is really good with this, or any leftover veg you have really.

[Carl H]

Visit an asian grocer asap, buy lots of chiles and cumin seed, mustard seed and coriander seed. I never seem to find them cheaper anywhere else. I store them in recycled glass bottles/jars. Buy red lentils, chana dal, chick peas, etc...buy what you know you like...and try one new legume now and then. You can always sprout anything that you don't really like any other way. Buy good olive oil, I shop at a 'buyers club' and get Extra Virgin olive oil by the 2 liter bottle, and use canola/rapeseed oil and 'groundnut' or peanut oil as well. Don't go overboard buying oil, as they can go rancid. Buy 'just enough' to save money and no more than you can use. Granted, this make take some experimenting to determine.

My lentil or green pea dhal is a frequent supper here. I cut up one or two onions, soften in a bit of oil or ghee in a pot with a tight fitting lid. When it's translucent, toss in 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced. Sliced mushrooms if you like (I buy dried shitake in bulk - again at Asian markets- and rehydrate in a little sherry+water for 10 minutes or so-add the liquids and the 'shrooms). Stir once or twice, toss in a big pinch of cumin and crushed chile. Stir again, add red lentils (I use Imperial Measurements - so figure out what 2 cups equals) or split green/yellow peas and stir well. Pour in 6 cups water and add bullion cubes or powder -assuming your diet allows. I use 1 cube per 2 cups water OR I add a pouch of 'generic' onion soup mix. Add another pour of good olive oil, bring to a boil and then either reduce to a simmer OR med. boil for 5 minutes then add to a thermal pot or haybox cooker. I use a nice Nissan brand thermal cooker and it's great. I prepare the recipe above in the morning and it 'cooks' all day while I work. A crockpot will work well here, too, but the thermal cooker is foolproof.
When you come home, heat some good olive oil or ghee in a small skillet. Throw in a big handful of cumin seed and some mustard seed, coriander if you like. Another clove or 2 of diced garlic. Heat until the seeds 'sizzle' and pop, pour this frangrant oil/spice mix into your lentils/peas and serve over rice (or do as I do and serve over a rice/buckwheat/wild rice pilaf, saute'd with a bit of garlic in olive oil, then finished with twice the water to dry ingredients + 1 bullion cube per 2 cups water. Boil/simmer or use a rice cooker.)

I eat meat - and I often add a bit of diced ham or bacon to the final 'tempering' oil. But it's quite good without it.

When cooking is involved, there's often a tradeoff between time, heat/energy and money. Cheap meat = more cooking time over low heat. Less time available? Buy better meat and cook quickly over higher heat. Note that a very little flavoring meat can go a long way, as with the bacon/ham in the dhal above.

I happen to like the taste & texture of canned clams in pasta sauce. I live 1400 kilometers from the sea and canned seafood is often an economical choice for me. In a large pot I'll make a good red sauce (onions + garlic cooked in olive oil, diced or crushed tomatoes, herbs + crushed chile, tomato sauce, red wine) and simmer for 3-4 minutes before I begin boiling the water for my pasta. When the water boils I drop in vermicelli or thin spagetti and cook for 4 minutes. While that's going on I add a can or 2 of clams (optional for vegafolk) and half-a-can of black olives. Reserve the other olives for antipasto. Drain your pasta when it is 'almost al dente' and reserve half-a-cup of the pasta water. Add the hot pasta to the red sauce, stir well. Pour in pasta water if needed to make the sauce stretch & cover all the pasta. Purists never add cheese to seafood sauce, but I'm no purist and I add a good portion of grated parmesan or your favorite grating cheese. Cover and let this sit for 5 minutes or more while you enjoy some olives and bread dipped in seasoned olive oil (sliced garlic + fresh black pepper) and an inexpensive glass of red wine. A bite of cheese won't go amiss. With this, I usually have a small green salad. Home-grown spinach/mesclun augmented with wild greens in season - dandelions, etc...are just around the corner and free for the picking - know your 'wildcraft' tho! and finally time for our still-hot pasta.
Another glass of wine if called for, later some pears and cheese or other seasonal fruit and perhaps a small pour of cognac/bourbon/port/sticky and you'll know that living well really IS the best revenge. And it didn't cost much time OR money.
This pasta and sauce can all be made from tinned (canned) or dried ingredients that can be purchased on sale/in bulk and stored in the pantry til needed. It's a great way to feed a crowd that drops in unannounced. By the way, my friends who like to drop in have learned to bring good bread if they want to be fed - otherwise I'll make them go back out and purchase some while I cook. TANSTAAFL (There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch)