Nice cheap dinner ideas

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mschicca, Jan 26, 12:03am
x1
I'm young, only 19 years.
Need help with some dinner ideas? Im living with my partner of 3 years now and he thinks I need to be more of a house wife.. LOL
Im new to this thing so any ideas that are cheap, easy and yummmy
are perfect! any help is appreciated, thank you :)

jc_cw, Jan 26, 12:07am
cook up penne pasta, some bacon, onions and mushrooms, mix all together with a can of watties pasta sauce, simmer untill hot, then take of the heat and add half a tub of sour cream, DELICIOUS!!!!

jc_cw, Jan 26, 12:08am
Pasta bake with the dolmio jars are really good, add some diced chicken or some mince to make a meal, serve with garlic bread

mschicca, Jan 26, 12:09am
x1
thank you! do you know how to make nachos? that seems so yum and cheap

jc_cw, Jan 26, 12:09am
My Fiance's favourite meal is mac n cheese, I throw in bacon, onion and canned diced pineapple to make it yummy

jc_cw, Jan 26, 12:10am
nachos are easy!! buy the maggi nacho sachet mix, buy the ingredients it says too on the back and cook using instructions :P

mschicca, Jan 26, 12:11am
x1
WOAAAAH SERIOUS? thanks so much ! I've got tonights dinner sorted just like that, thank you thank you! :D

mschicca, Jan 26, 12:13am
x1
do you happen to have a easy recipe for fettucine?

jc_cw, Jan 26, 12:13am
lol it's ok, maggi do a whole range of meals using their flavour sachet thingys, they're in the gravy isle at the supermarket i think..and they always tell you what ingredients you'll need and how to make it..they've got some rather fancy meals too lol

jc_cw, Jan 26, 12:13am
yep i'll just have a hunt for you

jc_cw, Jan 26, 12:15am
1 smoked chicken, pull all the meat off and dice
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
250g pot cream cheese
1/4 - 1/2 cup milk
2 cups spinach leaves, chopped
1 red capsicum, diced
Salt & pepper to season

Method
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and mushrooms, and fry lightly until softened. Add cream cheese and milk and stir until mixed.

Add the smoked chicken, chopped spinach and diced capsicum, and lightly simmer for 5 minutes over medium heat until the chicken is warmed through.

Season with salt & pepper, and spoon over your favourite pasta.

edit to add it's farking good!

mschicca, Jan 26, 12:17am
thank you heaps Jc_cw !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D

motorbo, Jan 26, 12:44am
mschicca, once you have done a recipe like nachos once or twice, then find a recipe to make it from stratch, the packets are not cheap and seriously they are just spice mixes and thickeners.

lythande1, Jan 26, 1:48am
She said cheap.
Make it yourself, much, much cheaper than buying packets and jars.
http://www.google.co.nz/#hl=en&source=hp&biw=1537&bih=794&q=budget+meal+recipes&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&fp=3ad40b4587f5627c

jamtart29, Jan 26, 1:59am
Nachos- with how much beef mince or chicken mince you have,
fry a chopped onion, some chopped mushrooms and capsicums. Add the mince stir until cooked, then add a tin of chilli beans. stir until warmed through. Spread cornchips on a plate, sprinkle mince mixture on top and add grated cheese. Serve with sour cream.

jamtart29, Jan 26, 2:04am
If you make my nacho mix, then make it with heaps of mince and divide it for either freezer or next nights dinner.
- Yum with mashed potato (like cottage/shepherds pie) on the top. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake in oven until warmed through.
- As a filling in baked potato.
- Mix in some cooked pasta or over spaghetti pasta

darlingmole, Jan 26, 2:15am
Omelette/Quiche/Fritatta
Spagetti Bolognese
Salads (throw in some ham or cold meats + dressings + croutons)
Soup
Roast Chicken

Remember in order to keep things actually cheap you should think of developing your pantry to always hold stapes like tinned tomatoes/pasta/herbs'n'spices/-
beans/lentils/tinned fish etc if you get what I mean because then it's not going to be a struggle trying to russle up a quick healthy dinner because you'll already have it in store.Good luck.ps: if there are any complaints? tell your partner to do better:-)

greerg, Jan 26, 3:11am
As the weather gets colder you could branch out into some hearty casseroles using whatever meat is on special at the time.They are really very easy, lovely to come home toon cold days and young men particularly seem to like them if my children's flatmates are anything to go by.There are lots of recipes on this site (use the search function to the left) and once you have a few pantry staples you'll be set.As someone said packets and jars are handy when you first start but once you know how they don't really save much time and they do add cost.Enjoy learning to cook - as you'll see from here lots of people really enjoy it and you can get all the advice in the world from here.No question too easy or too hard so don't feel silly asking basic questions - we all did it once and most of us still do it from time to time.People like 245Sam, Cookessentials, Fisher, Juliewn and others know practically everything between them.

mindi1, Jan 26, 5:52am
mschicca, do you have a freezer and a supply of plastic containers?

If so, the possibilities are endless and you can achieve many many meals in an afternoon or evening.

lizab, Jan 26, 6:30am
Whenever I've made too much bolognaise mince, I freeze what's leftover and the kids defrost that and have it with corn chips for nachos.

winnie15, Jan 26, 7:47am
i used 500 gms minced beef to make spag bol, i used 1 can of tomatoes, 1 can of tomato puree, 1 can of red kidney beans, grated pumpkin, garlic and onion, fresh basil and oregano, 1 cup of water with chicken oxo cube .. it made heaps! ..we had spag bol tonight and theres heaps left over for lasagna tomorrow , possibly nacho's another night.
Its easy to bulk mince dishes up by using grated vege and beans, served with bread or buns makes the meal stretch out.

uli, Jan 26, 8:21am
Heaps of good links on that page above. Have a look and learn cooking from scratch. Packets and simmer sauces are quite a cost if you use one or two every day. Better to invest in some potted herbs and a few jars of spices.

miss-skyline, Feb 6, 8:15pm
scotch eggs

1pkt of sausage meat
1/2 carrot grated
1tlbspn of tomato sauce
1tlbspn of soyasauce
1tsp of mixed herbs
mix all ingredients together in a bowl
hard boil 4 eggs
split sausage meat into 4 and roll around each egg
roll in bread crumbs
you can either deepfry in oil for around 10 mins
or microwave on 70% for 6 mins,then on full power for another 5 mins aprox
yummy with gravey and really nice cold the next day.

cgvl, Feb 6, 9:09pm
easy fettucine if you like mushrooms.
Finely chop 1 onion, put into a frypan with a little oil or butter and cook for 3 mins and sliced mushrooms and cook until soft. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top.
Then add enough cream to just cover the mushrooms and simmer until it has thickened.
Pour this over cooked fettucine pasta. the spinach one is nice with it.

cgvl, Feb 6, 9:19pm
easy casserole, do it in a crockpot/slow cooker if you have one.
500g stewing steak more or less you dont need to be accurate (can use rump steak) or 6 neck or leg chops
1 onion chopped
1Tbsp plain flour
1Tbsp sugar (brown/raw/white)
1Tbsp vinegar
1Tbsp tomato sauce (or BBQ or whatever flavour you have)
½ tsp curry powder
½ tsp mustard (powder or already made up)
salt and pepper to taste
½ - 1 cup water or stock.or use a stock cube and water.
Put all the ingredients into a casserole dishand cook in oven at 150C for 2hours.
or put all into a slow cooker/crockpot BUT use ½ cup liquid and cook on high for 1 first hour or if working then put on before you leave on low, will be ready when you get home for dinner.