Hi guys moneys getting tight at the moment here at home so im hoping some people may have their own secret budget recipes the would like to share :) i have between $70-$80 to spend on dinners for the week and needs to feed 2 adults and one 2 year old.
Im getting sick of spag bolognaise and sausage curry so suggestions would be great!
EDIT : The $70-80 includes all the extra things like potatoes, veges, pasta, tinned tomatoes, oil etc.
lilyfield,
Feb 21, 4:04pm
a large cloleslaw ot my garden with a dollop of cottagecheese.Cost 50 cents and good for the waistline.
Mac cheese. Home made pizzas. Hamburgers.Although cheese is quite expensive, get the tasty & you don't need to use as much. Homemade pies using steak (cheap cuts of meat cooked slowly) or chicken & veg.
valentino,
Feb 21, 4:27pm
If you also want some nice meals from time to time, allow to purchase the odd extras like soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar and brown sugar, paves the way for cheaper stir fry meals that in the longer term gives increased variety for dinners mainly stir fries, noodle meals. Even if one say buys a bottle a week initially as these items lasts a lot longer than a couple of weeks, even say perhaps once a month (at least) depending how often they are used.
Gives that more balanced dinner menus for the week or two plus.
Then one can use mince meat, diced meats of the lesser costs to great advantages.
Hopes this helps.
Cheers.
tipsy_bl0nde,
Feb 21, 4:34pm
i have a good selection of herbs and spices and bottles of sauces thanks to christmas gifts. (i asked for kitchen supplies lol) just lacking inspiration to do a lovely cheap meal.
tipsy_bl0nde,
Feb 21, 4:36pm
i have always had trouble making pies :S would love to have a go if you have a good pastry recipe or any tips. my dad used to make pies out of left over crockpot from the night before. fantastic :)
tonsta2,
Feb 21, 4:43pm
I always make leftovers into pies, put them into little ramekins, then cover with sheets of puff pastry. Kids love them, no complaining about leftovers!
tonsta2,
Feb 21, 4:44pm
or left over roast chicken - just mash up all the leftover veggies, add to the chicken, and use the leftover gravy, put it all in a bowl, cover with sheets of pastry and cook til the pastry is brown, easy peasy.
robyn35,
Feb 21, 4:44pm
my boys love tuna pasta, quick to make and yummy pre cook two cups of pasta 1 head of brocoli pre cooked and cut in small pieces
2 tablespoons oil 2 tablespoons flour (i also add in some garlic salt) heat until bubbling and add 2 1/2 cups of low fat milk, bring to the boil take of heat and add 3 tablespoons of parmessan stir until combined add one can of tuna and brocoli mix and then tip over the pasta and toss til combined
If you want you can cover the top with breadcrumbs and grated cheese and grill until bubbling
This recipe came from the Healthy Food Guide, they have a website with lots of great recipes on it
tipsy_bl0nde,
Feb 21, 4:47pm
i loooove tuna pasta i used to make this all the time. Partner is not a fan of tuna though so bummer. will have to make it when he goes away next :)
earthangel4,
Feb 21, 4:53pm
I am in the same boat not working due to surgery,so these Ideas are great. I would like some wholemeal ideas if you have any for partner,
tipsy_bl0nde,
Feb 21, 4:59pm
Im stay at home mum at the moment but looking for work. So much competition these days. Wholemeal recipes would be great too as partner has IBS (irritable bowel syn)
cgvl,
Feb 21, 5:40pm
I buy a chicken, have it as a roast day 1 (take all the meat off the bone before serving and be stingy dish it up), on day 2 divide the left over chicken into 2. One lot put into a casserole dish or deep pie plate line with pastry if you can afford, with vegies and chicken stock and cook and freeze). With the other half make a stir fry with either noodles or rice for day 2's dinner. I buy 1 pice of schnitzel and do stir fry's with that, use lots of vegies to pad it out. Mince made into hamburger patties or meatballs 200g mince is enough to feed the 3 of you. Chicken breast (again only need 1) and make homemade Enchilada's. Make either thin crepes/pancakes or buy tortilla's (get the cheap ones), chop chicken up in small dice or strips, ½ -1 onion chopped finely, glove garlic if you have, saute/fry these until chicken cooked, pour over a 3/4 of a tin of tomatoes (flavoured mexican if you have). Stir through until heated. Use 1-2Tbsp of mix in each crepe/tortilla and roll up, Place into a lasagne type dish, pour over the rest of the tomatoes and any in the pan, top with grated cheese and bake at 180C until the cheese has melted. A piece of smoked fish or a tin of salmon or tuna. Use to make a fish pie or fish cakes or kedgeree. Mac cheese is a good standby or use the pasta and a tin of tomatoes for a quick meal (I dont always add meat) you can add bacon for a change or do a mushroom fettucine. onion, mushroom and bacon cooked, then add some cream and reduce slightly and pour over spinach pasta.
valentino,
Feb 21, 6:03pm
Another thought mainly meals that look as though there is lot to be done or ingredients, most of these actually are quite cheap. The trick is to look at recipes that uses meats of say about 400g to 500 g, (about 150 - 200g per person and half for younger people but in your case a 2 year old which is lesser again though more special meals needed to suit this child), then look at the most common ingredients like herbs, veges, seasoning, spices and other items and group these together so whenever one has these items then one can varied meals accordingly, keeping costs down through not buying a one off item that can be wasted. Items of substitute then comes in like Marmite or Vegemite is used instead of beef stock. Chicken stock powder can be the only stock powder to buy and if beef stock is called for then dilute a little bit of marmite in with the not so much chicken stock. Grow the most common herbs then either dry them or freeze them, cheaper and better than buying those over-packaged ones. I recently bought a Lemon tree, can be planted in a big pot close to the lkitchen, only a few months since purchased and is already starting to fruit, the label notes this and is not a big tree plus same with herbs.
Just some other thoughts for you to think for longer term. Cheers.
daleaway,
Feb 21, 7:20pm
Pot pie Make a tasty stew that is loaded with seasonal vegetables. When it is ready, put it in a big deep casserole or pie dish and cover with a cheese scone topping (go easy on the cheese). Bake at 180C or 200C till the scone topping is cooked. This really spins out your meat, and people love the crust. Topping example: 2 cups SR flour 1/2 cup tasty cheese salt to taste pinch cayenne pepper parsley or other herbs if wished milk to mix(can add some oil to milk if you have some - shake it up in a jar)
earthangel4,
Feb 21, 8:43pm
so sorry i should of explained better,would like recipes with no white flour or sugar,love the recipes so far,thank you ,keep them coming.
earthangel4,
Feb 21, 8:44pm
yum thank you.
lythande1,
Feb 21, 8:57pm
Yep. Except I can make a chicken do 3 dinners and 2 lunches. Eat the drumsticks one dinner. Thighs, make 2 pies. (Mushrooms, leeks etc in it too) Fried rice with the scrappy bits from the frame. Breast - lunches.
ruby19,
Feb 21, 10:52pm
This is great a favourite in our house. Garden Veg Pie 3-4 med-large potatoes, thinly sliced (mandolin is helpful here) 1/2 small broc cut into florets 1/2 small cauli cut into small florets 1 large carrot thinly sliced, 1.5 cup frozen peas 100g grated cheese
50 g butter 1 small onion finely diced 1/4 cup flour 1 tsp mustard powder freshly grated nutmeg 600ml milk 100g grated cheese S&P
Boil the sliced potatoes in salted water until just cooked. Drain steam the cauli, broc & carrots until tender. set aside.
Melt butter in small frying pan & saute onions until soft and golden but not browned. Add flour & mustard powder and stir over heat for 1 min, add milk gradually, bring to boil stirring until thickened. Add grated nutmeg & season, then stir in cheese until melted. Stir in the caul, broc, peas & carrots.
Butter an oven proof dish and add half the potatoes to cover the bottom of dish, pour over the veg in cheese sauce, top with remaining potatoes, and sprinkle with grated cheese. pop into preheated 180oC oven and bake until golden approx 25 min.
This can be a side dish or a main meal, and great for using up small amounts of veg left hanging around in fridge.
ruby19,
Feb 21, 10:54pm
These can be used as burgers, and if you soak your own chickpeas even more economical! Falafels 1 can chick peas rinsed & drained 1 small red onion chopped 1 large clove garlic, minced 1 tsp cumin, coriander 2 tsp chili sauce ( or to taste) 2 tbsp flour fresh coriander
Add the onion and garlic to food processor and pulse until finely chopped, add chickpeas spices & fresh herbs, pulse until mashed together, taste and season if needed, or adjust spices herbs, add flour and mix well. You still want a bit of texture , not mush. Pan fry until golden. Great in wraps with hummus tatziki, and salads, or make into bigger patties and use a veggie burgers. This mixture also freezes well, so make up a big batch and shape into walnut size patties and freeze in a single layer, then pop into bag container all together.
ruby19,
Feb 21, 10:55pm
This is amazing since there are so little ingredients. Another fav in our house, we actually had it for tea last night with cheese &onion on toast( couldn`t be bothered shopping!)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 large onions, chopped 1.5 cups dried split green peas, picked over and rinsed 5 cups water 2-3 tsp vegata vegetable stock powder* a few pinches of smoked paprika
Add olive oil to a big pot over med-high heat. Stir in onions cook until the onions soften, just a minute or two. Add the split peas and water and paprika. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the peas are cooked through. Puree the soup that is still remaining in the pot. If you need to thin the soup out with more water (or stock) do so a bit at a time. Season to taste. * I add 2 tsp of stock powder to the water to start, then taste at the end and add a little more powder if needed to enhance the flavour. You can add lemon juice at end if liked.
With the leftovers I splashed out and went and bought one of those pie makers from the warehouse.I often dont have pastry so I just use bread and it works a treat my son loves taking them to school.
motorbo,
Feb 21, 11:53pm
when i was broke and my son was at home we did: baked potatoe with coleslaw or salad, vege fritters, can even be lotsa grated vege bound with a little flour and egg and maybe a flavour like paprika, pastas with tomatoe sauces rather thean cheesy - cheaper!!and you can add one or two tasty sausages chopped up or take skin off and make into wee meatballs, with chunky vege you dont need as much meat then, i will also post my spilt pea cakes courtesy of annabelle langbein, very cheap to make and very tasty and you dont have to have the extra yogurt sauce, also please check the destitue gourmet, i used to make her red lentil bolognasie, cheap as and the tortilla flat breads, you can then add a bit of lettcue and leftovas and its another filling dinner
motorbo,
Feb 21, 11:54pm
a meat eater would luv those split pea cakes
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