Five Favourite Frugal Feeds

Some of my favourite meals are seriously cheap to make. I am a proper foodie so for me food comes first, it's just a bonus that they're cheap to make too!

1. Lasagne/Bolognaise/cottage pie/Chilli - One thing that I think is worth paying more for is meat, especially mince, I pay more for extra lean mince because basic beef mince is so fatty and I don't want to put that in my body. You can pick up a big  pack (750g maybe?) of extra lean beef mince in Tesco for £5, I only cook for 2 people so this usually gets divided into 3 batches. I fry it off to start with along with onions and garlic, I then split it out and do the individual dishes with it, one for that night, perhaps one for the one for the freezer. This usually makes about 5 meals, I don't like to eat too much mince and processed meats so I bulk this out with blitzed celery and carrot which makes it very healthy but also it goes a lot further and adds to the flavour. Mince is so versatile and you can do so much with it!

Multi tasking with the mince, some are for the freezer

Traditional, comforting cottage pie



Spaghetti Bolognaise with plenty of parmesan and garlic bread

Tortilla Chili Bake

Adding lots of veggies

                   Chili with tortilla chips and an array of dips                              

2. Macaroni Cheese - I love cheese, plain mac and cheese, or even mac and cheese with broccoli and cauliflower, it's so cheap to make but really tasty and a good veggie option if you don't want to go to too much effort.

If you want it to be even quicker and cheaper you could even jazz up a tin of macaroni cheese, I do this occasionally when i'm feeling lazy. It's really simple, 1. open tin, 2. I mix in a little salt, pepper and a good helping of nutmeg and give it stir/mix, 3. I pop it in a foil tin or tray any will do, 4. I grate cheese and pop it on top and finally 5. I stick it under the grill for about 5-10 minutes or until gold and crispy, believe me its quick, really cheap and you wouldn't recognise it as tinned mac!

3. Jacket Potato with Tuna and cheese - Really simple, nice, basic food that accompanied with salad is a perfect easy evening meal. You don't have to stick with tuna and cheese, there are so many budget fillings out there such as beans!

4.Vegetable soup - Got loads of vegetables knocking around? Perhaps one of several  different types vegetables? Group them all together. This is a fab way of using up leftover veg or even items in your veg drawer that may have otherwise been ignored/neglected.

5.Roast Chicken - a great Sunday lunch option, a whole chicken is usually cheaper than individual parts such as breasts. Just season to your preference and cook and est, there is usually chicken left over for sandwiches or salads the next day. Also you can whip up a lovely fresh chicken stock from the carcass, this is perfect for your vegetable soup or even a risotto or dish.

Covered in Sumac, parsley, lemon  and smoked salt

What are your favourite budget meals?

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