Creating cheap healthy meals.

[Fyldeboy]

I've found a number of un-fussy cheap recipies on the BBC website but, they are 4 servings and a) theres only 1 of me and b) while I will freeze food, I don't like it.

How viable is it to halve the quantities - is there a general rule for adjusting cooking times?

Example: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/one_pan_sausage_pasta_55251

 

[Darandio]

I've found a number of un-fussy cheap recipies on the BBC website but, they are 4 servings and a) theres only 1 of me and b) while I will freeze food, I don't like it.

How viable is it to halve the quantities - is there a general rule for adjusting cooking times?

Example: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/one_pan_sausage_pasta_55251

For that particular one most time rules will stay the same. Browning the sausage and onion certainly will, the simmering stage will because you are cooking the pasta and the final element with the broccoli won't really change.

 

[Gloster]

Just about the only time saving you might make is if you have less water to bring to the boil to simmer something, but that is not going to make much difference. Reducing recipes designed for four to serve one is a matter of common sense and a bit of negotiation with the quantities. Sometimes it’ll work if you don’t reduce one part of the recipe as much as the rest: if you divided a four-person Toad in the Hole recipe by four it might not work unless you have a bit more batter.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've found a number of un-fussy cheap recipies on the BBC website but, they are 4 servings and a) theres only 1 of me and b) while I will freeze food, I don't like it.

Why not? Any food rich in spices etc tastes better when reheated in my view.

Bulk cooking saves a fortune.

 

[D6968]

Tins of beans and chopped Tomatoes are a cupboard cheat for us, throw in 500g of mince and an onion and few peppers and you can have a decent chilli or Ragu in a short space of time.

 

[peri]

I would say any spices are much stronger when de-frosted especially pepper and chilli.
But for cheap meals try Aldi Inspired Cuisine Toad In The Hole 350g £2.39. Add a tin of beans and it is good for two.
What price is suitable for a meal for one or two?

 

[Fyldeboy]

Why not? Any food rich in spices etc tastes better when reheated in my view.

Bulk cooking saves a fortune.

Just a personal thing, I don't have much freezer space and, being a fussy bu99er, don't like eating the same thing too often (which I would because I wouldn't have freezer space for much choice)

 

[DelayRepay]

Not a recipe but a tip to keep costs down. If your staples use a lot of tinned tomatoes and tinned beans (not baked beans!) then look in the world foods section of the supermarket. The tinned items are different brands, but often a few pence cheaper than the ones in the tinned veg aisle.

I've found a number of un-fussy cheap recipies on the BBC website but, they are 4 servings and a) theres only 1 of me and b) while I will freeze food, I don't like it.

How viable is it to halve the quantities - is there a general rule for adjusting cooking times?

Example: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/one_pan_sausage_pasta_55251

With that recipe it would be fine to halve the quantities I think. I wouldn't adjust the cooking time - I think you only really need to do this when microwaving or roasting joints of meat.

If I was making that recipe, I would halve the quantities which would make 2 - 3 meals. That would be one for my dinner, one for the fridge for later in the week and one for the freezer. If the third portion was smaller then it might be used as a lunch when I'm working at home.

Because sausages normally come in packs of six, I would have two left to have with a fried egg and some home made potato wedges as an extra meal. Or with mash and veg.

Bulk cooking saves a fortune.

For me it saves a fortune in two ways. Firstly it's cheaper than buying ready made meals, or four separate lots of ingredients (especially relevant for singe person households). But for me the bigger saving is that when I get home and can't be bothered to cook, I have a choice of tasty meals in the freezer that can be heated in the microwave. The 'old me' would have spent £15 on a takeaway in those circumstances so bulk cooking really does save me a fortune. Obviously this won't apply to everyone.

I had a couple of friends round at the weekend and made us home-made pizzas. Cost me about £1 per person. Old me would have ordered Dominos and spent about £30+.

One final tip... my oven came with two shelves. Buying a third was a good investment. I'm not sad enough to do the sums but eventually I will have saved the cost of the extra shelf by being able to cook more things at the same time, thus saving on gas

 

[Strat-tastic]

Cheap and healthy hack: when making, say, a bolognese, substitute half the mince for lentils.

 

[trebor79]

I would say any spices are much stronger when de-frosted especially pepper and chilli.
But for cheap meals try Aldi Inspired Cuisine Toad In The Hole 350g £2.39. Add a tin of beans and it is good for two.
What price is suitable for a meal for one or two?

That's not cheap if you work out what toad in the hole costs to make yourself!

 

[Bletchleyite]

For me it saves a fortune in two ways. Firstly it's cheaper than buying ready made meals, or four separate lots of ingredients (especially relevant for singe person households). But for me the bigger saving is that when I get home and can't be bothered to cook, I have a choice of tasty meals in the freezer that can be heated in the microwave. The 'old me' would have spent £15 on a takeaway in those circumstances so bulk cooking really does save me a fortune.

Same.

Generally speaking the answer if you live alone and have a tiny freezer is to get a bigger one. It will pay for itself through reduced food wastage, and you can pick them up very cheaply second hand or even potentially free on the likes of Freecycle if it doesn't have to look nice.

Obviously if you're in a shared house that may be more difficult, but anyone who lives in their own place (even if rented) can get an additional freezer even if they have to put it in the lounge on a piece of wood (yes, I've done that!).

That's not cheap if you work out what toad in the hole costs to make yourself!

Particularly given that that'll be made with the most basic sausages.

 

[Jamiescott1]

If I was younger and could be bothered I'd do a YouTube channel about meal planning. You see Jamie Oliver talking about his cheap meals but then when watching the show its things like using 1 tbl spoon of fresh coriander but he doesn't tell you what to do with the rest of the bunch you invetiably have to buy.

Soups are cheap, delicious and healthy
Instead of chips or frozen potato things why not use rice, bulghar, quinoa as a side dish as so much cheaper and more tasty.

Buying frozen fish fillets in supermarket. Lidl sell tuna steaks for less than £1 each.

Noodle stir fries are cheap and tasty.

Turkey burgers (minced turkey, salt and curry powder) are delicious, cheap and tasty.

A £5 joint of roast pork will give 6 meals. You can make a stir fry, a pork melt or a pie with left over pork.

The only tins we use are tinned tomatoes and tuna. Everything else is made fresh and we spend less than £30 a week on 2 of us and we eat well.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If I was younger and could be bothered I'd do a YouTube channel about meal planning. You see Jamie Oliver talking about his cheap meals but then when watching the show its things like using 1 tbl spoon of fresh coriander but he doesn't tell you what to do with the rest of the bunch you invetiably have to buy.

Basically all fresh herbs and spices can be substituted for dried ones. It's not quite as nice, but it's acceptable. I'm eating a chilli made with dried chilli flakes, dried oregano, dried paprika and "lazy garlic" (keeps for ages, but you could use dried garlic flakes or powder or indeed none at all) and it's nice. So much so that I'm off to grab seconds

Only fresh stuff in it is mince (could use frozen), mushrooms and peppers (same, but nowhere near as nice, and optional). Otherwise a tin of tomatoes, a tin of kidney beans, tomato puree and a stock cube.

 

[Jamiescott1]

Basically all fresh herbs and spices can be substituted for dried ones. It's not quite as nice, but it's acceptable. I'm eating a chilli made with dried chilli flakes, dried oregano, dried paprika and "lazy garlic" (keeps for ages, but you could use dried garlic flakes or powder or indeed none at all) and it's nice. So much so that I'm off to grab seconds

Only fresh stuff in it is mince (could use frozen), mushrooms and peppers (same, but nowhere near as nice, and optional). Otherwise a tin of tomatoes, a tin of kidney beans, tomato puree and a stock cube.

Nothing wrong with using fresh herbs but if 1 recipe uses fresh coriander, why does he not say that you can use the left over coriander in the packet to make a carrot and coriander soup, a coriander and lime rice or to chop it and freeze in a freezer bag as it doesn't freeze well whole

 

[richw]

We keep our dry cupboard topped up, so we only need to buy the meat and veg and anything that’s run out that week.
We shop online at Asda, and their app allows you to scan a barcode to add to your trolley. If a dry item runs low I simply scan it and add to my basket.

 

[philthetube]

Cheap and healthy hack: when making, say, a bolognese, substitute half the mince for lentils.

Finely diced carrots also works, possibly slightly healthier as well.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Finely diced carrots also works, possibly slightly healthier as well.

Admittedly it makes something that isn't quite technically a bolognese, but I prefer adding lots of different chunky veg to my "meat with tomato sauce" type creations. Particular favourites are peppers (even more so the ones that look like giant chillies) and mushrooms.

 

[DarloRich]

This thread is very much me. I will always recommend the slow cooker. Really easy to make cheap, filling meals.:

Meat ( cheap cuts especially bony ones.)
Diced hard veg ( owt will do: carrot, swede, onion, leek, celery)
Potatoes ( tinned will do)
Peas (frozen)
Gravy ( Oxo, jelly stock, anything really)
Condiments ( Worcester, salt, pepper, herbs, spices)

Put on high for 6 - 8 hours. Eat. Will make several portions to freeze.

The slow cooker is also ideal for making large batches of things like soups, curry, chilli etc. It is SO easy.

A tired veg curry is a cheap staple. So easy to make with a slow cooker. You can easily generate a base recipe for the sauce using dried herbs and just add whatever veg you have going manky in the fridge.

I tend to find while making things freshly from scratch initially appears more expensive, it tends to yield a very large portion, meaning you can freeze it, or you do what I do (I hate freezing food) and dish it out to all your uni housemates, and if you're tight you get them to chip in, and the result is a very cheap dish.

For example, I typically buy beef mince, pork mince, pancetta, mirepoix (suffrito - celery, carrots, onions), saute and simmer in tomato paste, then chardonnay, then chicken stock - this then simmers for three hours and you have enough fresh bolognese to feed a large quantity of people, or to save some for the freezer. PS: Don't you dare serve it with spaghetti. Pappardelle is the only way

Beef mince, pork mince, bacon lardons, minced garlic, chopped spring onion, diced red onion, sautéed capers, chives, mixed herbs, paprika, fresh parsley, ketchup, salad cream, balsamic vinegar, Worcester sauce, panko breadcrumbs and an egg all hand-mixed together makes fantastic burgers which are so much nicer than packet frozen ones, and you can again get a high quantity out of these that can be frozen for another day.

I fear you may have missed the key point: cheap ( it sounds very nice mind)

 

[SJL2020]

This thread is very much me. I will always recommend the slow cooker. Really easy to make cheap, filling meals.:

Fully agree. I think of mine as being a bit like an indoor BBQ. Great for things like brisket, pulled pork, lamb shanks.

I like Moroccan food: the slow cooker is very similar to a tajine.

Also, they are great for home-made baked beans (that's what crock-pots were first invented for, so I read once)

 

[JonasB]

Shakshuka is a great option, quick and easy. As well as delicious. Serve with bread or couscous. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/shakshuka

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

This thread is very much me. I will always recommend the slow cooker. Really easy to make cheap, filling meals.:

You can make an incredibly nice beef bourgignon in the slow cooker because it makes it so soft and tender, even if it’s just any old piece of meat, with carrots and button mushrooms I find is nice. Whack on some pastry, be it homemade or pre-rolled from the shops, either will do, and a it’s really nice pie, and that one is definitely quite cheap.

 

[Ediswan]

Diced hard veg ( owt will do: carrot, swede, onion, leek, celery)

I tried slow cooking with raw onions. They came out bitter. So now I lightly fry onions first.
Pearl barley works well to add texture (I know some people hate it).

 

[Trackman]

Potatoes ( tinned will do)

Can't be doing with tinned new potatoes. full stop.

You can make an incredibly nice beef bourgignon in the slow cooker because it makes it so soft and tender, even if it’s just any old piece of meat, with carrots and button mushrooms I find is nice. Whack on some pastry, be it homemade or pre-rolled from the shops, either will do, and a it’s really nice pie, and that one is definitely quite cheap.

My slow cooker is always on the go. Good, but cheap braising steak goes down well in it. Asda stewing braising steak on the other hand is really shocking.

 

[Bletchleyite]

You can make an incredibly nice beef bourgignon in the slow cooker because it makes it so soft and tender, even if it’s just any old piece of meat, with carrots and button mushrooms I find is nice. Whack on some pastry, be it homemade or pre-rolled from the shops, either will do, and a it’s really nice pie, and that one is definitely quite cheap.

Point of order, a pie is not a stew with a lid on.

 

[richw]

This thread is very much me. I will always recommend the slow cooker. Really easy to make cheap, filling meals.:

Meat ( cheap cuts especially bony ones.)
Diced hard veg ( owt will do: carrot, swede, onion, leek, celery)
Potatoes ( tinned will do)
Peas (frozen)
Gravy ( Oxo, jelly stock, anything really)
Condiments ( Worcester, salt, pepper, herbs, spices)

Put on high for 6 - 8 hours. Eat. Will make several portions to freeze.

The slow cooker is also ideal for making large batches of things like soups, curry, chilli etc. It is SO easy.

A tired veg curry is a cheap staple. So easy to make with a slow cooker. You can easily generate a base recipe for the sauce using dried herbs and just add whatever veg you have going manky in the fridge.


I fear you may have missed the key point: cheap ( it sounds very nice mind)

That might be cheap to some. Bear in mind that’s the same contributor who made a thread about buying 3 £300 hoodies!

For me the slow cooker does most meals. Cheap cuts like Shoulder, shin, etc come out beautiful in the slow cooker with much more flavour.

 

[DarloRich]

Great for things like brisket, pulled pork, lamb shanks.

Yes - superb for that kind of meat. You can also make a lovely BBQ sauce

the slow cooker is very similar to a tajine.

You can tajine style in the slow cooker. Not quite the same but nice.

You can make an incredibly nice beef bourgignon in the slow cooker because it makes it so soft and tender, even if it’s just any old piece of meat, with carrots and button mushrooms I find is nice. Whack on some pastry, be it homemade or pre-rolled from the shops, either will do, and a it’s really nice pie, and that one is definitely quite cheap.

You can. It is one of my stock recipes. I hadn't tried it with pasty but I will next time

Pearl barley works well to add texture (I know some people hate it).

Thanks - I should have said that. I also like a bit of broth mix in a stew. It is a bit mor eintresting than plain barley

Can't be doing with tinned new potatoes. full stop.

You can when you are skint. They are also really good in a stew. Trust me!

Cheap cuts like Shoulder, shin, etc come out beautiful in the slow cooker with much more flavour.

Absolutely - cheap bony cuts are made for a slow cooker.

 

[Strat-tastic]

Finely diced carrots also works, possibly slightly healthier as well.

Carrot is usual in a ragu sauce in Italy.
I always use it, along with onion and celery.

 

[Meole]

Supermarkets sell veg at very cheap prices the week before Xmas, Aldi have already indicated 19p for most packs, others will follow to get the wider seasonal custom, some advance planning to take advantage and stretch the savings into the new year is worth consideration.

 

[DelayRepay]

Supermarkets sell veg at very cheap prices the week before Xmas, Aldi have already indicated 19p for most packs, others will follow to get the wider seasonal custom, some advance planning to take advantage and stretch the savings into the new year is worth consideration.

I remember one year the Asda near my mums were giving veg away on Boxing Day. They had hundreds of packs of carrots and sprouts, you could have as many as you wanted. I'm not a huge Sprout fan but I was eating carrots for weeks.

I'm about to get my shepherd's pie out of the oven. It's my favourite comfort food when the weather is cold and/or I'm feeling down. I think beef is cheaper than lamb but lamb is a treat

 

[GusB]

Point of order, a pie is not a stew with a lid on.

I'd disagree with that. That's exactly what my steak pies are.