Nutritious meals on hardly any money?

[hectic mummy]

The question is in the title. I am completely skint and have been going without so Alex can eat. Only thing is I havent got the money for all the fiddly bits in AKs recipies and the ones you girls put on here How can I make sure Alex gets all his nutrients in healthy, yummy meals etc?

x x

[noababy]

You poor thing! What ever happened with getting money from Alex's dad?

Wish I could help you. Maybe Abbie can email Annabel and ask her for advice too.

[isabellasmum]

Frozen veg is so much cheaper than fresh. Less wastage too.

Do you batch cook little dinners for him still? You get lots of meals out of one tray of mince/chicken then.

The fiddly bits aren't important at all. So long as he's getting a balance he'll be fine. Basic stuff like cottage pies and pasta are cheap and nutritious. Isabella loves stirfried veggies (those valuepacks you buy in asda) and I add noodles mmmmm.

[hectic mummy]

I do, but the way it works in on my wages. They even it out so apparently I should be able to live on what I have. What they dont take into consideration is Alex's nursery fees jumping up and down each month depending on how long the month is. Oct is a long month which means nothing for us. x x

[hectic mummy]

Originally Posted by isabellasmum

Frozen veg is so much cheaper than fresh. Less wastage too.

Do you batch cook little dinners for him still? You get lots of meals out of one tray of mince/chicken then.

The fiddly bits aren't important at all. So long as he's getting a balance he'll be fine. Basic stuff like cottage pies and pasta are cheap and nutritious. Isabella loves stirfried veggies (those valuepacks you buy in asda) and I add noodles mmmmm.

I dont normally but Im going to have to start now. x x

[cathyg]

i'm going to look out for some books on Budget Cooking as i too am gonna have to spend much less on food etc. things like lentils (pulses) & eggs are nutrious & less expensive than meat. if you do cook a spag bol, use less meat & more tinned toms & more veg. stews & soups go as long way & can last several days. If i find any good books i'll let you know. xx

[hectic mummy]

Thanks hun. x x x

[Ellie H]

I agree with what's already been suggested, pasta, beans, pulses, noodles, tinned toms, tinned tuna, frozen veg. Batch cooking will save you time and money, plus you can batch cook for you both. When we're really strapped I always do my shopping at the local greengrocers and butchers instead of the supermarket as I always seen to get so much more for my money!

Casseroles and stews are really cheap to make and you can add as much or little veg etc as you like.

Sorry you're having a bad time at the moment!

(((((((((Big Hugs)))))))))

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

[vmalzone]

I've found that the least expensive meats are any kind of turkey, and beef mince. Chicken thighs are also less money and (according to AK) actually have more iron than the white meat. I cook lentils and rice a lot, with onion, garlic and some mild curry powder. You can stir yogurt into it. You can throw in whatever you have. I agree with Abbie that frozen veg and frozen fruit are way cheaper than fresh. As long as he's getting some variety and has something green, orange or red on his plate a few times a day, you're doing fine! Don't hesitate to use frozen veg (and it's a lot faster, too). Don't forget eggy bread is really pretty nutritious -- I serve it with applesauce.

I hope that helps!

xx

[Janebug]

I was wondering whether you'd looked at any student cookbooks at all!?!?!? I am trying to think of all the things I used to cook then! I used a lot of soya mince which is really cheap but not sure about giving this to young children. I always add parcooked red lentils to mince (look in the Asian foods in the supermarket for a massive jar - don't get a piddly bag as will be more expensive). You get the taste of the mince, say in a bolognaise, but you reduce the saturated fat content, add fibre and bulk and it thickens as they go mushy! It makes the mince go further but I do usually leave it to cook for ages to get right cooked down. You can also make pasta sauce with tomatoes and lentils which is much cheaper. Do you like liver? That is well cheap and nutritious and can be served with onions, mash and veg. Pancakes can be served with a savoury filling (say, tuna and white sauce with sweetcorn) and are very nice and quite cheap and filling. Cauliflower/Macaroni cheese might do more than one meal and you can add fibre by putting some pulses in. Look out for the cheese on offer. Tescos have some strong stuff on a bogof at the moment. You can make your own burgers and patties with mince which I think works out cheaper for the quality. You can do stews with pearl barley added - great for Winter. Do you have a slow cooker? This can tenderise cheap meat if you leave it cooking for ages and you could do a jacket spud with it from the microwave for fuel economy! Also, quinoa is quite expensive but I don't think it works out as expensive as meat if you use it as a meat substitute and I think it has the omegas in as well. This is nice in a tomato veggie sauce because it adds a different texture. I think that you can probably make quiche quite cheaply and which you can make go quite a way. Pork is cheaper isn't it? You can cook a vat of that in apple juice (maybe a couple of apples too) with white potato and carrots and anything else you want to chuck in. Look at wholesome soup recipes with cheap veg as well - nice for Winter and should freeze well.