Home cooking, affordable and delicious!

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Samon

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 24, 2011
3,970
44
Britannia!
I would like this thread to be dedicated to cheap, healthy and tasty meal recipes for those of us on limited incomes!

As we all know a healthy diet is a key part to a long and happy life, and also a great learning experience for our youngsters so the more recipes, tips and tricks out there for the families who want to eat healthy for less the better! :)

I will start with a simple yet hearty home cooked broth, most of the ingredients can be changed to your liking too.

I use a slow cooker for mine (these can be had for about £10 at tesco!), but you can use a pressure cooker for a faster result or a standard pan on the hob and I make enough for around 6 big portions.

My broth goes something like this:

I ususally start with the left overs from a roast chicken, and by that I mean getting the most from the remains of the bird by breaking up all the bones and making a simple stock. (I also collect the drippings from the bird in a cup for later, once the drippings have cooled over night remove the fat layer on top and you should have some gellified stock underneath that should be added to the finished stock). So, Chop up the bones so the marrow can also infuse the stock, add 2 carrots, 1 halved onion, a few dried bay leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper. After 2 hours or so simmering on a low heat it should have mingled, changed colour and started to look a little more like the base of a lovely pot of broth!

strain the stock (or cook for a bit longer if you wish) and take out the carrots and onion to add to the broth, pepare your slow cooker or pan and add the stock along with any left over meat from the actual bird (or frozen/fresh chicken meat you may have in the fridge or freezer) and 1 finely chopped onion, 2 whole carrots and the carrots from the stock, 2 medium white potatoes, a big handful of pearl barley, a handful of green lentils and any other dried beans you might have around, a pich of rosemary and marjoram (or any other herd you like the smell of!) 2 stock cubes (incase you didn't have many bones to make a strong enough stock) and top up with water.

I usually cook my broths in the slow cooker for about 10 hours, often making them at around midnight so they are ready for everyone in the morning/day. if you are using a standard pan or pressure cooker, cook untill the potatoes are soft enough to jab with a fork and everything has cooked properly (especially the meat!). I also add dumplings sometime in the morning as they take a few hours to cook through, to make them you add butter (or suet-lidl stock it), water and flour and mix by hand into pool ball sized balls. The balls should be a bit sticky but firm ehough not to melt into the broth, I don't know an exact measure of each ingredient for the dumplings as I just do it by eye on the day.. :rolleyes: Once they are rolled and ready, plop them in and let them simmer for around 2 hours or so depending on size, they also grow so don't feel the need to make big ones!

it's then as simple as getting the ladle and filling the bellies of your loved ones! Something that doesn't take alot of effort but is very rewarding. :)

I will try to calculate the ingredients so you cand get an idea of how much it costs to make:

bag of pearly barley = £1 for the bag and you will be using about 10 pence worth.
potatoes (from a 5 kilo bag) = £3 for the bag, so about 50p for the 2.
stock cubes = £1 for 12, so about 20p for the 2.
chicken = £5 but it'll make your roast dinner too, £2?.
carrots (from a 600g bag) = 70p for the bag, so about 40p for the 4.
onions = £1 for 3, so 65p for 2.
bag of lentils = £1 and you'll use about 10 pence worth.
herbs = about 5p!

flour = £1 for 1.5kilo and you'll use a few handfulls so 20p.
butter = £1 and you'll use about half, 50p.

All in, £3.70? it will feed around 6 people and you know what went into it! :eek:


I can't calculate the costs of electric and gas to run each cooking method but it will be minimal..

I hope you appreciate my recipe and I would love to see all the cooks to chip in and help inspire anyone who feels home cooking is too hard or overly expensive.

If i can do it, so can you! :p
 

Andy BB

Full Member
Apr 19, 2010
3,290
1
Hampshire
In view of my other post, what else could it be!

Beans on toast.

Open tin of beans - size depends on no of guests or hunger
Heat beans
Toast bread
Butter if feeling decadent
put beans on toast.
eat.

Costs? Aldi/Lidl beans - negligible!
Bread per slice - couple of pennies.
butter for the decadent? A few more pennies.
 

Samon

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 24, 2011
3,970
44
Britannia!
It wouldn't be fun to survive on beans on toast though, a family needs a decent meal consisting of more than two flavours and ingredients if they want to remian sane!

Regarding my broth/stew recipe you can also add sausages instead of chicken, they go very soft and tender, perfect for young children starting on solid foods!
 

Imagedude

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 24, 2011
2,004
45
Gwynedd
Boil some pasta
Add some blue cheese to drained pasta and stir in
Add pine nuts and fried bacon pieces if available
Season with black pepper
 

Harvestman

Bushcrafter through and through
May 11, 2007
8,656
26
55
Pontypool, Wales, Uk
My favourite way to cook chicken:. Also works with pork.

Chicken breast or leg
Chicken stock cube (or veg stock cube)
5 good sized pieces of garlic (cloves), roughly chopped
Some tarragon (dried or fresh)

Heat some oil in a frying pan, and add the chicken and garlic
Cook on a high heat, continually pressing the chicken firmly onto the pan and turning frequently
When the chicken is mostly cooked, add the stock cube made up with enough water to half cover the chicken
Warning: it bubbles like crazy when you do this as you are adding it to a very hot pan.
Once it has calmed down, adjust the heat to give a strong steady bubble to the liquid without boiling over.
Cover, and cook until the liquid has reduced to a thick licquor (should be no more than 10 minutes - keep an eye on it, and turn occasionally)
Add the tarragon just before serving (earlier if using dried herbs)

The garlic flavour is not as overpowering as you would think.

Serve with whatever veg, rice or pasta you have to hand, or just with a hunk of bread for the juices.

This is also one of my favourite bushy meals.
 

Teepee

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 15, 2010
4,115
5
Northamptonshire
Farting about with baked beans;

Take a can of Aldi/Lidl beans and add;
3 cloves chopped garlic or desertspoon garlic granules
1tbsp of dried Onions
Equal amounts of Parsely, Oregano, Marjoram to taste (I use 1/4tsp of each)
Twice as much dried Basil as Parsely
Pinch of dried Thyme
10-15 Caraway seeds
Shake of Maggi seasoning or Dark Soy sauce
Ground Black Pepper to taste.
1/4tsp ground Cinnamon
1 tbsp Wheatgerm.
1 tsp Black Poppy seeds.

I've been tuning this recipe for years.
Not only tastes fantastic, but turns my guts into a supercharged methane factory!

I never tire of laughing at my own farts :)

Most of the herbs came from the garden, all the rest I buy from my local cash and carry for at least 10 times less cost per weight than supermarket jars.
 
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Tengu

Full Member
Jan 10, 2006
12,776
1,510
51
Wiltshire
Another way with baked beans.

Baked bean bake.

Take a tin of baked beans, (you could use beans with sausages in, or add cooked meat to the beans) and pour in an ovenproof dish.

then you cover with sage and onion stuffing.

sage (use fresh or else)
1 slice bread
1 egg
half an onion.

all finely chopped and mixed.

bake for about 40 minutes until starting to brown.
 

udamiano

On a new journey
Ingredients: feed 2-3 hungry people (or one person two days)

4 Chicken thighs
1 Pint of milk.
1 Onion
2 leeks
1 pack of shortcrust pastry or make your own./ or puff pastry if you want fancy
1 bay leaf
4 black pepper corns
1 teaspoon of flour
Butter or marg to fry with.
1 tablespoon of oil
half a cup of frozen peas

Add butter or marg to pan (with lid if possible) and add tablespoon of oil and fry off the onions, and leeks, only until they become transparent but not to colour them, remove from pan and put to one side.
in the same pan (do not wash it! you want those veg juices) add 1 pint of milk and the chicken thighs,bay leaf and peppercorns, bring up-to boil and then simmer until chicken is cooked, add peas, onions, and leeks and allow everything to gently simmer for a good 10 minutes with the lid on, to allow the flavour to mix.
Add the teaspoon of flour and stir in to thicken the sauce (an alternative is to add 2 packs of cheese sauce mix)
Remove the chicken and beak apart removing the bones (these can be put in a pot, coverd with water, add a celery stick, a carrot, to make a nice chicken stock.)
Add the chicken bits (now shredded) back into the dish and heat through until sauce thickens.

Roll out your pastry and put int a deep dish, put into fridge for an hour to rest, then into hot oven for 15minutes, (used dried beans or if posh proper baking beads) remove brush with beaten egg, back in i for another 8 minutes to glaze.
Add cooled chicken mixture, and then top with a pastry lid.
Bake for 30 minutes at gas 4 (180C) serve hot with a nice pint and veg.

The chicken mix also goes well with ribbon pasta, or in puff pasty parcels, or as pasties
 
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Samon

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 24, 2011
3,970
44
Britannia!
sounds tasty so far!

I momentarily forgot about pasta, and rice..and cous cous.. ! :p

A simple pasta dish I like is cooked pasta with a bit of cooked chicken, bacon and some frozen sweet corn, bound together with some decent mayonaise and served with silky new potatoes! A very cheap and nice meal!

One thing that's worth knowing (if you don't already) is that dried beans and lentils often have high levels of protein, so are good for vegetariens and those who wish to bulk up! they don't have quite as much as say tuna, chicken or beef but it all helps to rpovide you with the needed sections of your diet. :)
 
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Bowlander

Full Member
Nov 28, 2011
1,353
1
Forest of Bowland
Our favourite of the mo is pasta with red pesto bacon and blue cheese - all from Aldi.

The cheapest filling meal we regularly have is pigeon passata - cubes of pigeon breast meat fried off with an onion, add a bakedtin of toms, cover and whack on the wood burner for a couple of hours to stew. Great with a baked spud.
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Sloppy Joes!!

To feed about 4 people you'll need the following:
- 1 pound of lean ground beef (mince0
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 to 3 cups of your favorite tangy BBQ sauce (their are some specially made just for this or you can make your own)
- 4 to 8 hamburger buns

Saute the meat crumbling it as you would for chilli and season with the salt & pepper to taste. Once the meat is browned, pour off any grease, add the BBQ sauce and spoon the mixture onto the lower buns. Top with the upper buns and eat as you would a hamburger (you'll soon discover the significance of their name)

Optionally add finely diced onions and/or garlic while sauteing the meat.
 
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Samon

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 24, 2011
3,970
44
Britannia!
Sounds good! I was gona ask in the rustler thread for that sloppy joe recipe, gona get some minced meat tomorrow so I might try it soon. :D
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
You can also see why it was once a favorite in school cafeterias. Cheap, easy to make in bulk, and tasty.
 

swright81076

Tinkerer
Apr 7, 2012
1,702
1
Castleford, West Yorkshire
Beef brisket, slow cooker, roast spuds, bit of veg. Can't beat it.

Or braising steak, slow cooked. Then baked in a pie with jacket spuds.


Morrison's often have brisket half price.

touched by his noodly appendage
 

Outdoordude

Native
Mar 6, 2012
1,099
1
Kent
I like spaghetti carbonara. Take some pasta. Cook it. Fry some Bacon diced. Wisk 2 eggs. Mix all together once pasta drained. Delicious. :)
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Tuna Noodle Casserole for 4-6 people

You'll need:
- 1 pound of dried flat pasta (small pieces about 1/4 inch by 3/4 inch more or less)
- 7 and 1/2 ounces of canned tuna drained
- 1 pound frozen peas
- 1 can of condesned Cream of mushroom Soup
- Salt and pepper to taste
- bread crumbs

Cook pasta according to directions and drain. add peas and soup (undiluted) and season to taste. pour into a casserole dish about an inc to an inch and a half deep. Sprinkle bread crumbs over mixture and bake at 350f (176c) until the top is brown. Let cool 10 minute or so before serving.

Optionally add grated cheese to the mixture before pouring into casserole.
 

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