Sometimes feeding the family on a budget can seem difficult, but it doesn’t need to be that way! We want to show you at Dietitian Fit & Co, that providing healthy and tasty meals for the family can be affordable and easier to do. We would recommend first reading our money saving tips in our ‘Eating well on a budget’ blog for some great ideas to help you alongside using these recipes below. You can find some useful tips to reduce your food shopping cost, whilst also providing some nourishing and delicious meals that the whole family will enjoy.
We have designed these to feed a family of 4 (2 adults & 2 children), keeping in mind taste, nutrition and ease of cooking as priorities. All meals come under £10 each, and if you use the tips from our linked blog above, you may find the cost of these meals to come well below budget – especially once you become a savvy shopper! Let us know if you give any of the following recipes a try:
Lentil Bolognese
A hearty recipe that uses lentils as a substitute for meat in a classic Bolognese. Giving you a good boost of fibre whilst being much less expensive overall!
Ingredients:
- 1 large white onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced or crushed
- 300g mushrooms
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped
- 1 large red pepper, finely chopped
- 200g dry red lentils
- 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
- 100g grated cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Wholemeal spaghetti or brown rice to serve
Method:
Start by heating the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5-7 minutes.
Then add in the carrot, mushrooms and pepper and stir for 3-5 minutes.
Add the dry lentils and top with the tinned tomatoes.
Cover and cook on medium-high for 15-20 minutes until lentils are soft. Top with a little extra water if it’s going a bit dry and mix frequently to prevent sticking.
Add in the dry herbs, mix and season to taste.
Serve with cooked wholemeal spaghetti or brown rice and top with a sprinkle of cheese!
Mushroom and bean one pot
This is a comforting and tasty dish to have for a weekday meal. It’s really quick and simple to make and requires many store cupboard ingredients which can be kept on hand for last minute meals.
Ingredients:
- 1 large white onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced or crushed
- 200g mushrooms
- 1 x 400g tin butter beans, drained
- 1 x 400g tin kidney beans, drained
- 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
- 4 large handfuls of frozen spinach
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Method:
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5-7 minutes.
Add in the mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes until brown. Then add the spices and mix for 1-2 minutes.
Stir in the tinned beans, frozen spinach and then the chopped tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Mix in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Turkey cottage pie
Using turkey mince is a great way to not only reduce the cost (compared to beef or lamb mince) but also reduce the saturated fat intake. And using parsnips in the mash topping is another way of getting in some vegetables to this meal too!
Ingredients:
- 300g potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 300g parsnips, peeled and chopped
- 200g frozen peppers
- 200g frozen peas
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 250ml chicken stock
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Worchester sauce
- 100ml semi-skimmed milk
- 25g butter (use supermarket own brand)
- 500g turkey thigh mince
- 1 large white onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced or crushed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salad to serve
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan.
Cook the potatoes and parsnips in boiling water for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Drain and then mash together, adding the milk and butter. Season well and set aside,
In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5-7 minutes.
Add the turkey mince, break it up and mix until browned for 4-5 minutes.
Mix in the chopped celery, frozen peppers and peas, then stir in the hot chicken stock.
Mix and then simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the Worchester sauce and tomato paste.
Transfer the turkey mixture to a ovenproof dish, spoon over the mash and then cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden.
Serve with salad on the side
Vegetable egg fried rice
This one is great to adapt to whatever frozen vegetables you may have at home. If you have cooked too much rice, this is the perfect way to use it up in another meal all together!
Ingredients:
- 400g cooked brown rice (cooked the day before, stored in the fridge)
- 1 large white onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced or crushed
- Thumb sized piece ginger, grated
- 1 bunch of spring onions, finely diced
- 200g frozen peas
- 100g frozen sweetcorn
- 200g frozen chopped green beans
- 1 large courgette, chopped into small pieces
- 8 eggs, beaten
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Method:
In a wok or large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
Add the onion, garlic and ginger. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
Then add all the frozen and fresh vegetables (except the spring onions).
Mix for 4-5 minutes and then stir in the cooked rice.
Break up the rice and then make a well in the centre of the pan.
Pour in the beaten eggs and mix into the rice for 4-5 minutes until egg is cooked.
Mix the soy sauce and vinegar in, then season to taste and enjoy!
By Reema Patel, Registered Dietitian
