Something different for €2...

hullaballoo

Hi,

I'm on a very very low budget these days and I can't afford to splash out on pre-prepared meals anymore, so I'm just wondering if anyone could suggest some recipes, the ingredients for which you can buy for approximately €2?

Cheers folks!
hulla.

Tree

ALL the ingredients for €2? or a per portion coz of €2? are you willing to freeze stuff?

hullaballoo

Yeah a per portion cost. I've only got an icebox to use as a freezer at the moment. Though, I suppose I could use my neighbour's proper freezer.

loismustdie

go to lidl and get whatever veg you like and rice and potatoes, it will b more than 2yoyo but you can make stirfry, salads and dinners without meat for a week. eg, get peppers, celery, tomatoe, mushroom, onions

nervous_twitch

Tesco Value Pasta (somewhere in the region of 13c), cheap can of tomato puree, a tomato, an onion, and if the budget allows, some garlic too!! I assume you have salt and pepper to taste.

You'll be away in a hack for a pasta-sauce dish! Should give you a few portions too.

hullaballoo

Sounds good. I've cracked the old bolognese idea, in fact, it's all I've had for dinner for about a month.

Although I make a tasty bolognese: about four-five fresh tomatoes, squeeze of purée, an onion, garlic, herbs, pepper, salt, tobasco sauce, and a hunk of minced meat - I'm getting a little tired of it!

I really like the stir-fry idea, but mine always end up too salty or too bland. What seasoning should I use? And in what proportions?

mickith

buy a 5 pack of noodles. cook noodles in pan adding a few bits and pieces like veg or eggs if there is any around. dont no bout you op but i love paprika. ya can put it on almost everything and it makes the meal taste that much better

olaola

Veg Lasagne -

tin tomatoes
pepper
onion
garlic
courgette
onion
pasta

you'll probably have these already:
butter
flour
milk
cheese
nutmeg

And any other veg you like - buy em all in Aldi/Lidl for less than a tenner
and you'll get 4 portions out of it.

Catari Jaguar

Get Tesco value noodles & frozen carrot/ peas/ corn mix and boil them together then drain them off. Cook chicken dippers/nuggets and mix them in with the noodles, add some soy sauce and a handful of peanuts.

Nyom!

loismustdie

hullaballoo wrote:

Sounds good. I've cracked the old bolognese idea, in fact, it's all I've had for dinner for about a month.

Although I make a tasty bolognese: about four-five fresh tomatoes, squeeze of purée, an onion, garlic, herbs, pepper, salt, tobasco, and a hunk of minced meat - I'm getting a little tired of it!

I really like the stir-fry idea, but mine always end up too salty or too bland. What seasoning should I use? And in what proportions?

if you can afford it, it will be a once off, get flora colonese instead of oil, it tastes lovely and is aparently good, or at least not bad for you i never use salt it just takes away the original taste. if you could also stretch to buying bayleaves, they will make a big difference. look out for cheap sachets of sauces too or if you get jars don't be tempted to use it all in one go. keep refrigerated for max freshness and although they normally say use within so many days i have often used mine after a fortnight and they are honestly fine so long as closed and refrigeraated. and i am fussy so trust

catho_monster

for the stir fry, some ginger makes a massive difference.
shop in the asian market at the back of georges street arcade for cheap noodles and rice. in there you can buy sake or shaoxing wine, add at the last minute to the stir fry with some soy sauce and the ginger. seriously. its the business and much better for you than all that prepackaged sauce malarky. all of the above = dirt cheap in the asian market.

really - the deal with eating for less than 2 euro a go is buying in bulk, so more costs initially but you live on it for bloody ages. make everything yourself, because ready made costs more and lasts less and is basically crap for you. bulk up meat meals with more veg to make it go further. believe me. i feed a hungry man and a quite hungry me on what would normally not go so far as to feed one hungry irish man.

colsku

Spudz 'n Gravy!

replytohere2004

Forzen Peas €3/KG - use 200g -60c
Shell shaped Pasta - 65c/500g - use 200g - 30c
Cottage Cheese - €1.25/225g - use half tub. 60c
Mint €2/20g- use 2g - 20c
Salt and Pepper

€1.70

Fresh Mint is best but dry will do.
Yoplait is the nicest cottage cheese.

Put peas in cloander
cook pasta
drain pasta over peas
add cottege cheese
add mint
add S+P

very nice,cheap and easy. got it off the internet.

hullaballoo

Thanks a million for all your ideas! Dare I say it's food for thought?










Oh no. Kill me now.

Minder

For two euro a head you should be able to get sausages, onion and a cabbage (york or savoy) and some spuds.

Thinly slice the cabbage
Squeeze the sausage meat from the casings
Thinly slice the onion

In a buttered oven proof dish make alternate layers of cabbage, onion and sausage meat. Season as you go. Finish with a layer of cabbage. Dot with cubes of butter.

Cover with a piece of greaseproof paper and a lid. Cook in the oven at 150 degrees for one and a half to two hours. Serve with spuds.

loismustdie

catho_monster wrote:

really - the deal with eating for less than 2 euro a go is buying in bulk, so more costs initially but you live on it for bloody ages. make everything yourself, because ready made costs more and lasts less and is basically crap for you. bulk up meat meals with more veg to make it go further. believe me. i feed a hungry man and a quite hungry me on what would normally not go so far as to feed one hungry irish man.

i tried the making everything myself but i actually found it more expensive and was shocked, please give me some ideas

catho_monster

loismustdie wrote:

i tried the making everything myself but i actually found it more expensive and was shocked, please give me some ideas

its all about the recipes you choose. i trawl through magazines and recipe books for recipes that dont need much ingredients. and when i do go searching for recipes, i make sure that the ingredients that i buy are included in recipes for the rest of the week too. it ends up with a week in which carrots feature frequently, or its a very chinesey week, but its all part of the fun.

what were you making that turned out more expensive? bought curry sauce is a total rip off - a tin of curry powder is about the same price and will make curry till the cows come home. sweet and sour is dead simple with normal store cupboard ingredients... give us some idea of what you wanted to make...

Overheal

Shaws is doing 1 euro packs of 8 sausages now (at Superquinn anyway) go stock up they are tasty enough for plain pork sausages

I just remembered I have EGGS! and RASHERS! and SAUSAGES! DINNER FRY!!!!!!!!! :D:D:D:D:D

replytohere2004

Bag of frozen Donegal Catch Salmon Fillets €7 - Usually get about 5 pieces.
Roma Easi cook rice €2 - 4 portions.
Dry Dill €2
Salt and Pepper.

Place salmon on tin foil - sprinkle dill/season both sides.
Wrap tin foil and place in 200 Deg oven for 20-25mins.
Meanwhile cook rice.
Scrape off fat from salmon before eating.

Works out about €2 per portion.

neuro-praxis

These are cheap dinners - not necessarily healthy ones! You are sick of pasta so forget that for a while. This is coming from the expert student budgeter.

Go to Tesco and buy with your €14.00 budget for one week's dinner eating:

White sliced pan 64c
6 large Tesco eggs €1.56
7.5 kilos Tesco value potatoes (these are not great for mashing but can be fried, boiled and roasted nicely) €2.75
4-pack of Tesco baked beans €1.45
Packet (8) value sausages 89c
Bag Tesco carrots 99c
Bag Tesco cooking onions 99c
1 kilo chicken legs/thighs €2.89
Block Tesco Value cheese, approx €1.44
1 can Tesco value canned plum tomatoes 30c

Total: €13.90

Monday: 4 grilled sausages, baked beans, fried potatoes (boil 'em first) and bread. You might want to fry up some onions too while the potatoes are being cooked. Have a couple of raw carrots while you cook for nourishment!

Tuesday: Omlette made with 3 eggs, lots of cheese, salt and pepper, and eat with buttery toast, and some more baked beans if you fancy.

Wednesday: Boil a few potatoes. Rinse and season a couple of chicken legs/thighs. Cut some carrots, onions and potatoes into chunks. Bung the whole lot in the oven with a little oil or butter and have yourself a roast dinner.

Thursday: Use the last four sausages and repeat Monday night's meal.

Friday: Scramble a couple of eggs and heat some baked beans, and have an egg and beans toast supper. Top with a little grated cheese if you fancy.

Saturday: Finely chop some onions, and chop up a can of your plum tomatoes. Peel and cut a few potatoes into chunks. Rinse and if you like, skin, a couple of chicken legs/thighs. Place the thighs in a buttered dish. Sprinkle with onions and arrange the potatoes. Pour tomatoes on top. Season well with herbs and spices and pop in the oven to make a tasty casserole. Add a couple of sausages as well if you have any left over.

Sunday: Steam or grill some remaining chicken legs. When cooked, remove the meat. Butter four slices of bread, and make up a chicken, cheese and onion sandwich, which I recommend you toast for a melty delicious treat. Have with a big cup of tea!

This is just an example of how you can do it. Another week, go pasta heavy. Another week, make rice dishes. Good luck! Being poor sucks, but it doesn't have to be all misery if you can be sensible.

kmick

Good man neuro-praxis you are the sort of no-nonsense practical person who is sorely lacking in todays society. You see what would be classed as poor people buying four chineese takeaways for twice the price as your budget menu for 7 days and the government tells us they are not getting enough nutrition. However it is a bit short on fruit how about heading to camden street and getting four apples, two oranges, a bag of grapes and a melon for a fiver and bringing your budget up to 20 with a packet of biscuits for a treat.

Im my day of course mumble mumble mumble.......

neuro-praxis

Thanks kmick (although I should let you know I'm a woman)! I used to share a cottage with two good friends in college and we were always poor, and I was in charge of food. I made our tiny budget go a long way, although I admit it was never as low as €14.00 for a week's dinners! Of course it is more economical to feed a few, too, rather than just the one.

I don't eat that way anymore, and we did eat our fruit (Tesco value apples and oranges usually) and bags of cheapy frozen veg as well - I was just trying to keep strictly to the OP's budget and as we all know, eating healthily is expensive.

I have to admit that after posting that, I got a hankering for some comfort food, and went straight home and cooked fried potatoes, sausages and beans for me, the hubby and two friends. Except this time they were expensive sausages, Heinz beans and served with loads of fresh white rolls.

caffrey

home made wedges are something i never get bored of:
chop potatos into wedge shapes, put in a deep dish, throw on some olive oil and some spices, i like:

paprika, cayenne, mixed herbs, garlic powder.

pop in the oven for 25/30 mins

its not a full meal but if you are getting sick of potatoes and pasta.

have with beans and chicken burger.

big bag of chicken burgers in aldi, very cheap and nice

lady_j

nervous_twitch wrote:

Tesco Value Pasta (somewhere in the region of 13c),QUOTE]


That stuff is toxic as are tesco value noodles, seriously after a year of eating that crap I now have digestive problems!!!!

Make a coddle for yourself.

Spastafarian

Eggy bread with cheese n' beans!!
Dip some bread in beaten eggs, fry and top with hot beans and grated white cheddar. Nyom!

There was a stall at Electric Picnic selling this for €7. Worth every overpriced cent.

hullaball&#250 wrote:

I've only got an icebox to use as a freezer at the moment. Though, I suppose I could use my neighbour's proper freezer.

Good lord you really are poor...

rockbeer

Fry up a sliced onion, a couple of cloves of garlic, a chopped up green chilli or two and half a dozen mushrooms until it all start to brown nicely. Add in a sliced up red pepper if your budget will stretch to it.

Season with a squeeze of tomato puree, a decent shake of good soy sauce e.g. Kikkoman (stupidly cheap in the Asia Market for a big bottle that will last you months, and imho the single most important investment you can make to liven up your cooking), a splash of vinegar and some dried herbs, then chuck in a tin of tuna. Stir it all up, grate some cheese on top and let it melt while you butter a couple of slices of bread.

What more could you want? Total cost, well under 2 Euro.

Great advice, neuro-praxis: ahh, the nostalgia - I'd kill for some good old-fashioned student grub now

But I'm slightly surprised to hear you recommend buying veg in Tescos. Your yo-yos go a lot further down the market or in a greengrocers. Or even in Lidl/Aldi come to that.