Quick and Easy Family Meals & Dinner Recipes (Save Money)
Ranked #5,306 in Food & Cooking, #99,467 overall
5 nutritious family meals on a budget
How about 5 home cooked family meals for 20 Sound too good to be true?
I feel it is important to make a good wholesome and nutritious dinner every night, my family enjoy these recipes and are always full after eating.
I was taught to cook from a young age, and my daughter loves nothing better than helping me out, most of the dishes are so easy and taste devine
But more importantly as the cost of living increases we are looking for ways to help us save money on our grocery bills and more ways to feed the family cheaply and still having a filling nutritious dinner.
Picture credit
Contents at a Glance
- The essential Dinners Made Easy eBook
- Quick and Easy Dinners: Essential Shoppi...
- Quick and Easy Dinners need good Pyrex b...
- Dinners made easy - Cottage Pie
- Dinners made quick and easy- Thai green...
- Dinners Made Easy - Salmon & courget...
- Dinners made easy - Chilli con carnne
- Dinners made Easy - 2 family sized Pizza...
- cooking essentials for the kitchen
The essential Dinners Made Easy eBook
Dinners Made Easy
Amazon Price: (as of 05/30/2012)
Quick and Easy Dinners: Essential Shopping list
for weekly budget family meals
I set myself a challenge, to feed the family for less for 5 days good filling, family meals. Having such a tight budget meant I had to get creative, however I think I managed it quite nicely.You can copy these recipes too
Here is my Shopping list
Basic potatoes - 2.5kg
Carrots loose - 620g
Basics Broccoli - 300g
3 loose onions
courgette (medium sized)
mushrooms (loose 500g)
half fat creme fresh
Basic mozzarella 125g
2x 10" pizza bases
smoked salmon (trimmings 250g)
chicken thigh fillets 325g
lean steak mince meat 700g
(from the Deli counter ) Danish salami 75g
(tin) tomatoes 400g
(tin plum tomatoes
tomato puree
basics kidney beans 420g
pasta (fusilli or similar) 500g
Thai green curry sauce (500g)
easy cook rice (500g)
mild chili powder
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£19.50 (as at time of publishing, using a well known supermarket own brand)
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Quick and Easy Dinners need good Pyrex bakeware
kitchen essentials for great family meals
Dinners made easy - Cottage Pie
Monday night Dinner
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 10mins
- Total Time: 40mins
***This is bar far our Favourite meal!***
Ingredients
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C)
- 3 Tbsp (45 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 medium carrot
- 1Ib minced meat
- Tbs. (8 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (235 ml) beef broth
- 1 pinch of salt (to season)
- 1 pinch of ground pepper (to season)
- 1-3/4 lb. (800 g) mashed potatoes
Instructions
Peel and dice your potatoes place on the cooker in a pan of boiling water and leave to cook.
Put vegetables into a pan with some oil and place over heat to soften.
In another pan, place the meat and rest of oil on the heat to brown, when the mince is browned, drain off the excess oil.
Add the flour /broth /salt and pepper (you could add some Thyme or rosemary if you want for extra seasoning if you like this)
Stir continuously until this thickens and has no lumps left.
Pour this into a square glass/ ovenproof dish, and leave to cool.
Drain and Mash your potatoes, add some milk and butter to soften them.
Start spooning the potato on to the minced meat
Top Tip: if you start at the edges and slowly add the mashed potatoes working your way into the centre your Mashed potatoes will not sink! drag a fork over the potatoes to create spikes (kids love this bit!)
Place in the oven for 30 minutes and serve
Photo copyright @LisaAuch
Dinners made quick and easy- Thai green Chicken Curry with Rice
Tuesday nights Dinner ideas
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- Chicken thigh fillets 325g
- I medium onion (chopped finely)
- 1 medium broccoli (cut into small pieces)
- 1 jar premade Thia Green curry Sauce
- 1 medium carrot (sliced or diced)
- Easy cook rice (use individual guidelines for however many people)
Instructions
Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Brown the onion in the pan, Reduce the heat slightly and stir in the chicken pieces Add the green curry sauce and cook over a fairly high heat for about a minute, continue cooking on the heat for 25-30 minutes until thickened slightly, and Chicken is cooked through.
Top Tip: for perfect cooked veg: separately boil and cook carrots and broccoli or if you have a steamer even better. Leave until cooked through or until preference and add to chicken dish just before serving
Dinners Made Easy - Salmon & courgette pasta
Wednesday night dinner
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 15minutes - 5 minutes resting time
Ingredients
- 250 g pasta
- 200 g salmon fillets (frozen or fresh)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 200 ml cream fraishe
- 1 medium sized courgette
- 100 ml white wine
- 1 lemon
Instructions
Boil pasta in enough water, add olive oil to the water. leave to cook.
using a seperate pan- fry salmon in small pot, when it starts getting color, add wine and courgettes cut in blocks. Let it simmersimmer.
When the courgette are not yet be al dente (cooked enough to be firm but not soft), add creme fraishe. Keep stirring until all hot and courgette al dente. Season with white pepper, salt and lemon juice.
Drain pasta and add to the cooked salmon
Dinners made easy - Chilli con carnne
Thursday night Dinner
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 400g/14¼oz minced beef
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- finely chopped
- 1 carrot
- finely chopped
- 1 heaped tbsp tomato puree
- 400g/14¼oz can chopped tomatoes
- 1 x 400g/14¼oz can kidney beans
- drained
- 1 heaped teaspoon chili powder (add as much to personal taste)
- rice to serve
Instructions
Boil rice in Pan.
Heat the oil and vegetable until soft. in a Pan, add in the mince meat and chili powder until browned.
Add the tomato puree stirring for 3 minutes
add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 35 minutes, adding water if the mixture begins to dry out.
Stir in the kidney beans (you can add some coriander here if you like) and cook for a further five minutes.
Serve generous portions of chili with cooked rice
Dinners made Easy - 2 family sized Pizzas with Optional pizza toppings.
Friday night dinners
- Serves: 4
- Prep Time: 5
- Total Time: 35min
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized pizza bases (2 x 10")
- tomato puree (enough to cover pizza base)
- 75 grams of Salami
- 200grams of mushrooms
- mozzarella finely grated
- Be creative with your favourite toppings
Instructions
This is a great job for the kids to help out and can put their own favourite toppings on the Pizzas making Friday night Dinners a fun time to celebrate the weekend.
Follow cooking instruction on the label (usually around 20 -30 minutes) in oven.
cooking essentials for the kitchen
Cookware online
Easy homemade Vegetable soup!
Thrifty and nifty to make
Step by Step photos tutorial to make the prefect vegetable soup, Just like Moms Delicious homemade vegetable soup recipes with . If you are looking for an Easy to make homemade vegetable soup then here it is!
Healthy Eating
is essential for your family
Easy to make and Thrifty meals for the family
....even more great family recipes
Huevos Rancheros -- An easy and inexpensive egg dish
We eat this for breakfast OR dinner at our house.1 point
Easy Family Meals
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Simple Chili Recipes
Looking for some simple chili recipes to prepare o more...0 points
Thankyou for your Support
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Do you have great ideas for cheap family meals or
favourite recipes
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nightbear
Feb 14, 2012 @ 5:25 pm | delete
- this page would be very helpful to anyone, but especially for families on budgets. Meal planning is sometimes difficult. I think you have helped. blessed.
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Ramkitten
Nov 3, 2011 @ 1:09 pm | delete
- Great ideas. I'd like to try that curry dish. Oh, and that salmon-pasta dish too. Yum!
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GonnaFly
Sep 5, 2011 @ 5:27 pm | delete
- Love these redipe ideas. Blessed and added to my Frugal Living lens.
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partydepot
Aug 26, 2011 @ 11:05 am | delete
- I know what I am having for dinner tonight!
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sandyjunep
Aug 20, 2011 @ 1:39 am | delete
- Great lens, all looks so nice. Would like you to come cook for my family
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jptanabe
May 4, 2011 @ 11:39 am | delete
- Mmm all these recipes look so delicious - made me hungry!
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myshelle01
Apr 7, 2011 @ 6:11 pm | delete
- Great Lens
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clouda9
Feb 25, 2011 @ 4:58 am | delete
- I love that you have taken on a challenge and shared it here for all of us to share and learn too. Only question...what is the American equivalent to £20? My [Recipes] Angel Blessing today is SWAH and featured on http://www.squidoo.com/my-angel-wings
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LisaAuch
Feb 25, 2011 @ 5:39 am | delete
- Hi Clouda9 thanks for the blessing it is very much appreciated - the current conversion is 20.00 GBP = 32.1859 USD so I hope that is still cheap for you!
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TeamSTM
Feb 22, 2011 @ 8:31 am | delete
- Wow, these are great ideas and relatively inexpensive also; it can't get better then that!!
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LisaAuch
cheap meals for the Family
make sure you dont miss something
- Quick and Easy Dinners: Essential Shopping list
- Quick and Easy Dinners need good Pyrex bakeware
- Dinners made easy - Cottage Pie
- Dinners made quick and easy- Thai green Chicken Curry with Rice
- Dinners Made Easy - Salmon & courgette pasta
- Dinners made easy - Chilli con carnne
- Dinners made Easy - 2 family sized Pizzas with Optional pizza toppings.
- Easy homemade Vegetable soup!
- Healthy Eating
by LisaAuch
Hello and Welcome: to my page for Dinners made easy and Cheap for the family. I am a successful work at home mom.
I love Squidoo where I am not only an...
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Quick and Easy Family Dinner Recipes
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Quick & Easy Family Dinners Cookbook
Amazon Price: (as of 05/30/2012)
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Betty Crocker Easy Family Dinners: Simple Recipes and Fun Ideas to Turn Meal Time to Quality Time
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Amazon Price: $12.87 (as of 05/30/2012)
