Keeping Down Our Food Costs - Planning & Cooking Frugal Meals

[@cathymillar9900]

Our family (grown children) discussing food prices and just general price hikes. Being aware of waste was also discussed, and he told everyone that I waste very little. I thought it was a lovely compliment. Thank you for meal ideas.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

I try to waste almost nothing

[@rosieburns2511]

I’m new to the meal plan party. Did it all last month and have now set up sinking funds, ( was able to put £400 in to them last month). This week’s menu: Beef stew, beef stew, quiche and roast veg, quiche and roast veg, fish fingers peas and spuds, egg curry, egg curry.

[@gregsgirl23au]

We hardly ever waste a thing. We buy a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket it does 2 meals for the two of us and our dog gets some too 😃. I meal plan every week without fail and plan to always use leftovers. I find it quite relaxing I sit with a cup of tea and plan it out and enjoy knowing I'm saving us money and not being wasteful 😊

[@Alicesgardenau]

On the menu plan this week: cottage pie, pumpkin soup, beef and tofu stir fry, Roast pork, chorizo pasta, leftovers (we have a leftovers night every week).

[@suellensellwood5854]

Having COVID with a slow recovery hasn't been conducive to cooking. So there has been a lot of one pot wonders. Not the usual food group combinations but nourishing.

[@dinnerwithdonna]

We’re having a crispy chilli beef, curry, sausage casserole and a roast chicken this week 😋 fab video, your fish pie looked so delicious! ❤

[@Taaleedee]

Plan to cook enough today to have leftovers tomorrow.

[@cherylverber7672]

Fab vlog today and some great ideas. You both eat so well and inspire us all. Enjoy your weekend

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks very much for watching

[@cathyeller5722]

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday homemade chicken noodles. Monday and Tuesday I have a small pork roast, put it with some home grown young potatoes and green beans. Wednesday grilled cheese and tomato soup. Thursday, Friday and Saturday meatloaf with white beans soup. Making the meatloafs small in muffin tins. Due to the heat I try to not turn the oven on every day. Sometimes the days change according to the amount of leftover's we have there are only two of us and this allows us to switch up if we get board with the same thing to many days in a row, I put it in the freezer.

[@joanrevell5767]

Just love our meet ups.!!!!

[@jbulldogmom]

That salmon dinner looked fabulous!

[@marypeterson1053]

Fish pie looks so good. Made tuna noodles hotdish, peas celery onions cream of chicken soup and lively tuna.

[@clmierau]

I just love your cooking videos, it gives me good ideas. Thank you.

[@lindab8078]

Great idea about freezing parsley. I’m assuming it will work for other fresh herbs as well. On menu this week is chicken salad croissants, chicken tostados, fajitas and salad, chicken skewers and salad.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

I shall try others too

[@alisonwheeler8929]

I have just started freezing left over bean sprouts as they go off really quickly and they are fine for the next stir fry. Works well.

[@portugalthewrightway]

Your food looks amazing, so colorful and fresh. Brilliant to see cooking great food on a budget is possible. Like the idea of meal plans, makes it easier to not over buy on shopping day.

[@lilalavendel3951]

I do meal planning since decades. At the moment we can harvest so many veggies in our garden, so that we eat a lot of beans, peas, squashs, broccoli, salades and so on. And we put a lot of it in the freezer. Thank you for your pizza dough recipe, it sounds great.

[@elizaC3024]

Great menu planning tips.

[@clarelamberti9651]

We have a few reduced items in the freezer so using those we have homemade salmon fish cakes, chicken tray bake( peppers onion pesto ) , chicken fajitas -salad , omelette and chips , chicken curry , chicken stir fry and homemade pizza . All potatoes and onions are free from the fields , salad from my green house and eggs from my chickens . I’m just about to make a lemon drizzle cake to use up a couple of sad lemons ( free eggs ) and some cookies as it’s my birthday tomorrow and I need cake in my life , getting loads done today so I can have a day off tomorrow 🍰🍷🎉

[@christinanolan2388]

Thank you for the great ideas to try, particularly like the pizza dough recipe! New subscriber :)

[@carolinem5539]

Enjoyed some gnocchi, bacon and pesto last night. Quick and easy after a long day at work. Good ol bangers and mash tonight with plenty of veg. Keeping it simple in my plan this week as work will be hectic.

[@carolynm9798]

Friday: Pork chops and sweet potatoes in a tomato-caper sauce and spinach Sunday: Mackerel noodle casserole with peas and beets as a side Monday: Potato stuffed with broccoli and chili Thursday: Stuffed peppers with carrots on the side You will notice a change in the pattern. Instead of cook once, eat twice; we are switching it to cook once, eat thrice. The goal is to reduce our cooking days by 30%. I am in Florida and August is the tough month during the year! We are not just reducing the heat inside, we are cutting kilowatts anywhere we can.

[@gladyschandler6724]

Tonight Friday. I'll make salmon, quinoa & roasted carrots that i already have on hand. Sunday, a chicken thigh recipe with veggies over riced Cauliflower.

[@pigletsbank437]

All those meals look soooo tasty! 👍😀

[@rosemarydoran9907]

It is amazing at how many things can be frozen. It is great to eliminate food waste and also stretch your budget. That salmon look delicious and I couldn't believe you got four large pieces for only one euro. Fresh fish here in the Midwest United States is very expensive because we are landlocked and not near any good water source for fishing. That meal just looked fantastic! You are a really talented cook jane. Everything you make always looks delicious and I never hear any complaints from Mike on the videos! You really do a great job of showing how you can eat well on a very tight budget. I always see a lot of good fruits and vegetables as well as nice sources of protein in your meals. Thank you so much for your great videos and I love seeing the pups at the end!

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks very much

[@pigletsbank437]

thank you soo much for your tip on "to good to go".👌I picked up a mystery box tonight and was over the moon! I always mealplan, this week there will be almost all ingredients from the to good to go€ 5, - , If added some pantry items I will name specifically . * fresh pan-fried cod +creamy cooked andive (leafie veg both) from the box leftover potatoes 2 portions . * blended leafy greens from the box (do not know English name) + 1 added onion and potato from pantry soup+ with hotdogs on bun from the box 4 portions * cauliflower (last weeks sale) + grated cheese from the box (with leftover pork from last weeks sale out of freezer) with glutenfree pasta from pantry 4 portions * precooked chicken drumsticks from the box I froze today with leftover tomatoes and rice 2 portions *homemade glutenfree toast +with spiced creamcheese and alfa alfa both from box * 1 liter of vanilla custard from the box+ leftover yoghurt *pantry scrambled eggs with homemade glutenfree toast and pickled gurkin the rest I don't know yet but I will check my freezer stocklist and make it happen. Have a good weekend!

[@wendycaughley6420]

I am fortunate in that I have a large freezer because I have always had a good vege garden so, as a recently separated older woman now reliant on a disability benefit in the middle of a pandemic and high inflation I rely on it hugely. I cook up bags of dried lentils, chickpeas etc and freeze in recipe size batches, cheaper than tinned. I have several meatless meals a week. I was given 2 large pumpkins, I roasted them, mashed with butter and pepper and froze in individual serving size packs....I do the same with sweet potato at the moment while it's very cheap. We are in winter so alot of my vegetables are frozen but these are used with whatever meat I can buy cheaply, a larger meal is made then frozen in 1 portion servings. At the moment in my freezer I have lots of containers of Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Soup made with Coconut Cream and cumin etc, Mushroom & Mince Cottage Pies with Sweet potato/cheese topping, spicy chorizo and chickpea stew with tomatoes & capsicums etc, Chicken fettucine, Chicken satay with rice and Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes with black beans, corn etc. I also save leftover portions of cheese sauce, gravy, rice etc for use in other meals. A bonus is I also have a friend who does freezer meals so we swap and she does fish pies, devilled sausages and stuff I don't make. So, while I don't meal plan I keep well ahead of myself for food. Eggs are cheap so anything can go in a quiche, "Bubble and Squeak" is often cooked to use up whatever is in the fridge and little bits of bacon, topped with fried eggs. Unfortunately I am disabled and live 55 km from town so anything has to be bought online and delivered, I miss my instore specials and short dated products but still manage to eat good healthy meals with minimum costs. I enjoy your channel very much and appreciate the work that must go in to helping others at this time, particularly families! As someone who raised a family always living off the smell of an oily rag, I really do feel for so many right now! I do feel it's a valuable time to learn new skills that have been forgotten in our decades long consumer driven society.

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thank you Wendy and thanks for sharing your successes. We had to get rid of our large freezer due to the cost of electricity.

[@wendycaughley6420]

@@FrugalQueeninFrance Yep, there's that aspect to consider, definitely!

[@heathertucker7056]

I got a good deal on a large fresh chicken for Sunday roast, so creative ways with left over chicken for the next couple of days for us!

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Nice a chicken is 15€ here and French chicken is small

[@sp8400]

Happy Friday Jane and Mike!

[@marthaross6301]

The honey glazed pork and 3 salads are my meal inspiration. I have everything in house, so thanks 😊

[@ulrichweber5215]

I will definitely make a deepfreezer inventary more regularly.

[@sallystanbury2025]

I’ve discovered a you tube video on how to make creamy mash in the instant pot! Thought you might be interested in that. Like you, I freeze mash potato and I sometimes thaw it to make fish Cakes using tin salmon or tuna.

[@Babba08]

I find meal planning and making a grocery list a chore, but I do it every week because it saves so much money. I also try to shop the pantry and freezer as much as possible. We grocery shop on Wednesday, usually, so my list goes from Thursday to Wednesday. I don't cook on Sundays. This week I did a grilled chicken salad on Thursday. On Friday I made my salmon patties from canned salmon, fried potatoes and sliced fresh farmers market veggies of tomatoes, cucumbers and wedges of radishes. On Saturday I did ground turkey patties (I don't usually eat red meat) fried cabbage and cut up fresh veggies again. On Monday I will make a hearty lentil stew and serve it with Italian bread that I get a good deal on and freeze. Tuesday I will do veggie quesadillas with whole grain flat bread. On Wednesday I'll do soft tacos with ground turkey that we got a really good deal on and froze. And for those I'll have homegrown tomatoes ready this week as well as home grown green onions. 🙂

[@laurencetippey9922]

Christine, great video, We are having burger in bun, salad and oven chips.. fishpie..roast turkey dinner for 2 days, , Linda Mccartney special egg fried rice (delicicous) ,, then sweet and sour chicken with noodles,, sausage mash and red onion gravy A very British menu haha but we have no food wastexx

[@margaretthompson5491]

like the look of your fish pie, definitely one for next week thank you guys x

[@coraltaylor8159]

The fish pie looks delicious 😋

[@bria2596]

Everything looked magnificent! Thanks for posting.

[@rena4220]

When the kids were at home, Saturday was deemed "No cook Saturday". Don't worry, they didn't starve. Lol I was a single mom of 5 and needed a break from cooking. I don't meal plan as it is only me. I do make dishes that I can eat more than once. Last night I made a hodge podge dish of yellow squash ( from my daughter's garden), A tin of tomatoes with Jalapenos, onions and black beans over riced cauliflower. Is your parsley sauce just a white sauce with parsley mixed in?

[@kthmrc..3460]

Meal plans, can make a difference even for those who say why bother, its just me.. Well i have made an effort at it and, there are small savings.. No waste mentality spreads throughout lifestyle. ,also, it forces you to pull some reordering to household finances. It is encouraging..

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Thanks for watching and commenting

[@tinkerbell9399]

This video is very timely indeed! I need to get our freezers sorted and stock take done. Then a meal plan organised. Went shopping with no list on Thursday. Have ended up with 6 tins of tomatoes in larder! Oh well, sure they will get used. The salmon and rice looks delicious too! Will definitely give that a go. Thanks you two for sharing.

[@sue15cat]

Some brilliant meal ideas there. Fish pie is so simple and yet so tasty isn't it. What a great deal you got on the salmon fillets too 😃

[@juliethompson5301]

The tip about freezing herbs is great thanks Jane .I can't tell you how many times I've thrown fresh herbs away.not anymore.😁 That fish pie looks great .I'm cooking one this Monday 😋 thank you .

[@sandyhumphreys3646]

I have a book and itemise each product I put in the freezer so I have a record at first glance, loved the pork slices, receipes please

[@roxanne533]

Fish pie isn't really a dish made in the states much, even though we do tuna noodle casserole, for example. That looks good. I wonder how it would be with peas added in the parsley sauce... thinking I really might have to give that a try.

[@johirst2513]

Another fab video, thank you. This has reminded me that Ive got a piece of fish in the freezer that needs using, so tonight I will be having fish pie 🙂. My husband is on nights so he is still working through the veggie cottage pie I made earlier in the week and my daughter likes Mac cheese so I shall split the sauce at the end to make a cheese sauce for her for that, happy days 🤩

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

I need to make a Fish Pie asap!!!

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

It’s delicious

[@rietteleroux8578]

Daily dose of inspiration, thank you!

[@corinneleppard1933]

Really enjoy your cooking ideas, thank you. We have pork meatballs tonight(pork mince) with a spicy tomato sauce which includes onions and peppers left over from yesterday's fajitas. Should be enough to freeze for another day. Tomorrow is chicken orzo and my OH and son have this on Monday as well. I have fish (salmon) and beef mince planned for the rest of the week, so the mince might turn into chilli, or bolognese, or cottage pie, see what I feel like making once I get started. I'll be using beans, tomatoes and courgettes from the garden.

[@mitomom4947]

I love the fish pie! Looks so yummy!!

[@yukofreeman4483]

Thanks Jane and Mike for the great ideas!

[@belindacopson2390]

Your salmon and rice dish looked particularly delicious! I like to use tinned mackerel in some rice dishes, cheap and tasty. Today I made a chicken, sausage, courgette and new potato tray roast, with home grown potatoes, a great easy summer dish taking just a few minutes to prep. I sometimes make a version with just vegetables as a side dish.

[@lisahaffner3337]

As usual your meals look delicious. I meal plan but don’t stick to strict days. Sometimes thing stretch and I can make it last longer which is a blessing. I’m watching this Friday evening and the turkey dinner I made on Wednesday will get us one more meal. It’s a good thing we’re not fussy eaters. I won’t want to see turkey for a while now.

[@patmartin9727]

You can freeze cooked turkey. I wrap any cooked meat in tinfoil so I know it is ready cooked it also means I can portion it and put more than one portion in the zip lock bag as the tinfoil doesn’t freeze together so I can take it out a portion at a time.

[@joycegonzales4994]

I’ve never had a fish pie, fish tacos though

[@butterflyj1967]

Ooh I'm really hungry now !😁

[@harrychutney4618]

I’m having a bacon and bean casserole

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Nice

[@sophiawolthof1238]

👍👍👍

[@gaildurocher6553]

❣️

[@milda0820]

💖💖💖

[@lexicuryk4414]

The Salmon looked wonderful, I have never eaten fish pie but it sounds good - what is the sauce made of?

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

Parsley sauce

[@lisaturner8664]

Jane, how long do you cook your fish pie in the oven and what temp? Love from Australia xxx

[@FrugalQueeninFrance]

About 30 minutes

[@lisaturner8664]

@@FrugalQueeninFrance thanks x

[@shivakat2297]

Eating that whole baked chicken all week. Making simple sides and chicken broth. I may start clucking.🐔🐓

[@sharonmcgee8178]

You and Mike are doing an amazing job! Love watching...hoping your subscriber numbers grow quickly🙂🇨🇦

[@elizabeth__official]

💐💐💐😊

[@virginiacervantes7988]

👍🌹

[@gelsilicawalker3835]

You have excellent cooking skills a lost skill today.

[@anniec6420]

over too soon once again