*NEW* Ep 8 🛒 MEAL PLAN WITH ME EXTREME BUDGET GROCERY HAUL 2 WEEK CHALLENGE -$30 PER WEEK pp

[@jessann5581]

I would prep EVERYTHING. Chop your onions-freezer, chop capsicums-freezer, you can grate your own cheese and freeze it, or buy shredded and freeze it. Everything type of fruit and vegetables you will use in your meals, chop it, bag it, freeze it. I’ve been doing this myself for years. I buy my onions, garlic, zucchini, corn (not like that lasts when the kids come home, haha), capsicums, kale, spinach in huge bulks and freeze it all. I also chop up all my meats and freeze ready to go for what ever meals I’m cooking that night. This way, if I’m not well (like I haven’t been for a week now), and I forget to pull meat out to defrost, nearing pick up kids from school, I can pull it out, leave to defrost as much as I can in the sink and then just cook it that way. Makes life a little easier. Especially if my husband does the cooking for me.

[@ThisMumAtHome]

Yes if you have been watching me for years I cut and prep vegetable mixes for cooking and freeze in the portions I need for recipes all the time …. After I make the actual meals with them then I freeze again in dinner portions for us per night :) Well except for the onions these days!!! lol I buy the frozen ones but add them to my veggie freezer made up bags …. I hate the crying!

[@TheLifeOfAliInAustralia]

A few tweaks which I use, is ok sausages per fortnight = one week sausage curry (cook all the snags but only chop half and freeze others whole) also leads to bangers and mash/sausage sizzle/toad in hole, bit less time because snags are already cooked. When I make bolognese now, I only use 400g mince and probably 800g+ veg (same mix as you) and 2 tins tomato and 1 jar passatta = 1x spag bol night, rest frozen in two portions, each portion when defrosted has another half-3/4 jar of passatta added to warm in pan... that can then be another spag bol, pasta bake or lasagne. Snacks I use a simple muffin mix of 5 cups SR flour, 2 cups sugar, 250g melted butter, 600 ml milk, tsp vinegar, 2 eggs and dash vanilla. Add whatever you want. It makes 12 jumbo cafe size muffins or 24-30 mini, so I split the batter in half or thirds and make several flavours. The cheap bags of cake mix (think they are $1 something now) are brilliant for quick cakes, and I find bar cakes last longer. Corned beef could be another option if you like it, can either cook it all at once and freeze half, or cut it in half and freeze and cook once a fortnight. We have cheese sauce with corned beef so lasagne follows the next day. For a textural food it's great for kids with picky eating as it's not chewy. Apricot chicken, cook all chicken off freeze half, then make 1 apricot, turn the frozen into a quick lemon or honey or even honey soy chicken. Sorry for the long post!! We are a family of 6 so I keep pretty tight reigns on our budget!! Also, if you see pork sausages... take off the casings and make into mini meatballs. Have on own like rissoles, spag and meatballs or even meatball subs using hotdog buns. And there is always fried rice!!

[@emza2023]

Kristy you should buy a popcorn machine from kmart, the anko red one, only $20 , best purchase ever ,just pop your kernels in & done so quick & easy, can make up fresh & bag for school lunches etc, loving mine. The popcorn kernals for popping are so cheap. You can flavour them up how you like with salt, butter. Its so nice and so quick and easy to use. No mess. I believe they only bring them out at christmas time every year, thats the only time i have seen them, but so glad i chose to get one this year. And small too, doesnt take up much room, pack away in cupboard. 👍🍿

[@ThisMumAtHome]

I use to have one but I just found it didn’t taste as nice lol 😂 I can’t get past the cobs brand when it’s in special… it’s perfection!!!

[@bronwyn3568]

Woolworths bank for christmas we can use from 13th November. Comes in handy too.

[@ChelleBeeby]

💜💜💜TFS💜💜💜

[@bronwyn3568]

We make home made pizzas the same way too, especially bbq chicken pizza 🍕 and or pepperoni/ham

[@amy.thomson1989]

Have you tried a marinated boneless chicken? We call it flat chicken! They are so easy, cooks quickly and are delicious.

[@ThisMumAtHome]

Yes I have but I’m always trying to find one I like lol . If I could just find like a honey soy one ide be happy !