How to Feed Your Family: Your one-stop guide to creating healthy meals everyone will enjoy

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I pressure cooked mine in the Ninja Foodi, but you could cook it in the Slow cooker or on the hob instead. You can use it to make burgers, bolognese, cottage pie, etc, but I decided to use it to make a creamy curry. Bean burritos are made with some of the cheapest food you can buy, yet when you put all the ingredients together it doesn’t taste that way.

If you are looking for a healthier and dirt cheap meal, then you’ve got to try these butternut squash noodles. This would be a good starting point, but you can eat for much less if you are mindful of what you buy and always looking to buy food at the lowest possible prices. Cheap meals for families starts with a cheap grocery list Remember that you can swap and change meals out of this every week from the above list. That way, you will still have a low shopping bill but lovely homemade meals. On top of this, we've given you weekly essential extras to add to your list, and suggested seven main meals for each week that you can make using these ingredients and the basics you've already got in the cupboards.However, in our house, I don’t typically plan out breakfasts and lunches. We routinely have inexpensive breakfast and lunch options. I was finding (especially since having Ada and being a working mum to two kids) that feeding my family was getting a little tiresome. I was a bit fed up with creating multiple meals every day, making the same dishes, and having to spend so long creating them. Plus, I was finding myself struggling to think of meal ideas to create in the first place. If you are struggling to fill up your meal plan every week then have a look at our 31 meal ideas below. This gives you a month on breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas that you can use.

You can add a dollop of sour cream or butter, sprinkle on some crumbled bacon, or any other toppings to make a hearty cheap meal idea. But these are the prices I found when creating this list and they are fairly consistent with what I have paid for these items for the past several years.Potatoes are one of those vegetables that are not only cheap, but also last a lot longer than many others you buy in the produce department. I think this is huge. And I think it's something that as a society we really struggle with. I grew up in a generation where everyone was talking about dieting and celebrities were on the front cover if they had a bit of flesh, misplaced or whatever. I think we grew up in a society which was really damaging to self-esteem, to mental health, to our relationship with food and I think it didn't help that at home, there's often quite a lot of pressure. Cover with foil and bake in oven at 350 for 30 minutes or so. Until it is hot through and cheese is melted.

Whilst I've done this in the Ninja Foodi, it's just as easy to do on the stove or in the Slow cooker. The first step to making a dirt-cheap meal plan is to plan your meals around the cheapest foods you can buy, then brainstorm meal ideas around those foods. If you’re feeling bold, you can even turn it into an activity with your children. Not only will it help a couple of hours pass by, but your little ones will be equipped with the skills they need to cook from scratch for themselves (in a few years time!) But you probably still have some in the bag that can be used for future recipes, without needing to spend more. This one’s a bit of a cliche, but it’s a cliche for a reason! Meal planning is one of the best ways to save money on your food shop, and reduce the amount of food you’re throwing away. I shared some of my best meal planning tips in this post all about reducing your grocery spend, but here are a couple of ideas to get you started.

This is a yummy breakfast for the whole family. You make it the night before and add it to the fridge before you go to bed. Thisfamily weekly meal planner was done at Asda and with fresh vegetables, but to lower the cost a bit more, you could even swap to frozen vegetables.

One of the easiest ways to make spaghetti is cook up the noodles. Drain the noodles and return to the same pot. Add a jar of sauce and mix and heat until hot through. Then you can bulk it up and add more flavor with some low-cost fruit such as apples or sliced bananas and maybe some honey to sweeten it up a bit. It’s also worth considering shops that don’t market themselves as ‘zero-waste’ but still offer loose produce. Many small corner shops and international supermarkets will offer something like this, as will farmers’ markets. They take less than 15 minutes to make and are a healthier, low-carb option than pasta. Mac & Cheese Lentils are a cheap pantry staple that you should probably keep on hand if you are looking to save money on groceries.A lot of people are concerned about the cost of living crisis and food, as a result of this. What would be your advice? Alongside reducing your own food waste, there are a number of ways to rescue waste, excess or rejected produce. Try asking your local supermarket when they put out their reduced items, to rescue expiring food at much lower prices, or use an app like Olio or Too Good to Go, where users can list food going spare. Some areas have community fridges where locals can place food they no longer need, for others to take. Baked Potato Bar–you already bought the potatoes. Bake some up and load them up with butter, sour cream, shredded cheese, onions and maybe a can of Chili.