need some inspiration

I'm stuck in a rut - have 3 very hungry boys that need feeding when I get in from work, about 6pm, but before they go out at 7, and a OH who doesn't usually get in until 9pm every night so food for him needs to be microwaveable or cookable very quickly from scratch. BTW - I try to be gluten free, so often have something completely different to everyone else plus trying to lose weight 
Usual menu has run like this, but now tired & bored
M Slow cooker mince chilli or bolognese
T Sunday roast in a pie - either beef caserole or chicken  made with ready made puff
W Bacon, eggs & Beans
Th Veg pasta or chill
Fri Paella or fish pie (which they hate), or if in a rush, fishfingers or breaded fish & oven chips
Sat HM pizza or Chinese (HM)
Sun roast

Need to save money and cut down on meat - any ideas for a cash=strapped, time strapped mum?

Winter salads like coleslaw, Waldorf etc.

Mostly pretty cheap, and very filling. We live on the stuff, and just this evening found we had 10 veg in front of us, albeit some in very small quantities!

Baked potatoes as well.

I picked up that leaflet and did one of the recipes. The one for fusili and pumpkin. Lovely it was too  (page 24)

The recipe ideas on the Philadelphia light are good. I've done quite a few of those and they seem to go down well

Our lot enjoy either a good quality burger or a chicken fillet griddled, chopped and put into a toasted pitta bread with salad. Mayo or Caesar salad dressing drizzled on the salad

Macaronni cheese  -  can be made cheaper with a packet sauce mix with some extra cheese added, served with a salad.
Corned beef hash, with a side of baked beans.
If you cook extra potatoes when making the hash, use them with onions, cooked leftover veg and add 6 eggs to make a large tortilla type omlette.  Eat hot or cold and nice for a packed lunch with salad (if theres any leftover)

Both can be re heated in the microwave for the OH later on

We make spag-bol very cheap.

3 mugs of penne pasta (we use penne as it's less messy for the kids) 20p
Im sure you know how to boil pasta 

Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil. 10p
1 can of chopped toms. (cheap one on offer 30p)
1/2 an onion finely chopped. 20p
A handfull of mushrooms chopped to your prefered size (i have big hands). 30p
2 cloves of garlic or to taste 5p
1 tsp of mixed herbs 5p
250g of mince. £1.80


Lightly soften the onion and garlic in a tbsp of olive oil,
Add the mince and mushrooms and fry untill lightly brown,
Add the toms and bring to a simmer ,
Add the herbs and mix into the sauce.

Plate up the pasta and serve the sauce in the midle of the pasta, then drizzle some more olive oil around the pasta that has no sauce on it.

We worked it out to cost around £3.00 for 4 of us (2 adult and 2 kids)
And there is usually enough for the 2 kids a second helping the next day or for me for my tea.


It will work out alot cheaper if your using your own home made tomatoe sauce/garlic onions and herbs.

My OH makes the best Spag-bol in our house but thats a different recipe (it's a secret) but thats how i make it 

I use very little mince now in our spag

bulk it out with mushrooms

We used to use 500g of mince and now do the same with the mushrooms as you do CQ.

Thanks all, I'll try to devise a different menu. I think I just need to get organised