Quality Recipes On A Budget You Should Try

Times have been hard recently and everyone wants to keep a hold of their money. One of the first places people tend to scrimp is with their food shopping. This is understandable, however, it shouldn’t affect the quality of your food. Great and tasty meals do not have to cost a fortune, and there are simple recipes out there for anyone looking to escape the chaos with an impeccable meal.

Don’t Miss Out On a Takeaway – Chicken Kebabs

January comes with a lot of reasons for you to rip up your takeaway menus and say goodbye to some of your favourite naughty foods. Whether you’re trying to go sober, lose some weight or save some money, skipping the takeaways will leave you a little better off in your bank account. But, this doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all your favourite weekend classics.

What You Will Need (Serving 4)

Chicken (boneless and skinned) – 9 thighs

Onion or Potato – 1 Whole

Garlic Powder – 1tsp

Curry Powder – 1 tbsp

Paprika – 1tsp

Salt – 1tsp

Cinnamon – 1 pinch

Lemon – Just the juice.

• Step 1: Mix all ingredients in a bowl, except the chicken
• Step 2: Add the chicken and coat it in the mixture, make sure you mix well
• Step 3: Refrigerate for a couple of hours, wrapped in cling film
• Step 4: Remove the end of the potato or onion and add it to three skewers
• Step 5: Pierce each chicken thigh onto the skewers firmly
• Step 6: Place in the oven. Cook for 1 hour and a half at 180 degrees
• Step 7: Allow the chicken to sit for a few minutes
• Step 8: Slice it and serve it

 

Eight easy steps and you have yourself a healthy and tasty chicken kebab. It is served traditionally with flatbread. However, any additional extras are up to you. Fans of spice should add some peppers and a chilli sauce to give the meal a kick. This will save some money whenever you feel as if you’re craving a trip to the takeaway.  

Eat In For Savings – Chicken Parm

Saving money might mean you have had to give up eating out. However, giving this up does not mean you have to give up eating good food. It’s possible to whip up a fancy meal in your kitchen no problem, so here is a quick recipe that will impress your family, friends or partners.

What You Will Need (serving – 2)

Chicken Breast – 2

Breadcrumbs – 100g

Chopped Tomatoes – 1 Tin

Chopped onion – 1

Tomato puree – 1 tbsp

Oregano – 1 tbsp

Grated parmesan – 15g

Grated cheddar – 35

Cooking spray

Salt and Pepper – To taste

• Step 1: Cover a baking tray with cooking spray
• Step 2: Place the chicken breast and then cover in spray
• Step 3: Add salt, pepper and breadcrumbs to chicken
• Step 4: Cook chicken at 200 degrees in a preheated oven – 20 mins
• Step 5: Fry onions and garlic whilst chicken is cooking
• Step 6: Add tomatoes, puree and oregano to frying pan
• Step 7: Remove from heat until chicken is cooked
• Step 8: Pop the sauce on cooked chicken then add both cheeses
• Step 9: Insert back into oven for 10 mins

 

This pairs well with linguine for a great restaurant meal at home. Additionally, this meal is very healthy so it serves as the sensible option when compared to dining out. Bring date night home, with a nice white wine to help alleviate the stress you may be going through right now.

Feeding the Family – Cuban Beef

Families have been hit hard recently. Whether you have suddenly become your children’s teacher during homeschooling, or things have become difficult whilst working from home, food may have become an addition to your ever growing chore list. Cooking doesn’t need to be an afterthought, so blow the dust off your slow cooker and have dinner ready easily no matter your schedule with this recipe.

What You Will Need (Serving 4)

Steak – 500g

Boiling water – 240ml

Beef Stockcubes – 2

Chopped tomatoes – 2 tins

Tomato puree – 2 tbsp

Onion – 1 sliced

Green Pepper – 2 sliced

Red pepper – 2 sliced

Garlic – 4 crushed

Oregano – 1 tbsp

Cumin – 1 tbsp

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Red or white wine stock – 1

Cooking spray

Salt and pepper to taste

• Step 1: Season meat with salt and pepper and heat frying pan with cooking spray
• Step 2: Brown off the meat
• Step 3: Mix stock cubes in boiling water
• Step 4: Add all ingredients
• Step 4: Set cooker to high for the meal to be ready in around 6 hours
• Step 5: Shred meat when cooked

 

This is an ideal to opt for, as it’s a meal that essentially cooks itself while you work away. It serves well with rice, although such a versatile meal can go with anything you fancy. During the cooking process, if you take off the lid and see that it’s looking thinner that you like, simply leave the lid off and give it time to thicken.

No matter what your budget is like currently, you and your family still deserve to eat well. These adjustments can help you save money and keep you well fed. Life is too short to miss out on good food, especially when 2020 has had us miss out on so much already.