by Thrifty Lesley | Feb 21, 2026 | Dinners, Less than 500 calories
A tasty vegetable packed bake with a tomatoey base and crispy sliced potatoes on top. Delicious! Made using inexpensive seasonal vegetables from the supermarket. What do I need to make vegetable bake? The base in this dish is from the vegetable crumble, elsewhere on...
by Thrifty Lesley | Feb 21, 2026 | Dinners, Less than 500 calories
If you think comfort food has to be expensive, this budget root vegetable dauphinoise is here to prove otherwise. Made with humble carrots, swede and potatoes, this creamy, layered bake transforms some of the cheapest vegetables in the supermarket into something that...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 27, 2025 | All Meal Plans, Meal Plan 7, Meal Plans For 2
Repriced at the end of April 2024. You will need £27.29 at the checkout, with £21.43 worth of food used during the week, or £1.46 pppd This is our Seventh Meal Plan. As for all the others, it shows 3 meals a day, plus some cakey extras to fill any gaps, for 7 days,...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 27, 2025 | All Meal Plans, Meal Plan 4, Meal Plans For 2
Meal Plan 4 As at the time of writing, August 2025 you will need £23.73 in your purse at the checkout, but the amount of food actually consumed (if you follow the plan fully) comes to £18.74, so £1.34 a day per person, and you still have some supplies to start you off...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 24, 2025 | All Recipes, Dinners, Meal Plan 7
This recipe uses a one third portion of an easy beef ragu made for use in Meal Plan 7. The picture shows my portion, which is a quarter of the finished dish, not a half, so this dish could feed 4, and not the 2 originally thought. What do I need to make beef ragu...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 24, 2025 | All Meal Plans, Dinners, Meal Plan 7
In meal plan 7 we have a cottage pie, a lasagna and spaghetti bolognese. All three recipes use the same easy ragu as a base. What do I need to make Beef Ragu – used 3 ways 500g beef mince. The 20% fat beef mince is usually cheapest, but 20% of it is fat –...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 18, 2024 | All Meal Plans, Celebration Meal Plans, Christmas, Vegetarian Christmas Meal Plan
If you are on a tight budget, Christmas food can be very difficult, causing stress, and maybe even debt too. No need to get into debt, when with a bit of extra planning, you can enjoy a delicious vegetarian Christmas festive meal, without spending a fortune. Re-Priced...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 5, 2024 | Dinners, Less than 500 calories, Lunches
Having recently been on holiday, and enjoying the local food, I was keen to explore some traditional Greek food recipes when I got back. A reader, Vera George, who is Greek, offered some of her recipes, and this is one of hers. Kounoupithi Yiahni by the way is...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 5, 2024 | All Recipes, Less than 500 calories, Lunches, Meal Plan 1, Meal Plan 2
This post was first written in June 2013 and updated in June 2021. I love this soup, it is my go to for a soup for lunch. I usually add a tsp of ginger paste from a jar, a tsp of garlic paste, and a tsp of turmeric to give it a lovely spicy kick, and at it’s...
by Thrifty Lesley | Oct 12, 2024 | All Meal Plans, Meal Plan 14, Meal Plans For 4
The Fourteenth Meal Plan – wow, that’s three and a half months worth! Plus all the celebration and 5 day ones! This one, as per usual shows 3 meals a day, plus some cakey extras to fill any gaps, for 7 days, for 2 adults, and this time, two 15 year old...
by Thrifty Lesley | Apr 30, 2023 | All Meal Plans, Meal Plan 8, Meal Plans For 2
The Eighth Meal Plan. As I say every time, it shows 3 meals a day, plus some cakey extras to fill any gaps, for 7 days, for 2 adults. Change the meals around to suit yourself, combine the shopping list of ingredients in any other way that suits you, add extra...
by Thrifty Lesley | Apr 29, 2023 | All Meal Plans, Meal Plan 9, Meal Plans For 2
The Ninth Meal Plan. Last priced at Aldi.com, on 28th April 2024. You will need £22.17 at the checkout, but the food eaten comes to £19.19, which is £1.37 per person, per day As I say every time, it shows 3 meals a day, plus some cakey extras to fill any gaps, for 7...
by Thrifty Lesley | Apr 28, 2023 | All Meal Plans, Meal Plan 10, Meal Plans For 2
Updated and repriced in June 2024 The Tenth Meal Plan – we’re in double figures! The usual caveats apply, it shows 3 meals a day, plus some cakey extras to fill any gaps, for 7 days, for 2 adults. Change the meals around to suit yourself, combine the...
by Thrifty Lesley | Apr 27, 2023 | All Meal Plans, Meal Plan 11, Meal Plans For 2
Weekly Meal Plan Eleven For this, our eleventh weekly meal plan for 2 adults, we base it around a whole chicken, bacon and lots of vegetables. As at 5th October 2024, you will need £31.60 in your purse at the checkout, but the amount of food actually consumed (if you...
