help with budget friendly food for pre-diabetic aunt with intellectual disability

[tk1999]

BG - even though it was slower than your normal pace I would like to say congrats - it is still a fair effort!

It was a super long day for you - hope you were ok today! So glad that it sunk in with your aunt and she enjoys the yummy meals you have prepared together.

[briggsy's girl]

ok - final tally for the weekend and then i'm heading home for a much earlier night in bed tonight

potato soup - 7 serves eaten, more left (which mum will keep) - ingredients mum had at home so no cost
meatballs - 5 serves - none for the freezer (was lunch yesterday)
chicken bolognaise - 16 meals for the freezer
spaghetti bolognaise - 6 meals with white sauce as pasta bake, 9 meals for the freezer
braised lamb - 8 meals for the freezer
braised beef - 8 meals for the freezer
cottage pie base (will top with mash today and put them in the freezer) - meal for 4 today, and 4 for the freezer
chicken stirfry - 8 meals for the freezer
vegie soup (pumpkin bought spesh, but everything else was left over veg) - 20 meals for the freezer

now, including buying basics for my aunt's place (gravox, chicken stock powder, beef stock powder, vege stock powder, pepper etc) it cost us around $240 between the three of us



so $240, essentially 88 meals, so under $3 a meal - and three freezers looking a whole lot healthier!

[tk1999]

That is a steller effort BG - def will have to look into a SC - I could save myself millions

[Tinks]

OMG what a bargain! You are so lovely for doing that.

[Mak]

Fantastic job!!! I am very inspired by your cook-a-thon....also seems like a great plan for the family budget too. I agree with tk1999 - looks like a slow cooker is a must have.

Well done - I hope you can rest up today!

[briggsy's girl]

today is a day of rest -- have two letters to post, so will head to the PO later,but apart from that it's feet up allllll day. i've only had three days whole pg when my feet have swelled at all - and two of them were this weekend just been!

doing it the budget friendly way, you could use the slow cooker once or twice a week and make enough for two family meals at a time (for a big family) or, as it is for us, 8 individual ones. what i would suggest is getting the biggest slow cooker you can afford at the time, and, when you're using it, fill it as much as you can! pack out basic things (like spag bol) with finely chopped vegies - makes for a more "rounded" meal - means you don't have to worry about doing veg when you defrost it later on! you can use cheaper cuts of meat and the slow cooking process makes it nice and tender!