Cut the cost of your food bills and feed your family for £20 a week with these thrifty recipes

WITH some clever shopping and a bit of planning, it is possible to cut the cost of your food bills.

Lorna Cooper, 44, from Paisley, Renfrewshire, believes that by following her advice you can comfortably feed your family for just £20 a week.

The mum of three has released her second book, Feed Your Family For £20 A Week — In A Hurry!, and it has more than 100 thrifty recipes that are reasonably easy to make, and can all be prepared in under 20 minutes.

Lorna says: “As well as offering simple and tasty dishes, my mission is to provide tips and hacks that help household budgets go further.

“In times when we are all watching the pennies, you would be amazed at what you can buy for £20 a week and how far you can make those ingredients stretch.

“So many of you have told me how one of the biggest challenges about cooking from scratch is the time constraint. I get it, as a mother of three and stepmother of two, I know exactly what it’s like to have a hectic household with lots of mouths to feed.

‘WHOLESOME, DELICIOUSLY SIMPLE MEALS’

“Often after a long day, it’s hard to find the motivation to start following long and complicated recipes.

“That’s why I focus on wholesome, deliciously simple meals that can either be on the table in 20 minutes or require less than 20 minutes’ prep with some hand-off cooking time.”

In day two of our exclusive series, we serve up breakfast for a week.

• THIS is part of week one of an eight-week meal plan to feed a family of four. For the remaining seven weeks’ recipes and a full shopping list to help you budget, check out Feed Your Family For £20 A Week — In A Hurry! by Lorna Cooper (£16.99, Seven Dials) published on April 15.

Sweet potato egg nests

2 mins prep • 13 - 18 mins cooking • Serves 4

YOU NEED:

• 1 tbsp oil
• ¼ large sweet potato, peeled and finely grated
• 200g frozen baby spinach
• 4 eggs
• Pinch of salt and pepper

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas mark 4 and grease four holes of a regular-sized muffin tin with the oil.
2. Using your fingers, line the greased muffin holes with the sweet potato, pressing to form a crust on the bottom and sides.
3. Bake the sweet potato crusts for 5-8 minutes, then remove from the oven.
4. Add the baby spinach on top of the sweet potato and crack an egg on to each crust.
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then return to the oven to bake for a further 8-10 minutes, or until the egg whites are cooked.

Blueberry overnight oats

5 mins prep • Serves 1

YOU NEED:

• 45g porridge oats
• 45g fresh blueberries
• Pinch of salt
• 70g plain yoghurt
• 1-2 tsp maple syrup
• 120ml milk

METHOD:

1. Place all the ingredients into a large glass container/bowl and mix until combined.
2. Transfer to a jar or a glass.
3. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
4. Top with extra fresh fruits/nuts/seeds and serve.

TIP: Toasting seeds and nuts for the topping will add extra flavour – just pop them under the grill for a minute or two.

Apple & pear muffins

10 mins prep • 20 mins cooking • Makes 12 (enough for three days this week)

YOU NEED:

• 115g butter/margarine
• 115g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 115g self-raising flour
• 1 eating apple
• 1 pear

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas mark 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Cream together the butter/margarine and sugar in a large bowl.
3. Beat the eggs, add to the bowl, then fold in your flour.
4. Peel, core and finely chop the apple and pear, then fold into the mixture.
5. Transfer the mixture to the muffin cases, divided evenly, and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
6. The muffins are ready when they’re golden brown and cooked through.

Mint choc chip smoothie

5 mins prep • Serves 1 - 2

YOU NEED:

• 1 banana, peeled
• 150g ice cubes
• 60ml milk
• 120g plain yoghurt
• 5g fresh mint leaves
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp chocolate chips
• Fresh mint, to garnish

METHOD:

1. Just place your tasty ingredients into your blender and simply blitz until smooth.

Pina colada overnight oats

5 mins prep • Serves 1

YOU NEED:

• 45g porridge oats
• 60g frozen pineapple chunks
• 1 tbsp desiccated coconut
• Pinch of salt
• 70g plain yoghurt
• 1-2 tsp honey/maple syrup
• 120ml milk
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• Pineapple chunks and desiccated coconut for topping

METHOD:

1. Place all the ingredients into a large glass container/bowl and mix until combined.
2. Transfer to a jar or a glass.
3. Cover and place in the fridge for at least four hours, or overnight.
4. Top with extra fresh fruits/nuts/seeds and serve.

My little lifesavers

CORNFLOUR: This is a saviour for thickening all types of sauces.

EGG NOODLES: Instead of buying packs from the world food aisle, which typically cost £1, buy own-brand instant noodles, which can be as cheap as 14p. Throw away the seasoning sachets and just cook in water.

PASTES & PUREES: Keep an eye out for garlic/ginger/chilli pastes or purees on offer.

I always snap them up when they are at a great price because they last forever and save so much time and effort when it comes to chopping or creating pastes.

STOCK CUBES: For instant flavour add a stock cube. Use one with some frozen veg and rice or noodles for a simple, tasty meal.

FROZEN VEG: Not only is it generally cheaper, but also you waste less because it doesn’t go off, meaning you can have more variety on a weekly/monthly basis.

It’s also pre-prepped, so the only effort involved is opening the freezer drawer and grabbing a good handful.

Alternatively, if you have fresh veg, it can be prepped and frozen in advance.

POTATOES: I always pick up a sack of potatoes when they are on offer. Then, while I’m unpacking my shopping, I stick four on a tray and put them in the oven to save time and energy later in the week.

Once they are cooked, wrap well and freeze.

BULK BUY MEAT: The same applies to meat – if there is a great bargain to be had, buy in bulk, and when you get home, separate out what you need and cook it there and then before freezing.

Some of my recipes call for cooked chicken or cooked ham, for example. Both can be cooked in the slow cooker, oven or on the stove, then divided up and frozen until needed.

Freeze milk or cream in ice cube trays or bags to add to soups and sauces, or to use for tea/coffee.

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