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busymum 
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 Topic: On the subject of costs and dinners...
Posted: 07 March 2007 at 4:05pm |
I got quite "lazy" (relaxed) about food and budgets over the time Krystiana was due but I do like to be in the kitchen, so now I'm looking for fresh inspiration for nice dinners on a budget. I'm getting a bit sick of hash browns, mixed veges and Big Ben family pies! 
And I have a DH and brother (boarder) who are not too keen on their veges so some good ideas for sneaking veges in meals without being too overly-tasty would be good - I was wondering how courgettes would go in a lasage, for example?
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sparkle
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Posted: 07 March 2007 at 4:54pm |
One quick easy and relatively inexpensive meal I enjoy making is fritata. We probably have it at least once a week, and hubby takes the left overs for lunch.
I use one chopped potato, one chopped kumera, and a handful of chopped pumpkin (steamed in the mircowave first for 3 minutes), two grated carrots, two grated zuchinni, one chopped onion. Fry all them up in the fry pan with garlic and herbs. Then add 4 beaten eggs (I put a dalloop of natural yoghurt in too). Cook on stove top for about 12 minutes, sprinkle cheese (sometimes I use feta for a change) and then pop under the grill for another 5 minutes to finish it off.
I find it's an easy meal to prepare, it's all in one pan and there's lots of vegs. If the men are meat lovers you can always add some chopped bacon.
Just make sure you don't use a fry pan that has a plastic handle. 
Corgettes go nicely in Lasange, as do chopped mushrooms and peppers. They tend to get hidden with the meat sauce!
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MummyFreckle
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Posted: 07 March 2007 at 4:58pm |
You can always make a Mousaka - basically a greek lasagne. Just use layers of Aubergine instead of the pasta. Thinly slice the eggplant, drizzle with olive oil and salt and plan fry, then use those as the 'pasta' between the meat sauce. Traditionally I would use lamb mince - but beef is fine!
The other thing I do with lasagne is layer spinach in between the pasta sheets - sneak in the green stuff!
We prob have at least 4 meals a week that are meat free - which is amazing really as when I met my DH 10 years ago - him and his flatmate used to think mince on toast was a gourmet meal!
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meow
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Posted: 07 March 2007 at 5:30pm |
All the veges you can grate, you can usually hide in things. Lasagne is a great one to hide veges in, you could grate courgette, kumara, carrot etc.. and they'll be none the wiser
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busymum
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Posted: 07 March 2007 at 5:31pm |
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oo I like the spinach like that! What does eggplant taste like?
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Andie
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Posted: 07 March 2007 at 5:34pm |
 busymum wrote:
I was wondering how courgettes would go in a lasage, for example? |
he he... what don't courgettes go with?! I even grate them (along with a carrot) into nacho meat when we're doing nacho's and beer night! We both really like our vegies, but I've gotta admit, hubby believes I've got the idea of nachos all wrong when he sees me adding them.
Shepherd's pie is a pretty cheap dinner loaded with veges. I've got one in the oven as I type... but I kinda want a fritata now! I like that idea.
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Andie
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busymum
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Posted: 07 March 2007 at 5:36pm |
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I'm making a sausage casserole tonight with baked beans in it, am thinking of making some pastry for the second half of it for another night (made double tonight).
And yep we all agree on carrots so they are present - sliced or grated - in nearly every meal.... man that sounds crazy put like that!
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lizzle
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Posted: 07 March 2007 at 5:52pm |
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courgettes go in everything we have too when on special - great grated in omelettes. I love big pasta bakes - make a cheese sauce, some pasta and any veges you got.
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busymum
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Posted: 07 March 2007 at 6:08pm |
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What's their season? Soon I think?
btw Palmy mums, PNS have some very good prices in the fruit and vege dept this week, especially bananas.
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mummy_becks
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Posted: 07 March 2007 at 6:12pm |
[QUOTE=busymum]What's their season? Soon I think? QUOTE]
Their season is finishing up they are a summer vege. I had a few plants in the vege garden this summer and got heaps off them. I have just pulled out 2 that had finished flowering and i've got 1 left that is a big plant that is still flowering and producing veges.
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I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived!
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Kellz
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Posted: 07 March 2007 at 6:51pm |
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When making lasagne we slice mushrooms and corgettes and do a seperate layer of each with white sauce,..then a layer of meat sauce etc. Yum!
We are having shepards pie tonight. I cook mince, then add onions and mushrooms, add about tablespoon of tomatoe paste ( I freeze the left overs of the can in ice cube trays), and make up a packet of dark gravy, and stir that in too. Then add whatever mix vege, and grated carot. Put in a lasagne type dish, top with mashed kumara or potatoe or both, spinkle with breadcrumbs or grated cheese. Heat in oven. Yummo!
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On the subject of costs and dinners...
