Bulking out family meals?
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Topic: Bulking out family meals?
Posted By: Maya
Subject: Bulking out family meals?
Date Posted: 13 May 2008 at 6:35pm
OK so I nearly died of fright when it cost me $15 for mince for ONE meal today!  Granted it did have to feed 2 adults, a hungry teenager and three sprats, and the rest of the meal (canned tomatoes, Dolmio and pasta) were cheap, but it just seemed so expensive!
So, how do you bulk out family meals? Fiona suggested kidney beans which I will definitely try, and as mentioned I added 2 cans of tomatoes, a jar of Dolmio and a large capsicum, plus plenty of pasta which is only $1.80 for a 1kg bag of Homebrand, but what else can you suggest? And not just mince suggestions: stews, casseroles etc. as well. I do use pasta a lot to bulk out meals, eg. I make a tuna pasta bake from a Maggi sachet using the recommended amount of tuna and other ingredients but double the pasta. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Replies:
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 13 May 2008 at 6:40pm
| We usually bulk out our meals with certain veges. Spuds are good and filling so are carrots. So if we make a meal and it looks like its not quite enough to fill us (say a stir fry) we just carrot. |
Posted By: katie1
Date Posted: 13 May 2008 at 6:57pm
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I put kumura, carrot and pumpkin into casseroles to bulk them out. Sometimes I use a can of chickpeas.
I also use kidney beans or the spicy mexican beans with mince. |
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 13 May 2008 at 7:00pm
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Yeah carrots are great with spag bol.
My mum puts baked beans in with cottage pies and thats really yummy. I love broad beans and put them in casseroles/stews etc. I even eat them with roast dinners. Butter beans and kidney beans, any type of bean really. Lentils are good for bulking stuff up too. Serve them more pasta and less mince  ------------- 
 
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Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 13 May 2008 at 7:05pm
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Any vege will do. When I do mince and pasta for me and the boys we have carrots, courgettes, capiscum, brocolli, cauli. You could always add some rice. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 13 May 2008 at 7:47pm
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Beef casseroles:
Lentils Carrots Potatoes Kumara Onion Mushroom (use beer in the sauce..mmmmm) Mince: Tomato (I used tinned) Onion Mushroom Red Kidney Beans (top with pancake topping and your kids won't notice the vegetables in the mince! Sounds odd but is cheap and tastes great) I tend to use more vegetables as I'm not a starchy carbs fan hence dislike too much pasta etc. Also, try starting the meal with some soup as then you need less of the main course. Homemade soup is so cheap and easy. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 13 May 2008 at 7:57pm
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i have some red lentils that i am going to start adding to my stews and soups... ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 13 May 2008 at 8:01pm
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Red lentils are great. I use them heaps, esp with Elle's pumpkin etc. I also tend to thicken sauces etc with oatbran rather than flour...gives a nice texure and taste.
Brown lentils are good in beef casseroles. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 13 May 2008 at 8:10pm
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oh, maybe you can give me some tips on what to do with my lentils then fiona. i am not too sure about them as not something i've used before. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 13 May 2008 at 8:15pm
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Ahhh yes. Well that is the great thing about them. Just biff them in at the start of cooking (when adding the liquid). In the case of soup, by the time the soup is ready you can be assured the lentils are cooked. Easy! ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 13 May 2008 at 8:18pm
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So you don't need to soak them? ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: FionaS
Date Posted: 13 May 2008 at 8:21pm
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Nope, not red lentils. ------------- Mummy to Gabrielle and Ashley |
Posted By: myfullhouse
Date Posted: 13 May 2008 at 8:27pm
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I agree with adding potatoes, kumara and carrot. They bulk out meals.
I make a Chilli Con Carne with about 300g mince, 1 tin of tomatoes (usually the italian flavour) and a tin of the watties mild salsa beans. This feeds DH and I for 2 nights and somes times there is still some left. The first night I put it with rice and veges and the 2nd night I make it into a shepards pie or lasagne. I always find a vege soup in winter good as it is quite filling and pretty cheap to make. We often have a bowl of soup and toast and then if we are still hungry something simple like eggs on toast ------------- Lindsey 
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Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 13 May 2008 at 9:38pm
| I add beans.....to everything, spag bol...add beans, burritos..of course, casseroles...add beans. |
Posted By: Leelee
Date Posted: 13 May 2008 at 9:46pm
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When I'm making the likes of Spag Bol I grate some carrots and corgettes and put them into it, cant really taste them but it bulks it out quite a bit ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Andie
Date Posted: 14 May 2008 at 8:28am
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Yeah man, when baked beans are on special, stock up! I add lots of veges to everything, but that said, it's not a cheaper way of eating really, is it. If it's value for money I'm after I'll make something I can serve on a big bed of rice. ------------- Andie |
Posted By: grrrgrrrr
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 11:02am
I find grated carrot can fill out most things without adding to much flavour. If you do a mince dish then adding some carrot when you brown the onion means that the carrot takes on more of the onion and stock flavour. My partner had no idea that I was filling it out cause it looks a bit like mince and tastes just like it if you put it in early  ------------- Mattias 2yo Henrik almost 1 |
Posted By: MrsMojo
Date Posted: 16 May 2008 at 2:10pm
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I use red lentils too in my mince dishes. I use potato's a lot too. You can make some really nice potato dishes cheap and they're very filling (i.e. baked stuffed, potato au gratin, roasted potato cubes sprinkled with herbs)
I also add grated carrot & frozen spinach to most stews and mince meals (mainly to get extra vitamins and minerals into my DH). -------------  
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Posted By: Kelpa
Date Posted: 26 May 2008 at 5:16pm
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Yes def grated carrots or courgette and frozen spinach here...have just started adding baked beans to things too much to Paiges disgust but figured since going to be five of us soon I need to get into the habit of this bulking up business too! -------------  
 
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Posted By: pepsi
Date Posted: 26 May 2008 at 6:08pm
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Shredded newspaper or dog food is good for bulking things up.. hubby has never noticed
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Posted By: peachy
Date Posted: 26 May 2008 at 6:09pm
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I always add a portion of frozen mixed vege to about every meal thats stew/casserole like just to bulk it up! ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Kellz
Date Posted: 26 May 2008 at 6:46pm
| We have diff types of frozen mixed vege and use them often. With mince I put in grated carrot and grated corguette and or frozen spinach. |
Posted By: Kels
Date Posted: 26 May 2008 at 8:51pm
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ROFLMAO!!! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
Busy mum to Miss 15yrs, Miss 10yrs and Master 4yrs |
pepsi wrote:Posted By: SMoody
Date Posted: 27 May 2008 at 9:28am
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I rarely use that much mince in a recipy. I use a max of 750 grams in a lasagne but dont go over that. If it is just the three of us the meal will last us 2 days when I use 700 to 750 gram mince. (and that is with Grant having seconds at each meal) and with 2 adults here it is for one meal.
I havent use lentils yet to bulk it up. But with spag boloignaise I usually use my recipy I do for lasagne as well. 2 grated carrots with one onion. Then celery or baby marrow in with that or really anything I feel like. If you grate the stuff it really bulks it up without certain people finding out they eat veggies. May that be your hubby or your kids or visitors. All they see is meat. I did however find when MIL was here busy cooking some meals that I will go three times the amount of mince ect than usual. And really it wasnt that much nicer or even tastier. (dried up most of the time.) ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 27 May 2008 at 8:03pm
Dammit Pepsi I just wet myself!  ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 27 May 2008 at 8:04pm
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Add carbohydrates, for example:
Put your mince, veges, tomato base & etc meal into a pastry shell, cook until crispy, and serve with mashed potatoes. It'll last you twice as long. If a bolognese type meal, use macaroni elbows or similar and mix them in with your meat & etc. Add baked beans in with that if you like. Serve with spuds as well. When casseroling steak/chicken/sausages, cut them into mouth-sized pieces, ie smaller than 1/3rd of sausage, that way you get more pieces of meat on your plate (together with gravy, veges, all the works) and you don't feel like you "missed out" on extra meat. Have you seen the soups thread recently started? We put soup mix (from the bulk bins - it's lentils, split peas, etc) in with a bacon hock and simmer it all afternoon (smells so good and makes the place feel warmer and friendlier!) and an hour before eating, add a tonne of veges to it. Very filling for not much food and certainly not much meat. I'm very much a meat fan, rarely have a meal without it, and it's still good! When you have leftover meat or tomato base etc from a meal, particularly chicken/lamb, make a homemade pizza. You can buy pizza bases premade or use a scone dough (half recipe) as a homemade base. Spread on some tomato paste and grated cheese then put all your toppings on there and serve with a salad. ------------- |
Posted By: bookwyrm
Date Posted: 19 March 2009 at 1:28pm
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Bump!
I know this thread is almost a year old, but such great ideas. Thought it may be helpful to some families out there. Has reminded me of some great ideas :) ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: _SMS_
Date Posted: 23 March 2009 at 2:29pm
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With mince i will add grated carrot, celery, onion, capsicums, courgette. And tinned tomatoes etc....
With casseroles etc, i mainly use onion and have started using potatoes etc...  -------------  
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Posted By: Snappy
Date Posted: 24 March 2009 at 11:41am
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I usually buy a frozen bag of mixed veges (The pea, carrot and corn one) and add that to my mince, as well as a can of tomatoes. I sometimes put wholegrain penne pasta in too.
When I do a casserole I always add some chopped carrot, potato, beans and even a can of budget sweetcorn, It will usually be enough for two meals (Stew on toast or bread is the best!) Also, theres a nice maggi chicken cacciatore meal (sp?) Its $1.24 for the sachet. You just add chopped tomatoes and chicken drumsticks to the crockpot and let it simmer away. I usually add frozen veges and even chopped potato and serve it with mash potato, sooooo cheap and easy! ------------- Mummy to two beauties... Formerly Kaiz. |
Posted By: Babe
Date Posted: 31 March 2009 at 11:44am
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Does anyone else thicken their mince?? I brown my onion, garlic and capsicum, add the mince and brown that then add cornflour and stir til dry. I then add water, enough to make a gravy through the mince if that makes sense, add my frozen veges and soy sauce then leave it to simmer for abit to cook the cornflour completely. It really extends the meal and its yummy too. -------------   
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