In these lean times, one good idea to save money is batch cooking. You can do this yourself and freeze all the leftovers, or use to make big meals to divide and then share among family and friends. So each person makes one big meal, then you all get 7 different dinners a week, once shared. Then just open the freezer and get out your own homemade ready-meal.
Batch cooking must be done with note to allergies and choking hazards (children etc). Some foods (inc. grapefruit & dark green leafy veggies) are not safe for some medications (check before sharing).
Use palm-oil-free vegan butter. Keep recipes away from pets due to toxic ingredients (garlic, onion, leeks, chives, mushrooms, grapes, nuts, avocado, dried fruits, nutmeg, fresh dough, green potatoes/onions, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, jackfruit and xylitol).
Long-term, it means you can use very cheap ingredients for nutritious meals, and save heaps of money. However, be aware of food safety like not using rice more than a day old. The Veg Space also offers lots of batch cooking recipes, by a professionally trained chef. The recipes include:
- Butter Bean Mash
- Marrow Soup
- Vegan Hotpot
- Tuscan Bean Stew
- Vegan Stew with Ale & Barley
- Mushroom Soup with Porcini
- Chickpea & Butternut Squash Curry
- Vegan Chili con Carne
- Curried Parsnip Soup
- Creamy Courgette Curry
- Vegan Cheese Scones
- Vegan Korma
- Vegan Cauliflower Cheese
