So is it possible? Well, yes...
....and no.
Technically it is possible, however you need a family that is prepared to change the way they eat quite considerably and go without a lot of the little extras such as snacks between meals or any kind of drink that isn't water. It's also worth noting that the meal plans aren't designed for small children and I did make a few changes to accommodate their needs. The main example being breakfast as the options were toast and jam or muesli and yoghurt and none of my family were prepared to stray from their usual selections of cereal.
Having said all that, it was really interesting to try some of the economy options, some of which I'd happily buy again (the mozarella and the bag of muesli) and some I wouldn't (the 18p jar of pasta sauce and the economy Rice Krispies I decided to try). I also discovered some great new recipes that I'll be using again in the future.
Cheesy Bolognese Bake - this was really nice and made absolutely loads. I liked the addition of the bread on top which added a nice crunchy texture.
Sausages with Potato Wedges and Creamy Greens - the creamy greens were a real revelation in this dish. Just a simple mixture of softened onion slices mixed with cooked beans and peas and some cream cheese. So simple but really delicious.
Salmon fishcakes - I don't have a picture for these but again the recipe made loads and I still have another meal's worth left in the freezer. They were very simple to make and tasted great.
I ended up chopping and changing my meal plan last week so the Chicken Risotto and Burgers have reappeared on this week's plan and I'll try to report back about these at a later date.
So how much did I spend in the end? Well, all in all my total weekly shop came to about £70 - more than the £60 I was trying to keep to but still considerably less than I'd usually spend. Plus, as the portion sizes were more than we needed I still have some leftovers in the freezer for another day. You can find all the details and recipes for this plan, and the two preceeding ones on Sainsbury's website here.
So on to this week's meal plan. I've quite enjoyed the challenge of keeping to a budget so while I don't intend to be as restrictive as last week I'm concentrating on using up items already in my cupboard and freezer.
Monday - Sausages with Potato Wedges and Creamy Veg
Tuesday - Pasta with Aubergine and Tomato Sauce
Wednesday - Tortellini with Courgette and Lemon
Thursday - Chicken Risotto
Friday - Out
Saturday - Fish Cakes with Rice and Veg
Sunday - Barbeque Mince or burgers
I've been really enjoying reading reviews of the Sainsbury's Feed your Family deal. I've read quite a bit of criticism, in the national press and other blogger's reviews, and I think there is still quite a bit of work Sainsbury's could do to improve the scheme (e.g. encouraging batch cuisine, or as you've done, using up storecupboard staples). But overall, I think that what Sainsbury's are trying to achieve has to be heartily commended, and it does raise some very thoughtprovoking issues- the rising cost of food for example and that there are many families trying to eat for less than this each week.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I seem to have written an essay on your blog! I've just come across your blog- really enjoying reading it!