20 Apr 2020

Quick and easy family meals

From Nine To Noon, 11:36 am on 20 April 2020

Low on money and energy but still have to keep the family fed?

Hamilton food blogger Kathrine Lynch has drawn up a 14-day meal plan to feed a family for only $3.25 per serving.

The plan was designed for lockdown – and minimising supermarket trips – so features meals made mostly from packaged ingredients such as frozen veges. 

The only fresh products you'll need to buy are meat and onions, she tells Kathryn Ryan.

Kathrin Lynch

Kathrin Lynch Photo: supplied by Kathrine Lynch

Kathrine, who has three kids, aims her recipes at beginner cooks who might have relied a bit on takeaways before lockdown.

She shares with us recipes for some of her favourites: 

Meat is the most expensive part of any meal so cutting down on that of will save you money, Kathrine says.

To bulk out a meal and make it filling, add vegetarian protein from chickpeas, lentils and beans. Fried rice can be inexpensive if you use eggs and legumes and just a little bit of bacon.

To set yourself up for making quick and cheap meals, make sure you keep a supply of tinned tomatoes, beef or chicken stock, tinned pasta sauces, pasta, rice and couscous in your pantry, she says.

Kathrine's daily menu plan has a related Facebook group you can find here.