Frugal Friday, but Fun: Frugal Pie

To follow on from last week’s Frugal Friday, but Fun post all about grocery shopping, a few more ‘foodie’ ideas;

  • Cut back on takeaway: try a toasted sandwich or egg on toast for an alternative quick meal.
  • I have previously posted about our efforts at ‘growing your own’ vegetables. When Australia was in the grips of the Great Depression, women were urged to grow vegetables in their backyards and to keep poultry to help put food on the table for their families. We have had varied success – heaps of tomatoes, a good number of zucchini, some broccoli, but no edible cauliflower or pumpkin (thanks to the various small creatures interested in eating them before they are fit for human consumption). Our strawberry plants look like they have potential with lots of flowers and developing fruit, it is just a matter of keeping the toddler away from them long enough for them to mature! Now the weather is warming up, it is time for us to revisit what we should try planting next and Rhonda at Down to Earth suggests using this planting calendar (for those in Australia).
  • Invest in a slow cooker as they are an excellent way of tenderising cheaper cuts of meat. I was interested to read that Hungarian Goulash was a popular meal choice during the Great Depression for this very reason.
  • Try baking your own biscuits, cakes and puddings as treats. I like making cornflake and choc chip biscuits to use up the little cornflake crumbs that you find in the dregs of the cereal box!
  • Use meal preparation as a great way to show children how a budget works. Begin by choosing a meal that your child is familiar with. Write a shopping list of all the ingredients that you need and set a clear budget before you head off to the shops. Shop together, prepare together and eat together.
  • Children learn so much from cooking experiences – as well as learning about food, there is literacy in reading the recipe, maths in measuring ingredients and science in the change process. The sensory nature of cooking (smell, sight, sound, touch and taste) makes it a wonderful learning experience for toddlers too.

Frugal Chicken & Vegetable Pie Recipe

 Chicken and vegetable pie recipe

This is a great recipe for using up any vegetables still in the crisper at the end of the shopping cycle.

You will need:

  • 25g butter
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 250ml milk
  • 2 sheets of puff pastry
  • 1-2 chicken breasts, finely chopped
  • 1tsp thyme
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 1 leek or large onion, chopped
  • 3 cups of vegetables, chopped into small cubes – you can use any vegetables really, I have used potato, pumpkin, carrot, zucchini, mushrooms, cauliflower and frozen peas.

To make

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
  2. Soften root vegetables by lightly steaming or cooking for a few minutes in the microwave.
  3. Melt butter, add leek or onion and cook until softened. Add chicken breast and cook until changes colour.
  4. Stir in flour and then slowly add milk. Stir until sauce thickens. Add vegetables and thyme and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
  5. Grease pie dish and line with one sheet of pastry. Add filling. Use second sheet of pastry for top.
  6. Glaze with beaten egg. Bake until golden, about 30-35 minutes.

Not forgetting some frugal family fun this week – why not try one of these simple ideas for cooking with kids;

  • Pikelets or pancakes
  • Cupcakes
  • Iced biscuits with funny faces
  • Rock cakes
  • Fruit kebabs
  • Fruit smoothies
  • Scones
  • Rocky road
  • Banana bread
  • Jam tarts
  • Fruit muffins
  • Pizza
  • Playdough

I would love to hear your ideas for saving money in the kitchen. What recipes do you use to use up vegetables or leftovers? How do you involve your children in the kitchen and cooking?

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5 Comments

  1. Azra Momin says:

    Your pie looks delish!

    I just posted a recipe that used what I had – it came out beautiful, and the BabyBug loved it too!

  2. Great tips and thanks for the pointer to the planting calender!
    If I have a small amount of different veg leftover, I often grate them up, mix with egg and some grated cheese and make fritters. I only pop them in the frying pan to lightly brown each side then pop them in the oven for 10-15 mins to bake. My kids love them! 🙂

  3. Christie Burnett says:

    Azra, your recipe looked lovely.

    Michelle, the fritters are a great idea and are definitely on my list to try.

  4. katepickle says:

    we managed just 1 cauli this year and not because of bugs.. the darn things were all leaves and no flowers!!!

    Your pie sounds delish!
    I've learn to make loads of things from scratch – like tortillas which are much easier than you think. And there is a biscuit recipe that uses a tin of condensed milk which makes heaps of biscuits… I freeze the dough in logs and just chop off a few to bake for kinder snack each week.

  5. Petite Mum says:

    I give any leftover vegetables from last night's dinner to my 18 month old baby girl. She just loves them, they're healthy and I don't have to think about it!
    Roasted veges go into my pumpkin soup, gives it a lot more flavour too.

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