Big pot of pasta or stir fry. Good luck!

I find pasta is excellent,spaghetti bolognese,stir-fry’s and pasta bakes.

Buy mince and chicken in bulk and you can freeze it down in meal size quantities. If you have his time, before you freeze it Make bulk lots of bolognaise and lasagne(it can then be frozen and all you have to do is pull it out, defrost and cook some pasta to go with it!) ! Good family meals that have pasta carbs to help fill you all up! We also make butter chicken, quiche, you could do deviled sausages or bangers and mash! All cheap meals if you purchase in bulk. Sit down and plan out. We eat things two nights in a row at the moment. So quiche two nights, bolognaise x2 nights, lasagne etc… All means can have veggies added, either hidden or seen!

Anything with mince, mince and potatos, lasagne, chilli con carne, marcetti. All great affordable options

A suggestion if you like magazines, Recipes + and Food Ideas are both only around the $3 mark and have fabulous family friendly meals that mainly use everyday ingredients, they both have weekly menu plans with shopping guides and a rough budget on them.
Some of our in to meals are Pasta Bakes, Tuna Mornay, Homemade Burgers, Nachos with Mince and Kidney Bean topping (makes it more filling), Marinated Chicken on the BBQ with Salads.

We have a house of 7 to feed (4 adults, 3 kids). Pulled pork in the slow cooker, side of veggies and rice or coleslaw and bread, left overs can also be frozen for another meal. Home made pizzas are great at the end of the week to use up all the leftovers. Pasta bakes are a big hit, fried rice, stir fries, noodles with a clear stock broth with some asian veggies and baby corn.

Stir fries are quick, healthy and can feed lots of people. Pasta dishes are the same. Experiment with different meat/veggie combinations til you find what your family likes. You will save heaps of money and it will all be healthier too. In winter casseroles served over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes are fantastic. Use cheaper cuts of meat, like chuck or gravy beef, slow cook, add veggies and its a meal that also feeds a large family. Left overs can be baked in pastry for home made pies.

We are also a family of 6 (4 kids 2-8yrs & 2 adults).
Our main go to meals are stirfry’s, curries (kids love them!) or pasta based meals.

Stirfrys usually consist of either chicken breast or beef strips, carrots, frozen vegies (corn beans, broccoli) & some sort of sauce (Honey & soy / honey lime ginger & sweet chilli / oyster) Toss it all in the wok or fry pan & put some rice on – done.

Pasta is usually mince based – chicken, beef or on occassions lamb or turkey. Generally in a tomato sauce type sauce or a pasta bake sauce jar.

Coles sausages are good quality & only $7 for about 24. Try to find a good butcher as they are MUCH cheaper than buying from the supermarket & you can buy in bulk.

I love making things like spaghetti bolognese, curried sausages/chicken/vegetables. They’re big healthy meals you can add veggies in and freeze. I add grated zucchini and carrot into my spaghetti bolognese as well as red capsicum, they go good with the tomato flavours. Curried meals you can add sooo many veggies in.

Zucchini lasagna is a delicious healthy family dinner.

Im very budget conscious when it comes to meals as alot goes to waste with 2 kids the pick and choose if they will or wont eat tea.
Some of our cheap dinners include:
Fried Rice
Sausage casserole
Spag Bol
Lasagne
Shepards pie
Sausages or meatballs with gravy and veggies
Beef parcels (Thats what we call them, brown some mince, grab a tin of campbells beef and veg soup and put it in the mince to heat, allow to cool slightly whilst thawing a couple of sheets of pastry and then cut into 4 squares each sheet, spoon a couple of tablespoons in the one side and fold over into a triangle, glaze and bake etc.)

Also check out taste.com.au for all the budget ideas. Quiche can also be made cheap, tuna mornay, fish patties and salad etc. Heaps and heaps of ideas