Slice potatoes into wedges. Mine made 6 wedges per potato. Sprinkle
creole seasoning over the wedges, toss to coat (you don't want too much
though, the stuff is a bit hot!) and stick them onto a lightly oiled
baking tray. Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour at 200C.
Creole seasoning - CAUTION - this recipe makes A LOT.
2 1/2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp table salt
2 tbsp garlic granules
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp onion granules
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried thyme
Mix together and keep in a tightly closed jar.
I use the creole seasoning on nearly everything, from mushrooms, to
potatoes, to lentils that need spicing up. It's also very good on
popcorn.
Friday, 4 January 2013
Fish Cakes
I used the recipe out of "The best of Mrs Beeton's Easy Everyday
Cooking" recipe book. I was out of plain flour, so had to use gluten
free brown flour mix, and instead of pan frying them, I baked them. Next
time I will definitely pan fry them!
Fish Cakes
350g/12 oz cooked white fish, flaked
450g/1 pound potatoes
25g/1 oz butter
30ml/2 tbsp single cream or milk
15ml/1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper
50g/2 oz plain flour
oil for shallow frying
Remove any bones from the fish. Cook the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water for about 30 minutes or until tender. Drain thoroughly and mash with a potato masher, or beat with a hand-held electric whisk until smooth. Beat in the butter and cream or milk. Add the flaked fish and parsley, with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until cold.
Form the fish mixture into 8 portions, shaping each to a flat, round cake. Spread out the flour in a shallow bowl, add salt and pepper and use to coat the fish cakes.
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the fish cakes and fry for 6-8 minutes, turning once. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper, arrange on a warmed serving dish and serve.
**Next time I make this, it will be with leftover mashed potatoes instead of actually measuring out the butter and milk. I also didn't quite have enough fish, but they still turned out pretty good.
Fish Cakes
350g/12 oz cooked white fish, flaked
450g/1 pound potatoes
25g/1 oz butter
30ml/2 tbsp single cream or milk
15ml/1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper
50g/2 oz plain flour
oil for shallow frying
Remove any bones from the fish. Cook the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water for about 30 minutes or until tender. Drain thoroughly and mash with a potato masher, or beat with a hand-held electric whisk until smooth. Beat in the butter and cream or milk. Add the flaked fish and parsley, with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until cold.
Form the fish mixture into 8 portions, shaping each to a flat, round cake. Spread out the flour in a shallow bowl, add salt and pepper and use to coat the fish cakes.
Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the fish cakes and fry for 6-8 minutes, turning once. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper, arrange on a warmed serving dish and serve.
**Next time I make this, it will be with leftover mashed potatoes instead of actually measuring out the butter and milk. I also didn't quite have enough fish, but they still turned out pretty good.
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Budgeting and freezer cooking
I've decided to hop back on the wagon this month for blogging and what better way to start off than with a post about budgeting and cooking from the freezer?
Today was a baking/cooking for the freezer day here. I have cooked the following for later eating:
15 cinnamon applesauce oatmeal muffins
9 buckwheat pancakes
12 hamburger/sandwich buns
12 small yorkshire puddings
Pizza dough - enough for 2 large or 3 medium sized pizzas
Tomorrow I will be making:
Homemade 'poptarts' - external link (US measurements)
Pasties (with whatever fillings I have on hand)
Biscuit/scone dough - external link (US measurements)
I had to stop baking today because I've ran out of flour! We are having a curry tonight (homemade) made with leftover pork roast. We are also having onion bahji's, naan bread, rice, and red lentils. I'm cheating and using a tikka masala sauce I bought while it was on sale for the curry.
Today was a baking/cooking for the freezer day here. I have cooked the following for later eating:
15 cinnamon applesauce oatmeal muffins
9 buckwheat pancakes
12 hamburger/sandwich buns
12 small yorkshire puddings
Pizza dough - enough for 2 large or 3 medium sized pizzas
Tomorrow I will be making:
Homemade 'poptarts' - external link (US measurements)
Pasties (with whatever fillings I have on hand)
Biscuit/scone dough - external link (US measurements)
I had to stop baking today because I've ran out of flour! We are having a curry tonight (homemade) made with leftover pork roast. We are also having onion bahji's, naan bread, rice, and red lentils. I'm cheating and using a tikka masala sauce I bought while it was on sale for the curry.
Pizza Crust
1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1 cup (236 ml) warm water (between 110F-120F or 44C-48C)
2 1/2 cups (380 g) bread or plain flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Let stand until creamy (~5-10 minutes). Stir in the flour, salt, and the oil. Stir or knead until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.
*If freezing: Separate into separate dough balls (1 for each pizza) if desired, then wrap and freeze. Thaw completely before shaping and baking.
*If not freezing for later use: Preheat oven to 450F/230C/Gas mark 8. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Separate into smaller portions for smaller pizzas.
Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan. Spread out with hands. Spread on sauce and toppings and bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
1 tsp white sugar
1 cup (236 ml) warm water (between 110F-120F or 44C-48C)
2 1/2 cups (380 g) bread or plain flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Let stand until creamy (~5-10 minutes). Stir in the flour, salt, and the oil. Stir or knead until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.
*If freezing: Separate into separate dough balls (1 for each pizza) if desired, then wrap and freeze. Thaw completely before shaping and baking.
*If not freezing for later use: Preheat oven to 450F/230C/Gas mark 8. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Separate into smaller portions for smaller pizzas.
Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan. Spread out with hands. Spread on sauce and toppings and bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
Cinnamon Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins
Recipe courtesy of SparkPeople
1 cup (90 g) old fashion rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup (236 ml) milk
1 cup (135 g) whole wheat flour (plain flour works as well)
1/2 cup (85 g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (118 ml) unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. white sugar
raisins or nuts (optional)
Soak the oats in milk for about one hour.
Preheat the oven to 400F/205C/gas mark 6.
Grease muffin tin.
Combine the oat mixture with the applesauce, brown sugar, and egg, and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl measure and whisk the dry ingredients together.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined. Add nuts or raisins if desired.
Do not over mix the batter or the muffins will be tough. Spoon muffin mixture into muffin pan.
Combine the cinnamon and sugar and top each muffin with some of the mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.
Remove from pan, cool and enjoy.
These can be frozen and reheated in the microwave for a quick breakfast.
*The cinnamon can be mixed in with the dry ingredients and the white sugar may be omitted if desired.
1 cup (90 g) old fashion rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup (236 ml) milk
1 cup (135 g) whole wheat flour (plain flour works as well)
1/2 cup (85 g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (118 ml) unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. white sugar
raisins or nuts (optional)
Soak the oats in milk for about one hour.
Preheat the oven to 400F/205C/gas mark 6.
Grease muffin tin.
Combine the oat mixture with the applesauce, brown sugar, and egg, and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl measure and whisk the dry ingredients together.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined. Add nuts or raisins if desired.
Do not over mix the batter or the muffins will be tough. Spoon muffin mixture into muffin pan.
Combine the cinnamon and sugar and top each muffin with some of the mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.
Remove from pan, cool and enjoy.
These can be frozen and reheated in the microwave for a quick breakfast.
*The cinnamon can be mixed in with the dry ingredients and the white sugar may be omitted if desired.
Yorkshire Pudding
Recipe courtesy of 'The best of Mrs Beeton's Easy Everyday Cooking'
100 g (4 oz, by weight) plain flour
1.25 ml (1/4 tsp) salt
1 egg, beaten
300 ml (10 fluid oz, 1 1/4 cups) milk, or half milk and half water
Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Grease either a baking dish or muffin tins and place into the oven to preheat with the oven.
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre and add the beaten egg. Stir in half of the milk (or all of the milk if using a mixture of milk and water), gradually working in the flour.
Beat vigorously until the mixture is smooth and bubbly, then stir in the rest of the milk (or the water).
Pour the batter into the baking dish or muffin tins and bake for 40-45 minutes (muffin tins only take about 35 minutes) until golden brown and well risen.
100 g (4 oz, by weight) plain flour
1.25 ml (1/4 tsp) salt
1 egg, beaten
300 ml (10 fluid oz, 1 1/4 cups) milk, or half milk and half water
Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Grease either a baking dish or muffin tins and place into the oven to preheat with the oven.
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre and add the beaten egg. Stir in half of the milk (or all of the milk if using a mixture of milk and water), gradually working in the flour.
Beat vigorously until the mixture is smooth and bubbly, then stir in the rest of the milk (or the water).
Pour the batter into the baking dish or muffin tins and bake for 40-45 minutes (muffin tins only take about 35 minutes) until golden brown and well risen.
Buckwheat Pancakes
Recipe courtesy of Hodgson Mill
1 cup (130 g) buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup (236 ml) milk
2 tbsp (55 g) butter
Mix dry ingredients together. Heat frying pan or electric griddle. Melt butter. Add to the dry ingredients the egg, milk and melted butter. Mix well. Pour 1/4 cup (~60 ml) of batter for each pancake onto the frying pan or electric griddle. Cook for 1-1 1/2 minutes, turning when edges look cooked and bubbles begin to break on the surface. Continue to cook for another 1-1 1/2 minutes until both sides are golden brown.
*If freezing these, allow to cool completely on a wire rack, then stack, placing a piece of waxed, greaseproof, or parchment paper between each. Place these into a container or a bag and freeze. To serve, remove needed amount from the freezer and place into a toaster to re-heat.
1 cup (130 g) buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup (236 ml) milk
2 tbsp (55 g) butter
Mix dry ingredients together. Heat frying pan or electric griddle. Melt butter. Add to the dry ingredients the egg, milk and melted butter. Mix well. Pour 1/4 cup (~60 ml) of batter for each pancake onto the frying pan or electric griddle. Cook for 1-1 1/2 minutes, turning when edges look cooked and bubbles begin to break on the surface. Continue to cook for another 1-1 1/2 minutes until both sides are golden brown.
*If freezing these, allow to cool completely on a wire rack, then stack, placing a piece of waxed, greaseproof, or parchment paper between each. Place these into a container or a bag and freeze. To serve, remove needed amount from the freezer and place into a toaster to re-heat.
Hamburger or hot dog buns
Hamburger or hot dog buns
Makes 12 servings
1 cup (236 ml) milk
1/2 cup (118 ml) water
1/4 cup (55 g) butter
up to 4 1/2 cups (700 g) plain flour
1 1/4 tsp (~7 g) yeast
2 tbsp (25 g) sugar
1 1/2 tsp (~9 g) salt
1 egg
In a small saucepan, heat milk, water and butter until very warm, between 110F-120F (44C-48C) (if you don't have a thermometer, stick a clean finger in the mix, you want to be able to hold it there for about 4-5 seconds, but no longer).
In a large bowl, mix together 1 3/4 cups (270 g) flour, the yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix the warm milk mixture into the flour mixture, then add the egg.
Add just enough flour to form a loose dough, I added 3 doses of 100 g flour each time, for a total of 570 g flour used. This will vary based on the ambient humidity. The drier it is, the less flour you need, the wetter it is, the more flour you need.
Once the dough has pulled together (and by this point your arm will feel like it will fall off from stirring!!!), lightly flour a clean kitchen counter or table, dump the dough ball out onto the floured surface and knead for about 5-8 minutes.
Make the dough into a log (remember your play dough or clay from primary school!) and cut into 12 pieces. I use a pair of clean scissors to make this easier. They don't have to be exactly the same size, after all, that's one of the charms of homemade bread!
Shape the dough into round balls and place on a greased baking sheet (or use greaseproof or parchment paper). *** Please be sure to grease even the greaseproof or parchment paper, these things like to stick! Flatten each ball slightly. Cover and let rise for 30-35 minutes. This step can take as long as an hour or so, depending on the temperature where they are rising and the humidity.
I placed the two pans of dough balls into the oven (turned off and cooled from when I was baking earlier) on the two top racks, then I put a baking dish under those on a third rack (the floor of the oven works fine, so long as there isn't a heating element down there!). Boil some water in the kettle, pour the water slowly into the baking dish, slide the baking dish into the oven and close the door. The heat and humidity from the boiled water will make the dough rise quicker, even with a cold house. Be sure to place a towel below your oven door, the humidity can run down the front of the door onto the floor. Great way to clean an oven door though!
Anyway - after the dough has risen, bake at 400F/205C/gas mark 6 for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
For hot dog buns: Shape each of the 12 pieces into a 6 inch by 4 inch rectangle (or close to it, doesn't need to be exact). Starting with the longer side, roll up tightly and pinch the edges and ends to seal. Let rise for 20-25 minutes. Bake the same as the hamburger buns.
To make onion rolls (my favourite!): add 2 tbsp dried minced onion and 1/2 tsp onion salt to the flour mixture (reduce the salt in the recipe to 1 tsp (~6 g)). Brush with egg and sprinkle dried onion over the tops and bake as normal.
Makes 12 servings
1 cup (236 ml) milk
1/2 cup (118 ml) water
1/4 cup (55 g) butter
up to 4 1/2 cups (700 g) plain flour
1 1/4 tsp (~7 g) yeast
2 tbsp (25 g) sugar
1 1/2 tsp (~9 g) salt
1 egg
In a small saucepan, heat milk, water and butter until very warm, between 110F-120F (44C-48C) (if you don't have a thermometer, stick a clean finger in the mix, you want to be able to hold it there for about 4-5 seconds, but no longer).
In a large bowl, mix together 1 3/4 cups (270 g) flour, the yeast, sugar, and salt. Mix the warm milk mixture into the flour mixture, then add the egg.
Add just enough flour to form a loose dough, I added 3 doses of 100 g flour each time, for a total of 570 g flour used. This will vary based on the ambient humidity. The drier it is, the less flour you need, the wetter it is, the more flour you need.
Once the dough has pulled together (and by this point your arm will feel like it will fall off from stirring!!!), lightly flour a clean kitchen counter or table, dump the dough ball out onto the floured surface and knead for about 5-8 minutes.
Make the dough into a log (remember your play dough or clay from primary school!) and cut into 12 pieces. I use a pair of clean scissors to make this easier. They don't have to be exactly the same size, after all, that's one of the charms of homemade bread!
Shape the dough into round balls and place on a greased baking sheet (or use greaseproof or parchment paper). *** Please be sure to grease even the greaseproof or parchment paper, these things like to stick! Flatten each ball slightly. Cover and let rise for 30-35 minutes. This step can take as long as an hour or so, depending on the temperature where they are rising and the humidity.
I placed the two pans of dough balls into the oven (turned off and cooled from when I was baking earlier) on the two top racks, then I put a baking dish under those on a third rack (the floor of the oven works fine, so long as there isn't a heating element down there!). Boil some water in the kettle, pour the water slowly into the baking dish, slide the baking dish into the oven and close the door. The heat and humidity from the boiled water will make the dough rise quicker, even with a cold house. Be sure to place a towel below your oven door, the humidity can run down the front of the door onto the floor. Great way to clean an oven door though!
Anyway - after the dough has risen, bake at 400F/205C/gas mark 6 for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
For hot dog buns: Shape each of the 12 pieces into a 6 inch by 4 inch rectangle (or close to it, doesn't need to be exact). Starting with the longer side, roll up tightly and pinch the edges and ends to seal. Let rise for 20-25 minutes. Bake the same as the hamburger buns.
To make onion rolls (my favourite!): add 2 tbsp dried minced onion and 1/2 tsp onion salt to the flour mixture (reduce the salt in the recipe to 1 tsp (~6 g)). Brush with egg and sprinkle dried onion over the tops and bake as normal.
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Refrigerator Cookies
(this was originally a GF recipe, but they work with plain flour as well)
225g plain flour
1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder
100g butter
175g caster sugar (granulated works as well)
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract/flavouring
1 beaten egg
Mix flour and baking powder in a bowl. Rub in the butter. Squish it between your fingers in the flour, it's actually quite fun in my opinion. Add the sugar and mix. Add the vanilla and egg and mix into a dough. Here is where you can add chocolate, nuts, dried fruits, etc. if you want.
Bake at 190C/375F/gas mark 5 for 10-12 minutes. If baking from frozen, you may need to add an extra minute or two. Let them cool a bit on the tray before trying to get them off, or bake them on the tray with parchment paper/greaseproof paper. The paper makes it so much easier to transfer them off the pan!
The original recipe says to shape into a long roll about 5 cm diameter and wrap, then refrigerate overnight. I end up just rolling little balls of the dough and baking some, then freezing the rest of the cookie balls on a cookie sheet. Once they're frozen, toss them into a bag or container and then you can just pull out as many as you need (or want) and bake away without waiting. That is, *if* you can resist eating the frozen dough like I always end up doing...
225g plain flour
1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder
100g butter
175g caster sugar (granulated works as well)
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract/flavouring
1 beaten egg
Mix flour and baking powder in a bowl. Rub in the butter. Squish it between your fingers in the flour, it's actually quite fun in my opinion. Add the sugar and mix. Add the vanilla and egg and mix into a dough. Here is where you can add chocolate, nuts, dried fruits, etc. if you want.
Bake at 190C/375F/gas mark 5 for 10-12 minutes. If baking from frozen, you may need to add an extra minute or two. Let them cool a bit on the tray before trying to get them off, or bake them on the tray with parchment paper/greaseproof paper. The paper makes it so much easier to transfer them off the pan!
The original recipe says to shape into a long roll about 5 cm diameter and wrap, then refrigerate overnight. I end up just rolling little balls of the dough and baking some, then freezing the rest of the cookie balls on a cookie sheet. Once they're frozen, toss them into a bag or container and then you can just pull out as many as you need (or want) and bake away without waiting. That is, *if* you can resist eating the frozen dough like I always end up doing...
Monday, 8 October 2012
Beef Stew
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
4 cups chicken or beef stock
1 cup celery, chopped
3 small potatoes (~300g), diced (I left the skins on)
2 large carrots (~240g), chopped
4-5 medium-large mushrooms, quartered (mine weighed in at 200g)
1 can (400g/14.5oz) plum or chopped tomatoes in juice (undrained)
1 medium onion, in wedges
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
9 oz/280 g cooked beef - I used leftover brisket from last night
Dump everything into the slow cooker and set it on high until all of the veggies are finished cooking. I don't know how long this one takes yet as it's still in the slow cooker at the moment.
If this is too "soupy" for you, mix up a tablespoon or two of cornstarch/cornflour in a few tablespoons cool water and add near the end. Or you can serve it over rice to help soak up some of the soupy goodness.
Ingredients:
4 cups chicken or beef stock
1 cup celery, chopped
3 small potatoes (~300g), diced (I left the skins on)
2 large carrots (~240g), chopped
4-5 medium-large mushrooms, quartered (mine weighed in at 200g)
1 can (400g/14.5oz) plum or chopped tomatoes in juice (undrained)
1 medium onion, in wedges
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
9 oz/280 g cooked beef - I used leftover brisket from last night
Dump everything into the slow cooker and set it on high until all of the veggies are finished cooking. I don't know how long this one takes yet as it's still in the slow cooker at the moment.
If this is too "soupy" for you, mix up a tablespoon or two of cornstarch/cornflour in a few tablespoons cool water and add near the end. Or you can serve it over rice to help soak up some of the soupy goodness.
Spicy Vegetable Soup
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
6 cups chicken broth/stock
3 carrots, chopped
1 can (400g/14.5oz) chopped tomatoes (undrained)
1 shallot (or small onion), diced
1 cup celery, chopped
Cabbage (I used 2 leaves of savoy, use what you have)
1 can (400g/14.5oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Chilli powder, cumin, salt and pepper to taste
Put all of the veggies into the slow cooker then add the broth. Cook it on high until the carrots are tender. It took 4 hours in my slow cooker. The longer you let it cook, the better it tastes, but the mushier the veggies can become.
*Note: I abhor celery. This goes way beyond hate. Even I cannot taste it in this recipe nor tell that it's even there after cooking.
If you'd like, add up to 3 tbsp rice at the beginning for a thicker soup. You can also add corn if you'd like. I like the spiciness in this, especially now that the nights are getting cooler.
I haven't tried it, but if you use canned carrots this would come together especially fast. You'd bring it to a boil then lower it to a simmer for about half an hour.
Ingredients:
6 cups chicken broth/stock
3 carrots, chopped
1 can (400g/14.5oz) chopped tomatoes (undrained)
1 shallot (or small onion), diced
1 cup celery, chopped
Cabbage (I used 2 leaves of savoy, use what you have)
1 can (400g/14.5oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Chilli powder, cumin, salt and pepper to taste
Put all of the veggies into the slow cooker then add the broth. Cook it on high until the carrots are tender. It took 4 hours in my slow cooker. The longer you let it cook, the better it tastes, but the mushier the veggies can become.
*Note: I abhor celery. This goes way beyond hate. Even I cannot taste it in this recipe nor tell that it's even there after cooking.
If you'd like, add up to 3 tbsp rice at the beginning for a thicker soup. You can also add corn if you'd like. I like the spiciness in this, especially now that the nights are getting cooler.
I haven't tried it, but if you use canned carrots this would come together especially fast. You'd bring it to a boil then lower it to a simmer for about half an hour.
Long time away, lets get back to it!
It's been quite a while since I've taken the time to blog. I've missed it! I've changed the title of the blog to "Healthy Meals on a Budget" because I still have a budget (we are being a bit flexible on the £50/month at the moment) and because I'm trying to lose weight.
So, lets get back to the recipes and the money saving shall we?
Today's Menu (for 2 people):
Breakfast:
2 eggs - £0.17
2 sausages - £0.75
2 slices wholemeal toast - £0.04
100g mushrooms (approx) - £0.15
2 Activia yoghurts (125ml each) - £0.75
Juice - 1 cup orange and 1 cup apple - £0.22 and £0.15 respectively
Total: £2.23
Lunch
For Jethro:
2 slices wholemeal bread - £0.04
50 g beef roast from last night - £0.27
2 oz (~50g) extra mature cheddar - £0.29
1 banana - £0.12
1 Activia yoghurt - £0.38
For me:
1 serving (1.5 cups) homemade spicy vegetable soup - £0.16
1.5 cups cooked white rice - £0.03
Total: £1.29
Snack (for me):
1 slice wholemeal bread - £0.02
2 tbsp (30 g) crunchy peanut butter - £0.03
1 banana - £0.12
Total: £0.17
Dinner:
2 servings homemade beef stew - £0.64
2 cups (250ml each) milk - £0.22
Total: £0.86
Grand total for Monday 8 October 2012: £4.55
That's less than one of us could get a take away for at one meal!
I will work on getting recipes up during the next few days and linking them to where they need to go. Thank you for your patience.
Have a wonderful day!
So, lets get back to the recipes and the money saving shall we?
Today's Menu (for 2 people):
Breakfast:
2 eggs - £0.17
2 sausages - £0.75
2 slices wholemeal toast - £0.04
100g mushrooms (approx) - £0.15
2 Activia yoghurts (125ml each) - £0.75
Juice - 1 cup orange and 1 cup apple - £0.22 and £0.15 respectively
Total: £2.23
Lunch
For Jethro:
2 slices wholemeal bread - £0.04
50 g beef roast from last night - £0.27
2 oz (~50g) extra mature cheddar - £0.29
1 banana - £0.12
1 Activia yoghurt - £0.38
For me:
1 serving (1.5 cups) homemade spicy vegetable soup - £0.16
1.5 cups cooked white rice - £0.03
Total: £1.29
Snack (for me):
1 slice wholemeal bread - £0.02
2 tbsp (30 g) crunchy peanut butter - £0.03
1 banana - £0.12
Total: £0.17
Dinner:
2 servings homemade beef stew - £0.64
2 cups (250ml each) milk - £0.22
Total: £0.86
Grand total for Monday 8 October 2012: £4.55
That's less than one of us could get a take away for at one meal!
I will work on getting recipes up during the next few days and linking them to where they need to go. Thank you for your patience.
Have a wonderful day!
Thursday, 6 September 2012
Thai green chicken curry and consequences of overspending
I have Thai green chicken curry in the slow cooker at the moment, and it is smelling wonderful! This morning I placed two frozen chicken thighs, a couple handfuls of frozen green beans, a few handfuls of frozen broccoli, some frozen sweet peppers and onion and a good amount of fresh mushrooms into the slow cooker. I mixed up some of the dehydrated coconut flakes with water to make coconut milk and added Thai green curry paste. Once that was stirred up well I poured it over the rest and turned the slow cooker on low. About two hours later I turned it on high. Now, 4 1/2 hours after I started, dinner is finished. All I need to do for tonight now is cook a batch of rice.
We also received a text message from the bank this morning saying our balance was below a certain amount. We haven't really paid that much attention to what we've been spending on groceries during the moving process, and due to that we have overspent this month. I need to try and not buy anything for the rest of this month and most of next month to make up for this overspending. I do want to stock up on dried beans and get a bit more flour, as well as getting at least one boneless pork shoulder from Morrisons (£1.50/kg this week!).
I am hoping to start making use of our freezer (that's actually a decent size here!) to prepare meals for the slow cooker so that all I will need to do is dump the bag into the cooker and turn it on. Very useful for if and when I get sick or when I am exhausted and cannot cook.
We also received a text message from the bank this morning saying our balance was below a certain amount. We haven't really paid that much attention to what we've been spending on groceries during the moving process, and due to that we have overspent this month. I need to try and not buy anything for the rest of this month and most of next month to make up for this overspending. I do want to stock up on dried beans and get a bit more flour, as well as getting at least one boneless pork shoulder from Morrisons (£1.50/kg this week!).
I am hoping to start making use of our freezer (that's actually a decent size here!) to prepare meals for the slow cooker so that all I will need to do is dump the bag into the cooker and turn it on. Very useful for if and when I get sick or when I am exhausted and cannot cook.
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Back in action!
Hello everyone! We now have internet at our new place, so I'll be trying to update the blog occasionally amidst all of the remaining unpacking and decorating that needs doing.
For tonight, we are having crockpot lemon garlic chicken (4 frozen chicken thighs, juice of 2 lemons, teaspoon - or one clove - minced garlic, cooked on low for 4 hours), rice, a salad (homegrown!) and green beans.
I've promised Jethro that we can have Thai green chicken curry tomorrow night, and I am bound and determined to make it in the crockpot. I have some dried coconut flakes (add water, turns it into coconut milk) that I'll be using instead of the expensive canned stuff. We found sweet bell peppers on sale last week at Aldi for 69p per 3 peppers, so we bought three packs. I wish we would have bought double that now that we have a decent sized freezer. I'll do my best to remember to write down what and how much of everything goes into the curry tomorrow so that I can share the recipe with everyone.
Have a wonderful day!
Emily
For tonight, we are having crockpot lemon garlic chicken (4 frozen chicken thighs, juice of 2 lemons, teaspoon - or one clove - minced garlic, cooked on low for 4 hours), rice, a salad (homegrown!) and green beans.
I've promised Jethro that we can have Thai green chicken curry tomorrow night, and I am bound and determined to make it in the crockpot. I have some dried coconut flakes (add water, turns it into coconut milk) that I'll be using instead of the expensive canned stuff. We found sweet bell peppers on sale last week at Aldi for 69p per 3 peppers, so we bought three packs. I wish we would have bought double that now that we have a decent sized freezer. I'll do my best to remember to write down what and how much of everything goes into the curry tomorrow so that I can share the recipe with everyone.
Have a wonderful day!
Emily
Monday, 20 August 2012
Important update! 20th August until ?
I am currently in the process of moving, so I unfortunately will not have internet for a short while. Sorry for the interruption this will cause in my blog posts.
Emily
Emily
Friday, 17 August 2012
Day 18 and 19
Sorry about not posting yesterday, I was out of the house from 8:30 am until well after 9 pm! Due to that, we ended up having frozen pizza. I also donated blood, so this (and my immediate exhaustion afterwards) is the main reason we had pizza last night instead of tonight. It's quick and easy. Unfortunately, it can also be budget crashing. Even on sale, the pizzas costed £1.25 each, so £2.50 for both of us to eat. It doesn't sound like much, but considering that is only one meal, if every meal in one week (3 per day, 7 days) costed that much, you'd spend £52.50 in ONE week!
Anyway, tonight I'm making homemade tuna 'helper' with canned tuna and broken spaghetti pasta. Add in a bit of milk, cheese and spices as well as broccoli or peas and you've got a one pot meal that takes about 30 minutes to make. I'll post a recipe as soon as I can update again!
Anyway, tonight I'm making homemade tuna 'helper' with canned tuna and broken spaghetti pasta. Add in a bit of milk, cheese and spices as well as broccoli or peas and you've got a one pot meal that takes about 30 minutes to make. I'll post a recipe as soon as I can update again!
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
Day 17
Last night I made lasagne. I ran out of leeks, so I needed to use some of the lasagne sheets that I had, but I didn't know how many I would need, so I cooked what I had. Around half of a box. Turns out I only needed 3 sheets to finish the lasagne. So, what to do with the leftover sheets? I blotted them dry on a clean tea towel, placed a small spoonful of some chicken that I had cooked in nacho cheese dip and salsa in the slow cooker the other day on one end and rolled them up! I then lightly greased a baking dish and laid the rolls in them. Then I made a mock cheese/spice sauce to pour over them with a bit of milk, cornstarch, home made fajita seasoning, crushed red chillies, Italian seasoning, paprika and black pepper. I cooked the sauce on the stovetop until it was just starting to thicken, then I poured it over the rolls and finely shredded some cheese over the top of the dish. As I pulled out the lasagne, I put the dish of lasagne sheet roll ups into the oven and let them cook for about 20 minutes. We haven't tried them yet, but this means that most of dinner tonight is already finished!
I also soaked the rest of the black beans that I had in water last night and cooked them in the slow cooker today. I have drained them and have them out cooling at the moment so that I can put them into the blender with a bit of garlic and some shallot and make "refried" beans to go with dinner tonight.
I'm baking bread at the moment as well (and the entire flat smells like a bakery!). I used a really simple recipe (that can be found here) and ended up using around 400 g of flour because it was a bit dry here today. The amount of flour that you use in bread making recipes will vary due to the weather in your area and especially the humidity.
I like to keep the windows open in the flat, otherwise the air gets stale and sometimes stifling. Since bread needs a warm moist environment to rise (yeast breads anyway, quick breads are for another day), I've figured out that I can place the bowl or pan into my oven, place a baking dish on the bottom (or on a lower rack if you have a heating element on the floor of your oven) and add boiling water to the baking dish. Then close up the oven (do NOT turn the oven on!!!) and let it rise for the allotted time in the recipe. Most recipes call for a first rise of 45 minutes to an hour, then after shaping and placing in the pan, a second rise of another 30 - 45 minutes.
*Update on the bread: I'm still not accustomed to baking bread here! Back in the States I had a stand mixer with a dough hook. Here in the UK I do not. Therefore I'm having to learn how to feel how much flour needs to go in for making dough. I don't think I used enough flour today. The bread still tastes wonderful though, so no harm done. :)
Since I didn't really follow any recipes this time I don't have any recipes to type up. I do however have photos!
I also soaked the rest of the black beans that I had in water last night and cooked them in the slow cooker today. I have drained them and have them out cooling at the moment so that I can put them into the blender with a bit of garlic and some shallot and make "refried" beans to go with dinner tonight.
I'm baking bread at the moment as well (and the entire flat smells like a bakery!). I used a really simple recipe (that can be found here) and ended up using around 400 g of flour because it was a bit dry here today. The amount of flour that you use in bread making recipes will vary due to the weather in your area and especially the humidity.
I like to keep the windows open in the flat, otherwise the air gets stale and sometimes stifling. Since bread needs a warm moist environment to rise (yeast breads anyway, quick breads are for another day), I've figured out that I can place the bowl or pan into my oven, place a baking dish on the bottom (or on a lower rack if you have a heating element on the floor of your oven) and add boiling water to the baking dish. Then close up the oven (do NOT turn the oven on!!!) and let it rise for the allotted time in the recipe. Most recipes call for a first rise of 45 minutes to an hour, then after shaping and placing in the pan, a second rise of another 30 - 45 minutes.
*Update on the bread: I'm still not accustomed to baking bread here! Back in the States I had a stand mixer with a dough hook. Here in the UK I do not. Therefore I'm having to learn how to feel how much flour needs to go in for making dough. I don't think I used enough flour today. The bread still tastes wonderful though, so no harm done. :)
Since I didn't really follow any recipes this time I don't have any recipes to type up. I do however have photos!
 |
| Chicken and lasagne sheet roll ups |
 |
| Black beans soaking in water |
 |
| Bread dough |
 |
| Bread dough, first rise |
 |
| Separating the dough |
 |
| Starting the second rise |
 |
| Finished bread. The results of not using enough flour! |
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Day 16
I discovered this morning that we have already went over budget by £13... This is after only two weeks! I'm going to do my best to not buy anything but the absolute essentials for the rest of the month. With a lot of creativity, I think that we can get through the next two weeks fine for food. I believe that things will be better once we move, since we will have an actual freezer there and space for a chest freezer that someone has offered us (yay!). Since I do not own a pressure canner/cooker (and I don't really want one either), I cannot safely can and preserve meats and low acid meals. This is why the freezer space is vital to us only using £50 per month. Once we have decent freezer space, I'll be doing more "once per month" cooking. This way, if I'm sick or too tired to cook, we can still have a homecooked meal.
Having Jethro stop by the store on his way home is a bad idea for us, but I have been keeping up with what we use the most vs what we use the least so that I can better plan for the following months.
We are down to 1 egg, so we ended up having oatmeal this morning. Jethro picked up some bacon (darn our cravings!) yesterday, so we each had a piece of bacon as well for some protein. I sent a piece of the healthier cottage pie and a creole chicken leg to work with him for lunch, and I had a piece of the healthier cottage pie with a yoghurt and 2 slices of wholemeal toast for lunch.
For a mid-afternoon snack, I had homemade strawberry jam and a bit of "no nut" chocolate spread on 2 slices of wholemeal toast. If you like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, try a chocolate spread and jelly sandwich! Even though I am allergic to some nuts, luckily hazelnuts are not on my allergy list, so I can have things like Nutella. We bought the "no nut" stuff because it was on clearance a while back for 75 pence for a bigger jar than the Nutella comes in for £2.15. I had honestly forgotten that we had the stuff! It ended up getting pushed to the back of the refrigerator where I couldn't see it.
What I've found by researching our food intake is #1, we eat far too much for one meal, #2, we go through cheese and milk like crazy! I may splurge and buy the strongest (we like cheddar) that I can find next month so that we won't need to add so much to our meals and salads to still get the flavour. Once we have a freezer, I'll probably end up freezing milk to keep from getting sucked into the store because we are out. As you are probably far too aware, it is very difficult to get only one item at the store! Impulse buys stack up, and the fewer trips to the store you can make, the better.
I'm doing more research, gathering up cheaper (and still healthy!) recipes, and I'm really looking forward to having freezer space again next month. I'll also be growing some of our own food from scraps after we move, since we will have a small back garden. I have already started a leek root, 3 carrot tops, and an eye/sprout from one of the potatoes we had yesterday. The new house also has a walk in pantry under the stairs, which I am super super excited about!
Having Jethro stop by the store on his way home is a bad idea for us, but I have been keeping up with what we use the most vs what we use the least so that I can better plan for the following months.
We are down to 1 egg, so we ended up having oatmeal this morning. Jethro picked up some bacon (darn our cravings!) yesterday, so we each had a piece of bacon as well for some protein. I sent a piece of the healthier cottage pie and a creole chicken leg to work with him for lunch, and I had a piece of the healthier cottage pie with a yoghurt and 2 slices of wholemeal toast for lunch.
For a mid-afternoon snack, I had homemade strawberry jam and a bit of "no nut" chocolate spread on 2 slices of wholemeal toast. If you like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, try a chocolate spread and jelly sandwich! Even though I am allergic to some nuts, luckily hazelnuts are not on my allergy list, so I can have things like Nutella. We bought the "no nut" stuff because it was on clearance a while back for 75 pence for a bigger jar than the Nutella comes in for £2.15. I had honestly forgotten that we had the stuff! It ended up getting pushed to the back of the refrigerator where I couldn't see it.
What I've found by researching our food intake is #1, we eat far too much for one meal, #2, we go through cheese and milk like crazy! I may splurge and buy the strongest (we like cheddar) that I can find next month so that we won't need to add so much to our meals and salads to still get the flavour. Once we have a freezer, I'll probably end up freezing milk to keep from getting sucked into the store because we are out. As you are probably far too aware, it is very difficult to get only one item at the store! Impulse buys stack up, and the fewer trips to the store you can make, the better.
I'm doing more research, gathering up cheaper (and still healthy!) recipes, and I'm really looking forward to having freezer space again next month. I'll also be growing some of our own food from scraps after we move, since we will have a small back garden. I have already started a leek root, 3 carrot tops, and an eye/sprout from one of the potatoes we had yesterday. The new house also has a walk in pantry under the stairs, which I am super super excited about!
Monday, 13 August 2012
Days 14 and 15
I'm sorry that I've been fairly absent for a few days here. We decided to take it easy this weekend and just enjoy it, so blogging was unfortunately pushed to the back burner for a day or two. Anyway, I did manage to cut Jethro's hair and cook a healthy version of cottage pie this weekend! I have nearly caught up with the cleaning from over the weekend and I also have apples with a bit of sugar and water in the slow cooker becoming apple sauce now. My new cookbook and my study guide for my Life in the UK test came through the post this weekend and this morning, so I have a bit of reading to do soon. I am really looking forward to perusing the cookbook though. It's the one from the Hairy Bikers, their "The Hairy Dieters" cookbook. The apple sauce that I made costed a grand total of £1.61 for 12 servings (a serving is approximately 4 ounces/115 grams). This means that each of the six jars that I preserved of the apple sauce costed me £0.27, whereas the same size jar in the store would cost twice that, minimum! Plus making my own means that I know that there aren't any artificial ingredients, colourings, flavourings, or preservatives in my apple sauce.
Anyway, here are some recipes:
Healthy cottage pie
Homemade slow cooker applesauce (external link) - Dump all of the ingredients into a slow cooker and cook for 4 hours to make this in the slow cooker!
Anyway, here are some recipes:
Healthy cottage pie
Homemade slow cooker applesauce (external link) - Dump all of the ingredients into a slow cooker and cook for 4 hours to make this in the slow cooker!
Healthier Cottage Pie
This recipe was adapted from a recipe for healthier shepherds pie, which can be found here.
1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
450 g (1 lb) minced beef and pork
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 carrots, finely chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced
1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
360 ml (12 fl oz) beef or vegetable stock, preferably home-made
100 g (3½ oz) split red lentils
3 tbsp chopped parsley (or 1 tbsp dried chopped parsley)
Potato and parsnip topping
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 head cauliflower, cut into chunks
75 ml (2½ fl oz) semi-skimmed milk
25 g (scant 1 oz) butter
salt and pepper
1. Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan. Add the mince and cook over a high heat, stirring well with a wooden spoon to break up the meat, for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Push the meat to one side of the pan and add the onion. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and lightly browned.
2. Add the carrots, pepper and leek and stir well, then add the Worcestershire sauce, stock and lentils. Increase the heat and bring to the boil, stirring frequently. Partially cover with a lid, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. While the meat mixture is cooking, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark 6) and prepare the topping. Place the potato and cauliflower chunks in a saucepan and pour over boiling water to cover by 5 cm (2 in). Bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook for 15–20 minutes or until the potatoes and cauliflower are very tender. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until hot.
4. Drain the potatoes and cauliflower well, and return them to the pan. Pour the hot milk over them, then mash them until they are completely smooth. Beat in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Remove the meat mixture from the heat, add the chopped parsley and seasoning to taste and stir well. Spoon into a large ovenproof dish, about 2.6 litre (4½ pint) capacity. Top with the mashed vegetables, spreading in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbling and lightly browned.
This turned out quite well and made 6 servings for us. Enough for three meals essentially. I would have added sliced mushrooms if we would have had any and then I would have used half of the meat. When cooked, most mushrooms have a texture similar to cooked mince. Jethro and I both really liked the potato and cauliflower mash, but it did make enough to have leftovers, even after topping the pie! This recipe is definitely a keeper here, although next time I will probably sprinkle some shredded cheese over the pie right before placing it into the oven for an extra little flavour kick.
1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
450 g (1 lb) minced beef and pork
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 carrots, finely chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced
1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
360 ml (12 fl oz) beef or vegetable stock, preferably home-made
100 g (3½ oz) split red lentils
3 tbsp chopped parsley (or 1 tbsp dried chopped parsley)
Potato and parsnip topping
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 head cauliflower, cut into chunks
75 ml (2½ fl oz) semi-skimmed milk
25 g (scant 1 oz) butter
salt and pepper
1. Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan. Add the mince and cook over a high heat, stirring well with a wooden spoon to break up the meat, for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Push the meat to one side of the pan and add the onion. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and lightly browned.
2. Add the carrots, pepper and leek and stir well, then add the Worcestershire sauce, stock and lentils. Increase the heat and bring to the boil, stirring frequently. Partially cover with a lid, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. While the meat mixture is cooking, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark 6) and prepare the topping. Place the potato and cauliflower chunks in a saucepan and pour over boiling water to cover by 5 cm (2 in). Bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook for 15–20 minutes or until the potatoes and cauliflower are very tender. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until hot.
4. Drain the potatoes and cauliflower well, and return them to the pan. Pour the hot milk over them, then mash them until they are completely smooth. Beat in the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Remove the meat mixture from the heat, add the chopped parsley and seasoning to taste and stir well. Spoon into a large ovenproof dish, about 2.6 litre (4½ pint) capacity. Top with the mashed vegetables, spreading in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbling and lightly browned.
This turned out quite well and made 6 servings for us. Enough for three meals essentially. I would have added sliced mushrooms if we would have had any and then I would have used half of the meat. When cooked, most mushrooms have a texture similar to cooked mince. Jethro and I both really liked the potato and cauliflower mash, but it did make enough to have leftovers, even after topping the pie! This recipe is definitely a keeper here, although next time I will probably sprinkle some shredded cheese over the pie right before placing it into the oven for an extra little flavour kick.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)