Cheap Chicken Fajitas

We love a Mexican night in our house. It certainly helps with the decision of what to have for tea. As with my Banging Bargain Burritos, I wanted to show you with the same few spices you can make the fajitas without buying the kits. Don't forget to buy the wraps from the bread aisle, not the section near the Mexican food kits they do cost more. These are so tasty and can be altered to almost anybody's liking. Like B.B.Q fajitas? Use half B.B.Q sauce and half passata. Like them hot? Throw in some jalapenos or up the heat of the chilli powder. Play around with food and make it your own, experiment with flavours and involve the family. Have a themed night each week to help with tea ideas, we tried Mexican Monday, Meat free Wednesday and Fish Friday!

For the fajitas:

3 chicken fillets cut into strips

3 peppers sliced

2 red onions sliced

300ml passata 

3 tsp cumin

3 tsp garlic powder

3 tsp paprika

3 tsp mild chilli powder

Tbsp oil

Wraps

After you cut the chicken shake all the spices onto the meat to marinate for 30 minutes or more covered in the fridge.

In a frying pan with the oil fry off the chicken for 15 minutes.

Add the peppers, onions and passata and cook for a further 15 minutes until the sauce reduces.

Spoon the mixture into a warm serving dish and take to the table with the wraps, salad and trimmings for everyone to make their own.

Banging bargain burritos

I'm wondering how many of you buy the Mexican food kits that cost around £3 each and then 'only' require you to add the most expensive ingredient, the meat? I used to before I realised buying it separately and making your own sauce was way cheaper, just as tasty and you know exactly what you're eating. I did burritos but the principal is the same with fajitas, enchiladas, tacos in fact any of the kits you see ready made. They only include wraps and a sauce, so buy the wraps separately but make sure you get the supermarkets own brand, usually found on the bread aisle, not the ones they advertise near the ready done kits as these are more expensive to fool you into thinking you get a better deal buying the packs. The sauce is easily made with a few spices, again buy the cheap ones and once you have them in you can make a whole range of different recipes that you might normally buy a packet/ jar of sauce for, saving you loads of money in the long run. These went down a treat with my family last night, you could add sweetcorn, peppers or even baked beans if you don't like kidney beans.

500g minced beef

Pack of 8 wraps

2 x cartons passata (just use the cheapest supermarkets own brand)

Large onion

Tin kidney beans

Grated cheese (just to sprinkle on top of the burritos)

Tsp cumin

1-2 tsp garlic powder

Tsp chilli powder

Tsp paprika

On a high heat in a frying pan brown the mince and drain off any fat.

Dice the onion (and peppers if you are using.) 

In a separate pan on a medium heat with some oil, cook the onions and all the spices together until they are soft.

Add the onions and spices to the mince with the kidney beans and one of the jars of passata.

Cook these all together for ten minutes on a medium heat.

Place a serving spoon full of the mix into a wrap and fold the top and bottom into the middle and then each side creating a parcel.

Place the parcels into a roasting tin.

Pour over half the other carton of passata then sprinkle with cheese.

Cook for 15-20 minutes at 180 or until the cheese is bubbling and serve with a fresh salad, wedges or as they are!

Barbeque bean bake that won't break the bank

Try saying that after a few...Okay so this one is thanks to the fantastic Jamie Oliver and his money saving meals however I have tweaked it slightly and you are welcome to do the same. That's the secret to cooking, there is no right or wrong, just somebody else's way and yours! I also did this with Jamie's cheesy croutons (ciabatta torn into chunks, cheese grated over the top and oven for 20 minutes at 180) however, with the jacket potato as well, it was a bit too much for me. I would suggest these deliciously smoky, sweet beans with either the jacket potato and some salad, maybe as a spicy version of beans on toast with the ciabatta halved and grilled or throw in some sausages! Have fun with it, throw in the remains of the tomato pasta sauce that's been sitting in the fridge all week (I did) Also the best part, it's good for you! I used good old baked beans for this but you could use kidney, cannellini, mixed beans, any you like.

2 tins baked beans

2 carrots chopped

2 red onions sliced

500ml passata (It's just tomato sauce, use chopped tomatoes if you like)

100ml bbq sauce (I'm intrigued to know how brown sauce would taste with this too!)

Tsp cumin powder (Leave it out if you haven't got it)

Tsp chilli powder/flakes

1 and half tsp paprika

Rosemary

4 large potatoes 

Preheat the oven to 180

Pierce the potatoes, rub the skins in oil, sprinkle on some salt and place in the oven on a baking tray

Place the chopped carrots, onions, rosemary, spices and a drizzle of oil in a roasting tray and put in the oven for 20 minutes

They should be nice and sticky and soft

Pour on the beans, tomato and bbq sauce and give it all a stir before returning to the oven for 40 minutes

It should be reducing nicely now, stir it again (if you are having the croutons stick them in now) and return for 20 minutes when everything should be ready together. 

Don't blame me for the aftermath....you know what they say.....beans, beans good for the heart...

Healthy and humble honey and lemon chicken

This is a delicious meal that is not only cheap and yummy, wait for it.....it's healthy too! So if there are any of you wanting to lose pounds, not money, and you don't want to spend a lot, or sacrifice taste either, then this is for you. If you don't have fresh rosemary, use dried. If you don't have any dried rosemary, use thyme, if you don't have that then leave it out, it doesn't matter. I've tried all ways and all are as tasty. I serve this with garlic potatoes and salad (I know I said it's winter, however coupled with the warm honey and lemon sauce it's a must) I've always found when I eat this I'm full, even though it doesn't look a lot, as it takes longer to eat with having to pick at the chicken. The kids love it too...bonus!

1Kg chicken thighs

2 lemons

5 cloves of garlic

Rosemary

Tbsp honey

Baby potatoes

Bag of salad

Preheat the oven to 200

Place potatoes, unpeeled garlic cloves and some rosemary in a pan and cover with water

In an oven proof dish put the chicken and lemons and rosemary together

Pour over the honey and squeeze the juice out of the lemons (leaving the lemon in the dish to cook with the chicken)

Put the chicken in the oven for 50 minutes 

After the chicken has been in for 30 minutes baste with the juices and leave to cook for a further 20 minutes 

Turn the potatoes on to boil for 20 minutes

When the potatoes are soft and cooked drain off and remove the garlic

Gently squeeze the cloves and the garlic should easily pop out of it's skin

Season generously with salt and pepper and mash with a fork

Coat the potatoes with the garlic and some butter 

When the chicken is cooked drain off the juice into a small pan on a high heat and boil

Serve on the salad with the potatoes and pour over the sauce 

Simple steak and ale pie

I actually thought I had already blogged this, my memory is terrible at the moment, something I'm blaming on the kids. I just have to walk through a door and my memory is wiped clean. So my steak and ale pie is a delicious winter warmer, don't forget it is actually still winter put those salads away!! As with the beef bourguignon, it really doesn't matter what beer you use. For mine I used the cheapest bottle I could get my hands on, Golden goose 90p from Lidl and it tasted yummy! Perfect served with mashed sweet potato and some greens.

350g diced stewing steak

250g mushrooms chopped
Onion chopped
500ml bottle ale/beer/stout whichever you like
Tbsp tomato puree (leave it out if you have none it doesn't matter)
Flour tbsp
Oil tbsp
Puff pastry

Coat the meat in flour and pepper
On a high heat brown the meat in the oil
When the meat's browned place into a large pan and pour over the beer, add some water if not covered
In the frying pan cook the mushrooms and onions for 5 minutes and add to the pan with the meat
Stir in the tomato puree and place on a medium heat until simmering
Turn down low and leave for a couple of hours remembering to stir so it doesn't burn
If the liquid is not as thick as you want it after it's been cooking then add some gravy granules
Pour the mixture into an oven proof dish and top with puff pastry
Cook in a preheated oven at 200 for 25-35 minutes or until pastry is golden

Posh nosh for less dosh!

Firstly, let me take this opportunity to thank you all for taking the time to read my posts and wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year! I hope none of you are planning on rushing out and buying the latest exercise gimmicks for the new year, new you con, as I will be doing healthy lifestyle for less posts in January. As promised on my Facebook page, I'm going to share my goats cheese tart with you, definitely not for slimming this one. It's not the cheapest as the goats cheese was £1.70 per person however the end result is nothing short of spectacular (if you like goats cheese that is, otherwise it will be gross!) A child could put it together it's very simple. The onion relish is the perfect accompaniment. Another fancy looking meal that's easy to throw together for a special occasion costing very roughly £2.00 per person it's a cheap alternative to eating out!

4 circles of goats cheese
Block of puff pastry
4 small/med red onions
2 tbsp sugar (I use brown but white will work to)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
20g butter
Salad to serve

Preheat the oven to 200 and place a handful of salad on each plate

Stand the goats cheese on the rolled out puff pastry and cut a circle an inch wider than the cheese, as you can see I did a cheddar and tomato one for my son Chase
Scrunch (it's a technical term) the pastry around the sides of the cheese so it's surrounded
Season with pepper
Place in the oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese is golden
While the tarts are cooking slice your red onions and place them in a frying pan with the butter on a med/high heat

Add the sugar and balsamic and cook until sticky and soft

All that's left is to plate up make pretty and enjoy!

Please yourself pie

Firstly I would like to say thank you to those of you reading my blog and trying out my recipes. I've had nearly 5000 views and I'm over the moon to think I may be helping some of you live a bit cheaper. In these frankly miserable days where the news throws out so much negativity, we really do need to spread some cheer! Now this recipe is great for using leftover turkey, as well as chicken, and is very tasty! It's cheap to make and very filling too. If you don't eat it all it's great cold the next day! You can pretty much throw in anything to fill it out, please yourself, if you have leftover stuffing , put that in, or some sausages need using up, throw them in. You could add cream or creme freche to make it a bit richer we had it without and it was still delicious. It's your pie put what you want in but the base is chicken/ turkey and leeks.

Leftover chicken/ turkey meat (I actually used a full chicken that was reduced to £2.79 in Lidl)
2/4 leeks sliced
Tsp dried thyme
3 rashers smoky bacon/ streaky whichever you have/want
150g mushrooms
1 pt chicken stock
Tbsp flour
Ready rolled puff pastry

Add chopped leeks to a pan with a nob of butter on a medium heat and sweat, with the lid, on stirring occasionally for about ten minutes.
Fry your chopped bacon strips on a high heat with the thyme and mushrooms.
Transfer the bacon and mushrooms into the leeks and stir in the flour until dissolved.
To deglaze the bacon pan, put it back on the heat and pour in some of the stock until any residue has dissappeared.
Pour all the stock into the pan with the leeks, not forgetting the stock from the frying pan with the flavour from the bacon!
Stir in the meat until it's bubbling nicely and simmer for ten minutes.
Transfer into an oven proof dish and top with the pastry.
Score some nice diagonal lines with a knife and if you want a golden pastry brush with beaten egg (it doesn't matter if you don't do this it just looks nicer)
Put into a preheated oven at 180 for 30-40 minutes or until the pastry is golden.

Cheap winter warmer or fancy starter? You decide!

Today's recipe is cream of onion soup, so simple and tasty. Considering it costs pence to make you can make it look like a starter in any top restaurant with a couple of finishing touches. It's a nice, filling winter warmer served as either a lunch with crusty bread or toast, or as indeed a starter with some croutons and a cheese crisp, if you fancy cooking a meal for your other half on the cheap. My husband and kids love it, even the dog polished off some I spilled on the floor and he seemed to like it too!

Serves 4
3 med-large white onions
1 pint chicken stock (ideal if you have some leftover from the chowder like me)
40g butter/marg or 2tbsp oil
2 tbsp flour
1/2 pint milk or 300ml single cream (richer with cream but still as tasty with milk)
Salt and pepper to taste.

For the croutons

1 slice bread sliced into squares
Oil

Fry in a pan until golden. Done! (You could always toast the bread for a healthier alternative)

 For the cheese crisps grate some cheese, I just used mature cheddar, and place on some greaseproof paper in little mounds and cook on high for a few minutes (just keep checking them until they bubble and melt) leave them to cool.

For the soup, chop the onions into slices roughly and on a medium heat melt the butter. Sweat the onions in the butter for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don't stick to the pan.

 When they are clear and soft add the flour and stir in. Turning the heat up a bit higher add the chicken stock gradually to the floury onions stirring constantly until the flour dissolves and you have added all the liquid. Boil for a few minutes and turn down to a lower heat stir in the milk/cream. I prefer to leave salt and pepper for people to season as they like it individually. Dish up and add your croutons and cheese crisp and a drizzle of oil for presentation!

Meat free midweek meal

A simple but tasty and cheap tea we love in our house. Stuffed peppers with corn on the cob! Ok, granted, it's not a gourmet meal and doesn't look like a lot, but it's very filling and tasty too, You can add any filling you want, if there's some leftover chilli or bolognese stick that in instead of rice. So if you're looking for something new to try out fancy a change give it a go! I'll give you the recipe for 4 people.

4 large peppers                                             

2 packs of supermarkets own brand chicken/ veg flavour rice.                           

4 corn cobs

Grated cheese

Firstly cook your rice as stated on the packet (usually 425mls cold water and boil with rice until water has been absorbed).

Slice the top of the pepper off and put to one side.

Hollow out your pepper so it's like a bowl and if needed just slice a bit of the bottom so it stands up.

When rice is cooked fill your pepper bowls with rice and grated cheese (or optional fillings) and place pepper lid back on.

Cook in a preheated oven on 180 for 20-25 minutes.

Five minutes before they're cooked put the corn cobs into boiling water and they will be ready with the peppers.

Now, as this wasn't a great deal (filling as it is) we decided to have a crumble for dessert. We had some apples given so you can't get much cheaper and at this time of year there are plenty about! I had some frozen berries left which I bought from Lidl, but you could get out brambling with the kids. Tea tastes even better for free! 

6-8 med apples peeled and chopped into chunks (if using cooking apples add sugar when cooking)

Whatever other fruit you want to add

150g flour

75g butter cut into chunks

75g sugar (brown, white, whatever you want)

1-2 tsp mixed spice/ cinnamon (optional)

Add chopped fruit and mixed spice/cinnamon to a pan on medium heat and leave to stew for about 5-10 minutes until soft.

Meanwhile in a bowl pour in flour, sugar and chunks of butter and rub everything in until there are no big lumps of butter left.

When the fruits cooked pour into oven proof dish and top with crumble mix. 

Cook for 25-30 mins on 180

Serve with custard, cream or ice-cream.

Well that's it for now if anyone tries this I would love to know how you get on! 

Pancakes for supper

Cup self raising flour
Cup milk
One egg

Whisk together and ladle into a hot pan with oil. Add whatever toppings you wish. Cheap, easy and the kids love them!