2 pies 1 Post. R.O.G.O.F Read One Get One Free.

After my successful shop last week at Aldi, I was very busy in the kitchen. We managed to spend £39 to feed three adults, a teenager and two children for a full week. It takes a bit of time and effort to save money on your food bill, which can be seen as a negative thing that would put people off. What if I told you that it would create more family time and give you a sense of accomplishment, on top of saving you pounds? We make meal planning a family get together, where we all decide and argue about the following week's meals. It's great, there are usually strops and tears, but we manage to devise a plan and we wouldn't be us if we didn't bicker our way through everything. Involving the children in the process of menu planning and cooking, is giving them valuable life skills that they will use forever, I would say there is nothing more beneficial you could teach them. After we plan the week's meals, I can make a list of the ingredients needed, then shop for them, you MUST stick to your list, do not get tempted to buy things other than what's on there, another reason for the bickering as hubby tends to wander off the beaten track, I just remind him how much money we're saving and he soon comes back. Shopping this way will save you loads of money and the more meals you cook from scratch,  will give you a massive sense of achievement. Get the children involved at every opportunity, even if it's them passing you the ingredients, they love to help and it also encourages them to try new things and eat their meals. We have had two very different pies in the last two weeks that I wanted to share with you.

Firstly my Chicken, Bacon and Sweetcorn Pie:

3 or 4 chicken breasts

4 rashers cheapest smoked back bacon

100g frozen sweetcorn

Pack puff pastry

2 tsp dried thyme

100ml cream

Tbsp plain flour

1 pint chicken stock

In a frying pan on medium-high cook the chicken and bacon adding the thyme

Stir in the flour and gradually add the chicken stock a bit at a time until all the flour is dissolved

Add the sweetcorn and let it bubble for 5 minutes

Finally stir in the cream and transfer to an oven proof pie dish

Top with the puff pastry and cook at 180 for 35 minutes

The next 'pie' is so simple, you could let an older child make it with very little help.

Cowboy Pie:

3 tins of baked beans

2 tins of corned beef

5-6 potatoes

Milk and butter (for mashing)

Grated cheese (for topping)

Roughly chop the corned beef into chunks and put in a deep oven proof dish

Add the beans

Peel, chop and boil the potatoes for 25 minutes until soft

Mash with a splash of milk and a nob of butter until smooth

Spoon onto the beans and corned beef filling

Lightly scrape a fork over the surface and add some cheese

Bake at 180 for 30 minutes

Pasta Cheat

During the hellish ordeal that is weekend shopping, I came up with my next dish. As I sat in Frankie and Benny's watching the rush of people enter, eat and leave the restaurant, I wondered how many of us actually wanted to be there. Who was there by choice, or because it's the weekend thing to do or actually felt they just had to be there. I don't mean just eating out, but shopping. I really hate it, pushing through crowds of people all racing around trying to complete their missions. Sitting in queues of traffic getting angrier and angrier waiting to get to our destination as quickly as we can so we can get home again. I still can't get my head around the fact that people do this for pleasure. Give me the woods or the beach and I'm in heaven. That's not to say I didn't enjoy myself, we had a lovely family day out and it's all about compromise and doing things that everybody enjoys. Watching my youngest two children's faces light up because they are getting treated to a dessert and a balloon, they really are that easily pleased, is a lovely thing even if it isn't my cup of tea. Considering I got my inspiration for this next dish while I was there it wasn't all bad. So here's my recipe for bacon and mushroom tagliatelle. Combat the 'carb coma' by serving with a large fresh salad instead of garlic bread like I did!

Bacon (I used Asda smartprice smoked back bacon for £1.20 312gm)

250g mushrooms (mine were 25p from the Spar bargain!)

Tin of cream of chicken/= or mushroom soup

2 tsp dried thyme 

2 tsp garlic powder

400g tagliatelle

Finely grated cheddar to sprinkle on top

Slice the mushrooms and bacon

On a high heat fry them for 15 minutes or until golden

Add the thyme

Cover the tagliatelle with boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes

Heat the soup

Drain the cooked pasta, add the soup, bacon and mushrooms and serve with a sprinkle of cheese on top. 

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!

Chilli gone barmy and nom nom nachos

With the cold spell we are having at the moment, (it makes for some beautiful pictures) this tea is perfect. It was going to be a chilli con carne, however I forgot to buy some of the ingredients and had to improvise and do you know what? It tastes better for it! This is a good one for this time of year as it's filling, healthy and cheap! Have it on it's own, with the nachos, jacket potato, rice, pasta or chips, it's your choice. I have a very slap dash approach to cooking just lately and want to stress to you all even though I give you a recipe, feel free to play around and make it your own. The nachos make a lovely supper or an accompaniment to a Mexican meal, these however are probably not as good for the waist line. Then again with the weather at the moment we need a little fat on our bones.....right?

Nachos

Tortilla chips (Asda's own brand are only 46p for a 200g bag!)

Rocket (optional)

Sweet chilli sauce

Cheese grated

Layer the crisps and cheese and grill until the cheese melts

Dish up on top of the rocket (it makes you feel less guilty)

Dribble on the sauce and enjoy!

My son Chase, hubby Paul and Louie the lab enjoying the snow!

For the chilli

500g minced beef

Red pepper diced

Onion sliced

Passata 500g carton (Lidl)

Tin kidney beans

Tin baked beans

Tsp cumin

Tsp chilli powder

Tsp paprika

300ml beef stock (oxo and water)

Fry off the mince and drain off the fat

In a pan with some oil add the pepper and onion and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes with the cumin, chilli and paprika

When the onion and pepper are soft add the drained mince, passata, beef stock and give a good stir

Add both tins of beans and leave to simmer for at least 20 minutes serve as suggested above!

Its that easy...Here are some more of my snow pictures to enjoy

Louie is such a poser

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!

Cheap and easy autumn tea

Leek and potato soup with warm cheese scones.

Soup ingredients.
Onion
4 leeks
3 potatoes
Half pint veg/chicken stock

Chop the onions, leeks and potatoes into chunks and sweat in butter or oil in a pan until soft. Add the stock and boil for about ten minutes. Blend to desired thickness as salt and proper to taste. If too thick thin with a bit of milk or water.

Cheese scones.

225g plain flour
2 and a half tsp baking powder
50g butter
125g cheese
Tsp mustard/powder
140ml milk

Mix flour and baking powder together, rub in the butter and mustard and then add the grated cheese. Moving with a knife add the milk until dough is formed. Roll out as thick as you want scones and cut. Put in preheated oven at 180 for 20 mins.

Hope you enjoyed my autumn cheap tea!