We're once again taking part in the Live Below the Line campaign as a family from 28th April - 2nd May, this time raising money for Christian Aid. Sometimes the best way for children to learn things is to experience them in a safe but challenging way. We take for granted our plentiful food, clean water and fairly comfortable lifestyle. It is very important to me that my children realise that others in the world are much less fortunate and for them to experience a little of what it is like for those people who live on much less than we do.
There are currently 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty – surviving on just £1 a day. That £1 has to pay for everything – food, housing, health, clothing, transport and education. Live Below the Line aims to raise money to help those in poverty by highlighting the plight of the world’s poorest. My eldest daughter wants to be an aid worker and has already raised £188 for Save the Children this year by organising a concert with a teacher and her worship band at school so she was very enthusiastic about participating in Live Below the Line once again - my husband and other two daughters are slightly less keen.
I am pregnant so have been advised by my Obstetric Consultant to keep taking my pregnancy multivitamins throughout the week but other than that we will be strictly sticking to the rules of spending £1 per person per day on food. I will be blogging our experiences and feelings throughout next week so do check back to see how we are getting on.
You can sponsor us to raise money for Christian Aid by clicking here.
Our 5 Day Meal Plan
Drinks will be either water, milk or cheats cuppa soup made with some vegetable stock cube dissolved in hot water. There is no tea, coffee, juice or squash in this Meal Plan. We grow rhubarb, fresh herbs, spinach, chard and salads so I’ve included 60p to cover the costs of seeds used to grow our produce. I will of course be baking our own bread and other baked goods needed for the Meal Plan.
Breakfasts
Breakfasts will be porridge with baked rhubarb compote and a
banana or banana on wholemeal toast.
Lunches
These Calzone will be served with carrot and cucumber
sticks and salad leaves.
Mince and Vegetable
Calzone
Filling:
250g beef mince
1 onion, finely chopped
200g frozen mixed vegetables
4 Tblsp tomato paste
125ml boiling water
1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 Tblsp fresh chives, finely chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Dough:
1 x 7g packet instant
yeast
1 Tblsp sugar
150ml - 200ml lukewarm water
450g bread or plain flour, I used wholemeal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp mixed herbs
Make the dough first so it has time to rise whilst you make
the filling. Mix the yeast, sugar and water together then add the flour, salt,
a couple of hearty grinds of pepper and mixed herbs. Mix the ingredients together well, and add
more warm water or flour if necessary, until the dough mixture forms a large
ball.
Knead the dough gently until it is elastic and smooth. Grease a bowl with a little oil, put the
dough into the bowl and turn it n the oil.
Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside in a warm place to rise for
at least 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 190C/170 Fan.
Now make the filling.
In a frying pan over a moderate heat, saute the onion and peppers until
they start to soften then add the minced beef.
Brown the mince well, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the frozen mixed vegetables, tomato
paste, water and chives then simmer gently for 10–15 minutes. Remove the
filling fron the heat.
To make the calzone, take a small piece of dough and roll it
out into a small circle shape. Put a large spoonful of mince mixture on one
side of circle, leaving a 1cm clear edge. Top with a tablespoon of grated
cheddar cheese. Fold the empty side over
the filling to make a crescent shape then pinch the edges together to seal the
calzone. Repeat until all the dough and
filling has been used. I can usually get
about 18 - 20 small calzone from this recipe.
Put the calzone onto lined baking trays. Brush with a little
oil and bake for 10 - 15 minutes or until they are golden and crispy.
Snacks
Flapjacks
125g butter
125g sugar
175g rolled oats
Preheat your oven to 160C/140C Fan and line a 20cm square
cake tin with non-stick baking paper.
Put the butter and sugar into a large saucepan over a moderate heat and
stir until the butter has melted and everything is well combined.
Take the saucepan off the heat then tip the rolled oats and
stir together ensuring that the oats are thoroughly coated with the melted
butter and sugar mixture.
Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and press down
firmly to form an even layer, I use a potato masher to do this bit but you
could use the back of a spoon.
Bake in the oven for 25 - 30 minutes until golden
brown. Remove from the oven and score
slices to make cutting the flapjacks easier once they have cooled. Leave the flapjacks to cool completely in the
tin.
Rice Pudding
600ml milk
65g long grain white rice
50g white sugar
In a medium sized, heavy bottomed saucepan combine the milk
and rice. Place saucepan over a fairly
high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and
simmer until the rice is tender. This usually takes about 25 minutes. Stir the
milk mixture frequently using a heatproof rubber spatula or wooden spoon to
stop the rice from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.
Once the rice is tender, cook for a further 5 - 10 minutes
until the rice pudding thickens. Spoon
the pudding into a bowl to cool and cover with clingfilm to stop a skin
forming. Store in the fridge for up to 3
days.
Dinners
Vegetable Pie
I love making this for dinner, it's quick, easy and filling.
Just what you need for a stormy weekday evening. You can use whatever
vegetables that you have available, even leftovers work well. The cheese sauce
is quick to make and you cover everything with tasty mash.
Creamy Sauce:
50g butter
50g flour
600ml milk
150g grated mature cheddar
Vegetables, use what you have available:
500g frozen mixed vegetables
small bunch of chives, finely chopped
3 or 4 large potatoes or sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
Melt the butter in a saucepan, then stir in the flour and
mustard powder and cook for 1 min. Gradually stir in the milk until smooth with
no lumps, then keep stirring until the mixture begins to bubble and thickens to
a creamy sauce. Remove from the heat, then stir in the grated cheese, leaving
some aside to sprinkle on the top.
Heat your oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7 and bring a large pan
of water to the boil. Cook the broccoli for 5 minutes then add mixed vegetables
and cook for a further 3 - 5 minutes. Drain all the vegetables well. Add the
cooked vegetables to the creamy sauce with the chives. Cook and mash the sweet
potatoes or potatoes and season to taste as this will cover the top of the
finished pie.
Tip the mixed vegetables and sauce into a deep ovenproof
dish, carefully cover with the mash and then sprinkle with the remaining
cheese. Bake for 20-25 mins until the
topping is golden and the cheese is bubbling, then serve.
Salmon Fish Cakes
with Vegetables
1 packet of salmon trimmings
500g large potatoes
1 tsp dried mixed herbs or 1 Tblsp fresh herbs
100g wholemeal breadcrumbs
Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water until soft. Drain well and mash until smooth, then leave
to cool. Finely chop the salmon trimmings and mix into the cooled mash potato
along with the herbs. Shape the mix into
fish cakes.
Coat each fish cake in a little plain flour, dip into beaten
egg and coat in the breadcrumbs. Fry the
fish cakes in a little oil or butter for 2 minutes on each side. Then put them
on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 10 minutes on 175C. Serve with cooked
mixed vegetables or spinach.
Mixed Vegetable Pearl
Barley Risotto – 2 nights
50g unsalted butter
500g pearl barley
1 vegetable stock cube
500g frozen mixed vegetables
Handful of fresh herbs such as parsley, tarragon or sage,
chopped
150g grated mature Cheddar, a vegetarian alternative
Melt a knob of the butter in a medium pan. Add the pearl
barley, stir it around so it's coated with the butter, then cook gently for 2-3
minutes. Dissolve the stock cube in 600ml of boiling water, then pour over the
pearl barley.
Simmer over a medium heat for 25-30 minutes until the pearl
barley is tender. Keep topping it up with another 800ml hot water, ensuring the
barley is covered. When the pearl barley
is cooked, remove the saucepan from the heat, taste it and adjust the
seasoning. Add the frozen mixed vegetables, then set aside with a lid on for
about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a frying pan and
cook over a medium heat until it starts foaming. Add the mushrooms and fry for
5-10 minutes until they're golden brown. Season to taste. We you're ready to
serve, combine the pearl barley and vegetables with the mushrooms, herbs and
cheese. Taste, adjust the seasoning if necessary, then spoon into bowls.
Rice and Vegetable
Bake
2 cups cooked rice
2 onions, finely sliced
1 Tblsp butter or spread
2 handfuls frozen mixed vegetables
2 cubes frozen spinach, defrosted (or use 1 large bunch of fresh spinach leaves)
6 eggs
1 cup grated cheese
Preheat oven to 180ºC. Grease a large baking dish.
Cook onions in the butter until soft and slightly
caramelised.
Combine all the other ingredients except ½ cup of cheese.
Spoon into prepared dish and flatten. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup of
cheese.
Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until firm in the middle and
lightly browned.
Shopping List
20 items: £24.39
Packets and Cereals
2x ASDA Wholegrain Scottish Porridge Oats (500g) £1.36
1x Whitworths Granulated Sugar (500g) 65p
1x ASDA Smartprice Long Grain Rice (1Kg) 40p
1x Great Scot Pearl Barley (500g) 64p
1x ASDA Home Baking Easy Bake Yeast (6 per pack - 42g) 65p
1x ASDA Wholefoods Brown Bread Flour (1.5Kg) £1.28
Frozen
2x ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg) £1.54
Dairy and Eggs
3x ASDA British Semi Skimmed Milk 4 Pints (2.27L) £3.00
1x ASDA Smartprice Salted Butter (250g) 98p
1x ASDA Smartprice Mild Grated Cheddar (500g) £2.21
1x Suffolk Farm Medium Free Range Eggs (6) £1.00
Meat, Fish and Poultry
1x ASDA Smartprice Smoked Salmon Trimmings (120g) £1.25
1x ASDA Butcher's Selection British Beef Mince (250g) £1.75
Fruit and Vegetables
20 ASDA Bananas by Weight (150g) £1.97
2 ASDA
Onions by Weight (230g) 34.5p
1x ASDA White Potatoes (2.5Kg) £2.00
3x ASDA Whole Cucumber £1.50
1x ASDA Carrots (1.2Kg) 75p
Tins, Jars and Cooking
1x ASDA Tomato Puree Double Concentrate (310g) 72p
1x ASDA Chosen by You Vegetable Stock Cubes (12x10g) 40p
