Our Family Meal Plan for week beginning 30/01/2017 - £59

Last week was challenging as our two middle children were poorly with head colds and sore throats, which they have now passed on to me. I have a horrid head cold and hacking cough, although I still went to work on Saturday night as it was not as bad then as it is now.  I need an easy week this week with the Meal Plan as I will have to carry on regardless of the fact that I feel dreadful.

I'm out at evening events 3 nights this week, and so is 13yo.  10yo is also out twice, on different evenings to 13yo and I.  It means low faff meals are needed, and also ones that can be cooked quickly or are OK to reheat if we are eating at different times.  I'm hoping for a much quieter week next week!

Our Meal Plan

Breakfasts will be porridge, either overnight oats with grated apple, or hot porridge with homemade fruit compote.  

Packed Lunches will he homemade bagels with homemade tuna and sweetcorn filler, vegetable sticks, a piece of fruit, and a baked treat for afters.  

Weekend Lunches will be Twice Baked Potatoes and Flatbreads as we've a busy weekend out and about at clubs and other events.

Snacks will be popcorn using kernels left over from last week, scones, muffins, and flapjacks.

Dinners

Quick and Easy Nachos

1 onion, finely diced

2 peppers, finely diced, any colour will do

325g tin sweetcorn, drained

2 tins chilli beans

200g pack tortilla chips

150g grated mature cheddar cheese, or more if you fancy

Mix the onion, peppers, sweetcorn and chilli beans together in a bowl. Put half of the of tortilla chips, in a single layer, into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish. Dollop with around half the vegetable and bean mixture then top with a good handful of grated cheddar. Repeat the process until all the chips, vegetable mixture and cheese have been used up. Preheat your oven to 200C/180C Fan/400F/Gas Mark 6 and bake the nachos in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling and everything has heated through. I served ours with steamed mixed vegetables on the side.

Root Vegetable and Meatball Bake

750g root vegetables peeled and diced. I used butternut squash, carrot, and sweet potato

2 onions, sliced

2 peppers, diced

12 beef meatballs

500ml pasta sauce (homemade or store bought)

Preheat your oven to 200C/180C Fan. Cook the root vegetables in boiling water for 5 - 8 minutes until they start to soften, alternatively steam them in the microwave for a few minutes. 

Lightly oil a large ovenproof dish. Put the vegetables into the dish and nestle the meatballs on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, drizzle over the pasta sauce, then bake for a further 10 minutes.  Serve with steamed greens or mixed vegetables.

Roast Chicken with Roast Vegetables and steamed mixed vegetables

Sausage, Vegetable and Pear Barley Hotpot (makes enough for 2 nights)

Chicken and Orzo Bake

2 onions, diced

2 peppers, diced (any colour will do)

1 clove garlic, minced

170g dried orzo pasta

500ml chicken stock

300g leftover cooked chicken

Preheat your oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Mix together all of the ingredients in a large baking dish until well combined. My Pyrex baking dish measures 9 x 12 inches (23 x 33cm). Put the casserole dish in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve with steamed mixed vegetables.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Shopping List

40 items: £58.90 purchased from Asda on 28/01/2017

Packets and Cereals

1x   Mornflake Superfast Oats (2Kg)                                          £2.18

1x   ASDA Good and Balanced Wholewheat Spaghetti (500g)     50p

1x   Silver Spoon Granulated Sugar (1Kg)                                  64p

1x   ASDA Wholemeal Bread Flour (1.5Kg)                                £1.20

1x   ASDA Smartprice Plain White Flour (1.5Kg)                        45p

1x   ASDA Smartprice Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg)                       45p

1x   ASDA Home Baking Easy Bake Yeast (6 per pack - 42g)     65p

1x   ASDA Orzo (500g)                                                              50p

1x   ASDA Good and Balanced Pearl Barley (500g)                    50p

Frozen

3x   ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg)                          £2.31

1x   ASDA Smartprice Sweetcorn (1Kg)                                     99p

Dairy and Eggs

3x   ASDA British Semi Skimmed Milk 4 Pints (2.27L)                £2.97

2x   ASDA British Whole Milk 4 Pints (2.27L)                             £1.98

1x   ASDA Free Range Large Eggs (6)                                      £1.00

1x   ASDA Smartprice Butter - Salted (250g)                              99p

1x   ASDA Smartprice Low Fat Natural Yogurt (500g)                 45p

2x   ASDA English Medium Cheddar (350g)                               £3.00

Tins, Jars and Cooking

1x   ASDA Smartprice Mayonnaise (500ml)                                40p

1x   ASDA Double Concentrated Tomato Puree (200g)               39p

2x   KTC Chilli Beans in Spicy Tomato Sauce (400g)                 66p

4x   KTC Chopped Tomatoes in Tomato Juice (400g)                 £1.33

1x   ASDA Tuna Chunks in Spring Water (4x160g)                     £2.74

Meat, Fish and Poultry

1x   ASDA Smartprice Cooking Bacon (500g)                             60p

1x   ASDA Extra Special Pork Sausages (10 per pack - 750g)    £3.33

1x   ASDA Beef Meatballs (25 per pack - 710g)                          £3.33

1x   ASDA Butcher's Selection Whole Chicken (1.25Kg)             £3.33

Fruit and Vegetables

25   ASDA Grower's Selection Bananas by Weight (200g)          £2.10

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Carrots (1Kg)                              90p

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection White Potatoes (2.5Kg)               £2.50

1     ASDA Butternut Squash by Weight (1.2Kg)                         90p

3x   ASDA Grower's Selection Whole Cucumber                         £1.50

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Celery                                         60p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Garlic Loose                               20p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Sweet Potatoes (1Kg)                  95p

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Sweetclems (1.4Kg)                    £4.50

4x   ASDA Grower's Selection Plums Ripen at Home (400g)       £2.00

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Brown Onions (1Kg)                    74p

6x   ASDA Smartprice Apples (500g)                                         £3.00

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Mixed Peppers (700g)                 £1.20

Snacks and Sweets

2x   ASDA Smartprice Tortilla Chips - Lightly Salted (200g)        92p

Pricesreflect those on MySupermarket and are correct as of 28 January 2017.  Prices may vary in different in-store locations.

We purchased our shopping from Asda on 28/01/2017 which cost £58.90, had we shopped elsewhere our shopping would've cost:

£71.60 from Tesco

£72.12 from Morrisons

£75.86 from Sainsbury's

ABC Cookies (Vegan)

I wanted a cookie that would be great for breakfast on the go (with a pot of yoghurt) as well as a baked treat in lunchboxes or for afternoon tea with a cuppa.  It decided to adapt my Wholemeal ABC Muffins recipe to make cookies instead.  I added rolled oats to the recipe and used more mashed banana to replace the egg. It took a bit of tinkering, and a few batches of cookies, before I got the cookies just how I wanted them.

Toddler boy loved helping me bake a batch of these cookies

My team of taste testers (my children and some school run Mums and their children) declared them to be delicious and far too tasty to be so packed full of goodness.  Result!  They are lots of fun to bake, my toddler loved mashing the banana, measuring out the dry ingredients, and mixing everything together.  He also helped dollop the dough on to the trays and flatten the cookies.  My older children can make the cookies themselves without too much bother.

ABC Cookies (Vegan) 

150g/1 generous cup grated apple or pear (unpeeled)

200g/1 cup mashed over-ripe banana

150g/1 generous cup grated carrot

60ml/4 Tblsp/¼ cup maple or golden syrup

80ml/⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

300g/2 generous cups wholemeal flour

100g/1 cup rolled oats

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda/baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon or mixed/pumpkin spice

80g/½ cup chocolate chips or chopped dates

Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4.  Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

Measure the apple, banana, carrot, syrup, oil, and vanilla into a bowl then mix thoroughly.

Measure the wholemeal flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon into another bowl, stir together until well mixed.  Add the chocolate chips or dates and stir again to coat them in the dry ingredients.

Tip the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir everything together until completely combined.

Using a cookie scoop, mine measures 2.5cm/1 inch in diameter, dollop the dough onto the lined trays.  You could use a tablespoon instead but I find that a cookie scoop is much easier and makes lovely round cookies.  I usually get about 20 - 22 cookies out of this batch of mixture.  Press the cookie dough mounds down slightly with a wet palm or floured fork.

Bake in the oven for 15 - 18 minutes. Allow to cool on the trays for a few minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  The cookies keep well for around 3 days in an airtight container.  The cookies are also freezable for a month or two.

Our Family Meal Plan for week beginning 23/01/2017 - £51

It's the week before payday in January, otherwise known as the longest week in the world!  It will be a frugal week this week, and a busy one too.  I will be using my slow cooker quite often because it is great for low fuss cooking, cheap to run, and also handy for keeping food warm when people are eating at different times. 

Thankfully we've got baking flour, bread flour, baking spread, and sugar left over from last week so I haven't added them to the shopping this week.  As always we'll be raiding our back garden for greens and herbs which will help keep costs down.

We've got several evening events this week, there's quite a few after school/evening events for our children so dinners need to be either in the slow cooker or very quick to prepare on those evenings.  The scone swirls and frittatas for packed lunches have been cooked today and are in the freezer ready to be defrosted each night for the next day.  I've also pre-chopped the vegetables for the first two dinners this week to try and get ahead. 

Our Meal Plan 

Breakfasts will be porridge with fruit compote or toast with spread and a piece of fruit.  

Packed lunches will be Savoury Scone Swirls filled with bacon, peppers, sweetcorn, and cheese for some of the week, and Mini Frittatas for the rest of the week.  Packed lunches will include vegetable sticks, herbed yoghurt dip, and a piece of fruit for afters.

Weekend lunches will be Mixed Vegetable Soup (Vegan) both days, substituting onions for the leeks.  The soup will be served with homemade bread rolls. 

Snacks will be fresh fruit, popcorn, rice pudding, and homemade vegetable or apple crisps.  

Dinners

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Dhal (Vegan)

1 large onion, roughly diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

750g butternut squash, peeled and cut in to 1 inch/2.5cm dice

1 Tblsp curry powder

200g red lentils, rinsed

750ml vegetable stock

Put everything in the slow cooker and put the lid on. Cook for 3 - 4 hours on HIGH or 5 - 7 hours on LOW. Stir well until fairly smooth then serve with Naan bread and/or cooked rice and cooked mixed vegetables.

Slow Cooker Vegetable and Bean Chilli

2 large onions, roughly diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large carrots, finely diced

3 sticks celery, finely diced

2 peppers, finely diced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

300ml vegetable stock

400g tin chopped tomatoes

2 x 400g kidney beans in chilli sauce

Put everything in the slow cooker, stir well to combine then put the lid on. Cook on HIGH for 3 - 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is thick. Serve with cooked rice or baked potatoes, grated cheese and a dollop of yoghurt.

Slow Cooker Veggie Bolognese (Vegan)

1 large onion, roughly diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 large carrots, grated

3 sticks celery, finely diced

2 peppers, finely diced

300g red lentils, rinsed

400g tin chopped tomatoes

600ml vegetable stock

3 Tblsp tomato paste

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

Put everything into the slow cooker, stir well to combine then put the lid on. Cook on HIGH for 5 - 6 hours or LOW for 8 - 9 hours. Serve with cooked pasta.

Slow Cooker Root Vegetable Hotpot (Vegan)

2 large onions, roughly diced

750g butternut squash or sweet potato, cut into 1 inch/2.5cm dice

3 large carrots, cut into 1 inch/2.5cm dice

3 large parsnips, cut into 1 inch/2.5cm dice

3 Tblsp plain flour

3 Tblsp tomato paste

2 tsp dried mixed herbs

500ml vegetable stock

2 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

400g chopped tomatoes

Put everything in the slow cooker and mix well to combine, put the lid on. Cook on HIGH for 4 - 5 hours or LOW for 6 - 8 hours until the vegetables are tender. Serve with steamed greens.

Bean Burgers with Coleslaw and Potato Wedges (Vegetarian)

Macaroni Cheese

My family enjoyed this dinner so much last week they asked to have it again this week.  

Mixed Vegetable Crustless Quiche with Coleslaw and Potato Wedges 

Shopping List

39 items: £50.76 from Asda on 21/01/2017

Packets and Cereals

 Mornflake Superfast Oats (2Kg)                                                 £2.18

 ASDA Good and Balanced Wholewheat Spaghetti (500g)            50p

ASDA Smartprice Long Grain Rice (1Kg)                                     42p

ASDA Good and Balanced Wholewheat Penne (500g)                  50p

Island Sun Popcorn (500g)                                                          75p

ASDA Good and Balanced Red Lentils (500g)                              75p

Frozen

2x ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg)                              £1.54

ASDA Smartprice Sweetcorn (1Kg)                                             99p

Dairy and Eggs

2x ASDA Semi Skimmed Milk 6 Pints (3.41L)                              £2.90

ASDA British Whole Milk 6 Pints (3.41L)                                      £1.45

2x ASDA Smartprice Low Fat Natural Yogurt (500g)                    90p

ASDA Free Range Mixed Weight Eggs (15)                                 £2.00

2x ASDA Mature British Cheddar (350g)                                      £3.00

Tins, Jars and Cooking

ASDA Smartprice Dried Mixed Herbs (18g)                                 69p

ASDA Smartprice Mayonnaise (500ml)                                        40p

ASDA Double Concentrated Tomato Puree (200g)                       39p

2x KTC Chick Peas in Salted Water (400g)                                 66.7p

2x KTC Chilli Beans in Spicy Tomato Sauce (400g)                     66.7p

2x KTC Red Kidney Beans in Salted Water (400g)                       66.7p

3x KTC Chopped Tomatoes in Tomato Juice (400g)                    £1.00

Dunn's River Caribbean Mild Curry Powder (100g)                       89p

ASDA Stock Cubes - Vegetable (12x10g)                                    59p

Meat, Fish and Poultry

2x ASDA Smartprice Cooking Bacon (500g)                                £1.20

Fruit and Vegetables

25 ASDA Grower's Selection Bananas by Weight (200g)              £2.10

ASDA Grower's Selection White Cabbage by Weight (1.3Kg)       98p

2x ASDA Grower's Selection Carrots (1Kg)                                 90p

4 ASDA Grower's Selection Parsnips by Weight (250g)                £1.00

2x ASDA Grower's Selection White Potatoes (2.5Kg)                   £2.50

ASDA Grower's Selection Butternut Squash by Weight (1.2Kg)    90p

4x ASDA Grower's Selection Whole Cucumber                            £1.80

ASDA Grower's Selection Celery                                                 60p

2x ASDA Grower's Selection Garlic Loose                                   40p

2x ASDA Grower's Selection Brown Onions (1Kg)                        £1.34

6x ASDA Smartprice Apples (500g)                                             £3.00

12 ASDA Grower's Selection Conference Pears                           £3.15

ASDA Grower's Selection Mixed Peppers (700g)                         £1.20

3x ASDA Grower's Selection Plums (750g)                                  £2.85

2x ASDA Grower's Selection Swede                                            £1.00

Drinks

1x   ASDA Italian Roast and Ground Coffee (227g)                      £2.00

Prices and special offers reflect those of the online grocery websites, and are correct as of 21st January 2017. Prices may vary in different in-store locations.

We purchased our grocery shop from Asda, I used My Supermarket to compare the price of our shopping list had we purchased it elsewhere.  Our shopping list would've cost:

£63.71 from Sainsbury's

£64.45 from Morrisons

£64.75 from Tesco

£77.75 from Waitrose

£78.71 from Ocaco

Our Family Meal Plan for week beginning 15/01/2017

Our Meal Plan this week is more expensive than usual as I need to restock our baking ingredients.  We've run out of bread and baking flours, sugars, eggs, butter, oil, etc.  Last week was a challenging one, toddler boy was poorly with high fevers for several days, but nothing else obviously wrong such as a cough or nasal congestion. Thankfully on day 4 his temperature started coming down and he's now back to his usual self.  I managed to stay on track with our Meal Plan, but it was tough as I was so tired and didn't want to cook but had to just get on with it.  I did make toddler boy a few smoothies using fruit and veg that was on the Meal Plan, as he was off his food.

The plan this week is low faff and fairly easy with a couple of slow cooker dinners, and all the meals are family favourites.  I need an easy week as I am utterly knackered after several virtually sleepless nights with toddler boy last week and my usual weekend night shift, plus an extra shift.  

As usual there is plenty of fresh fruit, and lots of vegetables in our Meal Plan.  The greens in the back garden are still going strong, as are the herbs, which saves us money and adds some extra vegetables to our meals.  

Our Meal Plan 

Breakfasts will be toast with spread or porridge with homemade apple and pear compote.  We'll have pancakes on one day over the weekend and homemade crumpets on the other.

Packed lunches this week will be Quick Vegetable Tagine with Couscous for the first half of the week, and Cheese and Vegetable Puffs with vegetable sticks, for the rest of the week and of course a piece of fruit and baked treat for afters. Weekend lunches will be Crustless Quiche and Slow Cooker French Onion Soup with cheese toasts.

Crustless Quiche

3 cups mixed vegetables

1 cup cheese, grated

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup self-raising flour

good grinding of black pepper

Put the vegetables and ¾ of the cheese into a greased ovenproof dish. Lightly beat the eggs and milk together in a jug. Sprinkle over the self-raising flour and mix well, ensuring there are no lumps. Pour egg mixture over the vegetables and grind over some black pepper then sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Bake at 200°C for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and set. Serve either hot or cold.

Snacks

My husband has requested a batch of Iced Buns this week, I won't fill them with cream though, and I will also bake some ABC Muffins and Flapjacks.

Dinners

Mixed Vegetable and Macaroni Cheese

I make my own cheese sauce using a roux base and add frozen mixed vegetables to the pasta during the last few minutes of cooking time. Our Macaroni Cheese usually has plenty of vegetables with the pasta in a rich cheddar cheese sauce.

Slow Cooker Beef Casserole (enough for two nights)

1kg beef braising/stewing steak cut into chunks

1 tsp ground ginger

2 onions, sliced

2 sticks of celery, finely sliced

2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes or cherry tomatoes

2 x 400g cans of kidney beans, drained and well rinsed

2 peppers, roughly diced (any colour will do)

3 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks

2 bay leaves

1 Tblsp sugar

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce

If you have time, brown the meat in a non-stick pan, use a little oil if necessary.

Put the beef and everything else in the slow cooker. Stir well and cook for 7-8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. If the casserole needs thickening, stir 2 Tbsp cornflour mixed to a paste with 2 Tbsp water into it. Serve with mash and greens or mixed vegetables.  I sometimes make the leftovers into pasties for the second night, it helps the leftovers go further and also makes them into something different.

Packed with Veg Pasta Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

3 onions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

3 carrots, finely chopped

6 celery sticks, very finely chopped

2 leeks, trimmed and very finely sliced

3 peppers, finely chopped

500g mushrooms, finely sliced

2 tsp salt

3 Tblsp tomato puree

3 tbsp plain flour

2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp dried mixed herbs

My children help me prepare the vegetables, however you could use a food processor to chop them finely if you want. Put a large heavy-based saucepan over a moderate heat, add the oil and fry the onion for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two before adding the carrot, celery, leek, pepper, mushrooms and salt. Cook, stirring often, for a further 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Turn the heat down to medium/low if necessary. You want the vegetables to be soft but not browned.

Add the tomato puree and cook for a minute before adding the flour. Stir to coat the vegetables in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the tomatoes, sugar, and mixed herbs. Pour in 1½ cups/375ml of water and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat so the sauce is gently simmering. Cook, uncovered, for around 45 minutes until the sauce has reduced and is rich and flavourful.  Serve stirred through cooked pasta with a generous grating of Parmesan.

Homemade Pizzas - using leftover Pasta Sauce as a topping along with onions, peppers, corn, courgettes, mushrooms and cheese.

Sausage One Pot (enough for two nights)

2 onions, peeled and diced

2 peppers, diced

10 good quality pork sausages

4 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

2 x 400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 x 400g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat and cook for 5-10 minutes, until soft, adding the garlic for the last minute or two.

Remove the skin from the sausages and shape the mixture into 20 balls. Add to the onion in the pan. Cook for about 5-10 minutes until the balls are golden brown and piping hot and no pink colour remains.

Stir in the tomatoes and beans, and cook for 5 – 10 minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice and mixed vegetables.

Shopping List

44 items cost £67.29 from Asda on 14/01/2017.

Packets and Cereals

1x    Mornflake Superfast Oats (2Kg)                                        £2.18

1x    ASDA Good and Balanced Wholewheat Spaghetti (500g)    50p

1x    Silver Spoon Granulated Sugar (1Kg)                                64p

1x    Silver Spoon Icing Sugar (500g)                                        88p

1x    ASDA Strong White Bread Flour (1.5Kg)                            95p

1x    ASDA Wholemeal Bread Flour (1.5Kg)                               £1.20

1x    ASDA Smartprice Plain White Flour (1.5Kg)                       45p

1x    ASDA Smartprice Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg)                      45p

1x    ASDA Smartprice Sultanas (500g)                                     88p

1x    ASDA Cous Cous (500g)                                                   65p

1x    ASDA Home Baking Easy Bake Yeast (6 per pack - 42g)   65p

1x    ASDA Good and Balanced Wholewheat Penne (500g)         50p

Frozen 

2x    ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg)                         £1.54

Tins, Jars and Cooking

2x    ASDA Good and Balanced Cannellini Beans (300g)            80p

1x    ASDA Smartprice Sweetcorn in Water (326g)                     35p

1x    ASDA Vegetable Oil (1L)                                                   £1.15

1x    KTC Chick Peas in Salted Water (400g)                            33.3p

4x    KTC Red Kidney Beans in Salted Water (400g)                  £1.33

10x   KTC Chopped Tomatoes in Tomato Juice (400g)               £3.33

1x    ASDA Stock Cubes - Vegetable (12x10g)                          59p

Dairy and Eggs

3x    ASDA British Semi Skimmed Milk 4 Pints (2.27L)               £2.97

2x    ASDA British Whole Milk 4 Pints (2.27L)                            £1.98

1x    ASDA Smartprice Butter - Salted (250g)                            99p

1x    ASDA Smartprice Low Fat Natural Yogurt (500g)               45p

1x    ASDA Free Range Mixed Weight Eggs (15)                       £2.00

2x    ASDA 50% Less Fat Mature British Cheese (350g)            £3.00

Fruit and Vegetables

30    ASDA Grower's Selection Bananas by Weight (200g)         £2.10

2x    ASDA Grower's Selection Carrots (1Kg)                            90p

8      ASDA Grower's Selection Courgettes by Weight                £2.70

4      ASDA Grower's Selection Leeks by Weight                        £1.35

2x    ASDA Grower's Selection White Potatoes (2.5Kg)              £2.50

3x    ASDA Grower's Selection Whole Cucumber                       £1.35

2x    ASDA Grower's Selection Celery                                       £1.20

1x    ASDA Grower's Selection Garlic Loose                              20p

2x    ASDA Grower's Selection Brown Onions (1Kg)                   £1.34

6x    ASDA Smartprice Apples (500g)                                        £3.00

1x    ASDA Smartprice Mushrooms (650g)                                £1.25

2x    ASDA Grower's Selection Mixed Peppers (700g)                £2.40

3x    ASDA Grower's Selection Sweetclem (900g)                      £3.00

1x    ASDA Grower's Selection Plums (750g)                             95p

Snacks and Sweets

1x    ASDA Smartprice Dark Chocolate Bar (100g)                     30p

Meat, Fish and Poultry

1x    ASDA Extra Special Pork Sausages (10 per pack - 750g)   £3.33

2x    ASDA Butcher's Selection Diced Beef (475g)                     £6.67

Drinks

1x    ASDA Italian Roast and Ground Coffee (227g)                   £2.00

Prices and special offers reflect those on My Supermarket, and are correct as of 14th January 2017.  Prices may vary in different in-store locations.

We purchased our shopping from Asda, had we shopped elsewhere I shopping would've cost:

Tesco £72.74

Morrisons £79.95

Sainsbury's £83.52

Ocado £98.33

Waitrose £100.54

Our Family Meal Plan week beginning 09/01/2017 - £54

Our Meal Plan this week is a largely vegetarian one, with the exception of a fish dinner and lunch, and some bacon in the frittata which could easily be left out.  We've some baking flour and sugar leftover from last week so I haven't purchased any, I've only purchased bread flour.

Our greens growing in the back garden are doing well with the mild and wet weather so we've got chard, kale, and spinach to use as a side dish for some of the dinners. Likewise, the fresh herbs have had a growth spurt.  I have picked some herbs and frozen them mixed with garlic and butter to dip doughballs in or spread on bread rolls, and I'm also drying some of the herbs.

It's a busy week this week, there's after school events or evening clubs on 3 nights this week, and I am working an extra shift as well.  We've a club and an appointment on Saturday and another on Sunday so the weekend is busier than usual too.  Dinners are all quick and easy, especially on those nights when we need to eat earlier than usual or I need to get dinner served before I dash off to work.

Meal Plan

Breakfasts will be porridge with homemade plum and apple compote, or wholemeal toast with spread and a piece of fruit.

Lunches during the week will be Calzone with homemade Root Vegetable Crisps and a piece of fruit, I will make two batches of Calzone to last the week.  Weekend lunches will be potato topped fish pie on Saturday, using leftover fish from Friday night, and soup with rolls on Sunday.  We need a quick lunch on Saturday as we have one morning club and an afternoon appointment, so I'll prepare the fish pie on Friday night and then just put it in the oven on Saturday.  Sunday will be a delicious vegetable soup served with homemade wholemeal bread rolls. 

Snacks will be fruit, homemade rice pudding (I will make two batches), with a little dollop of jam or lemon curd, popcorn, and scones or doughballs with garlic butter.

Lunches

(Veggie) Mince and Vegetable Calzone 

250g meatfree mince, or beef mince

1 onion, finely chopped

2 peppers, diced (any colour will do)

200g mushrooms, finely sliced

4 Tblsp tomato paste

125ml boiling water

1 tsp dried oregano, or 1 Tblsp fresh oregano

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

3 cups bread or plain flour

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, peppers, mushrooms until the peppers and onion start to soften then add the minced beef. Brown the mince well, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the tomato paste, water and chives then simmer gently for 10–15 minutes. Remove the filling fron the heat.

To make 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.

Oven Baked Vegetable Crisps

Snacks

Rice Pudding

600ml whole milk

65g long grain white rice

50g white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

50g sultanas (optional)

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.

When the rice is tender (al dente) take the saucepan off the heat and sugar, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon. Mix well to combine. Return the saucepan to the heat and cook until the rice pudding thickens, this should take about 5 - 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the sultanas if you are using them. 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. To make this into more of a Mullerice type treat add some jam or golden syrup to swirl through the rice pudding. You could also add dried apricots or dates instead of sultanas if you have some in your store cupboard.

Weekend Lunches

Fish Pie

1 onion, finely chopped
1 pepper, diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
600ml vegetable stock
1 tsp mild curry paste
200g rice
400g white fish, cut into rough chunks
5 potatoes, cooked and mashed
400g mixed vegetables to serve

Preheat oven to 180C.  Sauté onion, pepper and garlic in oil. Mix vegetable stock and curry powder then add to onion, pepper and garlic mixture. Add rice, stirring occasionally until rice has cooked through. Season. Add fish then put the mixture into a casserole dish.  Spread over the mashed potato then bake in preheated oven for around 15 - 20 minutes until the top is golden and the pie is piping hot. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before serving with mixed vegetables.

Spicy Roast Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

500g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into batons

500g carrots, peeled and cut into batons

2 large onions, peeled and roughly diced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely diced

1 Tblsp curry paste, use mild or hot

1 litre vegetable stock

400g tin chickpeas, drained

Put the sweet potato and carrot batons on to a lined oven tray and spray with a little oil to coat. Roast at 220C/200C fan/ gas 7 for about 20 minutes until cooked though and tender.

In a saucepan over a moderate heat, spray a little oil and cool the onions until softened but not coloured. Add the garlic and curry paste, cook for a couple of minutes or until the curry paste is fragrant. Add the vegetable stock, chickpeas and cooked carrot and sweet potato. Simmer for about 10 minutes then take off the heat, cool slightly, and blend until smooth. Serve in bowls with a bread roll or naan bread on the side for a tasty lunch.

Dinners

Vegetable Pie

Creamy Sauce:

50g butter

2 tsp mustard powder

50g flour

600ml milk

100g grated mature cheddar

Vegetables, use what you have available:

600g 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 mixed vegetables for around 5 minutes then drain 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.

Quick and Easy Nachos

1 onion, finely diced

2 peppers, finely diced, any colour will do

325g tin sweetcorn, drained

2 tins chilli beans

300g cherry tomatoes, quartered

200g pack tortilla chips

150g grated mature cheddar cheese, or more if you fancy

Mix the onion, peppers, sweetcorn, chilli beans and tomatoes together in a bowl. Put half of the of tortilla chips, in a single layer, into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish. Dollop with around half the vegetable and bean mixture then top with a good handful of grated cheddar. Repeat the process until all the chips, vegetable mixture and cheese have been used up. Preheat your oven to 200C/180C Fan/400F/Gas Mark 6 and bake the nachos in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling and everything has heated through. I served ours with steamed mixed vegetables on the side.

Bacon and Vegetable Frittata

1 pepper diced

2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

300g bacon

9 eggs

200g frozen mixed vegetables

1/2 of a butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ fan 180°C/ gas 6.

Simmer the potatoes and pumpkin in a pan of boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain and leave to cool slightly before slicing thinly.

Meanwhile, put a 25cm non-stick ovenproof frying pan on the hob over a moderate heat. Dry fry the bacon for 5 minutes or so until browned. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Add the onion, pepper, and garlic to the pan, and fry in the remaining bacon fat for about 5 minutes until the onion and pepper has softened.

Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl and the softened onion, pepper and garlic. Carefully fold in the potatoes, pumpkin and frozen mixed vegetables. Pour the frittata mixture back into the frying pan and cook over a low-medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until it has cooked through and is set.

Quick and Easy Butternut Squash and Lentil Curry

1 Tblsp oil

1 Tblsp curry paste, I used mild

2 cloves garlic, crushed

500g butternut squash or sweet potato, cut into 1 inch chunks

400g can chopped tomatoes

400g can lentils, drained and rinsed

400g frozen mixed vegetables

fresh coriander, to serve

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add curry paste and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until the curry paste is fragrant. Stir in the butternut squash and/or sweet potato and tin of chopped tomatoes. Using the can of chopped tomatoes as a measure, add half a can of water to the saucepan. Stir to combine everything then cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the butternut squash and/or sweet potato are almost soft. Add a little more water if needed. Add the drained and rinsed lentils, and frozen vegetables then cook for a further 5 - 10 minutes minutes. Spoon into bowls, sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve accompanied by homemade Vegetable Naan Bread and cooked rice.

Fish and Potato Wedges with Veggies

Oven baked fish with homemade potato wedges and steamed mixed vegetables. Served with a herb and garlic dip for the potato wedges.

Vegetable Stew with Dumplings

2 Tblsp oil

25g butter

1 large onion, peeled and diced

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

1 parsnip, peeled and diced

2 large carrots carrots, peeled and diced

1 swede, peeled and diced

2 leeks, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

4 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried

1 tsp mustard

2 Tblsp plain flour

1 heaped tsp vegemite (optional)

500ml vegetable stock

400g tin haricot or butter beans, drained and rinsed

salt and pepper

Dumplings:

250g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

125g butter, diced

2 tsp diced mixed herbs

salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4.

Put the oil and butter in a large flameproof casserole dish over a moderate heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for couple of minutes. Add the potatoes, parsnip, carrot, sweede and leeks. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring, over a moderate heat until the vegetables start to turn golden and soften slightly. Reduce the heat slightly and ad the garlic, thyme and mustard. Add the flour and cook for a couple of minutes, ensure the vegetables are well coated in the flour. Add the vegetmite, stock and tinned pulses.

Bring the mixture to the boil, cover with a lid then put in the preheated oven. Bake for 40 - 50 miutes. Whilst the stew is cooking prepare the dumplings. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. stir in the herbs and a little salt and pepper. Add a 1 or 2 tablespoons of water, just enough to form a stiff dough.

Divide the dough into walnut sized balls, cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge until ready to use. When the stew has baked for 40 - 50 minutes in the oven, remove from the oven and add the dumplings. Ensure the dumplings are partially submerged in the stew. Cover the pot with a lid and cook on the stove top/hob, over a moderate heat, for around 20 minutes until the dumplings have risen and are golden on top. I usually serve this stew with steamed greens.

Rice and Vegetable Bake

200g cooked white or brown rice

1 onion, finely diced

1 pepper, deseeed and finely diced

1 chilli, deseeded and finely diced (optional)

300g frozen mixed vegetables, cooked and cooled to room temperature

200g strong mature cheddar cheese, grated

6 free range eggs, lightly beaten

200g plain natural yoghurt

lots of freshly ground black pepper or a pinch or two of cayenne

Grease and line 23cm square cake tin. Preheat your oven to 190C/170C Fan.

Put the rice cooked rice in a large bowl with all the vegetables and mix well. Mix together the eggs, 3/4 of the cheese and yoghurt, pour over the vegetables and rice in the bowl then thoroughly mix until combined. Season well with lots of black pepper. Spoon the mixture into your prepared cake tin, sprinkle the leftover cheese on top, then bake for 40 minutes until the top is lightly golden and there is no wobble of the bake if you gently jiggle the tin. Serve slices with sweet chilli sauce and steamed greens or with spicy tomato salsa and salad greens.

Shopping List

43 items cost £53.83 purchased from Asda on 08/01/2017.

Packets and Cereals

1x  Mornflake Superfast Oats (2Kg)                             £2.18

1x  ASDA Wholemeal Bread Flour (1.5Kg)                    £1.20

1x  ASDA Smartprice Sultanas (500g)                          88p

1x  ASDA Smartprice Long Grain Rice (1Kg)                 45p

1x  ASDA Easy Bake Yeast (6 per pack - 42g)              65p

1x  Island Sun Popcorn (500g)                                     75p

Frozen

3x  ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg)              £2.31

1x  ASDA Meat Free Mince (454g)                               £1.50

1x  ASDA Cook from Frozen Pollock Fillets (1Kg)          £4.00

Tins, Jars and Cooking

1x  ASDA Smartprice Sweetcorn in Water (326g)          35p

1x  ASDA Smartprice Strawberry Jam (454g)                29p

1x  ASDA Smartprice Lemon Curd (411g)                     29p

1x  ASDA Green Lentils in Water (400g)                       55p

1x  ASDA Double Concentrated Tomato Puree (200g)   39p

1x  KTC White Kidney Beans in Salted Water (400g)     33p

1x  KTC Chick Peas in Salted Water (400g)                  33p

2x  KTC Chilli Beans in Spicy Tomato Sauce (400g)      66p

2x  KTC Chopped Tomatoes in Tomato Juice (400g)     66p

1x  ASDA Curry Paste - Balti (200g)                             £1.00

Dairy and Eggs

5x  ASDA British Semi Skimmed Milk 4 Pints (2.27L)     £4.95

1x  ASDA Smartprice Butter - Salted (250g)                  99p

1x  ASDA Smartprice Low Fat Natural Yogurt (500g)     45p

1x  ASDA Free Range Mixed Weight Eggs (15)             £2.00

2x  ASDA Mature British Cheddar (350g)                      £3.00

Fruit and Vegetables

25  ASDA Bananas by Weight (200g)                           £2.10

2x  ASDA Carrots (1Kg)                                               90p

2    ASDA Leeks by Weight (300g)                                90p

2    ASDA Parsnips by Weight (250g)                            50p

2x  ASDA White Potatoes (2.5Kg)                                £2.50

1    ASDA Butternut Squash by Weight (1.2Kg)             90p

2    ASDA Sweet Potatoes by Weight (500g)                 £1.00

1x  ASDA Garlic Loose                                                20p

2x  ASDA Plums Ripen at Home (400g)                        £1.00

1x  ASDA Brown Onions (1Kg)                                     67p

1x  ASDA White Mushrooms (400g)                             £1.00

5x  ASDA Smartprice Apples (500g)                             £2.50

1x  ASDA Cherry Tomatoes (365g)                              99p

1x  ASDA Mixed Peppers (700g)                                  £1.20

3x  ASDA Sweet and Juicy Sweetclem (900g)               £3.00

1x  ASDA Swede                                                         50p

Snacks and Sweets

1x  ASDA Smartprice Tortilla Chips (200g)                    46p

Meat, Fish and Poultry

1x  ASDA Smartprice Middle Bacon (350g)                   £1.33

Drinks

1x  ASDA Italian Roast and Ground Coffee (227g)        £2.00

Prices were those shown on My Supermarket, and are correct as of 7th January 2017. Prices may vary in different in-store locations.

I purchased my shopping from Asda, had I shopped elsewhere my shopping would've cost:

£61.87 from Morrisons
£65.79 from Sainsburys
£66.14 from Tesco
£81.83 from Ocado
£88.22 from Waitrose