OUR FAMILY MEAL PLAN FOR WEEK OF 27/08/18 - £43

This is definitely a Mother Hubbard week for us. We’ve had eye tests for all of the children and of course new glasses were needed, a couple of new bicycle tyres were needed, the last of school uniform shopping, school shoe shopping, and my husband needed new shoes too as when it belted with rain he discovered his were holey. This means that payday on Friday cannot come soon enough.

We’ll be using up what we have in the cupboards, and buying the bare minimum, to get us through the last full week of school holidays. We’ve got more blackberries, foraged from the local common, and our apple tree is still laden with fruit. Our back garden still has fresh herbs, raspberries, rhubarb, chard and rocket. Thank goodness for free foraged and homegrown food!

I walked up to the local butcher and got six chicken frames for free. They were from free range chickens, and there’s still quite a bit of meat left on them. I’ll get as much of the meat off them as I can then make stock. The meat will go into a stir fry, and the rice will be cooked in the stock. That will be one tasty and very cheap dinner. I’ll also be making chicken soup from the stock.

I'll be adding cooked pearl barley to our soups, especially the blended ones, because it bulks out the soups and adds more protein and minerals for a very low cost.  Once blended you can't tell the barley is in there, perfect for picky eaters.  I've added tinned beans in the past for this reason too, cannellini beans and haricot beans are easiest to disguise.  There's a handy guide to cooking pearl barley here.

Breakfasts will be porridge or overnight oats with apple and blackberry or apple and rhubarb compote. Weekend breakfasts will be pancakes and bacon butties.

Snacks will be popcorn, homemade rice pudding pots, homemade yoghurt with fruit compote, scone swirls and flapjacks.

Lunches will be soups as the weather has turned cooler. We’ll have homemade wholemeal bread rolls with the soups to help fill us up. We’ll be having Slow Cooker French Onion Soup, Mixed Vegetable Soup, Tomato and Basil Soup, Spicy Roast Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup, and Basic Vegetable Soup.  Weekend lunches will be Twice Baked Potatoes and Caramelised Onion Swirls both with salad greens from the garden.

Dinners

Bean and Rice Burritos 

1 Tblsp oil 

1 onion, finely chopped 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

2 tsp paprika 

400g tin chilli beans 

400g tin black beans, drained 

400g tin chopped tomatoes 

1 carrot, grated 

300g frozen spinach, defrosted with the water squeezed out or finely shredded fresh chard

1 tsp dried mixed herbs 

½ tsp chilli (to taste) 

3 cups cooked rice, I used brown 

10-12 tortillas 

1 cup grated cheese« 

Heat oil in a large frying pan or pot over a medium heat and cook the onion until softened, approximately 5 minutes. Add the garlic and paprika and fry for a further couple of two minutes. Mix in the chilli beans and black beans, chopped tomatoes, carrots, spinach, mixed herbs, chilli powder and rice. Simmer the mixture uncovered for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until it has thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

To assemble the burritos, heat the tortillas according to the package instructions. Spoon a little of the bean and rice mixture in the centre of each tortilla. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Fold the edges and roll up to make the burrito.

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.

Chicken Fried Rice 

2 cups long grain rice

600ml stock or water

6 eggs, lightly beaten

2 Tblsp/30ml oil 

1 onion, finely diced

1kg mixed frozen vegetables

300g leftover cooked chicken, shredded

45ml soy sauce, salt reduced (use more or less, to taste) 

Rinse the rice under cold running water until the water is clear then put the rice and stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil with the lid on.  Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cook for 20 minutes or until the stock has been absorbed and the rice is cooked.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool.  

Heat a wok or large frying pan with half of the oil.  Add the beaten eggs and cook until lightly scrambled. Remove eggs and roughly chop.  Add the rest of the oil to the wok and add the onion and vegetables. Stir-fry until nearly cooked.   Add cooked rice and chicken and cook until piping hot and heated through.  Add eggs back to the wok with soy sauce and mix thoroughly, making sure every thing is piping hot, leave to cool a little then serve. 

Slow Cooker Veggie Bolognese (Vegan) served with pasta and mixed vegetables

Chicken Soup

Leftover cooked chicken

1 Tblsp oil 

2 onions, diced

2 large carrots, sliced

2 celery stalks, chopped

1.5 litres chicken stock

1/2 cup pearl barley, rinsed

2 Tblsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the onion softens. Add stock and bring to the boil. Add barley the reduce the heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, skimming any foam from the surface, for 25 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables and barley are tender. Add cooked chicken and simmer for a further 10 minutes until the chicken is heated through. Stir in parsley. Season to taste then serve.

Slow Cooker Butternut and Red Lentil Dhal (Vegan) with homemade Naan breads

Quick Bean Chilli

Shopping List

37 items: £42.93

Frozen

3x   ASDA Frozen for Freshness Mixed Vegetables (1Kg)                          £2.85

Tins, Jars and Cooking

5x   ASDA Smartprice Chopped Tomatoes in Tomato Juice (400g)             £1.45

1x   ASDA Smartprice Red Kidney Beans in Water (400g)                          30p

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

2x   ASDA Chick Peas in Water (400g)                                                      66p

1x   ASDA Stock Cubes - Vegetable (12x10g)                                            39p

1x   ASDA Black Beans in Water (400g)                                                    65p

1x   ASDA Chilli Beans in Chilli Sauce (390g)                                            65p

Dairy and Eggs

1x   ASDA Semi Skimmed Milk 6 Pints (3.41L)                                           £1.48

2x   ASDA British Whole Milk 6 Pints (3.41L)                                             £2.96

1x   ASDA Free Range Large Eggs (12)                                                    £1.85

1x   ASDA Best for Baking Cakes Spread (500g)                                       85p

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

1x   ASDA Butter - Unsalted (250g)                                                           £1.49

1x   ASDA Smartprice Mature White Cheddar (830g)                                  £3.69

Packets and Cereals

1x   Silver Spoon Granulated Sugar (1Kg)                                                  65p

1x   ASDA Strong White Bread Flour (1.5Kg)                                             69p

1x   ASDA Wholemeal Bread Flour (1.5Kg)                                                69p

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

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

1x   ASDA Easy Cook Long Grain Brown Rice (1Kg)                                  £1.09

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

2x   ASDA Smartprice Pasta Shapes (500g)                                              60p

1x   ASDA Good and Balanced Pearl Barley (500g)                                    55p

1x   ASDA Dried Red Lentils (500g)                                                           £1.15

1x   Tropical Sun Popcorn (500g)                                                              79p

2x   ASDA Scottish Porridge Oats (1Kg)                                                    £1.78

Meat, Fish and Poultry

2x   ASDA Farm Stores Cooking Bacon (500g)                                          £1.14

Fruit and Vegetables

25   ASDA Grower's Selection Bananas by Weight (200g)                          £3.00

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Carrots (1Kg)                                              £1.30

1     ASDA Grower's Selection Butternut Squash                                        98p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Celery                                                        52p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Garlic Loose                                               20p

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Swede                                                        £1.00

2x   ASDA Farm Stores Brown Onions (1Kg)                                             £1.10

2x   ASDA Farm Stores White Potatoes (2.5Kg)                                         £2.30

4x     ASDA Grower's Selection Sweet Potatoes by Weight (Approx 663g)    £1.99

We purchased our shopping online from Asda, via My Supermarket and the cost of our groceries was £42.93. Had we shopped elsewhere our shopping list would've cost:

£46.91 from Tesco

£49.83 from Sainsburys

£59.34 from Ocado

£64.60 from Waitrose

My lovely blogging buddy Ciara from My Fussy Eater has created a fab Meal Planning Facebook Group so we can inspire each other. She also has a book out which you can order here. 

And Katykicker, and Naomi from The Organised Life Project have a Meal Planning Linky full of fabulous Meal Planning posts with lots of tasty ideas.

2 comments Basics, Bread, Budgeting Tips, Chicken, Dairy free, Dinners, Lunches, Meal Plan, Meatfree Monday, Puddings, Rice, Slow Cooker, Vegan, Vegetarian

Living on the Veg - Chocolate Mousse

I was sent a copy of Living on the Veg, co-written by my blogging friend Jac, and Clive a children's author. The book is aimed at kids aged around 9 - 11yo who are new to or thinking about becoming vegetarian. All my three older girls, aged 11, 15, and 18yo read the book and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The book introduces famous vegetarians throughout history, exploring the reasons why people would choose to be vegetarian such as religious, environmental, animal welfare, or healthy lifestyle choices. There are good definitions of what it means to be flexitarian, pescetarian, vegetarian, and vegan. 

The most common questions that vegetarians face are answered, such as sources of protein, whether vegetables feel pain as well, whether we as humans were born to eat meat, etc.  As well as tips for getting your family onboard and help with eating out as well as quick one pan meal ideas and store cupboard ingredients that make vegetarian meals quickly and easily. 

There's information on vegetarian ingredients like Quorn, tempeh and TVP, as well as natural foods that can replace meat and provide a healthy and varied diet. There are several delicious recipes to try and a lengthy list of helpful websites for further information and research.

What I liked most about this book was that it was primarily an informative guide to becoming vegetarian, with simple and scrumptious recipes included at the end, rather than a cookbook with scant information put in as an afterthought.  

We tried several of the recipes, all were very tasty indeed.  The Chocolate Mousse went down particularly well with everyone - despite my husband's scepticism, as he doesn't usually like tofu.

Easy Chocolate Mousse

250g silken tofu

3 ripe bananas

3 heaped Tblsp cocoa powder

a generous squirt of honey or maple syrup

Drain the tofu well and put into a blender with all the other ingredients.  Whizz until smooth then pour into small glasses or serving bowls and chill until needed. Top with whipped cream/coconut cream and sprinkles if you want.

3 comments Dairy free, Gluten-free, Meatfree Monday, Puddings, Review, Vegan, Vegetarian

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

3 comments Bread, Budgeting Tips, Dinners, Fish, Lunches, Meal Plan, Meatfree Monday, Puddings, Rice, Snack, Snacks, Soup, Vegetarian

Mini Lemon Meringue Pies - GBBO Botanicals Week

It was Botanicals Week on The Great British Bake Off and for the signature challenge I decided to bake Mini Lemon Meringue Pies instead of a large one as they are much better for portion control purposes, and also more appropriate for afternoon tea which was when my family would get to devour them.  I cooked the meringue in the oven, no blow torches in my kitchen, so I think Mary Berry would approve. 

I used the Nutri Ninja Complete System that I had been sent to review to make the pastry.  It whipped up the pastry in a flash! So quick and easy to just bung all the ingredients for the pastry into the machine and whizz it for a few seconds.  

I also made my own lemon curd, and used the leftover egg whites for the meringue.  Such a delicious afternoon tea treat, and no waste as all of the eggs were used and I also used some lemons that were looking rather tired in our fridge.

Mini Lemon Meringue Pies - Makes 24

To make the pastry cases:

330g plain flour
3 Tblsp caster sugar
175g cold butter, cubed

Cold water

Put the flour, sugar and butter into the bowl of a processor, add 1 tablespoon full of ice cold water and mix until the dough comes together.  If you need to add more water do so one teaspoonful at a time until the dough comes together.  Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in clingfilm then chill in the fridge for at least half an hour.  

To make the dough by hand: Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub into the flour until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir through the sugar before adding the a little water. 

I add a tablespoon of cold water then add more, if necessary, a teaspoonful at a time. Mix to a firm dough and press out to a disc shape. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for half an hour before you attempt to roll it out.  Whilst the pastry dough rests, make the lemon curd.

Lemon Curd

200g butter
225g caster sugar
Grated zest and juice from 3 lemons
4 free range eggs

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Whisk the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and eggs into the butter until well combined. Keep whisking continuously whilst the curd thickens and comes to the boil. Remove from the heat just as it is about to boil vigorously. Pour into a bowl to cool for a couple of minutes then put a piece of clingfilm over the curd, touching the surface so that a skin doesn’t form. When the curd has reached room temperature, transfer it to the fridge. You can store the lemon curd in a the fridge, just keep it covered. I put mine into sterilised jars topped with cellophane and a band. The curd will thicken considerably in the fridge and will keep for 2–3 weeks.

To make the meringue:

Make the meringue by whisking the egg whites with half the sugar until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar and the cream of tartar whilst whisking. You should end up with a very stiff meringue mixture. Carefully spread the meringue over the cake, make sure you cover the lemon curd completely and that the meringue forms a seal around the edge of the cake. Rough up the meringue with a spoon to make peaks on the top. Cook for about 8 minutes, until the meringue is golden. Keep an eye on it as it can go from golden to burnt very quickly. Cool for 10 minutes then chill in the fridge for half an hour to an hour before you serve it as this makes it much easier to cut neat slices.

Assembling and baking the mini pies:

Take one half of the pastry out of the fridge and unwrap it.  Roll out into an even shape, on a lightly floured surface, to about the thickness of a £1 coin. 

Grease two 12 hole muffin tins and cut large circles out of your dough before placing them into the prepared muffin tin holes. Prick the bottom of the pastry well with a fork and bake in a preheated oven set to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 10 minutes.  Repeat with the second batch of dough.

Once the cooked pastry cases have cooled, dollop some lemon curd into each one. I usually fill them about 3/4 full.  You can then pipe your meringue on top of each tart.  I make sure that I completely cover the lemon curd.

Bake the tarts in an oven preheated to 220C/200C Fan/425F/Gas Mark 7 and cook the tarts for approximately 10 - 15 minutes until the edges of the meringue start to turn golden.  Keep an eye on the tarts after 10 minutes as the meringue can brown very quickly.

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