by Thrifty Lesley | Apr 13, 2023 | My Diary
I’ve been reading some cracking books lately. It’s my turn to host the u3a book group and my choice was: The Reading List The back cover says When Mukesh Patel pops to the local library, forgoing his routine of grocery shopping and David Attenborough...
by Thrifty Lesley | Mar 27, 2023 | All Recipes, Dinners, Lunches
I bought a 200g packet of smoked mackerel fillets and wondered how I could stretch them into lovely meals for 2. The first one I tried was this recipe for mackerel pâté that is super simple and very delicious. What do I need to make mackerel pâté smoked mackerel...
by Thrifty Lesley | Mar 24, 2023 | All Recipes, Dinners, Lunches
A mixed vegetable quiche is a classic British dish that comes out very cheap with a bit of frugalisation. If you think quiche or flan sounds like something your granny makes, you could always call it a tart and feel all contemporary. If you decide to use the oil...
by Thrifty Lesley | Mar 13, 2023 | All Recipes, Other
Healthier Nutella Alternative Do you like Nutella? It’s gorgeous stuff, kids can be addicted to it, it seems to go with everything and can be eaten straight out of the jar with a spoon. And probably often is! But… and there’s always a but isn’t there, the nutritional...
by Thrifty Lesley | Mar 8, 2023 | My Diary
Had the cookery group round to my house on Tuesday, we meet on the 1st Tuesday of the month. We have a lot of fun gathered around my kitchen island cooking 3 or 4 recipes each month which participants bear off home in their wicker baskets, just like school cooking...
by Thrifty Lesley | Feb 27, 2023 | My Diary
I took my 15 year old grand daughter up to London recently to the stage show Matilda . I’d bought tickets as her Christmas treat. I’m trying to do more experiences rather than buying stuff. And who knows what a 15 year old wants anyway! I was just on the...
by Thrifty Lesley | Feb 22, 2023 | All Recipes, Breakfast, Less than 500 calories, Meal Plan 1, Meal Plan 10, Meal Plan 2, Meal Plan 7
Raisin Pancakes This is an idea I first came across on Cheap Family Recipes, I absolutely love them, especially with a strawberry compote with full flavoured summer strawberries The raisins contribute towards your need for a portion of purple each day. I think this is...
by Thrifty Lesley | Feb 22, 2023 | All Recipes, Sides
One of the u3a groups that I belong to has a group called Cookalong. In it, we decide on a theme, soups say, Easter bakes or, next month, hearty salads. We all make one, take it along to group, and all taste and talk about the various recipes. One month, we did...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jan 4, 2023 | All Recipes, Less than 500 calories, Lunches, Sides
Shredded Brussel Sprout Salad I had a little bit of beef left from a joint and wasn’t sure what to make with it. Decided on topping a couple of jacket potatoes with it, with caramelised onion and mushroom, seasoned with soy sauce. Which just left what to have...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jan 4, 2023 | Budgeting, Saving Money
Why I don’t go to the sales The post Christmas sales have been going a while now, since before Christmas in fact. I am quite wary of sales for several reasons. Are they genuine reductions? I think we all have to have our wits well and truly about us if we are to...
by Thrifty Lesley | Dec 14, 2022 | All Recipes, Breakfast, Dinners, Less than 500 calories, Lunches
Chicken and Sun Dried Tomato Sandwich Paste After yesterdays flavoured and potted cheeses, todays sandwich filler is a chicken and sun dried tomato paste. Simple and delicious. How to make chicken paste My sun dried tomatoes came from a big container of them with a...
by Thrifty Lesley | Dec 12, 2022 | All Recipes, Love Your Leftovers
What To Do With Spoiled Milk Milk is the 2nd most wasted food item in the UK. I was a bit baffled by this one. With the way milk is homogenised in modern times, it stays usable for ages. To try and see in my minds eye, just how much waste we are talking about, I...
by Thrifty Lesley | Dec 11, 2022 | Christmas, Saving Money
A couple of fun (and free!) things to do over the Christmas holidays I’ve been having a look around for fun things to do over the Christmas holidays. So first off, I thought a quiz might be fun and Googled for a bit and found a couple of Christmas themed ones that...
by Thrifty Lesley | Dec 8, 2022 | Christmas, Saving Money
Jacquie Lawson ecards for year round greetings E-Cards from Jacquie Lawson As an update to sending Christmas cards. I completely forgot to mention that I use Jacquie Lawson e-cards through the year for all kinds of greetings cards. They are all created by a team of...
