by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 25, 2013 | All Recipes, Dinners
Had this for dinner this evening. Some fancy pants pasta from Approved Foods with soft cheese and tomato purée stirred through. Took 10 minutes to make, and that was only because of the pasta cooking time. It looks quite a dark sauce, that is the tomato purée. It was...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 24, 2013 | All Recipes, Dinners, Lunches, Sides
This dish is one I do sometimes. It adds interest to what may otherwise be a plain meal. Peel and slice enough potatoes for two people and an onion. Slice the onion in half, then slice each half in thin half moons. Layer the slices of potato and onion in a...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 11, 2013 | Christmas, Saving Money
Greetings cards Something a bit different today. I make lots of greetings cards, in many different ways. I used to work in IT in a different life, so I can play around on a desktop publisher pretty easily, which I know not everyone can. I find an image I like, scan it...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 9, 2013 | All Recipes, Cakes and Bakes, Meal Plan 12
Just been having a little experiment in the kitchen. Due to budgetry constraints on our plans I have been musing about baking without eggs. I used to do it years and years ago but had completely forgotten what I did, except that it involved a little vinegar. On...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 7, 2013 | All Meal Plans, All Recipes, Bready Things, Cakes and Bakes, Lunches, Meal Plan 4
This recipe is served with soup on meal plan 4 which will feed 2 adults for 7 days at a cost of £1 each per day. You will need 250g value flour, 45p/1.5kg, 8p 1 sachet yeast (7g) 28p/2 sachets 14p (much cheaper if yiou can afford to buy more in 1 go) 1 tsp mixed dried...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 7, 2013 | All Meal Plans, Dinners, Meal Plan 4
This recipe features in meal plan 4 I have split the recipe into 2 rather than 4 portions for meal plan 4 I am making lunches for my busy community nurse daughter who doesn’t like cooking all that much – is she really mine? We are currently enjoying exploring the...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 6, 2013 | All Recipes, Less than 500 calories, Lunches, Meal Plan 4
Spiced parsnip soup is mildly spicy and creamy, a lovely cold weather lunch, filling, warming and tasty. On meal plan 4, we have 2 soups during the week, this one and a green pea soup. To serve with them we have either herb bread or tomato scones. It is your choice...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 4, 2013 | All Meal Plans, All Recipes, Dinners, Meal Plan 4
This recipe is one I have had in my recipe book for a very long time. As is the case with many curries, it is very variable. You can change the vegetables around pretty much to whatever you want for 4 servings, you will need 175g dried butter beans, 500g/£1.09, 38p 3...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 1, 2013 | All Recipes, Breakfast, Meal Plan 4
Made some granola this evening. The whole place now smells of vanilla, a delicious smell. The granola is for the 4th meal plan (will be loading it tomorrow) and the entire huge box of it is available for use during the week if required. I shall be having some tomorrow...
by Thrifty Lesley | Oct 31, 2013 | All Recipes, Dinners, Lunches
I tried Jack’s recipe for Kale Pesto this week. I didn’t have any kale, but I did have some spring greens that needed using, so in they went. Jack used the soft cheese that has become one of my favourite ingredients, and crispy crumbs on top, which sounds delicious,...
by Thrifty Lesley | Oct 30, 2013 | All Recipes, Cakes and Bakes
Had some bread going rock hard, so made some bread pudding today. Could have been a bit of a disaster, as when the cooking time was nearly up, I remembered that I hadn’t put the fat in – argh. But actually, it was fine. Didn’t even notice! So now I won’t bother to put...
by Thrifty Lesley | Oct 28, 2013 | All Recipes, Breakfast, Less than 500 calories, Puddings / Desserts
I did an apple sponge pudding for my husband yesterday using a basic sponge recipe. He went for seconds, so it worked well, even tho I cooked it in the microwave and it looked a bit pasty. At this time of year, I’m constantly on the look out for things to make...
by Thrifty Lesley | Oct 27, 2013 | All Recipes, My Diary
I picked the last apple tree clean just now. It’s a Fiesta, which is a green, crisp apple with a lovely juicy bite and a clean, appley, Cox like flavour. Ken Muir, the grower, says that the season is October to December, and as you might expect from that, they weren’t...
by Thrifty Lesley | Oct 20, 2013 | All Recipes, Dinners
I have been experimenting today with various things, including these delicious stuffed pancakes. The youngest of my two daughters is a busy community nurse and has asked me if I would do some lunches for her. Of course I would! You know how I love to twiddle in the...