by Thrifty Lesley | Dec 3, 2025 | All Recipes, Less than 500 calories, Lunches
I invented this soup one day when I had barely anything in the larder, and it was so good, I’ve made it lots of times since! It only has three ingredients! First of all, and most importantly, it’s delicious. There is not a lot of point making frugal food...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 24, 2025 | All Meal Plans, Dinners, Meal Plan 7
In meal plan 7 we have a cottage pie, a lasagna and spaghetti bolognese. All three recipes use the same easy ragu as a base. What do I need to make Beef Ragu – used 3 ways 500g beef mince. The 20% fat beef mince is usually cheapest, but 20% of it is fat –...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 23, 2024 | All Recipes, Less than 500 calories, Lunches, Meal Plan 1, Meal Plan 4
Pea soup, a lovely quick and simple soup made using frozen green peas and not a lot else. Very quick to make, about 15 minutes start to finish. Enjoy with a slice of lovely bread and butter, a vegetable muffin, cheese scone, cheese on toast or anything else you fancy,...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 9, 2024 | All Recipes, Dinners, Less than 500 calories
I tried these several years ago as my brother is coeliac and these, if you use the gram flour option, are gluten free. They are easy to make, freeze well and taste delicious. This recipe serves 4 adults. Great for kids as it’s easy to portion, they can just have...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 5, 2024 | All Recipes, Less than 500 calories, Lunches, Meal Plan 1, Meal Plan 2
This post was first written in June 2013 and updated in June 2021. I love this soup, it is my go to for a soup for lunch. I usually add a tsp of ginger paste from a jar, a tsp of garlic paste, and a tsp of turmeric to give it a lovely spicy kick, and at it’s...
by Thrifty Lesley | Oct 5, 2024 | All Recipes, Less than 500 calories, Lunches
Post originally written in January 2014, refreshed and updated October 2024. When I did a demo a while ago, I did a soup that we have often. The original recipe came from Feasts From The Place Below, Amazon currently (October 2024) selling 2nd hand copies for £2.90,...
by Thrifty Lesley | Sep 22, 2024 | All Recipes, Less than 500 calories, Meal Plan 2, Sides
Post first written in January 2015, refreshed and updated November 2021 Onions are a flavour powerhouse. They are sweet, savoury and pungent all at once. Caramelised onions have all that umami flavour concentrated and are very useful In Meal Plan 2, there are 750g of...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 12, 2024 | All Recipes, Breakfast, Dinners, Less than 500 calories, Lunches, Meal Plan 11
After yesterdays flavoured and potted cheeses, todays sandwich filler is a chicken and sun dried tomato paste. Simple and delicious. What do I need to make chicken and sun dried tomato paste This quantity makes a full jam jar full – 250g. It will keep in the...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 8, 2024 | Lunches, Other
Having made cranberry curd and experimented with other fruit pulps, I decided to have a go at savoury ones and started with tomato and basil and my good ness it’s good. A great way to get some vegetables into veggie phobes. Great on toast or in a sandwich with...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jul 22, 2024 | All Recipes, Puddings / Desserts
I fancied a little chocolate pudding yesterday, one of those ones that makes it own sauce. I found a recipe and set too. I’ve changed it a bit, cutting the sugar by half as it seemed too much, and it was. What do I need to make an old fashioned self saucing chocolate...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jul 19, 2024 | Dinners, Lunches, Meal Plan 14, Sides
Peperonata is one of those things that we have pretty often. It is a pepper and onion stew that goes with many things, can be used as a main dish or as a side. We first started having it with cheesey gougere, which is choux pastry – I must blog that recipe one...
by Thrifty Lesley | Apr 26, 2024 | All Recipes, Cakes and Bakes
Chocolate Muffins Recipe Mike was ‘needing some chocolate’ yesterday, so I decided to make some chocolate muffins. Haven’t made any kind of muffins for yonks. They are super easy in that it is just a bit of stirring, and not too much of that either...
by Thrifty Lesley | May 20, 2023 | All Recipes, Dinners, Lunches, Other
Wild garlic pesto This recipe is for pesto made from wild garlic, or ransoms, which is in season in the early Spring in the UK. The pesto is pungent, delicious and made from wild garlic foraged from the woods, or Allium triquetrum which is what I have growing in my...
by Thrifty Lesley | Mar 13, 2023 | All Recipes, Other
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 content is pretty poor. Palm...
