by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 15, 2023 | All Meal Plans, Christmas, Vegetarian Christmas Meal Plan
If you are on a tight budget, Christmas food can be very difficult, causing stress, and maybe even debt too. No need to get into debt, when with a bit of extra planning, you can enjoy a delicious vegetarian Christmas festive meal, without spending a fortune. Re-Priced...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 6, 2022 | All Recipes, Lunches, Round Up Post
School packed lunches – the dreaded chore! Can you feed a hulking teenager for 30p a head? Ideas for school packed lunches – many people with school aged children need them. Packing up a lunch box for children or an adult packed lunch is bad enough. It can...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jul 20, 2022 | All Recipes, Dinners, Stretch A Chicken
Spicy Chicken Pasta Bake – Stretch A Chicken (4) Got a little bit of chicken to use up? Try it in this spicy pasta bake- make it as hot and spicy as you like! How to make Spicy Chicken Pasta Chop the onion and sauté in a little oil until soft. Add garlic,...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 29, 2021 | All Recipes, Dinners, Less than 500 calories, Meal Plan 2
Pasta with Olives, Tomato & Soft Cheese Post first written in September 2013. Refreshed and updated November 2021. This recipe makes a generous portion of pasta, dressed with olives, tomato puree and soft cheese. Very quick to make, just taking as long as the...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 27, 2021 | All Recipes, Cakes and Bakes, Less than 500 calories, Meal Plan 2
Raisin Biscuits Post originally published October 2013, refreshed and updated November 2021 These little biscuits are fun to make, especially if you make tiny hearts or teeny squares. Spice them up with cinnamon or mixed spice at Christmas time. Or see the variations...
by Thrifty Lesley | May 22, 2021 | Dinners, Less than 500 calories
Honey Soy Chicken Drumsticks and Thighs I made these lovely honey soy chicken drumsticks recently, using Aldi chicken thighs instead of drumsticks. I prefer thighs really, I think they are the best cut on a chicken, much more succulent than a breast, and a lot of...
by Thrifty Lesley | Mar 21, 2021 | All Recipes, Dinners, Less than 500 calories, Lunches
This curry base recipe is a very useful one to have in your repertoire. Endlessly versatile, you can add pretty much any protein to it. Curry Base Recipe To make the curry base, start by frying off a finely chopped onion. You can use any fat to do it. Ghee is...
by Thrifty Lesley | Feb 22, 2019 | All Recipes, Dinners
I recently made a really good lentil ragu. The flavour was strong enough that I thought it may well make a good lasagna. This is the result and it was very good indeed! It will freeze well, so is something you can batch make. Lentil Ragu Lasagna The prolonged cooking...
by Thrifty Lesley | Feb 7, 2019 | All Recipes, Dinners, Valentines Day Ideas
Vegan Valentine Meal I’ve been thinking about a celebration meal for this years Valentines Day and decided to do a vegan one this year. Two courses are from the archives, one, the starter, is a new, although very simple, invention. So we have a black olive and tomato...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jan 30, 2019 | All Recipes, Dinners, Less than 500 calories, Lunches
I have been making these rather wonderful nut balls for decades and can’t now remember where I got the original recipe from, I suspect it is a Cranks one. They are very simple to make, not requiring any complicated method, equipment or skills, although you’ll need to...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jan 19, 2019 | All Recipes, Dinners
Lentil ragu with spaghetti Made something really good this evening inspired by a recipe from this book. I’ve tweaked it a bit, as you do, so this is my version of it. First printed in 1994 and still in print and extremely cheap from Amazon. Loads of great recipes,...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jan 11, 2019 | All Recipes, Cakes and Bakes, Less than 500 calories, Lunches
I’ve been enjoying these Couscous snacky lunchbox bites for a couple of weeks now. But I’ve been using a packet mix to make them, with added flavourings. I’ve had some lemon and coriander packet mixes in the cupboard for ages, from an approved foods order. That’s all...
by Thrifty Lesley | Dec 8, 2018 | All Recipes, Christmas, Dinners, Vegetarian Christmas Meal Plan
A savoury christmas crumble, chestnuts in the base and walnuts in the topping. One of the recipes from the Vegetarian Christmas meal plan. Savoury Vegan Walnut and Chestnut Crumble Base mixture Priced at Asda December 2018 100g red cabbage, chopped not in the shops...
by Thrifty Lesley | Sep 5, 2017 | All Recipes, Less than 500 calories, Sides
Cipolline is pronounced chip-oh-LEE-nay and is a flat type of onion used in Italy for this dish. How to make Cipolline in Agrodolce (Onions in Sweet and Sour Sauce) Peel some onions, without removing the roots, or the onions will fall apart while cooking. Place in a...
