by Thrifty Lesley | May 26, 2015 | All Recipes, Dinners
Salsa di noci, or walnut sauce, originates from the Italian region, Liguria. It is made using walnuts and olive oil from the region, along with garlic, butter and cream, and finished with the specialty hard cheese Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano. Traditionally,...
by Thrifty Lesley | Mar 21, 2015 | All Recipes, Breakfast, Dinners, Lunches, Meal Plan 10
During the long recesses of last night, I was thinking about the sandwich fillers we have been exploring lately. We have done a chicken and sun dried tomato one, a lovely, deep flavoured beefy one, and a creamy cheesy one. What we haven’t done is a fishy one. You can...
by Thrifty Lesley | Feb 7, 2015 | Less than 500 calories, Lunches, Meal Plan 4
This was lunch today, after a vigorous gym session. It didn’t take long to prepare, although I did have a big dish of butter beans, already cooked, in the fridge. It was filling, even tho it was less than 300 calories, and 3 hours later, I am not in the least bit...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jan 30, 2015 | Cakes and Bakes, Meal Plan 8
These are from meal plan 8. Use them whenever you need the calories. 200g self raising flour, value 1.5kg/45p, 6p 200g sugar, Asda 1kg/59p, 12p 100g vegetable oil, 1 litre/£1.25, 12p 80g creamed coconut, chopped up fine 200g/76p, 30p for 24 biscuits from the batch, 3p...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jan 27, 2015 | Lunches, Meal Plan 8
On Monday I went to Tunbridge Wells to use the BBC Radio Kent studio there for a live transmission to BBC Radio Coventry. While I was there, it’s 17 miles from home, I decided to pop into M&S. We use an Amex credit card everywhere they are accepted as they give a...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jan 15, 2015 | Cakes and Bakes, Less than 500 calories, Puddings / Desserts
A few friends are coming to dinner tomorrow, so this evening, I am making a pudding. Delia Smith’s Chocolate Squidgy Log, something I’ve made lots and lots of times. This is another recipe from Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course This is a quality pudding, that...
by Thrifty Lesley | Dec 16, 2014 | Christmas, Dinners, Lunches
I had this for lunch today, from the Christmas 2014 Meal Plan. Serves 2 160g flour, value, 1.5kg/45p, 5p 200g frozen mixed veg, Asda 1kg/77p. 15p 120g frozen parsnips, Asda Chosen By You 680g pk/91p, 16p 100ml double cream, Asda Fresh cream 300ml/85p, 23p tsp mustard,...
by Thrifty Lesley | Jun 13, 2014 | All Recipes, Puddings / Desserts
Remember this? Instant semi-freddo After dinner this evening, DP announced that he wanted a pudding. He was angling after a crumble, but I really didn’t want to make one. So I dug out a bag of mixed berries from the freezer, picked out all the strawberries and whizzed...
by Thrifty Lesley | Mar 4, 2014 | All Recipes, Cakes and Bakes, Less than 500 calories, Meal Plan 2, Meal Plan 4
Are you doing pancakes this week? They are usually made with eggs, milk and flour, but have you tried them made with just flour and water? Doesn’t sound all that appealing does it. But I couldn’t tell the difference between my usual ones, made with eggs and milk, and...
by Thrifty Lesley | Nov 30, 2013 | All Recipes, Puddings / Desserts
Inspired by Masterchef, I wanted to make a muscovado cheesecake. One of the chefs did one on there, and it sounded seriously good. I had a little Google for a base recipe and came across this Nigella Lawson one for Cherry Cheesecake, it is from Nigella...
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 | Sep 6, 2013 | All Recipes, Dinners, Meal Plan 2
Dinner this evening were these delicious little olive drop scones, accompanied by crispy fried onions and a carrot and raisin salad, that has a few raisins sprinkled in and spritzed with lemon juice. I created this recipe using what is available in Meal Plan 2 and...
by Thrifty Lesley | Sep 5, 2013 | All Recipes, Less than 500 calories, Lunches, Meal Plan 10, Meal Plan 2
A super simple filled pitta bread, filled with a mixture of grated carrot, lemon zest and juice and soft cheese. It is very tasty and would work without the lemon if you don’t have any, but it really does make a big difference to the flavour, especially the zest. What...
by Thrifty Lesley | Aug 12, 2013 | All Recipes, Dinners, Lunches
What do you do with your cauliflower leaves? I think they have a lot of flavour, like broccoli stalks, and tend to choose those first when we have something and veg. I usually cook them like the florets, DP has those, because he prefers them, and I have the leaves,...