Where is Administration club.omlet.co.uk ??

[lillybettybabs]

ooo some nice ideas, I have two eggs today so a kind of bubble and squeak Benedict sounds nice.

[Chickendoodle]

Surprised that risotto hasn't been mentioned. It is my constant standby for using up leftover chicken or ham or any veggies knocking around. It can take over the time limit to cook on the stove but there are plenty of oven baked versions like this

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2818/ovenbaked-risotto-

 

I never cook anything processed (if you don't count ham, sausages and bacon!) and can be constantly heard to mutter "how can people say they have no time to cook from scratch as this has only taken 20 minutes"

 

I make my own bread but buy natural yoghurt - we used loads as we have it every night with fruit for pudding. Might try making it - what do you all use? Have seen stuff in Lakeland?

[majorbloodnock]

...It can take over the time limit to cook on the stove...

Perhaps so, but the rules of the thread are that it should meet one or more of the criteria, not necessarily all, and a veggie or leftover risotto will almost certainly come under the £3.00 threshold, so it deserves to be here in its own right.

 

That said, I like your alternatives too. It's not difficult to make a risotto - whichever method of cooking it you decide on - contain just the right amounts of meat and oil to make the resulting dish a perfect nutritional balance. Cheap, relatively quick, healthy and really tasty; what more could one ask?

[Chickendoodle]

Also kedgeree - we are having this tonight.

 

I fry up an onion and if I have anything else like a pepper/mushrooms/celery/leeks, add a teaspoon of curry powder, cook for a bit then stir in rice. Add stock of choice and bubble away for 10 mins. At the same time poach some smoked haddock in water or milk, whichever you prefer, flake the fish and keep warm. Also boil an egg per person.

 

When rice is cooked fork in the fish and either chop the eggs and stir in or halve them and put on top. Especially yummy if you can make the eggs just off being hard boiled so that you have a softish yolk.

 

If I have some spinach I will stir this in at the end also just to wilt it

 

I have also made it with smoked mackerel which is equally nice but a bit richer

[majorbloodnock]

I agree with the Kedgeree mention, although I find it difficult to source decent smoked white fish cheaply enough to get it under the £3.00 threshold for a family of four (although it can be done). However, that was deliberately an aggressive threshold to prove a point, and £4.00 for a pan full of Kedgeree is pretty easy to achieve.

[Daphne]

 

I make my own bread but buy natural yoghurt - we used loads as we have it every night with fruit for pudding. Might try making it - what do you all use? Have seen stuff in Lakeland?

 

Many years ago I was given an electric DIY yogurt maker. I don't recall how we made it, except it was all 'natural', no powders or anything. However, it always turned out thin and quite sour and I hated it Mind you, I am a fan of mild, set, quite creamy yogurt like Onken, so if you like your yogurt a bit more punchy it might work.

 

Our favourite cheap/quick meals are tomato/chili sauce on pasta with chorizo, prawns or tuna and olive depending on whats around; risotto, bulghar wheat or cous cous (very quick!) with any leftovers, frittata, baked spuds with whatever is around (eg cheese, bacon, baked bean, smoked mackeral and spring onion) and a green veg, a potato topped pie with any leftover meat or fish, tuna pasta bake, carrot, kidney bean and tomato thick soup, boston baked beans (basically sweet and sour beans), salmon on lentils with carrot, meatballs (either with tomato sauce or spiced with cumin/coriander/chili and served with pitta), fishcakes, kedgeree, macaroni cheese, stir fry, soups.

 

I am a big fan of buying in bulk when things are cheap and freezing. I wish I was a bit more organised to cook in bulk and freeze it, but you can't have it all

 

I think herbs, spices and flavourings like pimenton or worcester sauce, as well as rubs or marinades are great at adding some interest to dishes, if the main ingredient is a bit sp"Ooops, word censored!" or boring Recently I've been making very herby dressings (buying half price herbs like mint, parsley, coriander) or using something like a mixture of yogurt/garlic/pomegranate (these have been in season, I bought 3 for £1 a few weeks ago), to go over pulses/rice to make them tastier so we eat more of the filler and less of the more expensive 'top'. I also tend to use basmati rice if I am in a hurry, and brown rice if I'm feeling we need to eat well for less as its cheaper and very filling as well as being better for you.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I make my own bread but buy natural yoghurt - we used loads as we have it every night with fruit for pudding. Might try making it - what do you all use? Have seen stuff in Lakeland?

 

I use this Lakeland yoghurt maker. I've had it a few years now and it's dead simple, start with a couple of teaspoons of natural yoghurt, add 1L UHT milk and 2 tablespoons of milk powder, switch on and leave for 8 hours+. Job done. You don't have to use UHT milk, you can use fresh, but then you have to scald and cool it. I find the milk loses it's sterilised flavour once 'yogged'. It's not as thick as commercial yoghurt, but now that I am making my own bread I am experimenting with straining the yoghurt to make Greek yoghurt (yummy) and using the whey for bread making. Waste not, want not!

[CatieB]

I make my own bread but buy natural yoghurt - we used loads as we have it every night with fruit for pudding. Might try making it - what do you all use? Have seen stuff in Lakeland?

 

I use this Lakeland yoghurt maker. I've had it a few years now and it's dead simple, start with a couple of teaspoons of natural yoghurt, add 1L UHT milk and 2 tablespoons of milk powder, switch on and leave for 8 hours+. Job done. You don't have to use UHT milk, you can use fresh, but then you have to scald and cool it. I find the milk loses it's sterilised flavour once 'yogged'. It's not as thick as commercial yoghurt, but now that I am making my own bread I am experimenting with straining the yoghurt to make Greek yoghurt (yummy) and using the whey for bread making. Waste not, want not!

 

I have this yog maker too. FAB I agree with lavender blue dead simple and great results. Sometimes I leave it on longer, or add more milk powder and it comes out much thicker. Go for it.

[kazaddress]

For Yoghurt I just heat milk up in a pan until it "just" starts to bubble around the edges, then turn the heat off and stir in some milk powder, and once its cooled down to 46C I stir in 3tbls of live yoghurt, and leave it in a warm place over night (I wrap it up in a warm towel). Come morning I have yoghurt

 

I do this twice a week, and bottle the yoghurt up into sterilised baby food jars (good old freecycle meant I could get my hands on some).

[Chickendoodle]

Thanks been out and bought the yoghurt maker - on special offer luckily ! Home made yoghurt here I come

[Lavenders_Blue]

I saw it was on offer on the Lakeland site. It's a real bargain and it won't take any time at all to make your money back on it.

[bluekarin]

For Yoghurt I just heat milk up in a pan until it "just" starts to bubble around the edges, then turn the heat off and stir in some milk powder, and once its cooled down to 46C I stir in 3tbls of live yoghurt, and leave it in a warm place over night (I wrap it up in a warm towel). Come morning I have yoghurt

 

I do this twice a week, and bottle the yoghurt up into sterilised baby food jars (good old freecycle meant I could get my hands on some).

 

Will give it a go if it is really that simple. I have thought about flasks and yoghurt makers, but am not the best at cleaning things straight away as my hand blender can testify (being left soaking for a day after smoothie making)

[Saronne]

If you use long life milk, you can miss out the heating up phase - provided you're using a method that keeps the mixture warm, e.g. an electric yoghurt maker or the sort where you nestle the milk mixture container in a hot water bath.

[Lavenders_Blue]

The yoghurt maker doesn't require any cleaning. You make the yoghurt in a pot that sits inside the machine, which keeps it warm. A bit like a slow cooker I suppose! Then when the yoghurt is made you transfer the pot to the fridge. So no washing up required, except for the pot you make the yoghurt in (which you'd need whatever method you use).

[bluekarin]

Ah I didn't realise that! I have a pot of yogurt, my first ever, on the go. I shall report how it goes later

[chickencam]

Hubby made a lovely sausage and bean casserole on Saturday when I was feeling grots with a cold. It had a tin of mixed beans in tomato sauce, lots of carrots and onions, some peppers, sausages, and pasta. it probably came within the cost limit because it made loads, though slightly over the time limit, but all of the work was done in less than 10 minutes, then it was just smell and wait

[The Dogmother]

I do a similar one in the slow cooker Liz - it's always wolfed down.

[majorbloodnock]

Agreed.

 

I will also say that one of the qualifying criteria is "feed four for £3.00 or less", not "£3.00 or less to cook as much as your family of four can consume." If you're feeding a team of gannets, I won't hold it against you....

[kazaddress]

Major fail. After carefully budgeting £67 for this weeks shop. I completly forgot to cancel the riverford delivery, so we now have 2 of everything, and I am freeze some for next week. So total shopping bill £100 (although £20 of that is on shampoo's/baby bath, and a massive tray of tinned tomatoes)

 

Wednesday

B: porridge with honey + juice

L: home baked ham sandwiches

3pm Snack: fruit salad (grapes/ apple/ nuts)

Exercise:

D: Leek and potato soup made with ham stock (leek, onion, garlic, potato, carrot, fresh parsley)

Tasks: write meal plans

 

 

Thursday

B: porridge + juice + toast

11am snack: pear

L: pita, peppers, tomatoes and cucumber with houmous, apple and seeded muffin

3pm Snack: (grapes/ apple/ banana)

D: sausage pasta bake (sausages, red peppers, onions, courgette, tomatoes, garlic, pasta) + grated cheese

Exercise: 1 hour walk (felt like 3 hours)

Tasks: grate cheese for the week

 

Friday

B: porridge + juice

11am snack: pear

L: left over pasta mixed with tuna mayo (Simon is taking in the last of the leek and potato soup)

3pm Snack: fruit salad

D: Pizza topped with artichoke, red pepper, onion, tomatoes and rocket + garlic foccacia

Exercise: 1hour walk + pampering (massage burns calories right?)

Tasks: Roast veg for pizza's, bake foccacia, bake bread

 

 

Saturday

B: eggs benadict (with homebaked ham and bread).

L: cheese and brocolli soup and seedy rolls

3pm Snack: fruit,

D: Mezze of couscous, left over ham, olives, pita, salad (peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, garlic,chickpeas, raisins, olives, fresh herbs)

Dessert, chocolate orange bread and butter pudding

Exercise: 4 hours of Gardening

 

Sunday

B: porridge

L: left over soup and homemade bread

3pm Snack: yogurt

D: slow cooked marrocan chicken casserole with couscous salad (peppers, tomatoes, courgette, onion, garlic, chickpeas, raisins, olives,cumin, cinnamon, fresh herbs)

Exercise: 1.5hours garding

Tasks: bake bread

 

Monday

B: porridge + juice

11am snack: mixed fruit salad

L: Left over couscous salad

3pm Snack: fruit salad (pear, apple, satsuma)

D: left over casserole and couscous with pita

Exercise: 4km cycle

Tasks: bake bread

 

Tuesday

B: porridge + juice

11am snack: apple

L: pita filled with cheese and coleslaw

3pm Snack: fruit salad (pear, apple, satsuma)

D: Isaac has asked for tomato soup, so i am going to give this one a try

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2075/tomato-soup (celery, carrot, onion, tomatoes, bay)

Exercise: 4km cycle

Tasks: bake bread

[kazaddress]

Super low budget this week

 

This weeks shopping = £0 as I am using up what is in the kitchen. We might buy a couple of steaks and onion rings up on the way home from the forest tomorrow for a birthday dinner though.

 

Wednesday

B: porridge with honey + juice

L: left over cheesy pasta salad

3pm Snack: apple/ nuts)

Exercise: carrying a poorly baby around all day

D: squash risotto (chicken stock, squash, onion, garlic, sage)

Tasks: write meal plans, bake bread

 

Thursday

B: I am hoping for eggs Benedict for my birthday

11am snack: pear

L: something to eat at the cafe on the green.. probably a baguette.

3pm Snack: (grapes/ apple/ banana)

D: Steak, corn on the cob, onion rings, potato wedges and peppercorn sauce

Exercise: 2 hour walk around the forest,

Tasks:

 

Friday

B: porridge + juice

11am snack: pear

L: tuna sandwiches

3pm Snack: fruit salad

D: Fish pie (3 types of fish + broccoli + onion + potato + cream)

Exercise: 1hour walk

Tasks: bread, make stock for soup on Saturday

 

Saturday

B: porridge

L: cheese and broccoli soup and seedy rolls (broccoli, onion, carrot, potato, celery, mustard, cheese)

3pm Snack: satsuma

D: pitta bread filled with couscous salad, lamb meat balls and home-made houmous.

Exercise: 4 hours of Gardening

 

Sunday

B: porridge

L: left over soup and homemade bread

3pm Snack: homemade yogurt

D: cassoulet http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1400/raymond-blancs-cassoulet (without the duck) chicken legs, sausage, pork steaks, bacon bits, beans, onions, LOTS of garlic, carrots, parsley + mashed potato

Exercise: 1.5hours garding

Tasks: bake bread

 

Monday

B: porridge + juice

11am snack: mixed fruit salad

L: more of the yummy tomato soup http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2075/tomato-soup (celery, carrot, onion, tomatoes, bay)

3pm Snack: fruit salad (pear, apple, satsuma)

D: left over cassoulet with crusty bread rolls

Exercise: 4km cycle

Tasks: bake bread

 

Tuesday

B: porridge + juice

11am snack: apple

L: left over tomato soup and seeded rolls

3pm Snack: fruit salad (pear, apple, satsuma)

D: rocket pesto pasta

Exercise: 4km cycle

Tasks: bake bread

[Space Chick]

Roasted a large free range chicken.... Cost £13

 

Out of it I have made...

 

* a gravy dinner for two

* enough chicken and bacon supreme for 4 (to be frozen in 2 portions for two)

* enough chicken curry for 4 (to be frozen in 2 portions for two)

* chicken and leek soup (still on the stove as I boiled the bones, probably will be 3 or 4 portions)

 

Oh and the cats have had some skin

 

Doesn't qualify on time at all (chicken went into the oven at 3pm and I'm still going! ).

 

However is pretty good on cost I reckon

[kazaddress]

Roasted a large free range chicken.... Cost £13

 

Out of it I have made...

 

* a gravy dinner for two

* enough chicken and bacon supreme for 4 (to be frozen in 2 portions for two)

* enough chicken curry for 4 (to be frozen in 2 portions for two)

* chicken and leek soup (still on the stove as I boiled the bones, probably will be 3 or 4 portions)

 

Oh and the cats have had some skin

 

Doesn't qualify on time at all (chicken went into the oven at 3pm and I'm still going! ).

 

However is pretty good on cost I reckon

 

YUM

 

we have not had a roast chicken for ages. i just get the chicken carcases in the meat boxes... Maybe i should swap to having 2 whole chickens a month instead

[The Dogmother]

That sounds excellent Debs, I really enjoy that task too - makes me feel (almost) virtuous!

[Geoid]

I just had a roast chicken (not free range because I can't afford that, but it was freedom food), got plenty of leftovers and the carcass is in the pan as I type to make a lovely stock (I might use it for paprika chicken...)

[ubereglu]

A couple of the cheapest meals I've 'cooked' (Assembled really) for lunch have been half a can of soup mixed with a serving of couscous-works well hot or cold! Also the Cabbage, Onion and bread recipe from 'Hugh's three good things' book-really tasty-think the river cottage website might have the recipe on it.