BFree Wraps

So I've finally tried  BFree Wraps and I've got to admit, I think they are pretty awesome! You get 6 in a packet for £2.80 (current price on 29/08/13 at Asda, checked on www.asda.com) and they are actually the texture of your regular wraps. 

I've used them to make chicken fajitas, chicken and bean enchiladas and a tuna salad wrap so far. They all turned out really well and as you get 6 in a packet it seems a little better value for money than the newburn ones. Though as the Newburn ones are slightly thicker, they're good for turning into a pizza base. Tesco are currently selling them at £2.60 (on 29/08/13 on www.tesco.com, offer valid until 16/09/13), so if you do like these then now might be a good time to stock up!

Tonight's meal was chicken and bean enchiladas (made with leftover chicken).

I really enjoyed having enchiladas, I've not eaten these in so long! I thought the mixed beans went really well.

I will definitely be back soon with more wrap recipes.

Menu 25/08/13 - 31/08/13

We're eating out 2 times this week, so there are only 5 meals planned. I'm looking forward to trying the BFree tortillas this week, if they're in stock! We're hoping to spread the chicken over a few meals, so we're going to see how far we can stretch it.

Breakfast:  Cereal, Fruit, Yoghurt

Lunch: Tuna and Sweetcorn Salad, Leftovers

Snacks: Apples, Bananas

Leftovers from Cupboard: Freezer: Frozen Mixed Vegetables, Cheese, Onions, Chopped Tomatoes, Spinach

Meals 25/08/13 - 31/08/13

Chicken, Bacon and Cheesy Nachos

Smoked Salmon, Feta and Cous Cous Salad

Chicken Fajitas

Chicken and Mixed Bean Enchiladas

Chickpea and Spinach Curry 

Ingredients:

Mandarin Segments £0.24

Bananas (12 - 2.04 kg) £1.38

Natural Yoghurt £0.45

Apples £2.00

Peppers sliced - Frozen £1.00

Garlic £0.25

Tuna £4.00

Chickpeas (from B&M) £0.29

Sweetcorn £1.00

Spring Onions £0.50

Cucumber £0.50

3 Mixed Peppers £1.00

Lettuce £1.00

Cereal £2.00

Mixed Beans in Tomato Sauce £0.62

Passata £0.29

GF Tortilla £2.80

Tortilla £1.00

Fajita Seasoning £0.58

Smart Price Tortilla Chips £0.46

Milk £1.00

Chicken 2.6 kg (Doncaster Market) £7.50

Cooking Bacon £0.81

2 x 6 500 ml isotonic drinks £4.00

12 x still water £2.00

Smoked Salmon Fillet £1.40

Total £38.07

Roast Potatoes (13 p for 2 people)

As much as people are sometimes against tinned food, I find the new potatoes cheap and as they are already prepared very easy and quick to use. The ones I used were 13 p for 550 g (from Asda, price checked on 24/08/13), so I don't think you can argue about them being good value for money.

I fancied trying to roast these potatoes to see how they would turn out and I think they turned out pretty well! They were nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

I also find that the frozen roast potatoes you cook in the oven tend to be covered in flour so have gluten on them, not good for those of us following a gluten free diet.

Serves 2:

Ingredients:

1 tin of new potatoes

A good glug of oil

Salt

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 200 C (fan) and put in a roasting tray with the oil.
• Drain a tin of new potatoes and put onto the pre-heated tray.
• Season with plenty of salt.
• Cook for approx 45 minutes or until crispy.

The 13 p for 2 portion is excluding the cost of oil and salt.

Broad Bean, Bacon and Spinach Risotto

We've had this risotto a few times and it's a bit of safe option. The boyfriend didn't fancy any of the planned options, so we ended up having this instead. It's something we both enjoy and an idea Friday night dinner for us.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 300 g of risotto rice
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves
• Knob of butter 
• Approx 1 - 1.1 l of vegetable stock or mix of chicken (be sure to check it's gluten free)
• 200 g bacon, chopped
• Grated hard cheese
• 2 handfuls broad beans ( I used frozen)
• 4 balls of frozen spinach
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• Glug of oil (optional)

Method:

1. Melt the butter on a medium heat in a sauce pan, cook the onions until they start to go soft. Turn the heat up and  cook the bacon until the liquid has evaporated.
2. If the pan is a little dry then add a little oil to the pan. Add the rice  and coat with the oil / butter, fry for a couple of minutes.
3. Microwave the spinach and broad beans for about 3 minutes or until cooked through. Add to the pan with the onions and bacon.
4. Start to add the vegetable stock to the pan a ladle by ladle, until the stock has completely evaporated.  Add the oregano and keep on adding the stock until the rice is cooked through. 
5.  I sprinkled some of the grated hard cheese onto the risotto and stirred through. I then sprinkled a little bit more on the top.

Courgette Carbonara

I really enjoyed this dinner tonight, it was really simple to make and felt like the courgettes added an extra little something to the dish.

It was just creamy enough, without being too much.

I made some slight changes to the original Jamie Oliver recipe here:

• I halved the original recipe as I was only making this for 2 people.
• I added 1 large courgette and this gave plenty for this recipe.
• I used light single cream to make it a little lighter.
• I used gluten free spaghetti instead of penne.
• I used mixed herbs instead of thyme, as these are what I had in
• I added a pinch of garlic salt

If you like carbonara, then I suggest you try this easy recipe. You can always go easy on the cheese if you're looking to shave off a few extra calories.

Menu 18/08/13 - 24/08/13

I've tried to look at what we've already got available before buying too much food this week. I hope to have some of the frozen vegetables and tinned goods left for next week. I'm also continuing to eat fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, but I do also have organic (gluten free) cornflakes in case I do want something different. I'm trying to balance out the amount we spend on food along with eating a varied diet and trying new things. I am still working on bringing the costs of our food down, so hopefully this will continue to decline as I get better with the food budgeting!

We've had guests this weekend and we were given some home grown tomatoes and courgettes, so I've tried to incorporate these into the meal planning. 

Breakfast: This will be fruit and yoghurt, cereal, toast or eggs, bacon

Lunches: Ham and/or egg salad, leftovers

Leftovers in Fridge / Cupboard: potatoes, Hard Cheese, Cereal (both GF and non GF), Bacon, Chopped Tomatoes, Kidney Beans, Yoghurt, Quinoa, Courgette, Tomatoes, GF Spaghetti, Frozen Sliced Peppers, GF Sausages, GF Bread

Courgette and Pepper Frittata

Chicken with Quinoa, Tomatoes & Feta

Lasagne (Leftovers from the freezer)

Tuna, Tomatoes and Feta Spaghetti (with basil and spring onions)

Kidney Bean and Coriander Burgers, Roast New Potatoes, Mixed Veg

Courgette Carbonara

Sausage and mixed bean Casserole

Asda Blue Berries  - 125 g £1.00

Smart Price Pineapple - 565 g  x 2 £0.54

Mandarin Segments x 2 £0.48

Tinned Apples x 2 £1.10

Peaches x 2 £0.82

Bananas (1.52 kg) £1.04

Smart Price Rice Pudding £0.30

Coarse Grain French Mustard £0.58

Semi Skimmed Milk £1.00

Sweetcorn £1.00

Spring Onions £0.50

Cucumber £0.50

3 Mixed Peppers £1.00

Lettuce £1.00

Ham £4.00

Soup £0.89

New Potatoes - 550 g £0.24

3 x carrots (approx 0.55 kg) £0.50

Smart Price Kidney Beans £0.27

Feta Cheese 200 g £1.27

15 Smart Price Eggs £1.35

Elmlea Light Single Cream -284 ml £0.65

Mature cheddar cheese (350 g) £2.00

Frozen Mixed Vegetables £0.75

Frozen Spinach £1.39

Mackerel x 2 £1.60

Chopped Tomatoes £0.31

Mixed Beans in Tomato Sauce £0.62

Total £26.70

Beef Lasagne

I've not made a "proper" lasagne for a while now, so it hasn't actually featured on my blog. We used to eat it quite a bit as the other half thinks my lasagne is really tasty, but a traditional one tends to be quite heavy on the calories so we've stayed away a little bit! 

For me I quite like making lasagne and don't find it too demanding after a day at work, but if you are pushed for time you can make it in advance and cook from frozen, you'd just need to double the cooking time.

Ingredients:

• 575 g lean beef mince (I normally use 500 g but this is the packet I bought from Sainsbury's)
• 1 - 2 bovril cubes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cans chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 can water
• 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
• a teaspoon of mixed herbs
• a dash of Worcestershire sauce (I use Henderson's as this is gluten free and local)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
•  1 pack of gluten free lasagne sheets
• Extra mature cheddar cheese, grated (enough to cover the top of your lasagne)
• Salt and Pepper
• Oil for frying

For the Bechamel /  White sauce:

• 40 g butter
• 40 g plain gluten free flour
• 300  - 350 ml semi skimmed milk
• extra mature cheddar cheese (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170 C fan, 180 C conventional oven.
2. Add oil to a large frying pan, add the onions and start to soften for a few minutes, add the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Add the minced meat and start to cook until the meat is starting to brown, add the Hendersons relish, crumble in the stock cube and cook until the meat has browned. 
4. Add the tomato paste, mixed herbs and stir through. Put the chopped tomatoes and water in and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and and cook on a low light until the sauce has reduced down.
5. Blanche the lasagne sheets and leave to one side.
6. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and mix until you get a paste. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add a small amount of the milk and allow to boil. Then add the rest of the milk and whisk through until the sauce starts to thicken, if it becomes too thick then you can add more milk. I add a little cheese to my Bechamel sauce at this stage. 
7. Place half of the meat into the baking dish, layer with lasagne sheets, add another layer of beef then top with more pasta. Spread the Bechamel sauce on top and grate enough cheese to cover the top.
8. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until cooked through.