Half term breakfast pancakes

My kids love eating pancakes all year round. So this morning with
nowhere to rush off to they requested pancakes for breakfast.

So simple, three easy ingredients (and sshh a bit of nutella - it is
the hols after all) makes a delicious breakfast. And my three year old
loved helping me make them.

New recipes books - bargains!

Look what I picked up yesterday! Two great sounding recipes books for £7!

Was really pleased - what a complete bargain?!

I'm really hoping that they will help with my budget recipe planning efforts.

I know, I know why does trying to budget always involve more spending?! With this though, I'm hoping that with great meal planning (so not wasting food or resorting to bought out food) that I'll recoup the £7 in no time at all.

Well, in the first week actually would be nice :-)

P.S. And that says "Bumper" in case any one was wondering.....!!

Filtered water bottle - the Bobble!

I've just come back from the gym (I'll polish my halo now!!) and thought I must tell you about my water bottle.

It's not just any water bottle, it's a Bobble. Now I can't really take any of the credit for finding this great invention because I got it as a present at Christmas from my sister. But it serves me well, is environmentally friendly and matches my gym outfit (only joking, I don't wear pink lycra!!).

Bobble water bottle

If you've not heard of it before, it's a reusable, portable water bottle that filters tap water as you drink - a single Bobble filter equates to at least 300 water bottles. And of course it looks very cool!!

P.S. Excuse the poor photo - taken too late at night!!

Meal planning

Meal planning is a great way to feel organised (I love lists of all kinds) and can help with budgeting (my other new big thing!!).

I tend to collect recipes from all kinds of places - online, magazines, supermarkets etc and have sort of a filing system to keep them altogether. Next on my list is to make a pretty recipe binder link the one on this fab blog.

But for now heres what's on my meal planner this week (with the emphasis being on cheap but healthy!):

Monday: chickpea curry with pittas

Tuesday: roast veggie moussaka with feta

Wednesday: grilled fish with wedges & veg

Thursday: pancakes filled with cheesy veg

Friday: chicken & mushroom pie

Saturday: lamb koftas in tomato sauce with rice

Sunday: lentil spaghetti bolognese

Veggie moussaka

The roast veggie moussaka with feta recipe is from the BBC Good Food magazine May 2008:

Serves 4

Prep: 10 mins; Cook 45 mins

Per serving: 223 kcals

2 yellow peppers, cut into chunks

2 red onions, cut into wedges

2 medium courgettes, cut into chunks

1 large aubergine, cut into chunks

1 tbsp olive oil

85g/3oz feta

1 egg

200ml tub Greek yogurt

700g bottle passata

2 tsp dried oregano

1. Heat the oven to 200c/fan 180c/gas 6. Scatter the vegetables into a large roasting tin. Toss with oil, season, then roast for 25 mins until softened.

2. Break up the feta with a fork, then mix well with the egg, yogurt and seasoning. When the veggies are ready, tip them into an ovenproof dish, then stir in the passata & oregano. Spoon over the creamy topping, turn the oven up to 220c/fan 200c/gas 7, then bake for 20-25 mins until the filling is hot and the topping is beginning to brown & bubble.

Enjoy!

P.S. You might notice I swapped out some of the veg...you can basically use whatever is in your fridge!

Yummy tomatoes

My son (5yrs) is of the eat anything & everything type....he's always hungry and will happily munch anything offered. You can really tell when he starts to get hungry as he starts to wilt and needs an energy boost of food to get him going again!

My daughter (3yrs) on the other hand is a lot more fussy. She's the classic toddler that will one day love something and the next day hate it! Most annoying when you've specifically gone to the shops to replenish an absolute favourite only for it to be snubbed.

Tomatoes fall into this category....the other day she was into them and on one of our regular jaunts to Costa she enjoyed a babycino and a selection of tomatoes. The perfect combo.....although perhaps not what I'd choose ;-)!

Easy bread sticks

I met with a friend for coffee yesterday and she mentioned she'd been baking the big, fat salted bread sticks by Lorraine Pascale. I've seen various previews and clips about her TV programme but for some reason have never managed to catch it.

So, never one to pass up a foodie recommendation I thought I'd check them out for myself!

And my friend was right, they're really simple to make & taste great! They'd also be a good one for the kids to help make.

Budget recipe week - chickpea curry

We had a great weekend celebrating my husband's 40th birthday. It involved a night out in Covent Garden eating at Tamarai restaurant (would highly recommend as the food was delicious) and then Pizza Express with the kids on Sunday.

So this week is detox week in lots of ways.....it's time to give the liver & the wallet a rest :-)

So for dinner today, we're going to be having cheap & cheerful chickpea curry.

3 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 inch garlic, peeled & finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp black pepper
2 tins chickpeas
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 tin tomatoes
1 tsp tomato puree

Rather than chopping, I bunged the garlic, onion & garlic in my mini-chopper & whizzed them up.

Add them to a pan with a dash of oil with the cumin, tumeric & black pepper and saute for 5 mins.

Add the chickpeas & carrots and stir to coat in the spices. Cook for a few minutes.

Add the tinned tomatoes and the puree.

Cook for an hour, adding water when necessary to ensure it doesn't dry out