Anyone got a nice spaghetti and meatballs recipe?

Skyegirl

Justamum wrote: »

Thanks for the encouragement Bobbykins. I sometimes feel like a failure when I read how little some people spend and still end up with loads of food to live on!

Hey you are doing great, I know how you feel too, there is only a co-op here and a very small Somerfield, no other place to buy groceries from. I understand what its like, I tend to look on the websites each weeka dn see what deals Co-Op have and also Somerfield and try and get the deals from both, stocking up where I can, helps;) TBH I am struggling this month, I doubt I am going to come in on budget, but I won't fall off the wagon completely I will still try and be as careful as I can, so not to go over too much.

Best of luck:cool:

sashanut

mama67 wrote: »

Could you please post the Morroccan Chicken recipe.

Thanks

Adapted from a GH recipe!
Moroccan Chicken, Squash & Chickpea Stew

- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 2.5 cm fresh ginger grated ( I usually use a tsp of the minced ginger in a jar)
- 2 level tsp harissa (any chilli paste will do, just use a little/or a lot depending on how spicy you like things)
- 1.1 ltrs hot veg stock (I use marigold)
- 1 lge tin toms
- half a butternut squash peeled & cut into chunks
- 1 400g can chickpeas drained
- 250g spinach leaves
- lime juice

- chop chicken into bite size pieces & fry over high heat in a pan/casserole. I just use a spray of Fry light but you can use oil if you prefer

- remove chicken when browned. Add onion, garlic & ginger to pan, fry till soft, then add chicken back in.

- add harissa/chilli paste & cook over med heat for 1-2 min.

- add veg stock & then tinned tomatoes. I chop them & remove the grotty bits - you can also use fresh toms when in season/cheap etc.

- drain chickpeas & add to pan

- simmer till chicken is cooked - 20 mins, then add diced squash. Simmer till squash is tender, another 20 mins or so - you could leave in slow cooker or in low oven, then stir & add seasoning to taste. If using spinach, add to pan & 'wilt' for a couple of mins along with the lime juice

- thicken with a little cornflour & water & check seasoning, add more chilli if you like it spicy.

This serves 3/4 people dependong on how hungry/greedy they are. I'd say it was good the next day too but there has never been any left..................

270 cals, 8g fat, 28g carbs

For a veggie version, omit chicken & add another tin of drained chickpeas

the recipe says ' serve with crusty bread,' but we always have it with:

Buttered Couscous

450g (1lb)couscous
600ml (1pint) hot chicken or veg stock
50g (2oz) sultanas
75g (3oz) butter, diced
5 tbsp chopped coriander (opt)

Put the couscous in an ovenproof dish & cover with stock. Leave for 5 min. Add sultanas to the couscous & fluff up with fork. Dot with butter & cover with foil/lid. Place in oven to heat through; when you are ready to serve, take off lid & stir, sprinkle with chopped coriander if using.

This chicken dish looks wonderful with the bright colours & cheers up any gloomy day. You could use any type of chicken or turkey, add more chilli if you like it hotter & serve with lime wedges to squeeze over if you like. I've never made it with chilli powder, but I expect you could also use that. ATM I'm using jars of Sambal Olek - a hot chilli paste that Mr Ts were selling off cheap some time ago!

mrssnowy_2

Took Mum shopping today......yay ,I am back at work and driving.
Went and got F&V from market,so we are sharing a sack onions(£3),and DM paid for veg.
We had for £11-onions,bananas,oranges,clementines,peaches,sprouts,parsnips,leeks,2 savoy cabbage,several pounds of everything as they were just finishing

Mollymop5

NSD for me. :T Well on this challenge anyway

miecherox

Hello all,

This morning when I woke up I had £23.27 left of my budget this month for milk and fresh fruit & veg. (I do a big monthly shop at the beginning of the month). By 1000am I had -33p.:eek:

Prior to my moneysaving days I had fruit, veg and milk delivered from an organic box scheme - cancelled this when realised we were living WAY beyond our means but forgot to cancel all weeks - hence we had a delivery for £23.60 this morning!!!!:eek:

So... have taken remaining money from "going out fund" for fresh milk for the rest of the month (£18.)
Luckily I don't have to worry about nappies as I use washables and the boys' formula is on prescription due to allergies.

What I need to do now is make what fresh fruit and veg I have preserve or freeze to use througout the month.

Made parsnip and leek soup today and that fed two adults three under twos, dh for his pack up tonight and a portion has gone in freezer.

In the box today I got...

potatoes (no problems)
carrots (use in cooking/carrot & orange soup)
brown onions (use in cooking)
jerualem artichoke (Help!!)
swede (use in cass/cooking)
cabbage (Just found recipe for cabbage soup)
leeks (pasta with leeks)
chard (Help!!!)
red pepper (any recipes for a meal with these??)
aubergine (Prob moussaka - any other ideas??

oranges - got loads of these - (do they need to be seville for marmalade as have fruit sugar in cupboard?)
grapes (no probs)
apples (stewed apple)

Any help with above ingredients would be appreciated - I cannot buy anything else this month but have lots of cooks ingredients in cupboards and pantry.

Thanks in advance

M x

purplevamp

Haven't been on here for a couple of days so I thought I'd better update. Have had a couple of bad days GC-wise. Went to London yesterday to see Harry Hill (very funny, it's on telly this Saturday!!) and spent £19.40 on 2 dinners . Today my 2 youngests ones had school dinners and hubby and me had chinese takeaway . But I'm claiming my Brownie points as there's loads left over for lunch tomorrow and we don't need to do a big shop for at least a week.

mouche

I try to keep up with the board but it moves so fast! I feel a little bit like the new girl at school - by the time I've figured out the conversation and said something, everyone else has moved on! Anyway, it looks like all of you are doing really well so congratulations!

I did my big monthly shop last Tuesday and spent 77GBP, which leaves me with 23GBP for the rest of the month. Which isn't bad really because my freezer is full to bursting and we don't really use a lot of staples like milk and bread since we're a household of two adults who don't eat breakfast, eat lunch at work (not included in grocery budget), rarely get home in time for tea and usually end up eating out for dinner (separate eating out budget for that though we usually finish it off in 10 days!).

I do want to cut down on eating out though; we are both overweight and anyway I'd rather eat occasionally at nice restaurants than every other day at cheap ones.

The trouble is I'm not very good at cooking and though hubby is a chef, he rarely has time to cook at home. Still, given peace and quiet and a simple recipe I can usually make an edible meal. And one good thing about my cooking is that I use very little fat of any sort. I will be investigating the recipes board though since I'm Indian, our food does tend to be primarily curries.

I plan to do a cook fest on Sunday and hopefully freeze somethings for the week since I usually have very little energy left for cooking after I battle home after work.

Will update on how that goes and how the budget is faring.

tazladytaz

I am new to all this. Even though it is 9 days into the February challenge I would like to join please.
I have estimated that I spent £400-£450 a month. I would like to get that down to £300-£350. As there has already been just over a week I would like to set my challenge at £200 for the rest of the month.
This going to be particularly difficult as (by a case of having to) I have been doing the store cupboard challenge for a week already,(before I saw it on hee).
Oh well, here goes. I am now preparing myself for lots of whining and whinging from the kids, "I don't like this"

chardonnay_2

hi mouche, welcome! i love indian food so feel free to post any of your yummy recipes.

funkyfunkymonkey

tazladytaz wrote: »

I am new to all this. Even though it is 9 days into the February challenge I would like to join please.
I have estimated that I spent £400-£450 a month. I would like to get that down to £300-£350. As there has already been just over a week I would like to set my challenge at £200 for the rest of the month.
This going to be particularly difficult as (by a case of having to) I have been doing the store cupboard challenge for a week already,(before I saw it on hee).
Oh well, here goes. I am now preparing myself for lots of whining and whinging from the kids, "I don't like this"

Hi there and Welcome

I was a serial supermarket overspender until I joined this challenge (£600-£700 per month not unusual). The cupboards were full of things that the kids could help themselves to in between meals - crisps, cereal bars, nutragrain, biscuits - I'm sure you get the picture (although sweets and chocolate were only 'allowed' at weekends).

Anyway, I now only buy enough packs of crisps/savory snacks for 1 per day in their packed lunch and the weekends are spent making at least 1 cake or some HM biscuits to put into their packed lunch. They have enjoyed the cooking and showing their cakes/biscuits to their friends at school (even DS who is a teenager!).

I have had no complaints so far and this has been going on for 5 weeks now. We have booked a holiday for the summer so they are looking forward to that - we haven't been abroad for 4 years - I think they would prefer the holiday to the expensive snacking, takeaways and ready meals that we were 'wasting' our money on.

Good luck with the challenge - I'm loving it.

FFM