A Dinner A Day Challenge: Day 14

Cheese-topped Pasta Bolognese

Another quick and easy meal for when you don't have much time. We have a lot of these, don't we?!

4 handfuls of pasta of your choice (cheapest is usually penne)
small pack of lean mince beef
a small onion, chopped
box of passata
teaspoon of oregano
half teaspoon basil
sprinkle of parsley
tablespoon of gravy granules

1. Fry the mince in a little bit of oil with the gravy granules (or a beef stock cube) and the onion.

2. Once the mince is brown, add the passata and the herbs and mix gently together.

3. Leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pan of boiling water.

5. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and mix with the sauce mixture.

6. Place into a large oven proof dish, top with grated cheese and put under the grill for five minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

7. Serve with garlic bread.

Cost: Approximately £5 per family assuming you have the dried version of the herbs in your store cupboard. If you need to buy these, I would suggest budgeting around £1 each for them.

A Dinner A Day Challenge: Day 13

Chicken goujons with salad.

This was a really simple salad containing:
a boiled egg
sliced cucumber
a spoonful of coleslaw
a handful of grated cheddar
iceberg lettuce
a few black olives
some oven baked chicken goujons

Delicious and really satisfied my hunger.

Cost: Total cost would be around £4/£5 to feed a family of four though you will probably have left over salad that can be used the following lunch time.

A Dinner A Day Challenge: Day 12

Picadillo & Rice

This was a new dish that I'd never tried so it's a 'proper' recipe from a book I have.

You'll need:

2 tbsp oil
2lb minced beef
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 eating apples
1lb tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (I used tinned)
2 drained jalapeño chillis, de-seeded and chopped 
half a cup of raisins
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cumin
salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan & add the beef, onion & garlic. Fry, stirring from time to time, until the beef is brown & the meat is tender.

2. Peel, core and chop the apples. Add them to the pan with all the remaining ingredients. Cook, uncovered, for around 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Serve with rice and/or tortilla chips.

Cost: This is a slightly more expensive dish but really worth the money. I had many of these ingredients at home already but I'd estimate that it would cost around £6-£7.00 per family, remembering that some of that cost would be an investment for ingredients that will last you a good while.

A Dinner A Day Challenge: Day 11

'Tater Ash'

One of the dishes I was brought up on was good old Potato Hash, or as we've always called it, 'Tater Ash'.

It takes about half an hour to make from chopping board to plate and is really tasty. It never fails to please! Add a pie crust if you like for a more substantial dinner.

You'll need:

6 medium sized potatoes per person
3 carrots
1 large onion 
gravy granules
1 tin corned beef, chopped into small pieces
ground black pepper

1. Roughly chop the onion, cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces and peel and slice the carrots.

2. Add the gravy granules and pepper, then bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.

3. Add the corned beef and mix well. Season to taste if necessary.

Serve with mushy peas and pickled red cabbage or beetroot.

Cost: Around £3.50 for a full pan - usually serves all four of us with some left over.

A Dinner A Day Challenge: Day 10

Starter: Prawn Cocktail

Frozen Prawns (defrosted overnight in the fridge), topped with seafood sauce and sprinkled with paprika. Served with a small garden salad. 

Cost: Approximately £4 per 4 servings

Main Course: Steak Casserole

This was a dish I made up as I went along and we really enjoyed it. 

I used:

1lb braising steak
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 chopped red pepper
1 small cauliflower
5-6 medium sized potatoes, cubed
Gravy granules to acheive desired consistency
1 beef Oxo cube
Ground black pepper, to taste

1. Cut steak into strips or cubes, place in a frying pan and sprinkle the Oxo cube on top, then seal and add to the bottom of the slow cooker.

2. Parboil the potatoes for around 15 minutes.

3. Add the onion, pepper, cauliflower, potatoes to the slow cooker, as well as enough boiling water to cover all ingredients.

Cook on a low heat for 5-6 hours to ensure the beef is tender 

Cost: Approximately £5 for our family of 4

A Dinner A Day Challenge: Day 9

Chicken Fried Rice and Curry Sauce

Well it didn't take long for me to dig out the takeaway menu and so on day 9 we had a Chinese takeaway!

This shared out nicely between myself and the two boys with a bit of curry sauce poured over the top.

Cost: £5.90 for three of us.

A Dinner A Day Challenge: Day 8

Pizza

Naughty but nice, we had pizza and garlic bread for a treat tonight.

This was a make your own from our local Asda pizza counter - my favourite!

Cost: £3.50 for 14" pizza and 37p for a garlic baguette