Homemade Puddings

Homemade Puddings

It is important to get your children involved in cooking and prepping the dinner as this encourage them to eat what they have made but also teaches them important life skills.

Fruit Jelly!

We have kept plastic pots from store bought puddings, washed them out and get them ready for making jelly. We decided on fruit jellies today! Open a tin of fruit, we used peaches and divide between the pots, we have 10. Make up the jelly per the instructions and pour over the fruit. Allow it to cool, place in the fridge and enjoy all week long.

ASDA price sliced peaches in syrup - £0.31

Hartleys Orange Jelly (in the block) - £0.55

Total Spend £0.86 - £0.08 per portion. 

This was an activity that my 6 year old did by herself, with my supervision for the boiling water and the pouring.

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Week 2 - Easy Budget Meals

 Week #2 - Easy Budget Meals

Welcome to another post with a few cheap and easy meals to help spread the budget and still have a filling meal for your family. I have broken down each meal into price per portions as well as the overall meal and will then total up what our even meals cost us for the week.

The number of portions I need each day varies, as my fiancé works shifts, so sometimes I feed him and sometimes I don't. Most meals are for 2 people, or cooked as a meal for 4 and give us a left over portion to freeze or use as an easy dinner in the week.

Day 1: McDonalds - 3 portions

Today was our treat day for the month! Due to the limited takeaways that were open on this particular day, we ended up with a McDonalds, which was very nice but also not exactly cheap. I did have a 20% off voucher however which made me feel a bit better about it 😂

We ordered, a Nugget Happy Meal, A chicken Sandwich Meal, A Large 20 Nugget Meal and extra 9 nuggets to share. 

Total meal £16.32 = £5.44 a portion. 

I must admit, it was an eye opener to see that this one meal, cost more than the total meal spend for Week 1.

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Day 2: Meatball Bake - 3 Portions

I bought the "3 for £10" meat deal in ASDA, and then half those 3 packs to make it 6 meals worth, making them £1.60 each. 

12 meatballs - £1.60

1 onion - £0.20

1 Bell pepper - £0.31

Jar of ASDA Pasta Sauce - £0.70

Conchiglie (shells) pasta - 30p

Total meal £2.91 = £0.97 a portion. 

Method: Chop the onion and pepper and chuck into a pan, with a drizzle of oil, fry them off a little, I also added a sprinkle of mixed herbs and garlic granules. Add the meatballs and stir gradually till they are brown.  Place the pasta into another pan, add water and bring to the boil. Let it cook for about 10 mins, till soft. Drain and serve the pasta, and pour into a baking dish ( pyrex) placing the meatball mixture on top. Give it all a big mix and add some grated cheese on top. Into the oven for 20 mins / til crispy and golden.

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Day 3: BBQ

We went to a BBQ on the beach with some friends, so we didnt spend anything on the food, but we did spend £5 on parking.

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Day 4: Chicken Pie - 3 portions

I made a chicken casserole in the slow cooker as my filling for this pie. I served it with boiled poatoes and veg.

Casserole -  

3 chicken thighs - £1.70

1 onion - £0.20

1 bell pepper - £0.31 

Colmans Chicken Casserole sachet - £0.65

I cooked this in the slow cooker on high for 5-6 hours, with a tea towel under the lid to catch condensation and prevent it from being too watery.

ASDA Ready Roll shortcrust pastry - £1.00

4 potatoes - £0.40

Frozen beans - £0.20

Frozen carrots - £0.20

Total meal £4.66 = £1.55 a portion. 

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Day 5: Slow Cooked Lasagne - 3 portions

A very easy and basic lasagne, simply because I didnt have much fresh veg left in the fridge. ASDA has changed their meat offer from 3 for £10 to 2 for £7, which I divided into 4 meals worth, making them £1.75 each

Mince 750g (beef/pork combo) - £1.75

Jar of  ASDA pasta sauce - £0.70

Jar of ASDA white sauce - £0.65

Total Meal £3.10 = £1.03 a portion.

Asda lasagne sheets are 70p for a box, and you pay use 1/3 or a 1.4 of a box depending on the size of your lasagne, ours were free however from my Mum who had them going spare in the cupboard.

Into a large bowl, break up the mince, add a sprinkle of garlic granules and mixed herbs and gravy granules from the cupboard. Add the jar of pasta sauce and mix well. Use approx half of this bowl to make the first layer in your slow cooker. Top with dried pasta sheets- you may need to break them up to fit the oval shape. then half the white sauce jar and do a layer. then repeat again with the meat, pasta sheets and white sauce. Top with grated cheese. Cook on high for 6 hours with a tea towel under the lid to stop condensation.

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Day 6: Sausage, chips and Beans - 2 portions

Sausages are currently 2 packs for £4 in ASDA. As it turns out this meals isnt that cheap for 2 people, it could be eked out for 3 however with 2 sausages each rather than 3.

Sausages - £2

Chips - £0.20

Beans - £0.50

Hoops - £0.50

Total Meal - £3.20 = £1.60 a portion

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Day 7: Pizza - 2 portions

This is not the cheapest option, but it was easy. Our local Spar had 2 pizza for £5. We had a pizza each as I didn't do anything with them.

Total Meal - £5 = £2.50 a portion

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This week was an expensive one in comparison to Week 1, mostly due to my own laziness with the McDonalds and the overpriced Pizzas from Spar. My homemade chicken pie worked out as one of the most  expensive meals coming in at £4.66.

Total Week - £35.19 for 16 portions.

That total spend is more than double last week, and solely because we had Mcdonalds, which in itself cost more than the whole of Week 1. I must do better for week 3.

Week 1 - Budget Meals

Week #1 - Easy Budget Meals

Welcome to my post with a few cheap and easy meals to help spread the budget and still have a filling meal for your family. I have broken down each meal into price per portions as well as the overall meal and will then total up what our even meals cost us for the week.

The number of portions I need each day varies, as my fiancé works shifts, so sometimes I feed him and sometimes I don't. Most meals are for 2 people, or cooked as a meal for 4 and give us a left over portion to freeze or use as an easy dinner in the week.

Day 1: Jacket Potato - 2 Portions

I am aware that this method is not the cheapest way of doing jacket potatoes, but I find it the easiest, ( I will be experimenting with a slow cooker method soon). I get the McCain Frozen Jacket Potato,  They stay in the freezer, you take it out when you need it and pop it in the microwave for 5 mins, the bag is 8 potatoes for £4.30. Making them 53p each. 

2 Jacket Potatoes - £1.06

Small Heinz Hoops - £0.50

Small Heinz Beans - £0.60

Total meal £2.16 = £1.08 a portion. 

Method: Place the frozen potatoes in a bowl, and follow the instructions - in our case, 2 potatoes means 8 minutes in the microwave. Once they are done, pop your beans into a bowl and put that in the microwave for 1 minute, then repeat with the hoops. Open up your potatoes, add some butter if you wish, then pour the beans / hoops over the top. I then finished it off with some grated cheese. 

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Day 2: Spaghetti with Meatballs - 4 portions. 

I bought the "3 for £10" meat deal in ASDA, and then half those 3 packs to make it 6 meals worth, making them £1.60 each. Tonight, I am just feeding 2 of us, so 2 of these portions will be put aside for another day.

12 meatballs - £1.60

1 onion - £0.20

1 Bell pepper - £0.31

Jar of ASDA Pasta Sauce - £0.70

1/3 of Spaghetti - £0.23

Total meal £3.09 = £0.77 a portion. 

Method: Chop the onion and red pepper and chuck into a pan, with a drizzle of oil, fry them off a little, I also added a sprinkle of mixed herbs and garlic granules. Add the meatballs and stir gradually till they are brown.  Place the Spaghetti into another pan, add water and bring to the boil. Let it cook for about 10 mins, till soft. Meanwhile back to the meatball pan, add the jar of sauce and a sprinkle of gravy granules from the cupboard for a bit of extra flavour. Stir this though and once you are happy with the spaghetti, turn off the heat. Drain and serve the spaghetti, placing the meatball mixture on top. Finish off with some grated cheese on top.

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Day 3: Chicken Nuggets and Chips - 2 Portions

Nice and easy, lazy dinner today! The nuggets are ASDA 38 battered nuggets for £2, making the 5p each. The chips are ASDA french fries, 1.5kg bag for £1.35. The onion rings are ASDA own too, a bag for £1.

14 chicken nuggets - 70p

3 handfulls of chips - 10p

A handfull of onion rings - 15p

Total meal £0.95 = £0.47 a portion. 

Method: Whack it all in the oven for 30 mins and serve with your favourite sauce! :)

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Day 4: Leftovers

We had my daughters birthday party today, so were out most of the day with a buffet lunch included in the party cost. In the evening my daughter had leftover sandwiches from the buffet, and i had a leftover portion of the Spaghetti / Meatballs from Day 2.

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Day 5: Hunters Chicken Loaded Chips - 3 Portions

The chicken thighs are a pack of 9 thighs for £5.09 which I have divided into 3 meals of 3 thighs, at £1.70 each.

3 chicken thighs - 1.70

Pile of chips - 30p

ASDA hunters sauce  - £1.15

Handfull of carrots -20p

Total meal £3.35  = £1.12 a portion. 

Method: I cooked the chicken in the slow cooker, but you could do it in the oven in 30-45 mins in a pyrex. I did a layer of Hunters sauce, then the chicken thighs, then the remainder of the sauce. Cooked it on low for approx 5 hours and then on high for the last 30 mins. I cooked the chips in the oven for 30 mins. Served in a bowl, grated the cheese and returned to the oven for a few mins to melt it, then added the chicken to the side. Oh, I added a few carrots as i was feeling guilty that we havent had much veg this week :) 

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Day 6: Pork Chops - 2 Portions

I bought the "3 for £10" meat deal in ASDA, and usually half each pack, but with the chops I divide the 6 chops into 3 meal of 2 chops, making them £1.10 each. These 2 portions were for myself and my fiance, my daughter had the remaining left overs from Day 2.

2 Pork Chops - £1.10

2 handfulls Frozen Carrots - 20p

2 handfulls Frozen Green Beans - 20p

4 potatoes  -40p

Total meal £1.90  = £0.95 a portion. 

I was too eager to eat my dinner, so forgot to take a photo - sorry!

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Day 7: Birthday Pizza - 3 Portions

As it is my daughters birthday, and she has chosen pizza for dinner, I have bought a selection of Frozen pizzas from ASDA, as we certainly can not afford a takeaway.

Although we have extra people coming for pizza today, for the sake of this blog, I will post pricing for 2 pizzas, which we would normally share with chips.

Pile of chips - 30p

Pizza - £2.60

Total meal £2.90  = £0.96 a portion. 

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This week we have spent £14.35 on our main meals, creating 16 dinners.

I hope that his blog will help you with some meal ideas and budgeting. I look forward to seeing what I can come up with for next week :) 

Easing Lockdown

Day 69 - June 1st

Boris Johnson announced 4 days ago that the lockdown will ease a little from Monday (tomorrow) and we will be able to meet in an open space as a group of up to 6 people 👨‍👩‍👦👨‍👩‍👧 (not from same household). Social distancing must still be priority and we must still keep 2 metres away⛔️🧍🏻‍♀️➖🧍🏼‍♂️

Vulnerable people who have been shielding for the last 2 months can go outside from Monday 🎉

Face coverings are now recommended in all enclosed areas 😷to help protect you and others. They don’t have to be medical masks but just something to lessen any chance of catching or passing on germs. 🦠

The main message is still to keep washing your hands. 🤲🏼 It’s recommended you don’t wear 🧤gloves and use anti bacterial wipes, sanitizers or better still wash hands. 👏🏼

You are now allowed out of your homes to do shopping but also to exercise 🚴🏼‍♂️as much as you want now in an open space and currently with one other person from another household 🎾

Excel in East London (known as the NHS Nightingale 🏥), built in 9 days with the capability to care for up to 4000 patients hardly been used 🙏. If it had reached its capacity it would have been one of the largest hospitals in the world 🌎.

From Monday (June 1st) schools will be reopening 🏫for Nursery, Reception, Yr 1 & Y6 ages only. They will prioritise the key workers children & the vulnerable first. You will not be fined etc for not sending your child if you chose not too. High schools are due to open to year 10 & 12 two weeks later . For everyone else parents are home schooling 👩🏼‍🏫and teachers are doing remote learning using the internet. BBC bitesize also has been created to help teach children who don’t have work or want more help etc.

It was announced some non essential shops will open from 15th June but details are unclear. 💸 Lots of take aways are now open and some restaurants are offering takeaway services

This Thursday evening was the last stand clap 👏🏼👏🏼for the NHS staff, all standing united on our doorsteps, balconies and open windows applauding and cheering for all our amazingly brave👨‍🔬⛑ NHS staff who so courageously and selflessly battled on to try and save as many lives as possible ❤️

Live experiences are now available, to watch anything from a Live theatre performance🎭 , a visit to the zoo 🐘or an interesting chat in a museum 🦖

Petrol ⛽️ price close to home 🏡 is £100.7p per litre for unleaded/ £105.7p for diesel. 

The current statement from the government has changed from stay home ⛔️stay safe to Stay Alert, Stay Safe ☹️

We are working towards lowering the “R” curve and keeping that below 1. As long as we keep doing that then lock downs will ease. 〽️We are currently between 0.7 & 0.9

Tape on the floors at supermarkets & shops is a normal sight now 🏬 to help distance shoppers 🛒 from each other. Essential service workers & nhs staff are given priority in supermarkets at certain times.

Limited numbers of people were allowed inside shops, 🧍🏼‍♂️➖🧍🏼therefore, queuing outside the store doors is the norm, 2 meters apart 🏬

Businesses were told to continue to work from home unless unable to, then as long as the safety measures are in place, you may return to work 🚫

The Government is paying 80% of wages to all employees across the country who were furloughed due to Covid-19. 💷 furlough has been extended to October.

Airlines are still grounded ✈️ but any travel abroad must now be followed by a two weeks quarantine.

Air pollution has improved. Rivers cleaned up. City & traffic emissions reduced. ♻️

Parks are now open for exercise but playgrounds remain closed 🏃🏼‍♀️

Everyone has been advised not to use public transport 🚌unless there is no alternative and if you do use then you must wear a face covering😷. Also there will a maximum of 25 people allowed on a bus at one time.

Entire sports ⚽️ 🏉 🎾 seasons have paused.

Premier league Football ⚽️has just been announced to continue from 17th June. Golf⛳️ has already restarted but all of these will be conducted behind closed doors.

Olympics postponed to 2021. 🏆

Concerts 🎫 tours 🚌 festivals 🤹🏻 entertainment events 🎭 all cancelled and all theatres closed for the foreseeable future.

Weddings 👰🏼🤵🏻 family celebrations 🥳 holiday gatherings cancelled 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦.

Funerals ⚰️ are limited to 10 guests that are socially distanced so lots of funerals are now being shown over Zoom etc 🚫

The new way to chat with friends and families has been by using apps like Zoom & Teams 👩🏽‍💻🧑🏾‍💻as well as the usual what’s app and FaceTime. It has almost become the new “norm” to have a catch up with family via zoom, or have a quiz night with your mates!🎥

If you are fortunate to have a neighbour who is a Singer or in a band, 👩🏼‍🎤then you might be lucky enough to get some free entertainment live from their driveway or balcony 👂🏽

No masses are allowed as churches ⛪️ 🕌are still closed 🚫however again the use of modern technology is slowly creeping into this world and mass is now streamed on a Sunday.

Still a Shortage of masks 😷 gowns 🥼 gloves 🧤 for our front-line workers. Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, over 1.48 billion items of PPE have been delivered to the health and social care system in England,

Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill 🤒 in many parts of the world. Formula 1 racing teams and Virgin Galactic designed and produced ventilators in the space of a week.

Panic buying 🛒 set in in those early days, but it seems that eggs and flour are the main things that people still struggle to get .🐥🍞🥚

Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses 🏢 have switched to make visors, masks 😷 hand sanitizer🧴 and PPE 🧤

Fines have been established for breaking lockdown rules 🤑 and this has been done to break up many a house party

You are still not allowed to visit or stay anywhere other than your own home 🚷but you are allowed to drive now to an exercise place (like a bigger park area) 🚗🛣🌳🌳but they would prefer you to stay within 25 miles of your home 🚐 Public toilets aren’t open yet so they advise people to stay away from beaches ⛔️if you don’t live by one .

Press conferences are daily from the PM 👩🏻 and other government 🏛 officials. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths ⚰️

Seeing People wearing masks 😷 and gloves outside 🧤has become “normal”

355,356 deaths globally so far from 28 May 2020. And 37,837 in the UK.😢

This is the Novel Coronavirus 🦠 (Covid-19) Pandemic, WHO declared March 11th, 2020.

We have so much we need to appreciate that we take for granted.

Be thankful. Be grateful 😌

Be kind to each other - love one another - support everyone 🥰

Stay Alert, stay safe. ❤️

A bad feeling

Day 15

Today we have a new highest record in the daily death toll 😭 786.

UK total 6,159.

💔We are seeing videos from patients inside hospitals, begging people to stay at home as to not catch Covid-19. 

💔We are receiving daily death tolls and counts of the number of people admitted to hospital with the desease. 

💔We have adverts or updates on the TV, radio and even Spotify, telling us to stay at home in order to save lives. 

💔We see news teams entering into ICU wards to get an understanding of the scale of this pandemic and how it is affecting patients and staff and the families left behind. 

💔We are seeing names and photos of the nurses, doctors and other "front line" staff that are dieing due to this illness simply because they were doing their job trying to save people.

Today we had the news that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now in ICU struggling to get enough oxygen!

Should we make it through this, I very much doubt that life will be the same. We as a nation will have lost so much and had to give up so much, just in order to slow down this desease, never mind stop it.

Stay Home. Stay Safe. 

Summer's Birthday

Day 14

My bubba girl turned 4 yesterday!

I have no idea where that time has gone!

Despite being in lockdown, I think that she enjoyed her day. A few family members has posted their gifts and sent cards, so she was lucky enough to have a little pile of presents to open.

She had some "elsa" balloons (snowflakes) and some bunting. Mum managed to have the number 4 blown up at the corner shop! Yay! I was so grateful and happy after DPD had let me down on the helium canister. 

There was a wee incident with the balloon though... 

So...Here's what happened...

We walked the dog down to the lane, and Summer took her new birthday car for a spin, we took her helium balloon with us, tied to the spoiler.

Naturally, the ribbon came lose and up floated the balloon! Luckily a nearby tree caught it.... Time for Mummy to save the day!

I took a run up and scaled the hedge, got attacked by thorns and branches in the process, then had to climb the tree to reach the balloon!

I have a few scratches and scrapes and a rather muddy pair of jeans, but a rescued balloon and a happy birthday girl! 

Annoyingly the balloon popped on the way down! Never fear, we patched it up with tape and blew it up with air!

We had a video chat with the family, where we all sang Happy Birthday and Summer blew out the candles on her cake. 

Its a real shame that we couldn't be with our family as had been originally planned, but I am so thankful that at least Mum was with us and that Summer enjoyed her day. 

A reminder

Day 11

Today the UK has had its highest death toll within 24hrs (to date) by Covid19.

684

Giving us a total of 3,605. 

I saw a post on Facebook that I want to keep as a reminder in the many years to come. Something for me to look back at (should I survive this pandemic) and something to be shown to younger generations.

Just so I NEVER forget.....Friday 3 April 2020

Diesel price at Morrison’s was £1.10
School cancelled
GCSEs cancelled
A-Levels cancelled
Self-distancing measures on the rise.
Tape on the floors at shops to help distance shoppers (2m) from each other.
Limited number of people inside shops, therefore, lineups outside the doors.
Non-essential shops and businesses mandated closed.
Pubs, theatres, restaurants are closed.
Entire sports seasons cancelled.
Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.
Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - cancelled.
Churches are closed. Graveyards are shut. 
Don't socialise with anyone outside of your home.
Children's outdoor play parks are closed.
We are to distance from each other.
Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.
Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.
Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towel no laundry soap, no hand sanitiser.
Bread, pasta, flour, chicken and chopped tomatoes are sold out everywhere 
Shelves are bare.
Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitiser and PPE.
All non-essential travel banned.
Fines are established for breaking the rules. Police patrolling the streets.
Arenas open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.
Press conferences daily from the government. 
The government throws money at businesses to try to keep the economy from imploding.  Grants and loans. The government to pay 80% of employees wages where businesses cannot continue to do so.
Daily updates on new cases and deaths.
The dead are denied wakes or funerals and barely anyone is allowed at the graveside.
Barely anyone on the roads.
People wearing masks and gloves outside.
Essential key workers are terrified to go to work.
Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

Life is precious and not to take the things we dearly love for granted.

We have so much!
Be thankful. Be grateful.
Be kind to each other - love one another - support everyone.

Life is uncertain right now. 
Stay Home! Stay safe!