Wednesday 20 May 2015

Recipe... Whole meal savoury scones...

This recipe was actually passed on by my mum although I've adapted slightly by using whole meal flower and I used agrave syrup rather than sugar. They rose really nice but do have a very savoury taste. I personally would have them for breakfast or lunch rather than as a snack or dessert but I'm sure my kids would have them as a snack!

Here goes:
12oz whole meal plain flower or white plain flower
250g full fat Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of sugar/honey/maple syrup or agrave syrup

Sieve the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl and add the sugar or sugar substitute
Slowly add the Greek yogurt and stir slowly then use hands to bind together into a dough.
Kneed this dough until it reaches a nice even consistency ... In other words not too floury
Roll onto a surface lightly dusted with flour to about 2.5cm thick and cut out circles using a cookie cutter or a rim if a glass. 
Place these onto a greased baking sheet or line it with grease proof paper to save washing up.
Cook on 200 for about 20 mins until nicely risen and do a test with a knife to ensure it comes out clean...
Enjoy xxx

Thursday 7 May 2015

Breakfast/healthy snack easy banana energy bars

OThese are seriously the easiest, cheapest snack to make ever and are great for breakfasts, elevenses or basically anytime snacks really. 
Ingredients:
4 mashed bananas
Handfuls of porridge oats
Two tea spoons of cinnamon 
Squeeze of honey (optional)
Optional fillings such as ground almonds, seeds, dried fruit, dried coconut, nuts, chocolate chips

Directions
Microwave the bananas for 1-2 mins (depending on their ripeness) so they are nice and soft
Mash the bananas like mad so to create a purée and add the cinnamon, honey and optional filling and stir 
Add the oats a handful at a time stirring until the mixture reaches a nice consistency that can be spooned into a pre greased baking tray
Bake on 200 for 10 mins (these in the photo are a little burned as I was rushing round cleaning and left them in a bit too long

Wednesday 6 May 2015

Simple Cooking on a budget- spiced turkey/chicken

This is another really simple recipe which is healthy and cheap to make. I like it because I can adapt it to feed myself and the kids.
Here goes:
Ingredients 
Chicken or turkey breast fillet chopped
Fat free Greek yogurt
Selection of spices... I used turmeric and cumin but you could use tikka or tandoori  spices or Cajun spice

Directions
Mix the spices into the Greek yogurt then add in the raw chicken pieces and mix to coat them in the mixture. Leave in the fridge for upto 12 hours to marinate.

Lay the chicken on tin foil on a baking sheet. Bake on 200 in the oven for around 20/25 minutes turning half way.

Serve on a pita bread with salad to create a healthy kebab... My kids enjoy it like this. I have it usually with salad and no bread as I avoid bread. Today though I roasted some tomatoes and courgettes and had it with these.

I like it because I can take out enough for the kids tea while leaving mine marinating for myself to eat later as I prefer to eat later.

I made it with turkey today but I would say it is tastier with chicken... Although turkey is cheaper and is lower fat.

In the past I have made this into more of a curry by adding the cooked chicken breast to a pan and stirring through additional curry/yogurt mix to create a sauce. 


Eating healthy on a budget... Turkey and bean bolagnaise..

It's been a while since I did any freezer cooking but I believe it's always good to have some ore prepared meals in the freezer for the days when the fridge is empty and the cupboards are bare.
Today I whipped up this easy minimum preparation turkey bolagnaise. 
Here's how...
Ingredients
500g pack of turkey mince
1 pack of mushrooms (use pre chopped to save more time)
1 bag of ready chopped onions 
2 tins of chopped tomatoes 
1 tin of bortoli beans (or any canned pulse really)

Fry up the mince, mushrooms and onions until brown then add to either a slow cooker or casserole dish on a low heat along with the canned pulses and chopped tomatoes. Cook for around 6 hours if using a slow cooker or 2 on 180 if using a casserole dish. 
Remove and divide into freezer proof containers.

This is so easy to make and can be bulked out further with other
veg with less mince used (I got 500g for the price of 200g on an asda delivery substitution though)