Tag Archives: Fantastic Food For Less

Recipe of the Week: Chilli Beef Noodles

There are many delicious recipes that cost very little in our cookbook, Fantastic Food for Less.

Here’s one of my favourites:

 Chilli Beef Noodles

Chilli Beef Noodles

  • Servings: 3
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Calories 494 per portion
Fat 15g (4.4g sat) per portion

Ingredients

  • Egg noodles 2 nests
  • Olive oil 1 tbsp
  • Beef frying steak 175g (6oz), thinly sliced
  • Red onion 1, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
  • Frozen peas 110g (4oz)
  • Ready prepared stir-fry vegetables 225g pack
  • Chilli powder ½ tsp
  • Dried oregano ½ tsp
  • Sherry 2 tbsp (optional)
  • Soy sauce 2 tbsp

Instructions

  1. Cook the noodles according to the packet’s instructions.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and fry the beef and onion for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned all over. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
  3. Add the peas and stir-fry vegetables to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then stir in all the remaining ingredients with 4 tbsp water. Stir in the beef and drained noodles and cook for 1 minute before serving.

 

Cook’s tips
Ready prepared stir-fry vegetables are really inexpensive to buy and make midweek cooking super-speedy. If you don’t have sherry available then replace it and the water with 6 tbsp beef stock.

#savvy #savemoney #tripletested #toptips

5 Top Tips for Managing your Budget

5 top tips to manage your money

It’s not the jolliest of subjects but keeping track of finances is essential.

Having juggled cash for a family of five on just one income I’ve learned a few savvy tricks over the last five years.

  1. Have two bank accounts; one for all your bills and another for your spending money. That way, you will always know how much you have to spend as you can see online or at the cashpoint exactly how much money you have left before payday.
  2. If at all possible, pay your credit card bill, in full, every month.
  3. Home Budget with the Dairy DiaryHome Budget with the Dairy DiaryUse the home budgeting pages in your Dairy Diary. This is invaluable as you can see how much is coming in and going out each month. And you know how much to transfer to your bills account and how much you have left for fun.
  4. When contracts for utilities or phones etc. end ALWAYS compare deals online. I use moneysavingexpert.com all the time for reference. Ensure you never pay more for anything than you need to.
  5. Use a savings account for Christmas and birthdays. Add up how much you spend on everyone for their birthday and at Christmas and divide it by 12. Then transfer this amount into a savings account by direct debit every month. You could also set up a direct debit to a holiday savings account.

 

There are many delicious recipes that cost very little in our cookbook, Fantastic Food for Less.

Here’s one of my favourites:

 Chilli Beef Noodles

Chilli Beef Noodles

  • Servings: 3
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Calories 494 per portion
Fat 15g (4.4g sat) per portion

Ingredients

  • Egg noodles 2 nests
  • Olive oil 1 tbsp
  • Beef frying steak 175g (6oz), thinly sliced
  • Red onion 1, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
  • Frozen peas 110g (4oz)
  • Ready prepared stir-fry vegetables 225g pack
  • Chilli powder ½ tsp
  • Dried oregano ½ tsp
  • Sherry 2 tbsp (optional)
  • Soy sauce 2 tbsp

Instructions

  1. Cook the noodles according to the packet’s instructions.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and fry the beef and onion for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned all over. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
  3. Add the peas and stir-fry vegetables to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then stir in all the remaining ingredients with 4 tbsp water. Stir in the beef and drained noodles and cook for 1 minute before serving.

 

Cook’s tips
Ready prepared stir-fry vegetables are really inexpensive to buy and make midweek cooking super-speedy. If you don’t have sherry available then replace it and the water with 6 tbsp beef stock.

#savvy #savemoney #tripletested #toptips

Chicken, Mushroom & Ham Pie

Chicken, Mustroom & Ham Pie

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Chicken, Mushroom & Ham Pie

This Chicken, Mushroom & Ham Pie is incredible and so simple! It’s super tasty and filling, so is perfect for dinner guests or hungry kids! From the Dairy Diary. For more delicious recipes visit the Dairy Diary Recipe Collection.

CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE

#britishpieweek

British Pie Week

Chicken, Mustroom & Ham Pie

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Celebrate British Pie Week with this incredible chicken pie – it’s SO simple!

Pastry is an everyday no no in our house, and so when I eat out, I will often choose a scrumptious pie as it’s a real treat.

This recipe is so simple however, that I can make it at home really easily. All food rules are thrown out on a Friday evening and we eat whatever we please, so this week, British Pie Week, I will definitely be baking this beauty.

It’s sure to be a winner with the whole family.

Chicken, Mushroom & Ham Pie

This Chicken, Mushroom & Ham Pie is incredible and so simple! It’s super tasty and filling, so is perfect for dinner guests or hungry kids! From the Dairy Diary. For more delicious recipes visit the Dairy Diary Recipe Collection.

CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE

#britishpieweek

Rocky Road Cookies

Gorgeous handmade foodie gifts for Christmas: Rocky Road Cookies

Rocky Road Cookies

Makes 10-12
Time 25 minutes.
Per cookie: 221 Kcal, 10g fat (6g saturated)
Suitable for vegetarians
Suitable for freezing
Butter 110g (4oz), softened

Light muscovado sugar 110g (4oz)
Egg 1, beaten
Plain flour 150g (5oz)
Baking powder ½ tsp
Oats 75g (3oz)
Mini marshmallows 50g (2oz)
Plain chocolate 75g (3oz), chopped

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

2 In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Gradually beat in the egg.

3 Sift in the flour and baking powder and add the oats. Stir well. Add half the mini marshmallows and half the chopped chocolate.

4 Drop heaped tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes, until just turning golden. Sprinkle over the remaining marshmallows and chocolate chunks as soon as the cookies are removed from the oven. Leave to cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cook’s tips
Swap marshmallows for dried fruit if you like.  Sprinkle any leftover marshmallows over ice cream with a drizzle of golden syrup for a naughty dessert.

 

Recipe taken from Fantastic Food For Less available now for just £7.99 from www.dairydiary.co.uk

 

 

Fantastic Food For Less cookbookEnjoy Fantastic Food
and our best recipes ever!

Fantastic Food For Less is about cooking delicious meals more economically – each recipe is simple to cook, tastes fabulous and won’t cost the earth.

100 easy to prepare, triple-tested recipes to ensure perfect results first time!

Soups & Snacks, Main Courses and Desserts & Bakes.

A bargain at £7.99

TAKE A LOOK

 

 

 

Win £250 M&S Gift CardWin a £250
M&S Giftcard

How would you spend £250 at Marks & Spencer?

This season’s fashions? Shoes? Food and drink? How about your Christmas shopping?

Simply complete the form for your chance to win.

ENTER NOW

 

 Click here to read the Blogs on the Dairy Diary website.

 

Brown Sugar Meringues with Cinnamon Cream

Gorgeous handmade foodie gifts for Christmas: Brown Sugar Meringues with Cinnamon Cream

.

Brown Sugar Meringues with Cinnamon Cream

Makes 10 pairs
Time 1½ hours.
Per portion: 121 Kcal, 8g fat (4.5g saturated)
Suitable for vegetarians

Egg whites 2
Light muscovado sugar 65g (2½oz)
Caster sugar 50g (2oz)
Double cream 150ml pot
Ground cinnamon ¼ tsp
Dark chocolate 50g (2oz), chopped (optional)

1 Preheat the oven to 110°C/225°F/Gas ¼. Line a large baking sheet with a sheet of non-stick baking paper. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer until they are stiff and the bowl can be turned upside down without the meringue moving.

2 Mix 50g (2oz) of the muscovado sugar with the caster sugar in a bowl then gradually whisk into the egg whites, a teaspoonful at a time and continue to whisk for 1–2 minutes until it is very thick and glossy.

3 Using a dessertspoon, take a scoop of meringue, slide the bowl of a second dessertspoon into the first spoon to shape the meringue into a neat oval. Slide it off the second spoon with the help of the first spoon on to the paper. Continue until all the meringue has been shaped and you have about 20 meringues.

4 Bake the meringues for 1–1¼ hours or until they can be lifted off the paper easily. Leave to cool.

5 To serve, pour the cream into a bowl, add the remaining sugar and cinnamon and whisk until it forms soft swirls, then use it to sandwich the meringues together. Place them in paper cases.

6 If using the chocolate, place in a heatproof bowl over a barely simmering saucepan of water and stir until it has melted. Drizzle over the meringues.

Cook’s tip
The cooled, unfilled meringues can be packed into a biscuit tin lined with non-stick baking paper and will keep for up to 1 week.

 

Recipe taken from Fantastic Food For Less available now for just £7.99 from www.dairydiary.co.uk

 

 

Fantastic Food For Less cookbookEnjoy Fantastic Food
and our best recipes ever!

Fantastic Food For Less is about cooking delicious meals more economically – each recipe is simple to cook, tastes fabulous and won’t cost the earth.

100 easy to prepare, triple-tested recipes to ensure perfect results first time!

Soups & Snacks, Main Courses and Desserts & Bakes.

A bargain at £7.99

TAKE A LOOK

 

 

 

Win £250 M&S Gift CardWin a £250
M&S Giftcard

How would you spend £250 at Marks & Spencer?

This season’s fashions? Shoes? Food and drink? How about your Christmas shopping?

Simply complete the form for your chance to win.

ENTER NOW

 

 Click here to read the Blogs on the Dairy Diary website.

 

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