Crunchy Muesli Bars

 Muesli bars were only one of the few convenience foods still on my shopping list.  That was until 2 months ago.  Have you seen the price of muesli bars lately ?  Oh  my goodness  !!!!  Hardly anything is under $5 a box of 5 - 6 bars and most are drizzled with unnecessary chocolate or a yoghurt type topping.  It's rare to find a half price sale too.

So this led me on a hunt to find a delicious muesli bar recipe that I could afford to make.  I wanted something crunchy,  or at least slightly crunchy,  it had to include pantry staples and needed to have ingredients I could interchange  according to our tastes and budget.

I found a recipe through a Google search,  changed it a few times until I came up with something both Darren and I look forward to eating when we are at work.  The bars are not super sweet but we found they were sweet enough.  Each bar weighs about 15g more than store bought ones so this is a bonus.  The final recipe doesn't really resemble the original recipe so I'll claim it as my own.

1 cup of Rolled Oats

1 Wheat Bix ( crushed )

1/4 cup of corn flakes ( crushed )

1/2 cup of Dried Fruit of choice.  I used sultanas,  dried apricots ( diced ) and cranberries

3/4 cup of Chopped Nuts.  I used cashews and walnuts

1/3 cup of  Honey

1/4 cup of Peanut Butter.  I used crunchy but any will do

3/4 teaspoon of Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of Salt

1/4 cup of Choc Bits.  I used small generic ones.

Spread the oats and nuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 10 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius.

Pour the honey into a measuring jug and microwave for about 20  - 30 seconds until it is runny.  

Add the peanut butter to the honey and stir until well combined.

Once the oats and nuts are toasted and cooled,  place in a large mixing bowl with the wheat bix and corn flakes.

Add the dried fruits,  cinnamon,  salt and choc bits.  Mix well.

Add the combined honey and peanut butter to all the dry ingredients and mix well until everything is coated.

Place the mixture in a lined oblong oven slice tray.  Press down with a potato masher or wet fingers until it is even and firm.

Refrigerate for 1 hour until firm.

Remove the slice from the oven tray and cut into 10 bars with a sharp knife.  Neaten and firm the edges of the bars if needed.

Place the bars on a lined oven tray ( larger than the slice tray ) and space them apart.

Bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 20 - 25 minutes.

Cool on the tray for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.  

Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. 

NOTES -

*  Wheat bix,  rice bubbles,  corn flakes or similar cereals could be used as long as the rolled oats and cereals total 1 1/2 cups worth.

*  Use dried fruit of your choice providing it's fairly small.

*  The choc bits are an optional extra.

*  Use nuts of your choice.  

*  20 minutes of baking will give slightly crunchy bars with a bit of give.  25 minutes will make them completely crunchy.

Baked muesli bars

Ready for baking.

Have you tried making your own muesli bars ?

What flavour combination would you add to your muesli bars ?

Bulk Cooking - The Easy Way.

There are plenty of cook books,  YouTube videos and blogs dedicated to cooking lots of meals in one day.  Have you watched / read them ?  Although I love a good bulk cooking video I feel exhausted just watching them.

I have to ask though,  who has time  to set aside a whole day or weekend to cook meal after meal ?  Then there's all the dirty dishes to clean up.

There is lots and lots of planning,  shopping and food prep that goes into a bulk cooking day.  Not forgetting you need to have a decent amount of freezer space available to store all these meals at the same time. . 

Bulk cooking really does sound like a good idea but might not be practical for many people.

I've been bulk cooking for many years but my way is much different to the usual method.  My method takes far less time,  uses less gas / electricity and still provides a dinner to eat that night as well as meals for the freezer.

Here's how I bulk cook -

*  Each night that I'm cooking a meal,  I cook double,  triple or quadruple the amount of food at the same time.

*  We eat some of the food for dinner that night.

*  After eating dinner,  the rest of the food is portioned out into single,  double or family sized portions.

*  The food is cooled for a few hours in the fridge,  the lids are put on and labelled with names,  dates and serves.

*  The food is then frozen.

It's really is that simple.  Yes it takes a few extra minutes to cut more veggies. . It might take an extra 10 minutes to cook the larger meal,   It takes about 5 minutes to portion out the extra food.  That's it.  

REPEAT this process a few times a week and over time you collect a variety of meals in the freezer.

I have a small 120 litre freezer dedicated to prepared meals that are rotated on a regular basis.  Because I have a good stockpile of meals,  there are some weeks I don't need to cook from scratch at all.  Then perhaps the next week I bulk cook one or two meals to keep the supply going.

Here are a list of meals I've successfully bulk cooked / prepared and frozen -

*  Spag bol meat sauce.  I only need to cook the pasta when we eat this.

*  Lasagne - I cook a large lasagne and portion out.  We add steamed veggies to round out the meal when I pull the frozen lasagne portions out of the freezer.

*  Chicken curry - This is cooked in the slow cooker and portioned out into takeaway containers.  If I have too much rice from dinner that night I portion the curry and rice into complete single serve meals.

*  Chop suey -  I portion out the chop suey and freeze.  I cook mashed potato or rice on the night we eat it.

*  Beef stew ( or any stew ) -  Is cooked,   portioned and frozen as is.  I cook mashed potato on the night we eat it.

*  Massaman beef curry - I portion the curry and any leftover rice into individual meals.  If there is no leftover rice the curry is frozen by itself.  Rice and poppadums are served with the curry. 

*  Salmon patties -  These can be quite messy and time consuming to make.  I open 3 - 4 tins of salmon at a time,  add mash and veggies to stretch the salmon out.  This can make about 60 patties at a time.  If I'm making a mess,  I do it once and make many meals.  The patties are frozen into meal sized packages and any odd patties are frozen for lunches or single serves.

*  Hamburger patties -  I season bulk amounts of fresh beef mince and use a hamburger press to portion the patties out.  Some are eaten that night and the rest of the raw patties are frozen with plastic cereal packet squares in between to make them easy to separate.

*  Tuna pasta bake - I cook up all the ingredients and assemble it in casserole dishes.  Add the cheese on top.  One is baked in the oven to eat that night and the others are frozen to be baked at a later date.

*  Sausage casserole - I cook it in bulk in 1 or 2 slow cookers ( at a time ).  It is portioned into casserole dishes and frozen.  When we eat it I cook mash or rice to serve on the side.

*  Soups - This is an easy one to bulk cook.  Just keep adding lots of veggies to the pot.  We eat it for dinner that night and freeze the rest into family and single sized portions.

*  Zucchini slice - Just cook large slabs of it and cut into squares to freeze.  This is great to add to salad in Summer or meat and veg in Winter.

*  Meatloaf -  Prepare the raw mince as per recipe and portion into meal sized tins and cook.  Cool the meatloaf and take out of the tin.  Slice and double wrap in plastic / foil and freeze  

 

Chunky chicken and veg soup

Beef stew and soup

Sausage casserole portioned to freeze

Slabs of zucchini slice

Cooking sausage casserole in bulk

Hamburger patties

Chicken curry meals

What meals do you bulk cook ?

Freezing Celery

Celery is one of those vegetables that's hard to keep fresh in the fridge.  It would have to be the one we waste the most in our house and finding ways to use it up within a week can be quite a challenge.

A few years ago I tried freezing chopped celery and it was a great success.  Here's how I do it -

*  Top and tail all the stalks.

*  Wash off any dirt.

*  Finely dice each stalk.  I use my Nicer Dicer for fast dicing.

*  Grab one handful and place in a freezer bag.

*  Squeeze out the air and tie a knot in the top of the bag.

*  Place in the freezer.

NOTES

*  The celery will defrost limp and soggy.

*  Frozen celery can be added to any casserole,  soup or stew. 

*  A large ice cube tray can be used to freeze celery in smaller amounts.

Using the Nicer Dicer

Ready for the freezer

Our Low Budget Menu Plan

Due to a recent cleaning job loss I've taken to writing out super budget friendly menu plans to help keep our grocery costs low.  We are currently living off our stockpile and only spending $100 a month to feed the three of us plus our cat.

We have reasonable amounts of meat in our freezer,  bought at the best possible price and portioned out carefully.  We are not big meat eaters but we do eat meat 5 or 6 nights a week even if it's just soup with little bits of chicken in it.  We DO NOT eat leftover meat in sandwiches the next day or eat dinner leftovers for lunch either.  It's much dearer than an egg on toast,  soup or a crumpet / muffin.

Here is the menu plan we just finished using -

Wed 26th June - Roast lamb in gravy ( already cooked and in freezer ) with roast veg and steamed veg

Thurs 27th June - Chunky chicken and veg soup ( stock with chicken bits from the freezer )

Fri 28th June -   We used some money from our treat fund to eat out before going to the movies ( voucher )

Sat 29th June - Chunky chicken and veg soup with crusty bread

Sun 30th June -  Homemade hamburgers with seasoned wedges.  We didn't have lettuce on hand so we went without.  The wedges were homemade and seasoned with salt,  garlic and rosemary

Mon 1st July -  Silverside ( already cooked and in freezer ) with roast veg and steamed veg

Tues 2nd July -  Lasagne with steamed veg

Wed 3rd July -  Sausages,  mash and steamed veg

Thurs 4th July -   Jessica cooked a gnocchi and chicken dish

Fri 5th July - Lamb chops,  mash and steamed veg

Sat 6th July - Chicken skewers ( on clearance ) with cucumber,  garlic bread and tomato.  We were going out to a party so didn't want to eat too much

Sun 7th July -  Eggs,  bacon,  spinach and mushrooms on toast.


NOTES -

*  The lasagne cost $1.30 per serve.  I used tomatoes from our garden that were cooked and frozen last season..  I get 12 serves from the lasagne and always fill up the plate with veggies.  The leftover portions are frozen for future meals.

*  Roast lamb,  beef and silverside is portioned out to 2 slices each for Jessica and myself and 3 or 4 slices for Darren.

*  1 lamb chop per person and they were bought on clearance for $7.99 kg.  They are put on the menu plan about once a month due to their dearer price.

*  Sausages are portioned to 1 1/2  each for Jessica and I and 3 for Darren.  Sometimes I jazz them up with 1/2 a tin of tomatoes seasoned with Italian herbs.

*  Homemade hamburger patties are 80 grams each.  If tomatoes are too dear I don't buy them to go in the roll.  Tomato sauce is used instead.   We usually include cheese,  cucumber and  lettuce in the roll and Darren sometimes fries an egg to put in his.

Here is June / July's grocery shop.  Milk,  fruit and veg were bought as needed each week.  We were gifted with lemons and mandarins. Because vegetables are so dear,  I've been buying carrots,  cauliflower, frozen beans and corn.

3 Easy Chicken Marinades / Sauces

Once there was a time when all our chicken dishes were covered in a sauce that came from a jar.  I thought it was yummy.  Darren and the girls loved it ,  but we didn't know any better.  Then I needed to slash the grocery budget to free up some extra money.  Mr Google was helpful for ideas on how to make my own marinades as well as my own common sense.

I don't know how to make lemon chicken the conventional way.  Infact,  I've never looked for the recipe.  I just sort of made these recipes up in my head and tried them out on my family.  The feedback was positive and now the following recipes are firm favourites in our home.

The following recipes I've used on chicken pieces like drumsticks.  There's no need to measure anything.  Just a good squirt of this and that and adjust to your own personal taste.

Honey / soy - In a small bowl add a good squirt of honey and microwave for 20 seconds until runny. Then add a slightly smaller squirt of soy sauce. Mix together and brush over chicken. Season with garlic, pepper, parsley and onion flakes

Lemon chicken - squeeze 1 lemon over the chicken pieces. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, onion flakes and chives. Slice another lemon and place over each chicken piece.

Saucy chicken - use equal parts tomato and bbq sauce. Mix together with 1 - 2 teaspoons of mustard powder. Brush over chicken and season with salt and pepper.

Generally chicken pieces need to be cooked for 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.  To intensify the flavour,  baste the chicken half way through the cooking time with juices from the bottom of the pan.

Honey Soy Chicken Drumsticks

Recipes With Expensive Ingredients.

Every year I like to add two new main meal recipes to the list of family favourites. Picking a new recipe to try can be a bit challenging. I need to pick something that I think my family will like, it needs to be reasonably easy to make,  BUT most of all, it needs to fit within my food budget.

The first thing I do when I've picked a new recipe is to see if I have every ( or at least most ) ingredient on hand already. If I don't have all the ingredients I ask myself a few questions. Does this recipe really need all the ingredients ? Can I substitute some ingredients ?

The next question I ask is can I make this recipe cheaper ? By cheaper I mean can I use less meat or a cheaper cut ? Many casserole recipes I've come across require 500 grams to 1 kilo of meat to serve four people. This seems like a lot of meat. The most I would use is 500 grams. Then I bulk it out with extra vegetables so that the 500 grams of meat will serve 6 - 8 people.  Have you noticed that some recipes only have one or two vegetables in it ? Many American recipes I've come across have huge amounts of meat or cheese in it and small amounts of vegetables. I always change the recipe around to make it healthier.

Another question I ask myself is, if I need to buy a new ingredient, will my family like the new flavour ? I also only buy a small amount of a new ingredient. A few years ago I decided to try a peanut satay chicken recipe for the slow cooker. It needed coconut milk ( or cream ) so I bought a few cans thinking my family would like the recipe. They did not. The coconut flavour was too strong and the recipe didn't have a complexity of flavours. Every mouthful was hard to swallow. Never again !!!

I used the other can in a coconut cake recipe - another new recipe. We didn't like the cake either. Once again the coconut flavour was too strong. By then I think I had one can left. I ended giving it to a food drive for Christmas hampers.

I've now learnt my lesson. Only cook what we can afford and only cook what my family likes. If I need to buy anything different I now give it a lot of thought. Will it be money down the drain ? 

Have you bought different ingredients only to find that the family didn't like it ? 

Have you found strange ingredients in the back of your pantry ? How do you make a meal cheaper ?

This And That Pasta Dish

A couple of months ago I had a little bit of cooked chicken and a few slices of shaved ham in the fridge.  With the ' Use It Up ' challenge in full swing,  I wanted to make the most of those little scraps.  So I made  up this recipe and to be honest,  it was very tasty.

1 cooked chicken fillet,  shredded or pickings from a chicken frame
150 - 200g of shaved ham ( any will do )
1 tin of crushed or diced tomatoes
1/2 a diced onion or dried onion flakes
1 glove of garlic or dried garlic granules or powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of  dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons of dried basil
2 handfuls of fresh spinach
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of tomato paste

350 - 400 grams of spiral pasta
Grated cheese to serve

Cook the pasta as per instructions

Add the tomatoes to a medium saucepan. 

Add all seasonings,  meats and onion. 

Cook for a few minutes then add the tomato paste if it needs a little extra flavour and thickening.

Just before serving add the spinach and stir through

Drain the pasta then serve the meat sauce on top.

Add cheese if desired

Serves 4

A Disastrous Dinner

About 6 weeks ago I was in a local supermarket just as a staff member was putting reduced stickers on a few packages of meat.  I waited until he had finished before I pounced to grab a few bargains.  One of them was a packet of Barramundi fish. Although it was still a bit on the expensive side ( for us ),  I thought it would be a lovely treat that I knew Darren would certainly enjoy.

Because I already had dinner sorted for that night,  I popped the fish into the freezer to be eaten at a later date.  That later date was last week.  I had the veggies and rice  cooking,.  The zucchini slice was in the oven and it was time to start cooking the Barramundi.  As it was cooking in the pan,  I thought I'd better check the packet to make sure I was doing it right.  In very small print at the bottom of a fair bit of writing was the dreaded words ' Do Not Freeze '. I'm assuming this means the fish was bought into the store frozen and then defrosted on the shelf.

I couldn't believe it.  That very important piece of information was so obscure most people wouldn't notice it.  With the rest of the meal ready to serve,  I panicked.  I didn't have any other meat defrosted or easy to cook within minutes.  So Darren said he'd pop up to the supermarket to get a cooked chicken.

Ten minutes later I get a phone call from Darren.  He informed me there were no cooked chickens available.  I panicked again.  Then I remember another frugal mum saying that Coles offers a free chicken at a later date if none are available between the hours of 9am - 8pm.  Darren was there right on 8pm.  So I passed this piece of info on and suggested he quickly find someone to help him.  He was able to get the voucher but it still didn't help me serve a complete dinner.

I asked Darren to grab any piece of meat that was under $10 a tray but secretly hoping it was much cheaper.  He came home with a tray of beef sizzle steaks for just under $10  There were six on the tray and although they were small,  eating two each  would be a costly meal.  By now I could see money going down the drain and I was trying to stop the flow.  The other elements of the meal had cooled,  gone soggy or over cooked.  NOT MY FINEST HOUR  !!!

There has to be a moral to this sad story.  After all,  I  always try to help you save money.

Don't buy reduced  meat unless you've read the fine print on the packet.

ALSO

Don't buy reduced bakery items unless you've read the fine print.  Many bakery item are also bought into the store frozen then defrosted on the shelf.

Not all items are suitable for freezing even though they usually would be.

At the time I wrote this post,  I'm waiting for Coles to get back to me regarding a refund.  Of course they want me to return the packaging for a refund.  Of course I threw it out but Darren did take photos and I went them to Coles.

Look how small the warning is.

Creamed Rice

This recipe is an oldie but a goodie.  I grew up with this recipe served hot in Winter and cold in Summer as a wholesome dessert.

1 cup of white rice - uncooked
1 litre of full cream milk
3/4 cup of sugar ( or to taste )
Water to cook the rice.

In a medium / large saucepan add the uncooked rice and a kettleful of boiled water.

Cook for approximately 10 minutes until tender.

Drain the water from the rice and return the rice to the saucepan.

Add the milk and sugar to the rice and stir.

Slowly bring the mixture to boiling point,  stirring very regularly to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.

Once the rice reaches boiling point,  turn the heat down until it reaches a  gentle simmer.  Stir every 5 minutes.

Cook until the rice absorbs most of the milk which could be about 30 - 40 minutes.

Serve hot or cold with fruit,  on it's own or with a little bit of brown sugar or cinnamon on top.

Peach Jam

With peaches in season right now,  grab your cooking pot and have a go at making peach jam.  It tastes like Summer on toast.

2 kg of peaches
1.7 kg of white sugar
juice of 4 lemons ( or to taste )
200 mls of water.

Cut the peaches in half and remove the stone.

Blitz the peaches ( Including the skin ) in a food processor  until it resembles a a fairly smooth pulp.

Add the peaches,  lemon juice and water to a large saucepan.

Turn the stove onto a medium heat and bring the peaches to a slow boil.

As the peaches heat up,  add the sugar in small batches stirring in well after each batch.

Allow the peaches to simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours stirring on a very regular basis.

To test if the jam has set,  place a couple of drops of jam on a froze saucer / plate and leave it for a couple of minutes.  It should  wrinkle when you run your finger through the jam.

Pour into hot sterilised glass jars and seal with the lid straight away.

Makes about 10 - 12 small to medium jars of jam.


NOTES -

*  Jars must be made of glass and lids must be metal,  clean and in good condition.

*  To sterilise jars and lids,  wash in hot soapy water and rinse clean.  On an oven tray place a clean tea towel and turn the jars and lids upside down on the tray. Place them in the oven and turn it on to 110 degrees.  When the oven reaches this temperature turn it off and let them sit in the oven for 10 minutes.

*  Always sterilise more jars than what you think you'll need.

*  Sterilise funnels,  tongs,  spoons and any other equipment that comes in contact with the jam when bottling it.  I pour boiling water over them.

*  If I can,  I like to use lids with the pop button.  I know a true seal is made when the button pops down.

*  Always wipe the jars down after you have filled them.  Make sure there is no jam spilled on the top rim of the jar before you seal it.

*  If you have smaller of larger quantities of peaches,  change the recipe accordingly.

*  A jar of jam makes a fabulous,  frugal present and is well received

Avoiding Tomato Stains

This nifty little trick was passed on to me from a cleaning client who regularly buys Tupperware containers.

If you are wanting to avoid tomato stains on your plastic containers,  give the container a light spray of canola oil or any oil of choice before you put in any tomato based food in.  The oil acts as a barrier that prevents the plastic from absorbing the tomato color.

Cooked tomatoes ready for the freezer. 

Silverside - Slow Cooker Style

I grew up with Silverside ( corned beef ) being cooked on the stove in a saucepan for a couple of hours.  Years later as a newly wed,  i took on this cooking practice because that was all I knew.

Years later I was given a slow cooker but no recipes to go with it.  That slow cooker sat in a kitchen cupboard unused for about nine years because I didn't know what it could do that a saucepan couldn't do.  It wasn't until I was visiting my cousin Louise in Ballarat that I discovered how to cook Silverside in the slow cooker.  Louise said the Silverside comes out tender and juicy.  I must admit I was surprised because the Silverside I'd been cooking was ok,  but a bit on the tough side.

Here's how I cook Silverside in the slow cooker -

1 piece of Silverside ( corned beef )
1 kettleful of boiling water
1 cup of brown vinegar
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon of dried onion ( or 1 fresh onion cut up )
2 tablespoons of brown or raw sugar
1 lemon cut into 8 pieces
8 whole cloves
Canola spray

*  Spray the insert of the slow cooker with canola spray.

*  Place the piece of Silverside into a preheated slow cooker.

*  Add all ingredients except the boiling water.

*  Add the boiling water until the slow cooker is almost full ( about 1 inch or 2.5cm from the top ).

*  Place the lid on top and cook for 8 - 10 hours turning the meat around in the liquid halfway through the cooking time ( if possible )

*  Remove the Silverside from the slow cooker and wrap in foil for 30 minutes to retain the juices.

*  Unwrap the meat and allow to cool slightly then place in the fridge until completely cold. 

*  Wrap in cling wrap or foil until ready to slice.


NOTES -

*  If your slow cooker cooks on a high heat ( boiling and burning ),  turn the slow cooker onto the low setting.  If it cooks on a low simmer then set the temperature on high.

*  The lemon is an optional extra but adds an amazing light citrus taste.

*  Spraying the slow cooker with canola spray helps with washing up afterwards.

*  The meat should be placed in the fridge as soon as the steam disappears. 

*  Use a good sharp knife or electric knife o cut the meat.  It will have a slightly crumbly texture due to it's tenderness.

*  Serve hot or cold with salads or hot vegetables.

*  I personally keep the meat in the fridge for two days after cooing.

*  Can be sliced and frozen for future meals.

   

Leftover Steak Casserole

A couple of weeks ago we had a bbq on the AFL Grand Final day.  Darren went to the butcher to buy a few trays of bbq steaks on sale for $10.99kg.  We don't usually eat steak due to it's price per kilo so this was a lovely treat.  Not everyone had a full steak so there were two left over.  Wanting to stretch the steaks to feed more than two people,  I came up with my own recipe for a steak casserole.

I must say,  this casserole was a hit.  It's tasty,  has lots of veggies and most importantly,  has enough beef for every mouthful.

2 bbq steaks about 400 - 600 grams
2 large carrots - sliced
1 - 1 1/2 cups of beans
1 cup of corn
1 large stick of celery - diced
500 - 700 mls of liquid beef stock or 2 tablespoons of  stock powder and water
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons of sweet paprika
1 tablespoon of mixed herbs
pepper,  onion flakes and garlic granules to taste ( or fresh )
3 tablespoons of corn flour mixed in water to thicken

Lightly brown the steaks in a fry pan or use leftover cooked steaks.
Slice the steaks into longish strips and add to a preheated slow cooker
Add all the veggies,  sauce,  tomato paste,  herbs,  beef stock and seasonings.
Cook on high for 8 - 10 hours for a slow,  slow cooker or 4 - 6 hours for a fast slow cooker.
Mix the corn flour and water together then add to the casserole and stir in well to thicken
Cook for another 10 minutes.
Serve over a bed of mashed potato or with crusty bed on the side.

NOTES -

*  I used two heaped dessert spoons of beef stock powder and water to make liquid stock.

*  Due to the stock powder I did not need to add salt to the casserole.

*  As with most of my recipes,  you can add any veggies you like.

*  The liquid stock needs to be enough to cover all the meat and veggies.  Add extra water if needed.

*  I didn't weigh the leftover bbq steaks I used.  They were thin but largish.

*  This casserole freezes well.

Lamb Shanks In Tomato and Vegetable Gravy

Recently lamb shanks were on sale at Tasman Butchers for $5.99 a pack of two.  As a family we've never been able to afford then in our grocery budget.  While they are still an expensive luxury meal for us,  at this great price we can afford to have them a few times a year.

Here's my recipe for a mouth watering tasty meal -

4 lamb shanks

2 tablespoons plain flour

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 carrots, diced

2 sticks of celery - diced

2 teaspoons of dried onion flakes or 1 fresh onion diced 

1 teaspoon of garlic powder or 1 clove of garlic crushed

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

600g ( 1 1/2 cans ) of diced tomatoes

300 mls of water

1 1/2 tablespoons of beef stock powder

sprigs of  rosemary

mashed potato and cooked green beans, to serve

1 tablespoon of cornflour ( optional )

Preheat the oven to,160°C.
Dust the shanks lightly with flour. I used a bread bag to do this.

Heat the oil in a large frypan. Brown the shanks for 3-4 minutes each side,. Set aside in a large casserole / lasagne dish.
Saute the carrots, onion celery, garlic and paprika in same pan for 4-5 minutes. Place these ingredients over the shanks.

Add  the tomatoes, , stock powder ( mixed with water ) and rosemary to the large casserole / lasagne dish.
Bake, covered for 3 hours.

Thicken the tomato sauce with cornflour dissolved in a little water if needed 

Serve on a bed of mashed potato with green beans

Serves 4

Dinner is served

I kept the shanks hot in the oven while I thickened the gravy

This recipe can be adapted to use a slow cooker.  I did my lamb shanks in the oven because I don't have a large enough slow cooker for 4 lamb shanks

Stretching Meals To Go Further

Keeping the cost of groceries down can be a never ending battle. Prices are always on the increase, appetites increase, food is bought then wasted and adult children don't always show up for dinner. Unexpected visitors can send you into a tail spin ( or at least another trip to the supermarket )

Here are some of the tricks I use to keep my family fed for well under $300 a month and still put good food on the table -

* Spag bol is often served with shredded silverbeet from the garden and grated carrot and zucchini in the meat sauce. I've also been known to add half a handful of quick oats to the sauce. These " extras " increase the volume of meat sauce. I don't serve larger quantities because of this. The extra sauce is frozen and might serve two people for another meal.

* Two minute noodles as well as cabbage really bulk up chop suey.

* Meat is the most expensive component of a meal. Loading up the dinner plate with veggies will fill up hungry tummies. A much cheaper alternative to serving large portions of meat.

* When dishing out the main meal, serve out the leftovers at the same time into takeaway containers or other suitable freezer containers. When you are eating dinner, let those leftovers cool until the steam disappears. Put them straight in the fridge after dinner until completely cold. Put a lid on, label and freeze ASAP. You save more money if the leftovers are eaten at dinner instead of a lunch treat. When you have enough frozen leftovers, write " freezer meals " into the menu plan. A free meal.

* When adult children don't show up for dinner, cook as you usually do and freeze the leftovers.

* If the main meal looks a little on the frugal side, put a plate of buttered bread or toast on the table.

*  Stews and casseroles need less meat per person.   My chicken curry recipe uses two small chicken fillets yet serves up to eight people.

 * When I make chunky soups, I add 1/2 to 1 cup of small shell pasta 20 minutes before serving.

* Add mashed potato to salmon patties. You'll get more patties without changing the flavour.

*  When you come home from grocery shopping portion out the raw meat and freeze in meal sizes. This is a really frugal tip and easier to defrost instead of a whole tray of meat.

*  When cooking casseroles and stews,  cut the meat into smaller cubes.  The meat seems to go further and you are more likely to get a piece of meat with each mouthful.

Have you stretched food without your family noticing ?

What are your tricks for making food go further ?

Loading the plate with veggies

Adding silverbeet to a pasta bake

Chicken curry with two small chicken fillets

Chop suey with lots of veggies

Freezing leftovers

It's Citrus Season

At this time of the year, citrus fruit is in abundance and it's cheap. Here are some ideas to make the most of these fruits and to continue the money savings all year round.

* Eating oranges / mandarins it in the usual way for snacks.

* Cutting up oranges and freezing them for icy cold Summer snacks.

* Making 50 / 50 cordial. To have this yummy cordial all year round, zest and squeeze 3 oranges and 3 lemons per batch of cordial. Place the contents into a container or zip lock bag and freeze.

* Blitz a whole orange in a food processor to make whole orange cake. Blitz a few extra oranges, portion and freeze to make this yummy cake whenever you feel like a baking treat.

* Zest and juice lemons for lemon slice. Zest can be frozen in a container for up to a year. Alternatively freeze the zest in ice cube trays.

* Juice the lemons and freeze into ice cubes Then pop them out into containers for future baking / cooking.

* Use lemon juice to make lemon butter.  This is so yummy on toast and in tarts.  It's very quick and easy to make in the microwave and keeps for up to three weeks in the fridge.

*  Lemon chicken is quick and easy to make using lemon slices,  juice and seasonings.

*  Use the juice of a couple of lemons in jam making.

Other uses for lemon juice are -  lemon and pistachio biscuits, on pancakes, in  chicken flan, on fish and salmon patties or as a dressing on salads.

It's great to have these items on hand in the freezer. It stops the need to run to the supermarket for one lemon. I'll bet it would be out of season and you'd be paying premium prices.

If you haven't thought about it before, growing a lemon tree is great. It looks good, the blossoms and fruit smell divine and a bowl of lemons on the kitchen bench is a little ray of sunshine in the middle of Winter. It can be grown in a pot too. Best of all, you'll get your money back from the cost of a tree in no time.

So if anyone offers you a bag of lemons / oranges, or your neighbour has a tree with too much fruit for them to use, you'll know what to do with it.

Freshly picked lemons

Our tree

Lemon butter

Lemon slice

Whole orange cake

50 / 50 cordial

Lemon chicken

If you click on the purple writing it will  take you to the recipe on my blog.

How do you make the most of citrus fruit ? 

Salmon Patties

Salmon patties are wonderful to eat all year round.  Served with rice,  mash or salad,  they make a wonderful tasty meal.

1 410 g tin of pink salmon
1 stick of celery finely diced
1 large potato cooked and mashed
1 medium carrot grated
2 eggs
Salt,  pepper,  parsley,  dried onion flakes and garlic granules to taste
1/2 cup of dried seasoned bread crumbs
Juice of 1 lemon

¾ cup of milk
1 cup of plain flour
1 ½ cups of dried seasoned bread crumbs
Olive oil for cooking

 Drain the juices from the salmon and flake it in a large bowl.  Add the celery,  potato,  carrot,  1 egg,  lemon juice, 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and seasonings.  Mix well.  Line up three bowls on the bench.  One with flour,  one with egg and milk mixed together and the last one with the seasoned bread crumbs.

Spoon the salmon mixture into balls using a dessert spoon.  Roll in the flour,  roll in the egg mixture then coat with the bread crumbs.  Once all the patties are done,  cook in a fry pan with some olive oil until browned on each side.  Flatten the patties with a spatula while they cook. Alternatively,  spray the patties with olive oil and cook in the oven for about 40 minutes at 180 degrees.

Makes about 12 - 15 patties which is enough for  5 - 6 people.

NOTES –

*  Patties can be frozen.  I freeze them in meal sizes as well as in bundles of 2 or 4

* Salmon patties are wonderful in a wrap with salad or as a toasted sandwich.

 *  This recipe can be multiplied. I use 4 – 5 tins of salmon at a time and freeze most of the patties for future meals.

 *  Other veggies can be grated and added to the mixture.  Zucchini and pumpkin work well.