Sunday:

Lunch:

1 x Homme made vegetable bhajis w/wice

Dinner:

1 x XL Spicy vegetable stir fry w/rice

Notes:

.Dinner was MASSIVE but not te most appetizing thing ever, stir frying tons of onions and courgettes in some spices and the most amazing thing on their own. I hate being poor.

Monday:

Lunch:

1 x XL Indio-chinese all you can eat buffet;
3 x loaded plate
1 ice cream w/pineapple and apple

Dinner:

1 x beer and burger deal from a weatherspoons

Notes:

.Family meal day, all food was free. I took advantage of that fact and could hardly move as a result.


Teusday:

Breakfast:

Most of a small packet of mini easter eggs or 'solid milk chocolate Easter Novelties' as their packaging describes.

Lunch:

1 x pachet of crisps (50p)
1 x boost chocolate bar (55p)

Dinner:

3 x slice of toast
More chocolate

Notes:

.Yesterday has mostly paid off. I have had a relatively small appetite. Kicking myself about the £1.05 spent on lunch though.

Friday:

Lunch:

1 x smoked haddock pan fried in butter w/puy lentils and courgette
more bread


Dinner:

1 x pasta w/aubergine and tomato sauce

Notes:

.Pasta dish was provided by a friend I went to visit.

Saturday:

Breakfast:

1 x bacon sandwich

Lunch:

1 x pastrami sandwich w/mustard and rocket

Dinner:

1 x L home made vegetable bhajis w/rice

Notes:

.Slept over at friends due to lack of funds and walking distance, had breakfast and lunch there.

.Vegetable bhaji recipe will follow.

Smoked haddock and pea risotto;

Recipe by James Martin:

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
¼ onion, finely diced
100g/3½oz basmati rice
50ml/2fl oz white wine
100g/3½oz smoked haddock (half cut into pieces, the rest left whole)
150ml/¼pint hot chicken stock
50g/2oz frozen peas


Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pan and sauté the onions until softened.

2. Add the basmati rice and stir to coat the grains and cook until the grains turn translucent.

3. Add the white wine and cook for one minute.

4. Add the chopped smoked haddock and a ladleful of chicken stock. Cook until the stock has been absorbed and stir constantly. Keep adding the stock gradually until it has all been absorbed and the rice is cooked but still retains a little bite.

5. Add the frozen peas and cook for another minute.

6. While completing step four, drizzle a little olive oil over the remaining smoked haddock and griddle for 2-3 minutes on both sides.

7. To serve, spoon the risotto into a bowl and top with the griddled haddock.

Notes:

.I didn't have white wine, so I used red (was hanging around from a party). It was quite nice, but would blatantly have been better with white wine.

Borscht;

Recipe by Ainsley Harriot:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Olive oil
1 leek, finely chopped
1 stick Celery, finely chopped
275g raw Beetroot
1 potato, diced (about 100g in total)
1 Carrot, finely grated (about 150g in total)
1.2 litres beef stock, or vegetable stock
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Soured cream
black pepper


Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and stir-fry the leek and celery for about 2-3 minutes until softened but not coloured, then add the beetroot, potato and most of the carrot, reserving some for garnish.

2. Pour the stock into the pan, season and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes or until the vegetables are completely tender and the soup has thickened slightly.

3. Season the soup to taste, and then stir in the vinegar and sugar. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Ladle the soup into warmed serving bowls and garnish with a small dollop of soured cream and the reserved grated carrot. Serve immediately.

Notes:

.I didn't have soured cream or leeks. I went without the cream, and supplanted leeks for half an onion.

Wednesday:

Breakfast:

1 x L Left over Borscht W/toast

Lunch:

1 x L sausage and wash w/pan fried courgette

Dinner:

1 x S fish and chips (£3)

Notes:

.Fish and Chips, a pat on the back for myself for a good shop.

Thursday:

Breakfast:

1 x packet of tortilla chips

Lunch:

Left over mashed potato
quite a few slices of bread

Dinner:

1 x L Smoked haddock and pea risotto

Notes:

.Found two smoked haddock steaks in the reduced bin at tesco tonight for £1.55, so I thought I'd treat myself to a meal. Recipe to follow.

Teusday:

Breakfast:

1 x sausages with mustard mash

Lunch:

1 x packet of tortilla chips with hummus
The left overs of the broccoli
2 x slice of bread
1 x L bowl of minestrone soup w/toast

Dinner:

1 x slice of bread
1 x home made borscht w/toast

Notes:

.Minestronie was house mates' and was about to go off.

.Borscht is a Russian/Polish beetroot soup. I'll upload the recipe tomorrow.

Monday:

Lunch:

1 x portion of pan fried onions and courgettes with chicken flavour super noodles and broccoli

Dinner:

1 x packet of Tortilla chips w/ 3/4 x medium pot of jalapeño chilli hummus

Second big shopping trip

Went Shopping today, here's a run down:

My overall expenditure was just over a tenner (there's an extra two pounds that aren't listed).

This shop should last me a good way into next term (start of term is in two weeks' time).

Lidl was an experiment in finding a better bargain, and so far I'd say if pasta's what you want then that's what you'll find. However, Tesco's value bread was under 50p, the cheapest Lidl alternative, whilst being far better quality and available in wholemeal which is far healthier, weighed in at 65p.




Tesco value peas were also significantly cheaper than the Lidl alternative at 85p for 900g in comparison to £1.26 for 1kg. Tesco is also cheaper than Iceland's £1 for a kilo. If you do the math, Tesco value peas work out at 94p for a kilo.

Lots of reduced stuff was bought, I think it is definitely a good idea to pick a time to shop that will take advatage of them, just after the main commuter rush for supplies. Or even later for a local garage.

One of my best finds, however, was a small shop near tesco that was akin to a market stall selling bowls of fruit or vegetables at a pound each. I don't know the exact weight of each bowl, but one of them had four courgettes in (which is over a pound for two at tesco). I was also thrown in a bumch of parsley and a rather ripe pear for my £2. Absolute frickin' bargain!

My biggest tip is make sure you take good advantage of your local markets!

Saturday:

Breakfast:

1 x can of coke

Lunch:

4 x cheese dough balls
1/4 x Iceland lasagne
1/3 x muffin

Notes:

.Went to see a friend, due to bad funds all food was his treat, I'll have to pay him back in some way.

Sunday:

Breakfast:

1 x packet of transform-a-snack (crisps) (25p)

lunch:

1 x L portion of pan fried onions and courgettes with chicken flavour super noodles and broccoli.

Dinner:

1 x portion of pan fried onions and courgettes with chicken flavour super noodles and broccoli

Consumed:

Monday:

Breakfast:

A couple of oreos

Dinner:

1 x stir fried beef in oyster sauce
1 x special fried rice
1/2 x portion of pork balls
3 x mini spring roll
a few prawn crackers

Notes:

.I bought a two person meal from the local Chinese. With a second special fried rice and a portion of chicken in black bean sauce it cost £13

Tuesday:

Brunch:

Left over pork balls
Left over Prawn Crackers

Dinner:

1 x L Chili Con Carne w/rice and tortilla chips
1 x hazelnut choc chip cookie

Notes:

.Meat was donated by house mate for Chilli.

Wednesday:

Breakfast:

1 x L cheese and ham baguette

Dinner:

1 x Chiili w/rice
some tortilla chips

Notes:

.Visited my mother today, she bought me the baguette.

Thursday:

Breakfast:

Lots of tortilla chips

Dinner:

1 x portion on spinach and ricotta tortellini
1 x slice of cheese on toast

Notes:

.Tortellini was donated by a good friend

Friday:

1 x XL portion of Smoked salmon and dill ravioli w/green beans

Notes:

.Ravioli donated by same friend who gave tortellini yesterday.