I was given some vouchers by Asda to try out their Price Guarantee and Butchers Selection 3 for £10 Meat Offer as part of our Meal Plan this week. Having been to the Butchers Selection launch event I knew the meat was great quality and was keen to see if the meat from my local store was equal to the standard we were served at the PR evening.
As it is Half Term Week all 3 girls will be at home, and I will be childminding another 3 children for one of the days. This means that extra supplies will be required and as a result the cost of our Meal Plan this week is £70.
I used My Supermarket to compare the price of my shopping elsewhere and my items would've cost £78.01 at Tesco and £86.86 at Sainsbury's. So Asda was more than 10% cheaper, as per their Price Guarantee. However, at the moment Asda have a promotion running which means that if you shop at Asda, either online or instore, and check the Price Guarantee website they will give you a £5 voucher off your next shop over £40. You can check out the promotion here.
I am making some of the dinners stretch over two nights which means leftovers are used effectively and also cuts down on the amount of cooking required in the evenings when I shall no doubt be rather weary after entertaining children all day. My 3 daughters get bored watching telly after about half an hour and much prefer to be crafting, playing or making things so holidays can be rather tiring. I am hoping a visit to the library for a large amount of reading and craft books to read and new cosy blankets will keep them chilled out long enough for me to have a nice hot cuppa and some respite from activities occasionally.
Lunches will be filling and easy to prepare, and I shall be getting my 3 girls to help. My daughters love cooking and it keeps them busy with a tasty result, what more could you want?
Breakfasts will be porridge to fuel us for the busy day ahead and keep snacking at bay until morning tea time. I have included plenty of fruit in the meal plan and we will be making our own yoghurt which will be flavoured with homemade fruit compote or jam if need be.
There will of course be some baked treats, no doubt we will have friends drop in for a cuppa throughout the week. Again I will get my daughters to chose what we bake and to help as much as they like. I will blog baked treats separately throughout the week.
As usual I will be baking all of our bread, rolls, tortillas, bagels, etc with more help than usual so have included the cost of flour and other ingredients in the Meal Plan. We are also using greens from the garden as much as possible and I have included the cost of those as well because not everyone has access to fresh greens from the garden.
Lunches
Easy Thrifty Vegetable Soup - soup mix soaked overnight then drained and combined with with 3 sticks celery, 2 leeks and 3 carrots all finely sliced, 1 crushed clove of garlic and 1.5 litres vegetable stock. Simmer until soup mix and vegetables are tender then serve.
Comforting Chorizo, Bean and Vegetable Soup
Twice Baked Potatoes
Quick Cheese and Herb Bread and Cornbread
Savoury Scone Swirls
Hotdogs - Cooked sausages and onions served in rolls with tomato sauce and/or mustard.
Macaroni Cheese
500g pasta shapes
1 onion – finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 pepper, diced
2 Tblsp butter
2 Tblsp flour
350ml hot milk
200g grated cheese
300g frozen mixed vegetables
Preheat oven to 180C. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, adding the frozen mixed vegetables for the last 3 minutes of the pasta cooking time. Whilst the pasta is cooking, sauté the onion, pepper and garlic in a little oil.
In a separate saucepan slowly cook the butter and flour stirring constantly. When mixture looks a bit like biscuit crumbs add the hot milk and whisk until the mixture thickens. Add 200g of grated cheese and simmer for 5 mins, stirring frequently. Add the softened onion, garlic and pepper mixture to the cheese sauce and mix well to combine. Pour the cheese sauce mixture on to the drained pasta and mixed vegetables and stir through until combined. Serve as is or with a side salad.
Dinners
Bean Burritos – Meatfree Monday
8 - 10 tortillas/flat breads
2 tins chilli beans
3 fresh tomatoes, sliced
diced cucumber
lettuce leaves
small pot of sour cream or plain yoghurt
1 cup (120g) grated cheese
Heat chilli beans in a pot whilst tortillas are warming in the oven. Put chilli beans onto tortillas and top with tomato, cucumber, lettuce, a little sour cream and a sprinkling of cheese. Fold up and serve.
Sausage Casserole (2 nights)
1 tbsp olive oil
12 fat pork sausages
25g butter
2 large onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 large leeks, washed and sliced thinly
3 granny smith apples
2 tbsp plain flour
4 tbsp cider vinegar
2 litres vegetable stock
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 x 400g can borlotti or cannelini beans
Brown the sausages in a large pan then set aside. Add the butter to the pan containing the cooking juices srom the sausages and sauté the onions, garlic and leeks for five minutes until the leeks soften and the onion becomes transparent.
Peel the apples and cut into 8ths. Add the apple pieces to the onion mixture and scatter the flour over everything, stirring well to thoroughly coat the vegetables with the flour mixture.
Add the cider vinegar and use it to deglaze the pan. Add the stock and mustard then bring to the boil.
Add the sausages and drained tins of beans to the casserole. Cover and bake at 180°C, or simmer on the stove for 40 minutes.
Season with sea salt and pepper then serve with greens and some crusty bread or mash.
Cheesy Root Vegetable Bake
2 medium-sized potatoes peeled and cut into 3cm dice
1 medium-sized sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3cm dice
300g pumpkin or squash,
2 carrots, peeled peeled and cut into 3cm dice
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced (optional); 2 tbsp olive oil
Cheese Sauce:
2 tbsp plain flour
40g butter
500ml milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Put the potatoes and sweet potatoes in a saucepan of water. Bring to the boil and cook for three minutes to par-boil them. Drain. Put them in a small roasting dish.
Cut the carrots into 1 cm slices and add with the remaining vegetables to the potatoes. Drizzle with oil and bake for 40 minutes in the oven. From time to time, toss the vegetables well to coat them in oil and to help them crisp up a little.
While the vegetables are baking, make the cheese sauce. Put a medium-sized saucepan over a moderate heat and add the flour and butter. Mix well to combine and cook it, stirring constantly for three minutes. Add the milk all in one go and use a whisk to stir it well. Keep stirring until all the lumps are gone and the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in some seasoning to taste and two-thirds of the cheese.
Remove vegetables from the oven and pour the cheese sauce over the them. Stir it gently to cover the vegetables in the cheese sauce. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and put the dish back into the oven for 20 minutes until the cheese has melted and turns golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 – 10 minutes before serving with a salad or greens.
Slow Cooker Meatballs (2 nights)
24 ASDA Butcher's Selection Beef Meatballs (730g)
2 large onions, finely diced
2 peppers, finely diced
4 carrots, finely diced
3 sticks celery, finely sliced/diced
500g homemade or store bought pasta sauce
500 ml beef stock or water
Turn the slow cooker on to low to preheat whilst you chop all the vegetables.
Put the onion, pepper, carrot and celery Into the slow cooker. Mix together the cook-homemade pasta sauce and beef stock then pour into the slow cooker. Stir to mix thoroughly with the vegetables.
Put the meatballs in to the sauce in the slow cooker and then cover with the lid. Cook on low for 6–7 hours or on high for 3–4 hours. Serve with mash/pasta/baked potatoes and steamed mixed vegetables.
Chicken Stir Fry with Noodles
500g breasts cut into thin strips
1 pack fresh egg noodles
2 packs stir fry vegetables
1 pack stir fry sauce
Cook according to packet instructions.
Shopping List
Cost of 50 items: £70.00 from Asda on 28/10/2012
Packets and Cereals
1x ASDA Smartprice Porridge Oats (1Kg) 75p
1x Wholefoods Cornmeal (500g) 74p
1x Asda Conchiglie Italian Wholewheat Pasta (500g) 75p any 2 FOR £1.50
2x Asda Wholefoods Strong White Bread Flour (1.5Kg) £1.20
1x ASDA Smartprice Plain White Flour (1.5Kg) 52p
1x ASDA Smartprice Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg) 52p
1x ASDA Chosen by You Wholewheat Fusilli (500g) 75p any 2 FOR £1.50
1x Great Scot Vegetable Broth Mix (500g) 68p
1x Asda Home Baking Easy Bake Yeast (6 per pack - 42g) 64p
2x ASDA Wholefoods Brown Bread Flour (1.5Kg) £2.56
Frozen
1x ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg) 75p
Tins, Jars and Cooking
2x ASDA Borlotti Beans in Water (290g) 78p
2x ASDA Cannellini Beans in Water (300g) £1.28
2x ASDA Chosen by You Chilli Beans (290g) £1.36
3x ASDA Smartprice Sweetcorn (326g) 96p
1x Blue Dragon Stir Fry Sauce - Chow Mein (120g) 65p
1x ASDA Double Concentrated Tomato Puree (200g) 48p
2x ASDA Extra Special Passata Chunky (700g) £2.56
Dairy and Eggs
1x DaleFarm Lakeland Live Cultured Buttermilk (250g) 52p
6x ASDA British Whole Milk 4 Pints (2.27L) £6.00
1x ASDA Free Range Medium Eggs (12) £1.98
2x ASDA Smartprice Salted Butter (250g) £1.96
1x ASDA Smartprice Low Fat Natural Yogurt (500g) 55p
2x ASDA Chosen by You English Mature Cheddar (400g) £4.00 any 2 FOR £4.00
Fruit and Vegetables
1x ASDA Smartprice Mixed Fruit (500g) 64p
2x ASDA Smartprice Pears £1.80
20 ASDA Bananas by Weight (100g) £1.36
10 ASDA Tomatoes by Weight (100g) £1.99
20 ASDA Butternut Squash by Weight (100g) £1.80 was 10.7p
10 ASDA Sweet Potatoes by Weight (100g) £1.00 was 12.8p
1x ASDA Round Lettuce 57p
1x ASDA Celery 89p
1x ASDA Parsnips (500g) 50p
2x ASDA Trimmed Leeks (500g) £2.00
1x ASDA Baking Potatoes (2.5Kg) £1.42
2x ASDA Garlic Loose 30p
2x ASDA Smartprice Apples (650g) £1.80
1x ASDA Smartprice Peppers (700g) £1.25
1x ASDA Smartprice Brown Onions (2Kg) £1.17
1x ASDA Spinach (350g) £1.00
4 ASDA Granny Smith Apples by Weight (100g) 72p
1x ASDA Carrots (1.2Kg) £1.00
1x ASDA Oriental Stir Fry with Edamame and Peppers (340g) £1.00 any 3 FOR £3.00
1x ASDA Water Chestnut and Bamboo Shoot Stir Fry (420g) £1.00 any 3 FOR £3.00
Bakery
2x Discovery Mexican Plain Flour Tortillas (8) £1.00
Meat, Fish and Poultry
1x ASDA Butcher's Selection Sausages (20 per pack - 1.14Kg) £3.33 any 3 FOR £10.00
1x ASDA Butcher's Selection Beef Meatballs (730g) £3.33 any 3 FOR £10.00
1x ASDA Chorizo Cooking Sausage (200g) £1.85
1x ASDA Butcher's Selection Chicken Breast Fillets (450g) £3.33 any 3 FOR £10.00
Ready Meals
1x ASDA Free Range Egg Noodles (495g) £1.00 any 3 FOR £3.00
Prices were correct as of 28 October 2012 on Asda section of the My Supermarket website.
** This is a sponsored post as I was given vouchers in order to purchase my groceries from Asda**
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