Wednesday, May 16, 2012

{Project: Food Budget} Week 33



Feel like mixing up the menu this week, time for 6 newee's.
Pulled the oh so retro Reader's Digest "Quick, Thrifty Cooking" from the shelf and I'm about to see what inspiring dishes it holds!

...slim pickings I'm afraid.
This is what I have:

Thursday - Lentil and sausage stew
Friday - Beef stroganoff
Saturday - Brown rice with chicken and herbs
Sunday - Home made pizza
Monday - Polenta with walnut sauce and vegetables
Tuesday - Garden Casserole
Wednesday - Leftovers:D

Budget is $200 / 6 mouths.

I have been making these oatmeal muffins for the kids lunch boxes (and my breaky). I use Maple syrup instead of sugar and halve the quantity and add dates and / or apricots. I also use wholemeal flour. They are really tasty and keep the hunger pain away for ages!

Here are the other bloggers this week:

My long person

she's odd.
she's mostly thrifted.
she's limb-less.
...and she's lovely:D
she's off to Lisa's house.





...and here she is at her farewell party;)




The lady with the pearls was crafted by fellow swapper Litina, and the long haired beauty, by Joanne.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

{Project: Food Budget} Week 31

I've been a little distracted this week by the imminent arrival of my new Thermomix...*squeels*
It's all I think about:P I am busting to belt out a recipe or two...but I will have to wait a little longer,

and while I do, lets talk about this weeks menu and budget.
This week needs some frugal eating. I'm sticking to my $200 , 6 serves but really need to come in under. Tonight is family curry night at my SIL's. I am planning (best get onto that) a vegetable curry with dried apricots and Indian spices. I figured MIL will do beef, SIL will do butter chicken 'cause that's how they roll...and I will bring the COLOUR!!

UPDATE:


Thursday - Rice with satay sauce and vegetables
Friday - Sausages, mashed potato, honey soy carrots and peas (Mr 4's request)
Saturday - Curry night (with COLOUR lol)
Sunday - Home made pizza night
Monday - Chicken and Veg (super boring but in the freezer!)
Tuesday - Guacamole bruschetta
Wednesday - Lamb and mushroom pies

Satay Sauce Recipe

1/3 cup peanut butter
1 fresh red chilli chopped
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp kecap manis
1 Tbsp lime juice
140 mls coconut milk

Stir over low heat until heated and mixed.

Week 31 Participating blogs: 








Tuesday, May 1, 2012

retro pattern finds.

oh wow thermomix is interest free for may! so excited...in other news...picked up an awesome vintage multi pattern book at the op shop for 50 cents...I"M WINNING!!

Its been dollar week at my local this week and thus my heart rate has been a little higher:P
I purchased 3 womens tops / jackets that are going to have a new life as baby pants, more on that later.

I've only just started taking the time to sift through the pattern bins because quite frankly, I've been terrified of them ever since stitching some shorts when I was probably 10. I can still picture those too short shorts *shudders* but anyway, I've grown and I'm moving on...and at 20 cents a pattern!
So here's my little stash from last week.
....and this is today's find:
and the POI's from inside:
This is made with corduroy in the pic, oh so wintery! I see potential here:)
lol at her expression, should be a caption contest.
Here are the variations: 
I'm loving that kangaroo pouch pocket.
...and because when you're a beginner, everything is new...
the classic wrap skirt:
Oh but where to begin...


Thursday, April 26, 2012

{Project: Food Budget} Week 30



Just before I get to this weeks menu, I had a lot of limes this week. I made this Lime & Yoghurt Cake and these Lime Muffins...both were SO good. You should definitely try them both!

I made some other things this week too...so I'll just interject this food post with a couple of pics:P

 This is a Sophie Tunic made from thrifted vintage curtains.

...and these I drafted the pattern myself. The shape turned out pretty cute:)
Any who...

Thursday - Dim Sims with vegetables
Friday - Curried Lentils With Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard
Saturday - Mung Bean And Pumpkin Soup


While searching for something to do with pumpkin and mung beans I found this Moroccan Pumpkin Soup recipe. I'm posting it below to remind me to add it to next weeks menu...sounds delish!



Moroccan Pumpkin Soup (Shorabit Yatkeen)
(6 to 8 servings)
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 leeks (white and light green part only), or 2 medium onions, chopped
8 cups vegetable stock or water
5 to 6 cups (2 to 3 pounds) pumpkin, butternut squash, or other winter squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 cup (8 ounces) dried yellow split peas
2 medium carrots, cut into chunks (optional)
1 to 4 tablespoons brown or granulated sugar
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks, or about 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric or saffron strands
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice or nutmeg
About 1½ teaspoons table salt, or 2½ teaspoons kosher salt
Ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, ½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds (see note) or pine nuts, or 1 cup sautéed mushrooms

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the stock, pumpkin, chickpeas, optional carrots, sugar, spices, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the pumpkin is very soft, about 50 minutes. Discard the cinnamon sticks.
2. To serve: Sprinkle with the parsley or toasted pumpkin seeds, or top each bowl with a little mound of sautéed mushrooms.

VARIATIONS
Creamy Pumpkin Soup: Omit the chickpeas. In a blender or food processor, puree the cooked soup until smooth. Or you can substitute 4 cups of canned pumpkin puree for the fresh pumpkin. Return to the pot, if desired, add 1 cup light cream or milk and reheat.

Hot Pumpkin Soup: Omit the cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Add with the onion 1 minced clove garlic and 1 small hot green chili or scotch bonnet chili or add about 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper and ½ teaspoon ground cumin with the pumpkin.

Bukharan Pumpkin and Mung Bean Soup (Mosh Kovok): Omit the chickpeas, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Add with the pumpkin 2 cups cooked white beans, ¾ cup (about 6 ounces) raw mung beans, and 2 peeled and diced medium boiling potatoes. Serve topped with a dollop of yogurt.

Sunday - Home made pizza
Monday - Silverbeet Tuna Dolmades
Tuesday - Mushroom Risotto with Caramelized Onions
Wednesday - leftovers:D

The Week 30 Participating Blogs:

    Emily Levenson
    Dairy-Free Cooking
    Test Kitchen Tuesday
    Red Pen Mama
    Acquired Tastes
    Fit Flexitarian
    Warm As Pie 
    Katy Rank Lev
    My Inner Healthy
    Little Blue Hen
    xox, b
    Project Food Budget 2.0
    Fresh...A New Chapter
    Two Eggs Over Easy 

    Thursday, April 19, 2012

    {Project: Food Budget} Week 29



    Meal planning time of the week again...my goodness that comes around!
    This week I'm all over cheap and simple. This is no philosophy driven intervention - I just couldn't be bothered this week.
    I am managing to stay within budget ($200 per week, 6 mouths) most of the time. I need to recommit to produce market visits - that's my to do list this week...uh huh, one thing - I like to dream big...:P

    Thursday - Baked potatoes with tinned baked beans, salad, cheese and yoghurt.
    Friday - Zucchini and carrot slice
    Sunday - Home made pizza
    Tuesday - Warm roasted vegetable salad with haloumi and semi-dried tomatoes
    Wednesday - leftovers...




    Wednesday, April 11, 2012

    {Project: Food Budget} Week 28



    Good morning!
    Sorry about last weeks absence - got a little busy with Easter and house guests...
    Anyway, back to it this week.
    Here's the menu:)
    $200 budget for the week for our 6.

    Thursday - Creamy spinach and avo penne (olive oil, garlic, red capsicum, green beans, spinach, avo, pine nuts, cream cheese, lemon zest, nutmeg)
    Friday - Lentil pie (olive oil, onion, garlic, lentils, potato, pumpkin, curry powder, tomato paste, pastry)
    Saturday - Carrot soup (olive oil, leek, carrot, juice of 1 orange, stock, chickpeas, mixed spice)
    Sunday - Home made pizza
    Monday - Dal Palak
    Tuesday - Couscous and cannellini bean burgers
    Wednesday - leftovers:D

    The Week 28 Participating Blogs: