Recently, as you may have seen on my social media, I have been working with my old chums Channel Mum. They set me the challenge of developing some recipes, each block of 5 with a different theme. They suggested a few and I came up with some too… it’s been SO fun! I wanted to share them with you in my own space, so here they are with links to the Channel Mum website.
Even keen cooks like me get into complete cookery ruts when it comes to putting meals on the table – day in, day out – it’s hard to stay inspired.
What I love about these recipes and all of the ones I’ve developed for Channel Mum, is that they are EASY, ACCESSIBLE, and ADAPTABLE. They are real recipes for real families, which is totally what I am all about…
Enough waffling Brady, let’s see the recipes!
This week I am sharing some budget recipes. Everyone likes to live well for less, and these recipes are cheap to make but do not compromise on flavour. Do comment with your ideas for meals that go easy on the purse but still deliver!
Sweet Potato and Green Bean Curry
This delectable curry is the perfect combo of sweet and savoury. I love that you can control the heat in it to cater for adults and kiddos alike. It’s actually hard to come up with veggie recipes that are exciting, but I like to think this one hits the spot on all fronts. This one is all about the way you serve it – so do go the whole hog and get peanuts, fresh coriander and chillies on there.
Stuffed Italian-style Jacket Potatoes
I mean, who doesn’t love a jacket? They are cheap and cheerful and always popular with fussy kids. This way of serving them means they aren’t boring. Simply microwave then bake to get them on the table quicker but still with that oven baked softness inside. All you do is scoop out the filling then mix up your bits and bobs, pop it back in and bake – et voila (wrong language) – you have a Buonissimo dinner for the family! My kids loved these – especially Stanley who got stuck in with his hands!
Toad in the Hole
This is my 9 year old Arthur’s favourite dinner. He’d eat it every day if we let him. It’s a classic, and for good reason. Don’t succumb to ‘rise’ anxiety, even if it flops (hey, it happens to the best of us!) it still tastes good. But if you follow my tips it shouldn’t happen. When it comes to bangers, I suggest buying less but better – try to get the best sausages from the butcher or supermarket – and snip them up to make them go further.
Classic Spaghetti Bolognese
This is an absolute family classic – is there a child on earth who doesn’t love Spag Bol? If I don’t make frozen pizzas for a playdate (which, quite frankly is the most sensible thing to do sometimes) then I plump for this as I have never met a child yet who doesn’t eat it. You don’t have to use spaghetti, try pasta shells for young kids who can pick the pieces up easier.
Lentil Chilli
Lentils are SO good for us, as well as being really cheap, but it’s hard sometimes to factor them into family meals. This corker of a recipe is the perfect solution. It’s hearty and jam packed with flavour. I love tarting it up with jalapenos, grated mature cheddar, fresh coriander and sour cream. Serve it with rice, on jackets, on nachos, or just as is!
Few of those picture looks exactly from recipes in my country. I am from Canada and the sandwich with the brown sauce looks exactly like a popular sandwich au cochon. Your food looks so delicious, I hope you’ll share more like this one!
Really not into veggies so I thought I’d just take a quick look but I ended up checking everything. I had tried cooking similar stuff before and that online delivery service, Feast Box, really helped me out try some ingredients that are hard to find like some listed above. Anyway, will forward this page to a couple of friends who are starting to get fond of cooking!