Budget Tip for One: Grow Your Own Herbs

How to Grow Herbs and Salads in Containers

Grow your own herbs in containers

herb seedlings from pixabay.com

Growing your own food is cheaper and very satisfying both on your budget and on the sheer pleasure it gives to pick and eat something you have nurtured. The absence of a garden space to grow them shouldn't stop you. It is easy to grow a variety of produce on window sills indoors or outside in window-boxes if that is all the space you have. With a little more space, like a small patio, you can grow almost anything in containers. In this short article I concentrate on growning herbs and salad leaves, these being the easiest things to grow. In addition, herbs and salad leaves grow quickly. There is nothing quite like popping fresh salad leaves in your mouth while they are still warm from the sun. Gardening in a pot can be really good fun. All you need is your imagination.

Cheap and Healthy Vegetarian Recipes: Button Mushroom Recipes

3 Easy Button Mushroom Recipes

red pepper, onion and chopped mushrooms
from Pixabay.com

These are 3 cheap vegetarian recipes cooked from one bargain buy of button mushrooms. Living frugally and cooking for one can be a challenge but if you are shopping savvy you can cook ahead and make delicious meals you just have to reheat from your freezer.  Using a box of button mushrooms I found in a local supermarket for 99p, a yellow peppers (capsicums), onions and potatoes I came up with 3 recipes: 'Mushroom and Lentil Soup' - 'Mushroom and Pepper Bake' - I had some extra yellow pepper and potatoes left after assembling the bake so make a 'Mushroom, Chickpeas and Ginger Rice'

Vegetarian Recipe for One: Baked Egg with Cheesy Potato

Cheap and Easy Vegetarian Recipe

Egg, Potatoes and Grated Cheese
3 ingredient Vegetarian Recipe

Baked Egg with Cheesy Potatoes

This cheap and easy vegetarian recipe has only 3 ingredients and is ready to eat in 40 minutes. You can vary it by using different types of cheese and by adding other vegetables, I'll make some suggestions you might enjoy. This is ideal for a supper or lunch and with only 319 calories it is ideal for your intermittent fasting day on the 5:2 diet. Cost 63p.

Cooking the Bargains: Vegetarian Mushroom Recipe for One

Tips on Budget Cooking with Vegetarian Mushroom Recipe

Mushroom stew in taco

Alongside this tasty recipe for mushroom stew with tacos, I include tips on budget cooking. This low fat recipe for one has only 276 calories and costs only 59p! That's right, a tasty, filling meal for well under £1 when cooking the bargains. 

Everyone is feeling the financial punch and when you are cooking for one it can seem an impossible task to find ways to cut your food bill. After all, supermarkets encourage people to buy in large amounts. Often their bargains are 'Buy 3 get 1 Free' or large packs of foodstuffs which are useless for one person. But you can beat them at their own game by using up the bargains when they suit you.

In my article, How to cook for one on a budget, I said that budget cooking starts with frugal shopping. Supermarkets are geared to entice you in with daily bargains, knowing full well that once they have your attention, you are likely to buy more. The trick is to buy the bargains and NOT give in to impulse buying. Make sure you know what you are shopping for and resist the temptation to buy - "just in case".

Portobello Mushrooms

So... go straight for the bargains. For example, to write this article I bought one packet of 4 large portobello mushrooms that were on offer for 69p. From these, using staples from my stock cupboard I made:

• 1 made a mushroom stew I served in tacos
• 1 made mushrooms and garlic with a bread roll
• 1 was added to courgettes for a pasta sauce
• 1 was added to a green salad I had with a baked sweet potato.

Let's start with 

How to Make a Tasty Mushroom Stew

This is a really great recipe that you an adapt to use in loads of ways:

for example 

•  like here serve it as a wrap with tacos
• serve it on a bread roll
• serve it with potatoes and vegetables
• place it is an oven-proof dish, cover with mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potato and bake.
• place in an oven-proof dish, cover with pastry and bake.

I love using these flat-cap mushrooms because they give the stew a lovely dark colour. 

The flour is used as a thickening agent - you can reduce the calorie content of this by using cornflour instead - you need to add this at the end though, not when I tell you in the instructions using plain flour. 

ingredients

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large portobello mushroom
• 1 onion, cleaned and diced finely
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 3 quarters pint vegetable stock
• salt and pepper
• 1 large tacos

cook time

Approximate Preparation and Cooking Time

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 30 min

Ready in: 35 min

Yields: serves one

Instructions


• 
  

How to make Mushroom Stew

1. Prepare your vegetables: Clean the mushroom - I like to peel them but it isn't really necessary. Chop them into large chunks. Remove outer skins of onions and chop into small pieces.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a small pan. Test by leaving one or two small pieces on onion in the oil. When they start to sizzle, add the rest of the onion and fry until soft and transparent.
3. Add garlic and herbs and stir well to mix and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the mushrooms. Place a lid on the pan and cook for 2 or 3 minutes.
5. Add the flour to make a paste. Cook for one minute. 
6. Stirring continually, add the stock so the flour is absorbed and there are no lumps in the sauce.
7. Season to taste - I don't usually add extra salt as the stock cube tends to have quite a bit of salt in it.
8. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the mushroom chunks are soft when prodded with a knife.



Mushroom stew in taco wraps

9. Make into a wrap with tacos and serve with green salad.

If you prefer to use cornflour instead of flour - 

• when the stew is cooked - 
• in a cup, make a paste with 1-2 teaspoons of cornflour in water. 
• Stirring all the time, add the paste to the stew until it begins to thicken.  

Nutritional value and costs

	calories	Fat	Protein	Cost
1 portobello mushroom	15	0.4g	1.4g	17p
1 onion	40	0	3.81g	10p
2 cloves garlic	3	0		5p
1 tablespoon flour	86	0.35g	2.5g	3p
vegetable stock	34	2.5g	2g	10p
taco	98	4	1.5g	12p
	276	7.25g	11.21g	57p

You can reduce the calorie count by using cornflour to thicken - add this at the end.

More recipes coming soon so be sure to join me. 

Cooking for one: Broccoli, Cheese and Egg Bake

This is a delicious, filling, healthy and cheap vegetarian recipe for anyone who is cooking for one. The broccoli, cheese and egg dish is easy to prepare and is delicious hot or cold.

add →

Cheap and Healthy Vegetarian Egg Dish: Low Fat Recipe

If you like cheap and healthy, this tasty broccoli, cheese and egg bake is one for you. It is really easy to make, tastes delicious and is very filling. It is great served hot with crusty bread and a salad or cold with salad. It is a bit like quiche without the flan. You can cook it in advance if necessary - just cover the top with foil so it doesn't burn. This will freeze very well so you can cook several at at time and freeze them to provide tasty and healthy ready meals right from your freezer.

This version is a low-fat one but you can use full fat cheeses if you prefer. I've included some nutrition facts for you too. This might be of most interest to those of us who are watching our weight and watching our health.

When you are cooking for one it only takes a little effort to cook cheap and healthy dishes. You might need to do a little more advance planning but that is actually a good thing - it stops you making impulse buys that are costly and, as often as not, unhealthy. I like to know what is going into my food so cooking for scratch rather than buying expensive ready-made meals wins for me every time.

What you need for a broccoli cheese bake

Broccoli Cheese Bake

Broccoli Cheese Bake

Source: photography by annmackiemiller

Approximate Preparation and Cooking Time

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 40 min

Ready in: 50 min

Yields: serves one

Ingredients

• 125g Broccoli florets
• 2 spring onions, cleaned and diced finely
• 1 egg
• 1-2 tablespoon soft cheese, Philadelphia light is ideal
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 or 3 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 oz grated cheese, use low fat cheese for topping

How to make Broccoli Bake

1. Clean and separate the broccoli spears. Steam lightly for around 10 minutes until the stems start to soften. If you steam the florets stem down will cook first. Drain and set to one side.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 220/gas mark 7
3. Place your broccoli with the spring onions and tomatoes in an oven-proof dish.
4. Whisk eggs together with garlic and soft cheese.
5. Pour over the broccoli.
6. Top with grated cheese.
7. Cook for 30 minutes until the egg is set.

Nutritional Values

	calories	Fat	Protein
broccoli cheese and egg bake	300	15.6g	21g
broccoli	54	0	3.8
1 egg	75	5g	6.3g
Philly light cheese per 30g	46	3.3g	2.2g
spring onions x 3	14	0	1g
cherry tomatoes x 3	15	0	0.5g
1 oz low-fat grated cheese	90	7g	7g

For me the three most important facts are calories, fat and protein. For other values check any good calorie counter.

A word about calorie counting

I've included a table with the three most important factors for me when I am watching my health, calories, fat content and protein. You'll see the highest calorie count is actually in the grated cheese you put on top of this dish. To further reduce the calories use breadcrumbs with a tiny sprinkle of parmesan. Parmesan also has 90 calories per 1 oz but you need much less of it for taste. Personally I don't think 300 calories is excessive for a meal and the fat and protein content are important for maintaining optimum health.

Mini casserole dish

single serving earthenware dish

Source: amazon.co.uk

Cooking with earthenware

I prefer cooking with earthenware or stoneware rather than anything else. I just feel it spreads the heat much more evenly than china or porcelain. For baking an egg dish like this, it is excellent as it ensures the egg bakes evenly and all the way through.

It is easy enough to find single-serving sizes that are great when you are cooking for one and the joy is you can freeze them and then reheat straight from freezer to oven.

Low Cost
The total cost of this dish was £1.88. I always look for the bargains in supermarket and I was lucky enough to get two gorgeous heads of broccoli for 39p in Aldi - that made this dish, a dish of penne with broccoli and mushroom and broccoli soup - not bad eh? You can see some of my ideas for frugal shopping on an article I published elsewhere - How to Cook For One on a Budget.

 

Introducing 4 SQUARE meals: cooking for one vegetarian recipes

What is 4 Square?

the 4 square logo by annmackiemiller

Healthy: Cheap: 

Vegetarian: For One

4 square is the name of my new ebook which will be published soon. The idea is to create tips and recipes for vegetarians who are cooking for one. Of course the recipes can be adapted to more than one. All the recipes are tried and tested and all of them are cheap and healthy. 

When you see this logo against a recipe you know what to expect. 

Welcome

Tips and Recipes for 

Cheap Healthy Vegetarian Meals

'flat cap mushrooms' photography by annmackiemiller

The purpose of this blog is to give you hints, tips and recipes that cut your grocery bill, provide you with good, cheap and nutritious meals and give you some information on the health benefits of what you are eating. It is aimed primarily at vegetarians who are cooking for one or two people but the advice is sound and the recipes can be adapted for four or more.

What makes me think I am qualified to be writing this blog? Well, I've been a vegetarian for over 30 years, have lived on my own for over 20 of those and - I'm a pensioner - so money needs to stretch as far as possible.  I've learned to make the most of what I have, to be a savvy shopper when it comes to reducing the grocery bill and to make myself healthy meals too.

When you are on a budget I think it helps to be a vegetarian since red meats etc are a lot more expensive than veggies. It is not difficult to produce healthy veggie meals, it may take a little more thinking about and preparation but you very quickly get used to that. So even you meat eaters might think of adding a veggie meal a few times a week.

I should warn you I am not a fancy cook - I like my cooking to be easy and fast so if you are a gourmet - this might not be the best place for you. Quite often you will find 'no-messing' recipes here that you can throw together quickly with no apologies.

I hope you find something here that interests you and you will join me on the journey as the blog grows.

Cheers - Ann