Winter is a great time of year to make a hearty soup for all the family and the good news is that most of the ingredients are cheap and easy to find.
This week I made two soups, a Pea and Spinach and a Root Vegetable.
Ingredients for the Pea and Spinach were:
1 small onion
1 large bag of spinach
1 large bag of peas
2 vegetable stock cubes

• Place all the ingredients into a large saucepan and cover with water
• Boil until tender then blend with a hand blender
• Garnish as required.

I followed the same method for the Root Vegetable soup using carrots, sweet potatoes, a small onion and a swede with two vegetable stock cubes. 

Both warming and good for you and will feed the family for the fraction of the price of ready made bought soup - a real winner!!!

 My family still insist that I do a Sunday lunch, to be honest we usually have it around 5pm in the evening otherwise it eats into the whole of Sunday.  However it is neither cheap nor always particularly healthy.
My husband and youngest son love roast potatoes but as an alternative for me I also do roasted vegetables cooked in olive oil (usually the £1 a pack variety)

I also use granola and nuts as a substitute topping for my fruit crumble

I also add some granola and nuts with fresh or frozen fruit to Ice Cream, to make a really simple but tasty desert.

Another great way to save time and eat healthily is a meal in a bag.  A few thinly sliced vegetables with either fish or chicken wrapped in grease proof paper and cooked until tender. It cuts down on the washing up and makes for a hassle free Sunday lunch.  You can spread some marmalade or plum jam on the meat or fish and then you don't have to worry about gravy either.  Simple, cheap and healthy!!!

My job means I do a lot of travelling to client offices which often involves early mornings and late evenings.  It is so tempting to grab breakfast on the way and also buy lunch rather than making it and taking it with me.  As I am still trying to lose weight and lower my cholesterol I am having to become creative about how I manage my meals, making them interesting, healthy and inexpensive.
This is what I typically put in my rucksack before I leave the house.

All I need is some hot water and these are my meals for the day
Mixed seed porridge with banana for breakfast and miso soup with noodles and an orange for lunch.  Breakfast cost less than £1 and lunch is only slightly more.

I do miss my packets of crisps and things that go crunch so for dinner on Friday night I cut up some vegetables, dipped them in an egg and covered them in some mixed grain breadcrumbs I had in the freezer.  I then sprinkled them with olive oil and popped them in the oven on  for half an hour.  Again a meal for 2 for less than £5.00! Living healthier for less.

I'd also like to thank Tom Kerridge for the inspiration for dinner on Saturday night after watching him on his series Lose weight for good. 
 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09m62j3/tom-kerridges-lose-weight-for-good-series-1-2-quick-and-easy

His dinner in a bag looked delicious, so I improvised using ingredients I had in my fridge; salmon steaks, courgettes, left over Christmas chutney, black beans in white wine vinegar (courtesy of my neighbour Sunny and her Chinese recipe for lowering cholesterol) and some sauerkraut, with fresh ginger and lemon.  My husband said it was the best meal I had ever made him.  So thanks Tom and Sunny!!!!!

Keep checking for other dinner in a bag recipes coming soon!

Happy New Year!!!
Finally the Christmas decorations are down and 2018 is now in full swing
If you are looking for tips on what to do with any remaining Christmas leftovers remember you can freeze more than you think:

• Cheese can be frozen and used in sauces throughout the year. 
• Christmas pudding and cake can also be frozen if they are starting to get a bit dry. 
• Chocolates are great chopped up or melted on ice cream for the kids.

I mentioned in my last blog before Christmas that in trying to lower my cholesterol after a visit to the doctors I also dropped nearly a stone in weight.  I am now back on track with a New Year's resolution to lose another stone before the Summer! Bumping into a nutritionist on a train on the way to work in early November has really changed the way I approach food.
I now only eat complex carbs i.e. mixed grained bread, porridge and rice.  If I cook with oil it is always Olive Oil. 









I have cut out the lattes and use soya or almond milk as an alternative to cows milk from time to time.
This week when in the supermarket I picked up some reduced over ripe fruit and made a large jug of smoothie.  This helps fight off winter colds and flu bugs as well as helps with any sugar cravings.

I have also replaced nibbling on crisps on a Saturday night to nibbling on nuts and raisins or some of my roasted tomatoes with extra large olives. Proving you can live on a budget, eat well and lose weight!!!