Oh the joy of being back to work....NOT!

I cricked my neck again over the holiday so have been in alot of pain and been taking an awful lot of painkillers. It's gradually easing off now thank goodness.

So the first three days and I've been a good girl and made sarnies every day, saving pennies!

Monday was leftover beef with mustard

Tuesday Roast chicken with lettuce

and today was Ham and cheese.

Tonight we had Spag Bol for tea as it was part of a batch cook i did weeks ago it was on the table in 15 mins which is lovely after a long day at work. I'll share the basic recipe here although the original was Antony Worral Thompsons I have adapted it slightly.

1 kg Beef mince                                                                                 (£4)

500g carrots grated                                                                          (35p)

2 large onions chopped                                                                     (60p)

4 cloves garlic (or a HUGE squeeze of the puree stuff)               (25p)

1 tube of Tomato Puree                                                                     (25p)

4 Bay leaves                                                                                         (20p)

1 tsp Herbs de Provence                                                                    (20p)

2 cans plum tomatoes (chopped in the can with a pair of kitchen scissors) (60p)

1 Bottle Red Wine (I use cheap plonk, Lambrusco)                                       (£1.80)

That's £7.65 which I then divide by four, making that £1.91! 

You can add smoked bacon at the beginning and celery for extra flavour, but I don't bother personally.

                                                                                                              

Brown the mince (in batches if necessary) drain of fat. Whilst mince is draining fry the onion and garlic until soft, add the carrots and mince and stir well. add the tube of tomato puree and the wine (it will seem very watery at this stage but don't be alarmed).

Add the Bay leaves and herbs de provence and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down low, ver low and simmer with the lid on for 2 hours. If the mixture is still watery turn up to a rapid boil and reduce. This is the basic mince, it has a smooth texture and flavour, the mince is tender and simply tastes better than when it is cooked quickly. Divide the mixture into freezable containers and freeze. defrost overnight in the fridge.

The basic mince can be used as is,but I find it lacks a bit of body so for Bolognese I add

1 small jar of shop sauce (I know this seems like a cheat but the depth of flavour you've already given it will make this exceptional), and lots of Mushrooms, and chopped peppers if liked simmer for as long as the pasta takes to cook et voila!

For Chilli, add a tin of Chilli Beans and paprika, and chilli powder to taste, My kids also like sweetcorn with theirs. Serve with Jacket Potatoes and a tomato and spring onion salad.

Beef cheddar: add some beef stock, or cheat and use gravy granules, and a handful of strong grated cheddar, serve with cabbage and mash.

Cottage Pie; add frozen diced veg and beef gravy top with Mash and bake in the oven (Or really cheat and simply heat the mince mix in a pan, mash the spuds and flash them under the grill in the saucepan to give it that crunchy topping),

Lasagne, again add a small jar of shop sauce, and some spinach, either frozen or canned (well squeezed) or simply stir the fresh leaves uncooked into the mince mix and then layer in a lasagne as usual.

I've included prices which that are true today at Tesco. Even when you add the extra ingredients it still works out cheaper than Jamie Olivers £5 meals!!! Ok so you're serving less meat than previously and the carrots are a filler, but it cheaper on your pocket and better for you!