If you couldn’t already tell by your bank balance and credit card statements, December is an excruciatingly expensive month for us all. According to The Bank of England, the average UK family spends over £3,000* in the month of December alone, leaving many out of pocket in the sombre month that is January. With a week-long stretch of the month left to go, and post-Christmas bills starting to land, January 24th (the last Friday before pay-day) is being coined the ‘poorest day of the year’.
Jasmine Birtles, Financial Expert, comments: ‘‘January is one of those times when there’s too much month for your money particularly if you got paid just before Christmas – that makes the reality of Christmas (over)spending really bite.
“So, to get to the end of the month without going too far into the red, make the most of what’s available at home and at the supermarket. Dive into wonderful seasonal vegetables, dumplings and hot, veggie soups to keep everyone well-fed on a tight budget. ”
In the spirit of ‘in-it-togetherness’, and to showcase just how easily you can feed your family healthy, balanced and affordable meals right through from the ‘poorest day of the year’ to pay day, supermarket Aldi has challenged busy mum, Natalie Lee, to feed her family of four for the entire week, on a £25.00 shop in store. This is less than the national average family weekly food shop which comes in at £60.60**. Documenting how she got the most bang for her buck, Natalie shares creative inspiration aplenty for wholesome family meals, on a budget.
Follow Natalie’s #Aldipoorestdaychallenge @stylemesunday.
Natalie’s super quick & easy, cheap and delicious vegetable rice (serves 4):
Ingredients
250g Easy cook rice (uncooked)
500g Frozen mixed veg
2 Large eggs
Store cupboard essentials: A few turns of Garlic granules
Store cupboard essentials: A good glug of Soy Sauce
Method
- Cook the rice in boiling water and heat the vegetables on the stove
- Combine the cooked rice and vegetables in a large frying pan with a splash of oil
- Sprinkle a dash of the garlic granules and add those to the vegetable rice on a low heat
- Crack and add two eggs and keep stirring until the eggs are combined and cooked through
- Add a good glug of soy sauce and enjoy!
Chicken Fajita’s (serves 4)
Ingredients
1 pack Ashfield Farm Diced Chicken Breast
½ of each red, green and yellow peppers
½ bunch spring onions
1 475g pack Fiesta Fajita Dinner Kit
1 ripe Avocado
Juice ½ Lime
½ tsp Stonemill Chilli Flakes
Couple of scoops of low-fat natural yoghurt
Store cupboard goods: A little Sunflower Oil
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200⁰C/400⁰F/Gas Mark 6
- Thinly slice the peppers discarding any white pith and seeds
- Wash, trim and thinly slice the spring onions
- Put all the above into a large bowl, with the chicken, add half the lime juice and mix together
- Sprinkle over the fajita seasoning from the kit and mix well
- Lightly grease a large baking tray
- Spread the chicken and vegetable mix over the tray
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes
- Meanwhile make the avocado dip
- Cut the avocado in half lengthways, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh
- Put the avocado into a bowl, mash the flesh with a fork then add the yoghurt, the rest of the lime juice and the chilli flakes then mix well
- Warm the tortillas in the oven
- To make up the fajitas put some of the salsa from the kit on each tortilla, then add some of the chicken and vegetables
- Roll up and serve alongside the avocado dip
Natalie’s meal plan
Monday: Breakfast: Smoothie. Lunch: Eggs/ avocado on toast. Dinner: Vegetable rice
Tuesday: Breakfast: Porridge. Lunch: Rice, chicken and mixed peppers. Dinner: Halloumi and Asparagus Kebabs
Wednesday: Breakfast: Cereal. Lunch: Meatballs and leftover vegetables. Dinner: Chicken Fajitas
Thursday: Breakfast: Cereal. Lunch: Vegetable soup and bread. Dinner: Pasta, olive oil and garlic granules.
Friday: Breakfast: Smoothie. Lunch: Omelette and salad. Dinner: Spaghetti and pesto sauce
Saturday: Breakfast: Smoked salmon and eggs. Lunch: Baked beans on toast. Dinner: Chicken, asparagus, potatoes
Sunday: Breakfast: Eggs and chilli flakes on toast. Lunch/Dinner: Sunday roast.
Natalie’s one-week Aldi shopping basket
Large eggs
Blueberries
Frozen mixed veg
Avocado
Soft wholemeal bread
Scottish porridge oats
Specially Selected Pesto
Everyday Essentials Spaghetti
Wholewheat Pasta
Chicken breast fillets
Diced Chicken Breast
Cereal
Vegetable Soup
Roasting potatoes
5% fat beef Meatballs
Easy cook rice
Iceberg lettuce
Whole Chicken
Low fat natural yoghurt
Baked Beans
Halloumi
Red Chilli
Asparagus
Lime
Chili Flakes
Fajita Kit
Spring Onions
Mixed Peppers
