Spanish Beef Recipe - Family Food

With calorie counting well underway and being a few pounds lighter already, I've been trying to think of some meals that are both filling and healthier for us to enjoy. After all, there is no use eating a salad if you will be hungry and reaching for the biscuits five minutes later is there!

This meal can be slow cooked so it's ready for when you return home from work/college/the gym etc. With couscous and vegetables taking just a few minutes to heat through, I've found these make a great accompaniment. This should prevent you from wanting to raid the fridge like Pac-Man afterwards!
It's quite similar to my sausage casserole recipe which is a family favourite.

Ingredients 

(Serves 2 generously (we often share this between the four of us) Approx 500 calories per portion)

Slow Cooked Curry

A proper winter warmer and so simple too. It's quite mild so it makes this dish ideal for all of the family, but you can of course alter it for a little more heat!

Ingredients

2 onions, diced

2 garlic cloves/tbsp garlic puree

1 heaped tbsp ginger

1 teaspoon chilli

800g chicken (breast or thighs work best)

1 tsp olive oil

30g butter

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

400ml chicken stock

1 tbsp sugar

Pinch of salt

80ml double cream

Method

• Cook the chicken in a pan on a low heat with the oil for around 5 minutes then transfer to the slow cooker
• Add the butter to the pan and once melted add the garlic, onion and spices. Cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the sugar, salt and stock, bring to the boil and transfer to the slow cooker.
• Cook on a high heat for 3 hours or a low/auto heat for 6 hours. Add the cream and mix through thoroughly before serving
• Scoff!

Meal Planning Monday

I'm very much looking forward to summer; BBQ's, salad and pasta on the patio. However, with the return of the snow (where does it keep coming from?!) it's back to the slow cooker and filling, comfort foods. Something to warm me up in the evenings!

 Meals for this week...

Lasagne with garlic ciabatta
Slow cooked Chinese style beef with rice/cous cous
Sweet and sour chicken with noodles
Homemade fish fingers, mash and veg
Slow cooked sausage casserole with jacket potatoes
Salmon and smoked haddock fish pie

Sunday we are heading to Drayton Manor to celebrate the Mr turning 31 so we will probably eat out there or on the way home.

 

What's on your menu this week?

I'm linking this over with At Home With Mrs M.

Meal Planning Monday

We had a fantastic delivery of fresh fish at the end of last week from Fish is the Dish. They are trying to highlight the benefits of eating just two portions of fish a week and we hoping by doing so we will be boosting our immune system and brain power too!

 I've already cooked the mussels we received at the weekend and the recipe will be on the blog later this week.

 

This weeks planner...
Fish pie (with cod, haddock and salmon)
Spaghetti bolognese
Salmon fishcakes and salad
Sausage casserole with jacket potatoes and veg

Friday to Sunday we are child free as the Mini Mes will be with their dad so we will pick up what we wish to eat nearer the time... I'm thinking steak with wedges and roast gammon are likely to be on the menu.
 

What's on your menu this week?

I'm linking this over with At Home With Mrs M.

Meal Planning Monday

I'm rather glad to see the back of last week; one broken mobile, one broken laptop and two poorly children with flu and tonsillitis. March has arrived and I'm hoping that means warmer weather and the end of illness.

This weeks meals were all chosen by the Mini Mes. As they were poorly last week and barely ate I thought it would be nice to let them pick and choose what they fancied. I think they did a good job with some nice variety!

This weeks planner...
Pasta bake with chorizo and bacon
Lamb stew and dumplings (slow cooked)
Sausage casserole (slow cooked) with jacket potatoes
Pizza, chicken wings and garlic bread
Curry, poppadoms and naan bread

At the weekend I think we will probably head out for a meal, possibly Red Hot buffet, and then have a roast on the Sunday as I've not had one in a while.
 

What's on your menu this week?

I'm linking this over with At Home With Mrs M.

Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole

I've had the slow cooker out a lot more recently as it's just so easy to use and convenient around work and school. I like to look for alternative ways of using certain ingredients too so we don't get stuck with the same meals every week - this sausage casserole has a bit of a kick and goes lovely with mash or jacket potatoes in particular.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 tbsp garlic puree/2 cloves

8 thick sausages (we used Lincolnshire)

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

1 x 400g tin baked beans

1 chicken stock cube diluted in 80ml hot water
A few slices of chorizo

• Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions, cooking for a few minutes until browned.
• Add the sausages and brown for around 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic, pepper, paprika, cumin and thyme and cook for 1 minute. 
• Empty the pan into the slow cooker.
• Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker and stir well.
• Cook on low for 5 hours or high for 2 hours.
• Scoff!

Slow cooked Chinese style beef

This slow cooker recipe results in clear plates all round as it is packed with flavour without being over powering. The Mini Mes, Mr and I all love it and with plenty left over it is great to freeze or reheat at work. It can be combined with mash or rice for a filling comfort food or with stir fried veg or noodles for a lighter meal.

Ingredients (serves 6)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic/1 tbsp garlic puree

2 tbsp ginger

1 tsp chilli powder

1.5kg braising beef, diced

3 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp Chinese five-spice powder

1 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp dark soy sauce

500ml beef stock

• Fry the onion in half of the oil with the ginger, garlic and chilli until browned and transfer to the slow cooker.
• Place the beef in a bowl with the flour and give it a gentle shake to ensure all sides of the meat are covered lightly.
• Fry the meat in the remaining oil until browned and then add the Chinese five-spice, sugar, soy sauce and stock.
• Bring to the boil and then transfer to the slow cooker.
• Stir well and cook on high for 2-3 hours or auto for 5-6.
• Add more soy sauce or Chinese five-spice to taste.
• Scoff!

We enjoyed ours with Tilda's Roasted Pepper and Courgette brown basmati rice, a great way to sneak in extra veg! 

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The Morphy Richards slow cooker in brushed stainless steel has a capacity of 6.5 litres and is perfect if you want dinner ready in the evening when you are out or busy during the day. The large size makes it ideal for entertaining guests or to feed bigger families and the instruction booklet supplied also contains some recipes to get you started. The toughened glass lid is strong and the removable ceramic dish makes it really easy to clean - both are suitable for the dishwasher too which is a bonus! You can enjoy your meal without worrying about dried on stains as they come off quickly with very little effort.

There is an easy to use dial to the front with three cooking options available; low, medium or high to suit any meal that you wish to cook. I found it very easy simple to use and thought it was a great quality item.

Available from Littlewoods a buy now pay later catalogue, you can purchase one today and spread the cost too if you wish.

*We received the slow cooker for the purpose of the review. The recipe and opinions given are our own*

Meal Planning Monday

I've decided to try a new dish every day this week combined with ones that we haven't eaten in rather a long while. I felt as though we had slipped into a cycle of repeating the same old meals each week and I was bored of that!

This weeks planner...

Slow cooked Chinese style braised beef with rice
Salmon souffle
Slow cooked sausage casserole
Slow cooked Moroccan lamb and cous cous
Haddock fish pie

As you can see the slow cooker will be put to good use this week on quite a few occasions but I'm hoping to squeeze in some more craft and outdoor play with the Mini Mes between the school run and dinner!

What's on your menu this week?

I'm linking this over with At Home With Mrs M.

Meal Planning Monday

With snow on the floor and more on the way this week, I fancied having some comfort food on the menu.

This weeks planner...

Fajitas (quick and easy before visiting family)
Lamb stew and dumplings
Lasagne and garlic bread
Kievs, jacket potato and veg

We are having a curry as a treat with my parents at the weekend and I think a full roast will be squeezed in too somewhere! I also plan to make soup in the slow cooker so the Mr has something to warm his tummy at work while it is so cold.

What's on your menu?

I'm linking this over with At Home With Mrs M.

Meal Planning Monday

Isn't it cold, brrrrr! However, as it's half term and we have lots of lovely things planned I'm not going to let the weather bother us, instead I shall be cooking up some filling, warming foods for dinner to keep us all snug...

Meatball bolognaise

Slow cooked lamb stew and dumplings

Halloween themed hot buffet dinner

Slow cooked sausage and chorizo one pot

Bacon carbonara

At the weekend we are off to London to see Ice Age Live so we will probably have dinner out or pick something up while at the bonfire event in the evening. Sunday will be roast lamb with roast potatoes, veg, stuffing and gravy.

What's on your menu this week?

I'm linking this over with At Home With Mrs M.

Meal Planning Monday

We have a lovely delivery due this morning to cook up three meals using Heinz new sauces (hot hot HOT!) and the rest of the meals are planned by the Mr this week. I think I'll throw some slow cooked recipes back in for next week though as I really enjoyed those, especially the lamb stew with dumplings!

We had a fantastic Greek night at the weekend. I made Baklava for the first time and it was fab. You can view the pictures over on Instagram if you fancy a peek (username theminimesandme).

This weeks planner...

Bacon carbonara

Spicy Stir Fry 

Fiery Chilli con carne

Mexican soup

Fish, wedges and carrots

As I recently won a £50 Pizza Express voucher in a Twitter party we will be heading there on Saturday for a family meal out and Sunday we will probably have roast lamb.

What's on your menu this week?

Slow cooker - Lamb stew and dumplings

I only cooked this for the first time last weekend and it was amazing! Empty plates all round. It was inspired by a recipe from a recent Masterchef Australia episode as it looked so delicious and it's a great dish for this time of year.

Ingredients

Serves 5

For the stew

400g diced lamb

2 onions

2 carrots

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp thyme

1 tbsp parsley

2 bay leaves

400g cherry tomatoes

300ml of chicken stock

For the dumplings

150g suet

150g self raising flour

1 tsp parsley

150ml water

• Chop the onions and fry them in a pan for a few minutes with the lamb until browned. Add them to the slow cooker.
• Peel and chop the carrots and add them to the slow cooker. Then add the tomato puree, cherry tomatoes, herbs and stock. Give it a stir and cook on auto for 3 hours. Add a little more stock if necessary.
• Make the dumplings by combining the suet with the flour, parsley and water in a bowl to form a soft dough. Roll the dough out into a sausage approx 8 inches long and cut into pieces around 2cm. Roll each piece into a ball and place them into the slow cooker after the 3 hours. 
• Cook for around 15 minutes with the stew, until the dumplings are hot all the way through, remove the bay leaves and serve.
• Scoff!

We enjoyed this with green veg and mash potato.

I'm linking this with...

Meal Planning Monday

Lamb stew and dumplings

After a reasonably successful slow cooker week, the lamb stew in particular was heavenly, I've decided to let each family member pick a meal that they would like for dinner this week....

Meatball bolognese - selected by Minxy.
Fish, wedges and carrots - selected by Jamster.
Salmon and gnocchi bake - selected by the Mr and we have guests over too.
Curry - selected by the Mr (apparently it's National Curry week!).
Lasagne - selected by me.

The weekend we are child free as they will be with their dad so we are off to my parents Saturday for a Greek night! Sunday will be something selected on the day depending upon what we get up to.

What's on your menu this week?

I'm linking this over with At Home With Mrs M.

Slow Cooker - Spaghetti Bolognese

The weather has cooled so it's time to fill up on warm, winter foods. This spaghetti bolognese is rich in flavour and a family favourite.





Ingredients

800g beef steak mince
6 bacon rashers
2 onions
6 closed cup mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp mixed herbs
800g chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree








Method

Slice the onions and cut the bacon up into small pieces and then fry them until lightly browned (on the hob for 2-3 minutes). Then add them to the slow cooker.
Brown the mince on the hob and then add to the slow cooker.
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir thoroughly.
Cook on high for 3 hours or auto for 6 hours.
Serve with spaghetti.

Scoff!

Meal Planning Monday

We really enjoyed some warming wintry meals last week and the slow cooked chilli was delicious with the Heinz FIVE Beanz in it! After looking at the forecast this week we have another wet and windy one ahead so I've decided to use the slow cooker even more so... every day, with some new dishes I've not attempted before!

I'll add the recipes over the next few Sundays if anyone sees something they fancy.

Lamb stew and dumplings

One-pot chicken couscous

Prawn Pilau

Sausage and tomato pasta bake

Spaghetti bolognese

Sweet potato and spinach bake

Sausage and bean one-pot

Have you cooked anything nice in the slow cooker recently?

I'm linking this over with At Home With Mrs M.

Meal Planning Monday

With the colder weather comes filling, warming foods. I can't wait to have the slow cooker on a lot more now to make some soups, casseroles and chilli! It's making an appearance this week on Thursday and Friday but it has been packed away a while, the poor thing!

The planner this week... 

Monday - Toad in the hole, mash and peas.

Tuesday - Hunters chicken (chicken, cheese and bacon and bbq sauce) with wedges and veg.

Wednesday - Pizza and Salad (child free and we have one to review).

Thursday - Slow cooked chilli con carne with jacket potatoes (adding in some Heinz FIVE Beanz too)

Friday - Chicken Tikka Masala and poppadoms.

 Next weekend the Mini Mes are off to their dads house. We will keep that free as no doubt we will be out and about catching up with friends and family or eating out.

What's on your menu this week? 

Do you cook differently for the Autumn and Winter months?

I'm linking this over with At Home With Mrs M.

Slow Cooker - Sausage Casserole

Sausages are popular with the Mini Mes and the Mr so they are regulars on the menu. This sausage casserole is perfect when the weather is miserable to warm you up, tastes great heated through the day after and is very easy to make with only a few ingredients involved.

Ingredients

16 thin or 10 thick sausages

2 onions

2 x 400g chopped tomatoes

tsp dried mixed herbs

150ml water

Method

1) Cut the sausages into 3 pieces each and add them to the slow cooker.

2) Peel and chop the onions and add them to the slow cooker.

3) Add the chopped tomatoes, herbs and water to the slow cooker.

4) Cook on auto for around 5 hours. Serve with mixed vegetables, mash potato or some thick fresh bread. Serves 4.

We have added chorizo, peas, chilli flakes and baked beans to this recipe at times for a little difference in the flavour. It's up to you if you want to pop in a few other bits too. It's a nice basic recipe you can edit to suit your taste.

If you cook this I would love to hear your thoughts on it - you can read my Slow Cooked Chilli recipe too!

For more recipes and to link up your own you can head over to Mediocre Mum or use the hashtag #SCSunday to find others on Twitter.

Slow cooker - Chilli Con Carne

The slow cooker is a favourite of mine, bunging in a combination of ingredients first thing in the morning and serving up a scrummy meal come 5pm is almost magical. Dinner times have never been so easy!

This chilli recipe is great for all the family as it's not too spicy but is packed with flavour. It will make enough to feed 8 hungry tums so you can always save leftovers in the freezer or store it in the fridge to use in lasagne, enchiladas or anything else you fancy later on in the week.

Ingredients

2 onions, chopped

1.5kg of lean minced beef (you could use a Quorn if vegetarian)

600g (1.5 tins) of tinned tomatoes

400g (1 tin) of kidney Beans

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 tbsp of tomato puree

2 tsp of chilli powder

2 tsp of mixed herbs

1 beef stock cube, dissolved

Method

1) I always fry the mince and onions together first in a pan and drain of excess fat but you can skip this step if you don't have time or prefer not to.

2) Add all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and stir well.

3)Cover and cook on high for around 3 hours or on auto for 8 hours.

This meal goes really well served with soft, fluffy rice but we tend to have it on jacket potatoes with salad and a blob of creme fraiche - delicious!

This post is part of the #FaveFamilyRecipes Competition with BritMums and Tilda Rice. Every pack sold will provide a meal to an expectant mum in need in support of the World Food Programme’s Mothers Helping Mothers initiative in Bangladesh