Healthy Hot Dog

Half-fat Sausage Hot Dogs

A great summer lunch option with any of that leftover BBQ meat in the fridge! There is nothing special about this recipe, anyone can make it, but people tend to fall down by simply picking the wrong things off the shelves. Sausages are not the best meat for you: ground meat wrapped in intestine doesn't exactly scream healthy. But no one can deny that they're delicious, and recently the UK supermarkets have decided to help us out by producing sausages with 50% less fat content - only 3.2g of saturated fat per 2 sausages. Great news. I jumped on this and found there was no compromise on taste whatsoever, and at 89p a portion, this recipe has made me some delicious, easy peasy lunches!

Ingredients:

Serves 1

• 1 x Wholemeal Baguette*
• 2 x Half-fat Sausages
• Handful of salad 
• 1/5 Red Onion (Optional)

Price per Hot Dog: 89p

* Sainsbury's 'Bake at Home' baguettes (here) are cheap and only take ten minutes in the oven. You only need to use 1/3 of one baguette for this recipe. Just make sure you pick the 'wholemeal' option rather than 'White'!

Cooking Instructions:

1. Pierce Sausages and place under a hot grill, turning occasionally until golden brown all over.
2. Meanwhile, place 1/3 of your Baguette in a pre-heated oven of 200 Degrees for 10 minutes.
3. Serve your grilled Sausages in your crispy Baguette with a Side Salad. (If using Red Onion, gently fry in a saucepan until crispy and top your Hot Dog.)

If you're a big Hot Dog fan, this recipe lends itself to be personalised whichever way you'd like with toppings. However, be wary of smothering anything with cheese, as your fat count will soar without you realising! Enjoy your hot dog as a lunch or light dinner option!

Normandy Pork with Cider

Normandy Pork with Apples, Potatoes in a Creamy Cider sauce

Excusing the poor quality picture, I can promise this creamy yet low fat dish is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser! I took this recipe from a Cook Yourself Thin book, available on Amazon.co.uk here. With this dish you can enjoy pork outside the sausage/bacon family, saving yourself any additional saturated fats or grease!

Things you'll need:

Serves 2

• 2 x Pork Fillet
• 1 x Onion
• 1/2 Apple
• 125 ml Cider
• 2 x tbsp Half Fat Creme Fraiche
• 1 x Potato (Optional)

Price Overall: £1.89/£2.14

Per Serving: 95p/£1.07

Approx, based on Sainsburys prices

Cooking Instructions:

1. Fry the Pork Fillets in a deep frying pan until golden.
2. Once the Pork is cooked, set aside. Add the Onion and Apple and cook until golden. Then add the Cider and bubble hard for 2/3.
3. Then turn down the heat and add the Creme Fraiche, Pork and chopped Potatoes (Optional) and simmer for 3 minutes (or longer until potatoes are cooked through.) 

The Potatoes aren't essential to the dish, but if you do use them you may prefer to parboil them before adding them to the pan to reduce your overall cooking time. But students - I know the idea of cooking with alcohol instead of drinking it seems mad, but the Cider makes the dish loads tastier (and because it's only a bit, it gives you an excuse to drink the rest with your meal) !

Chicken, Spinach and Creamy Tomato Pasta

Another creamy but low fat recipe for all you pasta loving students. I have adapted this recipe from one I found online here, but substituted many of the ingredients to make it cheaper and quicker to make! I have always encouraged whole wheat pasta over white pasta, but was unable to find it in my local shop! Buy whatever you prefer - the sauce will still taste great.

Things you'll need:
Serves 2

• 2 x Chicken Breast
• 1 x Onion
• 4 x Handfuls of Fresh Spinach*
• 2 x tbsp Chopped tomatoes
• 2 x tbsp Low Fat Soft Cheese**
• 2 x 75g Fettuccine Pasta

*You can also use Frozen Spinach which keeps for much longer! See here
**I used 'LowLow' Soft Cheese, still a cheap option which packs in more flavour!

You also have the option to throw in extra veggies like fresh tomatoes or peas if you fancy!

Price Overall: £2.22
Per Serving: £1.11
Approx, based on Tesco prices

Cooking Instructions:

1. Boil the pasta according to packet instructions.
2. Meanwhile, fry the chopped Onion and Chicken Breast in oil in and large frying pan until brown.
3. Then stir in your Chopped Tomatoes and Low Fat Soft Cheese and reduce heat.
4. Just being serving, add your Fresh Spinach and stir in until wilted (This takes no more than 30 seconds!) Add more spinach according to preference.

Try 'LowLow' Soft Cheese in all major supermarkets

http://www.kerrylowlow.com/

Love this recipe? Share your attempt with me on Twitter: @Verityphillips_

And be in with a chance of winning your own 'LowLow' Vouchers to purchase in store!

Healthy Fish & Chips

Healthy Fish & Chips

Not many people can resist a greasy Fish & Chips every now and again. With this recipe, ditch the grease and enjoy more regularly without the guilt. I've substituted the deep fried batter for a crispy herb and breadcrumb topping, and the fatty chips have been replaced by roasted Sweet Potato wedges!

Things you'll need:
Serves 2

• 2 x White Fish Fillet*
• 1 x Sweet Potato
• Tsp Breadcrumbs
• Tsp Tarragon (Optional)
• 200g Frozen Mixed Vegetables

* I used Cod, but any white fish will work. The cheapest option is to buy them frozen (see here)
I also highly recommend Frozen Mixed Vegetables: they're a lot cheaper than fresh vegetables and still have all the goodness locked in the pack. (see here)

Price overall: £1.55
Per serving: 78p

Cooking Instructions:

1. Wash and slice the Sweet Potato into wedges. Put in a roasting dish with a splash of oil + salt and pepper (Optional). Put in the oven on 180 degrees. These will need 10 minutes cooking ahead of the fish.
2. Meanwhile, mix together the Breadcrumbs and Tarragon. Lightly oil the fish and then cover with the breadcrumb mixture. Put in the oven with the wedges for 15-18 minutes until cooked.*
3. For the last 3 minutes of cooking, put Mixed Vegetables in small amount of water in a microwavable bowl and microwave for 3 minutes on high. Then drain and serve with your Fish & Chips.

Enjoy fish & chips without all the extra calories and save yourself a stack of money! A really quick and easy alternative to satisfy your fast-food temptations.

Creamy Salmon Spaghetti

Smoked Salmon, Courgette and Pea Spaghetti

This meal is super quick to put together and under a £1 per portion! It's creamy and packed full of veggies, accompanied by wholewheat spaghetti, a complex carbohydrate which doesn't leave you with that bloated feeling. Wholewheat means it's packed full of fibre so you stay fuller for longer.

Things you'll need:

Serves 2

• 150g Wholewheat Spaghetti (75g per person)
• Half a Courgette
• 25g Frozen Peas
• 1 x Spring Onion
• 80g Smoked Salmon
• Tbsp Low Fat Creme Fraiche

Total price: £1.46

Per serving: 73p

Approx, based on Tesco pricing.

Cooking instructions:

1. Cook the Wholewheat Spaghetti according to package instructions
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a small frying pan and gently fry the chopped Spring Onion and sliced Courgette until tender.
3. Add the tbsp of Low Fat Creme Fraiche and stir in the Peas and Smoked Salmon. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Do not boil.
4. Drain the cooked Spaghetti, stir through the sauce and serve.

My cheapest dinner option to date, and it only takes 10 minutes to put together. This beats any processed creamy sauce you might pick up in supermarkets and is tons better for you! You can also experiment with more vegetables such as Asparagus and Leeks - the more veggies the better.

Creamy Tarragon Chicken

Tarragon Chicken, Brown Rice and Vegetables

Tarragon is a herb which isn't used often, especially by students, but tastes great with Chicken! Combined with a low fat creamy sauce, this recipe can easily be put together quickly and any leftovers can be frozen for another day. This recipe goes well with any sort of rice, potatoes or crispy bread*, as well as lots of vegetables - as many as you want!

*This recipe is based on the above meal combination: brown rice and vegetables.

Things you'll need:

Serves 2

• 2 x Chicken Breast
• 100 ml Chicken Stock
• 200 ml Low-Fat Creme Fraiche
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard 
• 1 tbsp Tarragon (Dried)*
• 50g Brown Rice
• Mixed Vegetable Selection (see here)

*You can use fresh Tarragon (in which case it's 2tbsp!) But dried works just as well and it more cost-efficient!
I suggest you buy the cheaper Chicken breasts which have been frozen from fresh (see here)

Price Overall: £1.30

Per Serving: £67p

Approx, based on Tesco prices.

Cooking Instructions:

1. Fry the chopped Chicken in oil until brown.
2. Meanwhile, put your Brown Rice on to boil (or potatoes)
3. Turn down the heat and add the Chicken Stock. When it bubbles, add the Low Fat Creme Fraiche, Herbs, Dijon Mustard. Stir in the mixture and simmer until the sauce has reduced.
4. Meanwhile, boil/steam your Vegetables. Then serve!

You need to think about your timings depending on what you're eating your Tarragon Chicken with! For example, Brown Rice tends to take a lot longer than normal rice, or if you're mashing potatoes you'll need to put those on earlier too. Read your timings on the packages and everything will work out fine.

This recipe is taken from the 'Eat Yourself Thin' cook book! You can view some of their other recipes online here.

Smoked Mackerel and New Potato Salad

Lunch Option: Smoked Mackerel and New Potato Salad

This light lunch is perfect to pack and take out on the go. Great for any hard working students who want a change from library sandwiches! Smoked Mackerel is also a fairly cheap option to go with and requires no cooking, you simply tear it up over the salad. The dressing is either light mayonnaise or low fat creme fraiche (depending on preference), meaning you get a nice creamy dressing without the calories.

Things you'll need:

Makes 4 lunches

• 1 x Pack of Mackerel Fish (I bought everyday value here)
• 1 x Pack of New Potatoes
• 4 x Tbsp Low Fat Creme Fraiche
• Handful Green Salad Leaves (per portion)
• Chopped Chives (Optional)
• Cracked Black Pepper (Optional)

Price overall: £4.91/£5.17

Per Serving: £1.23/£2.03

Cooking Instructions:

1. Half/Quarter the New Potatoes and boil for 15 minutes until tender. Then drain.
2. Meanwhile, mix the Creme Fraiche with the Chives and Black Pepper (Optional) and flake the Mackerel* into pieces, mixing half with the dressing along with the drained Potatoes.
3. Place the Green Salad Leaves on the bottom of the plate, then the dressing mixture and finally the leftover Mackerel on top. Add more Black Pepper is you would like!

* I suggest you use one Mackerel fish per portion (comes in a pack of 4)

It's that simple. An easy, affordable lunch that doesn't take too long to make. Can also be made the night before and kept in the fridge if necessary. Perfect to take out or eat at home!

Mexican Turkey Nachos

Mexican Turkey Nachos

Another Turkey dish, leaving you satisfied without that bloated feeling. As I've said before, Turkey meat is much leaner than red meat with less saturated fat - so it's well worth trying out! This recipe is technically low carb as it only has kidney beans and a few tortilla chips! You can also easily overspend on this sort of meal if you buy the branded products you're used to - I've substituted them for Everyday Value alternatives to keep it cheap! Easy Peasy Mexican food suitable for one or many (if you fancy cooking for housemates.)

Things you'll need:

Serves 4

• 500g Turkey Mince
• 1 x Taco Mix
• 1 x Pepper
• 1 x Red Onion
• 1 x Can Red Kidney Beans
• 1 x Can Chopped Tomatoes
• Handful Tortilla Chips
• Half pack of Mushrooms (Optional)
• 4 x Celery Stalks (Optional)
• 1 x Small Chilli (Optional)
• Sprinkle of Grated Cheese (Optional)

I had extra vegetables left over in the fridge so added those to pack in my 5-a-day! But it's completely up to you what you want to add.

Price Overall: £5.65/£6.80 (Including Optional Items)

Per Serving: £1.41/£1.70 (Including Optional Items)

Cooking Instructions:

Pre-heat Oven to 180 Degrees.

1. Fry the chopped Onion in some oil in a large saucepan for 2 minutes. Then add the Turkey Mince and break up as it browns (NOTE: Ensure you stab away at it - otherwise it will clump together. It's a bit of a workout but well worth it.)
2. Add the Taco Mix to the browned Turkey Mince with 100ml of water and bring to the boil. Boil for 1 minutes so it reduces a little, then take off the heat.
3. Meanwhile, in a separate pan (see picture) fry all the Vegetables until soft. Then add your Turkey, Onions, Red Kidney Beans, Chopped Tomatoes and Chilli (Optional). Simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. 
4. Then transfer to an Oven-proof dish and scatter Tortilla Chips on top with a little Grated Cheese (Optional) and heat in the Oven for 3 minutes until Cheese has melted. Serve with Salad!

There you have it. One of my cheapest meat dishes to date! Packed full of veggies and low carb as well, all under £2 a portion. Remember this recipe makes 4 portions which can easily be frozen - just defrost, heat up and crisp in the oven! 

Beef Stroganoff

I've altered this usually high-in-fat meal to a lighter AND cheaper version. Taken from the Philidelphia website (here), this recipe is tasty, quick and easy. And each ingredient has a cheap supermarket alternative in both full fat and light options, so perfect for students!

Things you'll need:

Serves 2

• 2 x Beef Steak*
• 1 x Onion
• 1 x Baby Mushrooms Pack
• 75g Light Soft Cheese
• Splash of Milk
• Tbsp Dijon Mustard (Optional)
• Brown Rice (Optional)
• Mixed Vegetables (Optional)**

*I use Tesco stir-fry beef (here) 

** Mixed Vegetables are cheaper bought in the frozen packs (here)

I replaced the refined white carbs with brown rice, but this can be served with mash or chips too!

Price total: £5.28

Per serving: £2.64

(Excluding optional items)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Fry the chopped Onion in and large frying pan until soft, then remove from pan.
2. Fry the sliced Beef until brown, then add the Mushrooms until the juices run out of both. Then return the Onions to the pan.
3. Add the Splash of Milk and allow the mixture to reduce a little.
4. Stir in the Light Soft Cheese and Mustard (Optional).
5. Serve with accompaniments of your choice

Another reasonably priced, easy peasy recipe suitable for students! You can also freeze a portion of the Stroganoff for another time if you are only feeding one. And this recipe fits with lots of different accompaniments, catering for all tastes and preferences.

Easy Peasy Red Thai Curry

Red Thai Curry

I've always been a huge fan of curry, but it's not always the healthiest of options. This is mainly due to the Coconut Milk you use - I ensure to use Half fat Coconut Cream to cut down on the unnecessary saturated fat! If, like my local supermarket, you can't purchase it, just order online through Amazon (here). It honestly tastes exactly the same and means you can enjoy a guilt-free curry. I also use brown rice instead of the refined white rice. Complex carbohydrates are your friends, get to know them and replace your white alternative!!

Things you'll need:

Serves 2

• 2 x Chicken Breast
• Half pack of Green Beans 
• 1 x Onion
• 1 x Garlic Clove
• 150g Brown Rice
• 1 x tbsp Red Thai Curry Paste
• 1 x Half Fat Coconut Milk Can
• 150ml Chicken Stock
• 1 x Red Chilli (Optional)
• Half a Lime (Optional)

Total Price: £1.50/£1.80

Per Serving: 75p/90p

Approx, based on Tesco prices

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan and fry the sliced Onion, Garlic and Chicken breast until golden brown.
2. Add the Curry Paste, Chilli, Chicken Stock and Coconut Milk and bring to the boil. Then simmer for 20-25mins until chicken is cooked through and sauce has reduced.
3. Add the Green Beans and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve with rice and lime!

Based on a Tesco recipe here with a few healthier twists and student cut backs - this recipe means anyone can enjoy the classic Red Thai Curry!