#52recipes: 11-16

If you want to keep up with my recipe challenge on Instagram, check out my highlights where I've been posting everything I've been trying. I'd love to know what you've been cooking recently for some inspiration! You can see that from what I'm posting about, just how obsessed I am with Diana Henry's cookbook Simple. It is such an incredible book and I've loved everything I've made. It's definitely become my go-to book in the kitchen.

Diana Henry's chicken, cauliflower and parmesan bake from Simple
The first thing I cooked from Diana Henry's Simple was this traybake. For something so simple, it was unbelievably delicious. Definitely one for a weekday meal as it's nice and quick. You simply bung everything in a roasting dish then leave it alone in the oven to cook. I'm rarely make the same thing twice but this is good enough that I'm going to add it my monthly rotation!

Ottolenghi's honey, thyme and yogurt cheese cake from Simple
Loved the combination of thyme and honey but feel it needed a bit longer in the fridge to set. I'd recommend to leave it overnight if you make it. The hobnob biscuit base was a game changer and I'm going to use it in my future cheesecakes. So much nicer than the normal digestive biscuit.

Diana Henry's spiced Turkish chicken from Simple
Another Diana recipe that I LOVED. If I'm going to cook meat at home, chicken thighs are one of my favourite pieces to cook. They taste so flavoursome and are really the best part of the chicken in my opinion. The spice blend of this dish was so delicious. I served it with my signature salt and pepper wedges along with the salsa Diana recommends.

Gouda, spring onion and spinach quiche (loosely based on a Mary Berry recipe)
Quiche is one of my favourite ways to use up veg. It's the ideal summer dish in my opinion. I base it on a Mary Berry recipe which allows for lots of chopping and changing depending on what you have on hand. I had some gouda in the fridge and I think it might have become my favourite cheese to use in a quiche. It was fab! I suppose using basically a whole block helped...

Diana Henry's Huevos Roots from Simple
Gosh I'm still so obsessed with this book and can't wait until her next one comes out. This is a dish we've made quite a few times now when we don't want to go shopping. All you need is paprika, eggs and potatoes - three staples we always have in the house at any time. It's a dish that will work well for breakfast, lunch or dinner. A true all-rounder!

Ottolenghi's whole roasted cauliflower with green Tahini sauce from Simple
I did this dish when I hosted a Sunday roast for my blogger girls. Who knew a simple green tahini sauce could be so addictive! This was absolutely delicious and the whole cauliflower was a great showpiece for the middle of the table. It's one I'm going to keep on making for when I'm entertaining.
(Picture taken from Michelle's blog)

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Four tips to do Las Vegas on a budget

When we went to Las Vegas earlier on in the year I was shocked by how expensive it was. I knew it was going to be pricey but it was SO pricey. That's coming from a girl who spends most of her life in London where being expensive is a way of life. After being there a day we quickly realised we were going to spend a lot of money BUT as the days went on we realised that maybe we didn't have to take out a second mortgage in order to have a good time. Here are some four tips to help you see Vegas on a budget...

Make the most of the hotels
To be honest one of the best things about Vegas is wandering from hotel to hotel, with each one being even more bonkers than the last. It's completely free to soak up the atmosphere and people watch in the craziest place on earth. For sheer opulence The Venetian was a sight to behold, you'll find yourself wandering around with your mouth open. For retro vibes, head to the Flamingo with real flamingos hanging out in the pool area. For Willy Wonka-style grandness the Wynn has some absolutely incredible floral displays that are crying out for an Instagram snap. The Ballagio has cool old-school vibes and really sums up what Las Vegas is all about.

Take advantage of the fast food joints
I've been lucky enough to visit a few cities in America and Vegas is probably the worst foodie choice. I may not have eaten at the right places but I did my research and everything still fell a little flat. The city seemed to go for quantity over quality. But one thing America does do well is a fast food joint! Shake Shack in particular tastes an million times nicer out there than it does in London. We tended to opt for fast food for lunches and then splash out a little for dinner to help keep costs down.

Avoid the taxis and download Uber
The strip is absolutely huge and after a few times, the novelty tends to wear off walking up and down. It takes such a long time as the crowds really do slow you down. I recommend to download the Uber app to get around cheaply. We got a hell of a lot of Ubers over the week and we spent around £38 each which was unbelievably cheap. I'd fully expected it to be at least £100. Someone told us there are a staggering 30,000 uber drivers in Vegas so you never have to wait longer than a minute for one.

Stick to the slot machines in casinos
If you make it to Vegas you have to have a little flutter at some point. But it can be easy to blow loads of money before you know it. Keep an eye out for the slot machines which are 25 cents a go. That means you have four tries on the one armed-bandits for a dollar. When you start using dollar machines it can soon add it and cut into your budget a lot.

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Four ways to budget your weekly food shop

When you're looking to save money, one of the easiest ways to cut back is on your shopping list. But cutting back doesn't mean you have to cut back on the quality of food you eat. You just have to be savvy! I've become obsessed with trying to lower the price of my food shop each week. Anyone else play that game at the checkout where you try to guess the final total? No? Just us weirdos then! We do treat ourselves to an Abel & Cole box delivered every fortnight which works out around $6.60 each week on top of our food bill. When we buy meet every so often we try to make sure to go to the local butchers to ensure it's free range. We buy cheap cuts of meat like chicken thighs but often find they're the most flavoursome. Here are my four money-saving tips that I swear by when I'm scanning the aisles of Aldi each week...

1. Shop around
It's so convenient to go to one supermarket and get all your shopping completely done in one go. But the supermarkets you visit might not always be the cheapest. We've discovered that Aldi for the bulk of our shop, Home Bargains for cleaning/washing products and specialist cuisine shops for our spices, herbs and ingredients a little out of the ordinary works out to be the cheapest for us. It can be a bit of pain having to go to three different shops but I like to think of it as a little adventure!

2. Go veggie during the week
Since January we've been trying to make a conscious decision to become 'mid-week' vegetarians. Part of it was because I'm trying to do my bit to be more sustainable and the other was because we are trying to cut down on our weekly food bill. We average on around £30 for a veggie food shop compared to around £50 for a food shop including meat. We buy a lots of pulses in the form of tinned beans and lentils to help keep our protein up. Meat is kept for the odd day at the weekend where we'll go to the butchers or a treat if we have dinner out. I haven't really found myself missing it and I'm loving how much more adventurous its making me with my cooking. It's so easy to fall into the trap of always cooking meat and veg without giving it too much thought. I'm determined to create meals where meat isn't missed and think I'm succeeding 75% of the time.

3. Meal plan
The day before we do our shop I'll go through our larder, grab my cookbooks and meal plan for the upcoming week. I tend to choose dinners for four people so I can cook enough for us to have lunch the following day. I only do five days as we always have one day where we're both out and another where we're home alone - that night it is toast of some sort. My favourite comfort food! I don't always cook the meal on the day planned but it will be cooked sometime that week. I find this stops me panic buying and spending unnecessary money. I try to only buy produce that I will use that week to minimise food waste.

4. Stock your cupboard with tins
I love tins. In fact I can't rave about tinned food enough! It's amazing how versatile they are. And cheap! I always make sure I have tinned tomatoes, fish and different types of beans to ensure that even when the cupboards feel bare there is always something to be able to made into a meal. You can easily put off shopping for a few days if you have a well stocked cupboard.

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