This no fail 3 Ingredient Cheats Fudge is so easy to make, but be warned its just as easy to eat to  < yum!

It is great for a treat or even for a party. You can get creative and use different flavoured chocolate and biscuits to. Give it a go and let us know what you think!

 Ingredients

• 1 Block of plain chocolate (we use Cadbury)
• 1 Tin of chocolate condensed Milk, you can purchase this from ALDI, normal condensed milk will work fine to.
• 1 Packet of chocolate ripple biscuits

 Instructions

1. Break the block of chocolate into pieces and add to a microwavable bowl, add tin of condensed milk and then pop in the microwave for 2 minutess on high.
2. Blitz the whole packet of chocolate ripple biscuits in a food processor or Thermomix, until a really fine crumb. The finer the biscuit crumb the creamier the fudge will taste.
3. Then combine the biscuits to the chocolate and condensed milk, mix well untill the ingredients are fully combined.
4. Line a 22cm tray with baking paper.
5. Pour mixture into slice tray and decorate with whatever you like, we used 100s 1000s.
6. Let is set for 3 – 5 hours in the fridge then slice.

This would have to be one of the easiest meals we make, the best bit is you can have the meat and veggies prepared in a zip lock bag and frozen fro when you need a quick easy meal. You can also choose to use less meat and more veggies if you want to save some extra dollars. You can also make this the night before so that the marinade soaks into the meat yum!

 Ingredients

• 400 grams Blade steak cut into thin strips

• 2 carrots peeled and julienned

• 1/2 red capsicum sliced thinly

• 1 packet egg noodles you can use veggie noodles as well

• 3 stems shallots

• 2 cloves minced garlic

• 1/4 cup plain flour, can use gluten free flour as well

• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1tablespoon honey or rice malt syrup

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil

Instructions

1. Lightly dust the steak in the flour and add to a container.

2. Add the soy sauce, honey,  garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce, carrot and capsicum to the container and pop the lid on. Give a good shake to coat all the meat.

3. Heat a wok or large pan on high and add the sesame seed oil.

4. Add the beef mixture to the pan and sear quickly, it should take about 2 minutes all up, you want the meat to be tender and juicy.

5. Add the egg noodles and stir through until softened approx 1 minute.

6. Serve in bowls with diced shallots.

Serves 4

This chocolate chia pudding is not just for dessert it also makes a great healthy breakfast with healthy fats and protein to keep you full until lunch yum!

Ingredients

• 4 tbs Chia seeds
• 3/4 Cup of milk of your choice, we use Almond Milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbs Cocoa powder
• 2 tbs honey or Rice malt syrup

Method

1. Place the milk, honey and vanilla into a mason jar or container and stir well.
2. Add the cocoa and chia seeds and stir well.
3. Place in the fridge over night and eat in the morning.
4. Add your favourite berries or toppings yum!

These are always a hit in our house, often make them for an easy Sunday dinner, you can eat on their own or with a side salad or veggies.  Great for parties too!

Add your favourite spices or even hide a few veggies from the family < winning!

Ingredients

• 500 grams chicken mince

• 150 grams grated haloumi

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 cup bread crumbs

• 4 sheets puff pastry

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 1 egg whisked

Method

1. Preheat an oven to 200 degrees.

2. In a Thermomix or mix master add the chicken mince, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, honey and haloumi and blitz until a sausage meat consistency.

3. Thaw out the pasty sheets and cut into quarters.

4. Place a good spoonful of mixture into the middle of the squares and fold over into a triangle, use the egg mix to stick edges together.

5. Press down all edges and prick the tops with a fork to let steam out.

6. Brush tops of the triangles with egg wash and place on a tray lined with baking paper.

7. Pop into the oven for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown.

8. Serve with your favourite dipping sauce.

Makes 16

Friday night is known as takeaway night in our house, by the time Friday comes I am exhausted and the last thing I feel like doing is cooking.

A few months ago I was going over our budget and realised we were spending $141.00 a month on takeaway! EEEKK.......And that's not eating out all the time, that's just 4 people eating fish and chips on a Friday night!

I had to get my thinking cap on and think of something where we could still have our Friday night 'treat' and it had to be quick and easy, after all isn't that what takeaway is about?

So this is what I've come up with: 

A box of 12 I & J fish was $9.00 on special form Woolworths normally $10.00. This worked out to 75 cents a piece.

MaCain Chips cost $3.79 from Coles and you get approx: 8 serves out of a pack so equals approx: 50 cents a serve.

I purchased these cute cups from Big W for $2 for 8 (that's 25 cents each).

So all up the kids meal including the cup is $1.50 each. 

For hubby, I give him 2 pieces of fish, chips and we halved a $5 tub of salad from Coles. 

With a total cost of $4.50 each including the salad for hubby and I.

It is as simple as putting everything on one tray and baking on 200 degrees for 25 mins, that's all I do, then serve them up.

I purchased the cute little metal baskets from HOME shop, but I have since seen them at Kmart for $2.00 each, I serve it on a wooden breadboard with a side of sauce and lemon for hubby and for the kids I put the fish and chips in a little cup and they love it!

It normally costs us $37.00 on a Friday night if we get our regular fish and chips, this way it costs us $12.00 all up for the four of us. The kids don't know any different as its presented like takeaway and hubby likes it better than our local fish and chip shop so win win!

More importantly it's not that hard to put together.  I figure with the $104 that we save a month we could eat out at a few fine dining restaurants a year and have some real culinary experiences. 

 I know takeaway isn't for everyone we aren't suggesting that everyone rush out and buy chips. This is simply if you like the odd takeout but like to keep some dollars in your pocket. 

Do you have any other tips for cheap takeout?

Lemon Sour Cream Cupcakes

These cupcakes are my husbands absolute favourite, they are tangy and moist and its hard to stop at one. They also work really well with oranges as well. This is a super easy one bowl cake yum!

Ingredients

125 g soft butter
1 cup caster sugar
3 tablesppons lemon juice
3 eggs
2 cups self raising flour
1 cup sour cream

Icing

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 cups icing sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 180C.

Add all cupcake ingredients to a food processor or Thermomix and blend until smooth.

Place 14 cupcake cases in a muffin tray.

Pour mixture 3/4 f the way up each case, they will rise quite high.

Pop in the oven for 25 minutes until the tops go slightly golden.

In the mean time mix the lemon juice and icing sugar to create the icing.

Spread on the top once cupcakes are cooled, or pour on when hot for a warm gooey lemony mess yum!

Makes 14

My husband has been asking for ribs for ages and to be honest it's not something that I normally cook that often. The local butcher had lamb ribs on special so I thought I would give them a go. I love mint and lamb together so I put together a very simple marinade and it turned out fantastic, that good that I will definitely be making them more often now.


Ingredients

·      1 kilo Lamb ribs

·      2 tablespoons olive oil

·      1 cup mint sauce

·      2 cloves of crushed garlic

·      Good pinch of salt and pepper

·      Handful fresh mint

 

Method

1.     Place the ribs, mint sauce, garlic and olive oil in a container and mix well. I put the lid on and give it a light shake around so that the ribs get coated really well. You can use a basting brush to touch up any ribs that need extra marinade on them.

2.     Put container in the fridge for 4 hours or better off over night.

3.     Preheat oven to 210 degrees.

4.     Line a large tray with baking paper and place the ribs with fatty side down.

5.     pop in the over for 60 minutes until really brown and a lot of the fat has rendered off, if you don't have a fan forced oven they made need extra 10 minutes.

6.     Place the ribs on a tray and garnish with fresh mint.

7.     These are great with a side salad and yogurt dipping sauce yum!

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Serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main on their own.

We go through nearly a dozen eggs a week for breakfast alone, we love our poached eggs on toast and this is how i make them for my family, it is no fail every time, eggs are runny and delicious. This is based on a 1100 watt microwave you may have to cook less or more depending on our microwave watts.

Ingredients

·      1 Egg

·      250 mills water

·      30 mills white vinegar

Method

1.     Add water and vinegar to microwave safe bowl.

2.     Crack egg in the middle of bowl.

3.     Pop in microwave on high for 1 minute

4.     Remove egg with a flipper and pop on toast, cut the middle and watch the yellow goodness ooze out yum!

5.     Remember if you leave the egg in the bowl with hot water it will keep cooking and make sure you use new water and vinegar for each egg.

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These curried beef sausage rolls are a nice change from normal sausage rolls. They never last long in our house even the kids love them. You can adjust the amount of curry powder  you use or even add your own choice of spices to suit your taste.

Ingredients

·       450grams beef mince

·       1 onion chopped finely

·       2 cloves minced garlic

·       1 tablespoon Keens Curry Powder

·       1 cup bread crumbs

·       3/4 cup tomato sauce

·       4 sheets puff pastry

·       1 Egg beaten for pastry edges ( can substitute for milk if needed)

·       pinch salt

·       1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1.     Preheat oven to 180 degrees

2.     Line 2 large trays with baking paper.

3.     Add mince, onion, garlic, salt and pepper to a mix master or Thermomix and mix until mince is  a sausage consistency.

4.     Pop mince mixture into a large bowl.

5.     Add the bread crumbs and mix well.

6.     Mix the sauce and curry powder together in a bowl and add to the mince mixture, combine really well.

7.     Cut pastry across the middle so you have 2 even pieces per one sheet. You should have 12 even pieces once finished.

8.     Pop the mixture across the middle of the pastry and roll up, making sure you don't over fill as they will bust open when cooking.

9.     Press the edge's down on each end and lightly score where they will be cut with a sharp knife.

10.  Brush lightly with egg mix and pop in the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown in colour.

Makes 30

My hubby not long ago started a low carb diet and has been doing really well on it, 15 kilos lost to date. Hubby mentioned that he was craving fried rice and asked if i could make something that tastes similar. I had seen a few cauliflower rice recipes going around and knew the general gist of how to make one so I decided to experiment with a few different flavours. It turned out great and had a real fried rice taste to it. it is very filling and also nice cold the next day, give it a go!

Ingredients

·       1 large head of cauliflower diced really fine, you want a mixture of sizes some from the size of a rice grain up to approx 1 cm in size, this helps with the texture and prevents the cauliflower from going to mush.

·       200 grams diced bacon

·       2 eggs

·       2 stalks shallots diced

·       Half a red capsicum

·       sliced thinly

·       1 cup mixed corn and peas

·       1 onion diced fine

·       1/2 cup diced mushrooms

·       1 tablespoon sesame oil

·       2 tablespoons soy sauce

·       1 tablespoon fish sauce

·       1/2 teaspoon Turmeric

·       1 clove garlic minced.

·       good pinch salt and pepper

Method                                                                                              

1.     Heat a wok on high and add the bacon, turmeric, onion and garlic and cook until onion is almost translucent.. remove into a bowl on the side.

2.     Add the sesame oil and the cauliflower to the wok and keep turning to 3/4 cooked , you don't want it soggy just the crunchiness cooked off.

3.     Add all other ingredients and keep turning.

4.     Add the bacon mix and stir through.

5.     Cook the eggs in the microwave for one minute and then dice fine and stir through.

6.     Add the fish sauce and soy sauce and stir through.

7.     Pop onto a serving tray and top with more shallots.

Serves 4

You don't have to add turmeric, but we do as its quite good for you and gives a nice golden colour.

Why not experiment with your own flavours.

This is a great recipe if you need to hide a few veggies from the kids. We make these and also freeze them for easy meals, hubby also takes them to work as they are great eaten cold as well.

Ingredients

·       1 kilo beef mince

·       1 cup mashed sweet potato, you can use normal potato or pumpkin if you like instead.

·       1 onion diced fine

·       1 clove garlic add more if you like

·       1 carrot grated

·       1/2 cup corn kernels

·       1/2 cup peas

·       1/2 crated zucchini

·       2 cup bread crumbs

·       1/2 teaspoon salt

·       1/2 teaspoon pepper

·       1/2 cup tomato sauce, can use tin tomato's if you prefer.

·       Olive oil to cook in.

Method

1.     Add all ingredients except olive oil and 1 cup of bread crumbs into a large bowl and combine well.

2.     Roll into approx 2 inch size balls.

3.     Place the other cup of bread crumbs on a plate and roll the balls lightly in the crumbs, you don't need a lot just enough for a light coat.

4.     Heat a frying pan on high and add olive oil.

5.     Place balls into the pan and lightly press so they form a Pattie shape, cook on high for 2 minutes and then once flipped over reduce heat to medium and let cook for a further 5 mins.

6.     The patties will be cooked once the outsides are golden and the middle is still juicy but no longer pink.

7.     You can also brown them either side and then pop on a tray into the oven on 180 degrees for 6 minutes, if you have guests coming and want to prep ahead.

Makes approx 15

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Finding a safe and delicious snack for babies can be a testing task.  Getting the right mix of taste, texture and nutrition is a vital part of developing healthy eating habits in a baby’s lifestyle.

Introducing Baby Mum-Mum; a range of delicious, nutritious rice rusks which have been by loved by Australian babies for over a decade.  Full of wholesome ingredients, they feature no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

This No Bake Tim Tam Slice would have to be one of the easiest slices you will ever make. I make this often for family events, It literally takes 5 minutes to make and honestly it takes less than five minutes to be eaten as everyone loves it!  < Warning you won't be able to stop at one.

I let my children eat sugar to a degree, I believe there is a lot of hidden sugar in everyday food items so I tend to limit the sweets and processed sugar where possible. In saying that I allow my children to eat birthday cake and have the odd sweet bag from a party. Last year combined my children were invited to 32 Birthday parties, and everyone of them gave a sweet bag at the end of the party, after all according to my kids it is the best bit of the party.

This year I decided that I was not going to add any sugar or food  to my Sons birthday party bags, I didn't really want to spend money on junk party toys either, my kids look at them once and then they end up on the car floor on the way home from the party < am I right? 

My son is turning 4 and I was trying to think of things that the kids like playing with at this age, I came up with play dough, it is easy to make and keeps kids entertained. My son is having a Ninja Turtle party so  we thought what better then Ninja turtle play dough, kids will love it and will forget about not having a bag full of sweets!

This slice is great for those who don't eat gluten but it also delicious for anyone else to try. It has a great cherry hit and will be enjoyed by all. You can leave the cherries out or swap for other dried fruit if you choose but I think they make the slice.

Make Pizza And Bread Rolls With Only 2 Ingredients!

It almost sounds to good to be true doesn't it? I mean who can make bread rolls or even pizza with only 2 ingredients. Let me tell you I was a little weary of making this recipe when I first heard about it, but I am so glad I did. I use this recipe all the time and has become my weekly go to for bread rolls and Pizza bases.

I am all for finding multiple uses of grocery items and I love that these recipes use Greek yogurt. I buy a big tub when I do the grocery shopping and I use it for breakfasts, baking  and dips it really is so versatile.

The mixture will seem a little sticky don't worry this is normal, once you pop on a floured surface it won't stick so much.

Give these a try they really work well, and let us know how you go!