#NationalVegetarianWeek - Mexican Spiced Butternut Squash Noodle Stir Fry

As you know, I love a good foodie celebration and this week is no exception! This week it is National Vegetarian Week. I am not a vegetarian but I do love vegetarian meals and this week is a good excuse to try some new veggie meals.

National Vegetarian Week is to promote how truly versatile and delicious fresh vegetables are. Even The Hairy Bikers are going veggie this week. We all know that we should eat more vegetables and how good they are for us but often finding new ways to incorporate vegetables into meals and be the stars of the dish is the challenge. Buying vegetables are also a great way to save money on your weekly shopping and if you have enough room growing your own is such a rewarding thing to do.

This recipe is all about savouring the vegetables and adding a little spice that will compliment this meal perfectly.

This is what I did...

Wholemeal and Rye Seeded Loaf - #RealBreadWeek

This week it is Real Bread Week. Real Bread Week is a time to celebrate your local bakers and get making your own bread. Baking bread is a passion that has been reignited. When the twins were smaller I did not buy bread, I only made it. But then life took over and time became an issue so I resigned to that fact that it was easier to buy bread. But now that the twins are at school, I have some more time and have been baking bread again. After I baked for the first time in months I remembered what it was that I loved about baking bread. The whole process of mixing the ingredients together, seeing them come together, feeling them change during kneading, and how after baking the dough you have a loaf of bread.

As it is Real Bread Week it is only fitting that I share a bread recipe with you. On a recent shopping trip to Aldi I found some lovely organic flour on special buy. So I got stocked up with a variety of spelt, wholemeal, Italian 'tipo 00' and dark rye flour. combined with Aldi's The Pantry strong wholemeal flour I have created a delicious bread.

This is what I did...

Cinco de Mayo

This week is one of my favourite excuses for a feast. On Friday it is the Mexican fiesta Cinco de Mayo! Many people believe that Mexico and the USA celebrate Mexico's independence on Cinco de Mayo but that is not true! The reason that people celebrate Cinco de Mayo is to commemorate Mexico's victory over France, who had invaded Mexico. People celebrate with mariachi music, parties, food, margaritas and cerveza!

What is there not to love?

To join in with the celebrations I will be preparing a banquet fit for any Mexican fiesta. Thankfully Aldi are getting into the Mexican spirit and have some fantastic offers on Old El Paso Mexican dinner kits as well as the ingredients you need to make a good old guacamole in their Super 6 offer. Today I am going to tell you about the great Mexican products that I have got to celebrate Cinco de Mayo from Aldi.

Beef Kheema for Great British Beef Week

This week is Great British Beef Week so this weeks recipe with Aldi features their 100% British beef. Aldi are committed to sourcing only 100% British beef that comes from Red Tractor assured farms. This means that they are able to trace back all of their meat to the farm of its origin. The Red Tractor is one of the largest food standard schemes in the UK and they ensure that the welfare of the animals is protected, food safety is paramount and that everything from the care to packaging of the meats is environmentally friendly. 

With Aldi offering some of the best prices on the market seeing the Red Tractor on all of their beef you can be confident that you are going to be cooking and consuming great meat.

To celebrate Great British Beef Week and to also celebrate the fantastic prices at Aldi I am sharing with you a curried beef recipe, beef kheema. This is a simple yet full of flavour dish that can be served in a variety of ways.

This is what I did...

Honey Earl Grey Cupcakes for National Tea Day 2017

Like them or love them there seems to be a national day, week, or month for just about everything. The foodie that I am, I love food and drink days. Even if they are foods and drinks that we consume on a daily basis it is always good to celebrate them and try something new.

On Friday 21st April it is National Tea Day so it is only fitting to celebrate this much loved drink by creating a recipe incorporating tea. There are so many different teas, blends, flavours, makes available on the market. If you are a tea drinker you really are spoilt for choice! Aldi stock a good range of teas at a great price. From Mao Feng green tea to Earl Grey, from fruit infusions to the traditional black tea, we have even found special green teas that contain coconut, manuka honey or mint.

This recipe features the Aldi Earl Grey tea. Earl Grey is a lovely blend of black tea with flavours of bergamot. Bergamot that is used in Earl Grey is an oil that comes from the bergamot orange that grows in Italy. It gives you a light citrus cup of tea which goes perfectly with a slice of lemon and no milk. Tea also has many health benefits which make it an even better drink, they are:

• Tea contains antioxidants which help protect our bodies from pollutants
• Herbal teas contain no caffeine
• Black teas contain half the amount of caffeine than coffee
• Herbal teas can help settle your digestive system
• Tea is hydrating

Whenever we think about afternoon tea we immediately think of cake. This cake recipe is the ideal accompaniment to you cup of tea.

This is what I did...

Posh Cross Buns French Toast - An Easter Breakfast

I love hot cross buns and can happily eat them all year round. At Easter they are an essential part of my shopping list. This year Aldi have lovingly created a hot cross bun that is out of this world! If you love a good, rich hot cross bun you must take a trip to your local store and pick up a pack of their brioche hot cross buns. Priced at just 99p for 4 you cannot go wrong.

You do not have to take just my word for how great these hot cross buns are. They have been dubbed the 'Posh Cross Bun' for Easter 2017. These indulgent, sweet buns are packed with juicy sultanas, raisins and currants and combined with the all butter brioche you will find them to be simply irresistible! Over the last few years brioche breads have certainly become the most popular sweet bread on the market and during 2016 Aldi sold 16 times more brioche than the likes of Marks and Spencer and Waitrose! Aldi's brioche range accounted for 37% of sweet bread sales in the UK!

To celebrate their 'Posh Cross Buns' Aldi have teamed up with Great British Bake Off finalist Miranda Gore Browne to bring you some delicious recipes, both sweet and savoury, and all featuring their 'Posh Cross Buns'. When I was asked to feature one of the recipes I could not resist trying the French toast recipe. It was so delicious I am going to share it with you!

This is what I did...

Dairy Free, Free From Refined Sugar Easter Fruit Oaty Snack - An Alternative #FreeFromEaster with Aldi

Recently I have been experimenting more and more with free from baking so when Aldi challenged me to create an alternative Easter bake I jumped at the chance. At the end of the week the children break up for the Easter holidays and we all know how important it is to keep them busy. This weeks Aldi recipe is perfect to make with the children and I even had a little helper when I made these.

These lovely little fruit oaty snacks are a bit like a soft flapjack that can be cut into a range of shapes and decorated as you wish. They are dairy free and free from refined sugar. We added fruit and honey to give them a natural sweetness. Aldi have got lots of delicious Easter recipes, including some free from treats, in their Easter section. But for now let me and my little helper show and tell you what we did...

Sausage and Beetroot Traybake - Aldi Super 6 Recipe

One of the highlights of shopping at Aldi has to be their fantastic Super 6 offers. This week I thought that I would share with you an easy recipe that uses some of the products that I found in the Super 6 offers this week. Every week Aldi bring you a selection of 6 fruit and vegetable produce that is priced at just 65p and under and 6 meat and fish offers all at great, low prices. It really does pay to stock up on any favourite items while they are on offer.

Traybakes are a delicious way to cook a meal. They are so easy to prepare and cook. You simply place all of the ingredients in a large roasting tin and let the oven do all of the work for you. When cooking all of the ingredients together you create a meal that is so full of flavour, as they cook their flavours combine together to compliment each other perfectly. 

As soon as I saw that both beetroot and sausages were on the super 6 I knew exactly what I would make. This is what I did...

The Perfect Cake for Comic Relief and Mum

This week we have two big events coming up. On Friday people all over the country will be coming together to raise much needed funds for Comic Relief. Then on Sunday we will be celebrating mums. So when I had to decide which topic to focus on for this weeks Aldi post I thought why not combine the two! This cake recipe will create a fantastically fun cake for Comic Relief by simply adding a red nose. Or you can leave the nose off and treat your mum on Mothering Sunday.

If there is one foodie treat that your mum is sure to love this Mothering Sunday it has to be a traditional afternoon tea. However going out for afternoon tea on mother's day can be expensive, not to mention busy. Thankfully you can easily recreate afternoon tea at home with the help of these great Mother's Day offers available in Aldi.

St Patrick's Day Guinness Shepherd's Pie

Friday 17th March is St Patrick's day. Whether you are Irish or not you simply cannot get away from it. So for this weeks recipe with Aldi I thought that I would bring you a taste of Ireland. Today's recipe uses an iconic ingredient from Ireland, Guinness. 

Shepherd's pie is such a classic, comforting meal and one that can be easily adapted to give it added twists. This meal was a huge success with the family and with the added vegetables in the a colcannon for the topping I knew they were getting even more goodness in their meal. Colcannon is an Irish mashed potato that is full of extra vegetables.

So this St Patrick's day why not try my Guinness Shepherd's Pie!

This is what I did...

Lamb Pie for British Pie Week

We all love a good hearty pie. It is such a fantastic winter meal that is a true comforting dish. This week is British Pie Week so it really would be rude not to celebrate with a pie!

When it came to deciding which type of pie to make I knew that I would find the perfect ingredients at Aldi. While I was shopping last week I saw some lovely lamb leg steaks that were so lean I could not resist. Lamb is a meat that we all enjoy but I simply do not use it as often as beef and chicken. Lamb can often be a more expensive meat and people often rave about New Zealand lamb but, personally, I prefer British lamb. Aldi stock 100% British lamb that carries the trusted red tractor logo and is at a fantastic price! When we buy British meat we are not only helping our economy but we are also reducing our carbon foot print and helping the environment!

The filling in today's pie recipe has been slow cooked so it really is full of flavour and the meat was so tender it literally fell apart. I have also used a rich pastry using eggs as I prefer the richer flavour and the golden colour you get as it bakes.

This is what I did...

Fairtrade Fortnight with Aldi - Faritrade Granita

Monday 27th February was the first day of Fairtrade Fortnight 2017. Fairtrade is something that Aldi believe in. In 2015 Aldi sold a range of Fairtrade products that totalled a huge £12 million worth of sales from across the UK and Ireland. That is £12 million that has helped make peoples lives better. Products that have the Fairtrade symbol have been sourced using fairer trading conditions and ensures that the producers, farmers, workers in the developing countries have been paid a fair price for their products.

As consumers we can make small changes that really will make a big difference when added up. Aldi currently stock various Fairtrade products in store from coffee to tea from bananas to roses and even chocolate. Making a simple swap from non Fairtrade to products that carry the symbol helps more people than you can imagine.

Last year to celebrate Fairtrade fortnight I shared with you my Fairtrade Banoffee with a Difference Cake. This cake was made using Fairtrade coffee, bananas and chocolate all from Aldi. This year I am sharing with you a recipe that uses Aldi's Specially Selected Colombian 100% Arabica instant Fairtrade coffee. This full of flavour coffee has been grown in the highlands of Colombia. The coffee is Fairtrade certified which means that 100% of the coffee has been sourced from Fairtrade producer. Today I am sharing with you a delicious, Italian recipe that the hubby has asked me to make. This is a simple but time consuming recipe hence being a day later than normal. When you make this you need to begin preparing it the day before you would like to have it. But, wow, it is so worth the wait!

This is what I did...

Gluten and Dairy Free Banana Pancakes (Low FODMAP and Low Syn)

If there is one foodie event that we all love it has to be pancake day. What is there not to love? It is the one day that you can have as many pancakes that you want without feeling guilty! But with me following the Slimming World eating plan and the hubby having so much success with the FODMAP eating plan we really do not want to undo the hard work. This got me thinking as to how I can adapt the classic pancake into one that is not just healthier but also one that is going to keep everybody's tummies happy.

When I saw that this week Aldi had included bananas in their fantastic Super6 offer I got stocked up. Everyone loves bananas here so I knew that if I used them as the base for this years pancakes they would go down well and priced at just 69p I can buy plenty as once you have tried these pancakes you will need to make more!

This is what I did...

Bramley Apple Week - Bramley Apple and Plum Crumble

We all love a good pudding and this week it is time to celebrate one of my favourite ingredients for a good, comforting pudding, the fantastically versatile Bramley Apple.

The Bramley Apple is a traditional cooking apple. Its bitterness settles to a deliciously sweet flavour once cooked and unlike eating apples it stays full of flavour. Bramley apples can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes making it a great all rounder and with them being at their best, now is a perfect time to start cooking with them. Today I am going to share with you one of our favourite puddings, Bramley Apple and Plum Crumble. The trusty crumble is a pudding that can be adapted easily to taste and can be used with a wide variety of fruits. It can be served with cream, custard, ice cream and even yogurt, the possibilities are endless!

Aldi currently have Bramley apples in store and priced at just 99p for 4 apples (approx 500 - 550g) they are cheap enough to buy a few packs, stew the apples, eat some and freeze some for another day.

This is what I did...

National Yorkshire Pudding Day - How to Make the Perfect Yorkshire Pudding with Aldi

Oh, I love a good foodie celebration and one of my favourites has to be celebrating one of Yorkshire's best loved foodies delights. The humble Yorkshire pudding! Who doesn't love a good Yorkie pud? In our house I always need to make more than there are people dining as you can guarantee that even when all of the plates are clean I'll have someone asking for just one more pudding.

So to get you in the mood for Sunday I thought that I would share with you the best Yorkshire puddings recipe that I have ever had, my mums! She makes the best Yorkshire puddings so instead of looking through books to find one that works I thought I'd simply ask my mum! There are so many ways that you can enjoy Yorkshire puddings. The traditional way has to be with a Sunday roast beef.

This Beef Roasting Joint from Alid is perfect for a Sunday roast with Yorkshire puddings.

The Ashfield Farm beef joint has been matured for 21 months, is 100% British farmed and has the trust red tractor logo, so you know that you are getting a quality meat. This 1kg joint is priced at just £5.99 and there is enough meat for a Sunday roast as well as some leftover for the following day! What more could you want?

To cook the meat I always slow cook the joint for a minimum of 4 hours, but it can be left for up to 6 hours on a low heat. Season with a little salt and pepper and allow the meat to gradually cook. When you are ready to eat remove the meat from the slow cooker or the oven and leave to rest for 20 minutes before carving. But be warned, the meat is so tender it will literally fall apart!

Now onto my mums Yorkshire puddings. This is what I did...

Smoked Haddock Kedgeree - Cheap Budget Meal with Aldi

For many families sticking to a food budget is an essential part of life. However with the rising costs of foods and household products it can be hard. Each week I am delighted to be sharing with you a delicious, healthy meals, for the whole family, that can be made for under £5. Having three children and animals means that our weekly shopping bill can be high, but since I changed where I buy our food and household products from I have noticed a huge drop in our weekly expenses. Yesterday I shared my top money saving tips which include meal planning, writing a shopping list, using a calculator as you shop to name a few. But the one biggest influence on our shopping bill has to be switching to Aldi. Last week I posted a picture via my social media platforms showing what I had spent at Aldi for a weeks worth of shopping.

I was not surprised by the response. So many people also commented on how they had also switched to Aldi and were spending a lot less each week! I spent £55.92 and bought vegetables, cereals, free from milk, cows milk, a lot of fruit, cat food and even a box of dishwasher tablets that cost £5.99 so our food shopping actually came to under £50!

Today I am going to share with you a meal that was based on Aldi's Haddock and Kale Kedgeree. In usual Hijacked By Twins style I have taken the recipe and adapted it to taste and added extra vegetables.

This is what I did...

Smoked Salmon and Kale Pasta - An Aldi Recipe

Recently kale has become my favourite green vegetable to add to meals. When I serve it on it's own, as a side serving, the children are not keen but as soon as I add it to a sauce or mix it with other ingredients they all eat it with no questions asked. So any recipe that contains kale is an instant hit with me.

When I was looking at Aldi's Feed the Family for £5 recipes their Smoked Salmon Pasta immediately caught my eye. Smoked salmon is a fantastically versatile ingredient and thanks to Aldi it is a more affordable ingredient to use. The recipe is part of Aldi's latest campaign that is showing families that you can prepare healthy, tasty meals for under £5. Over the coming weeks I am going to be trying out some of their recipes and taking some inspiration from them to show you that it can be done. Sticking to a budget does not mean that you should compromise on healthy choices.

Today I am going to be telling you how I have taken inspiration from Aldi's Smoked Salmon Pasta recipe which is served with a spinach and walnut salad. I have not made the salad but have added kale and broccoli to the pasta and have even made it Slimming World friendly by making a few simple swaps.

This is what I did...

Butternut Spaghetti Stir Fry

Vegetable noodles are a great way to get added goodness into our diets. But when you want to make a quick meal they are not so great. Spiralising the vegetables can take time that is precious when you are living in a busy household. So when I saw pre prepared vegetable noodles in Aldi I could not wait to try them.

I have made my own courgetti in the past as well as carrot noodles, but I have not tried to spiralise any other vegetables. Aldi have brought out two delicious varieties of vegetable noodles, courgette noodles and butternut squash noodles. I love butternut squash but never thought about spiralising it. As soon as I saw it on the shelf it went straight in my trolley along with plenty of other vegetables for today's recipe.

Today's recipe is not only a super healthy meal but is also a great budget meal!

This is what I did...

Leftover Turkey with Pesto Kale and Mango Salsa - Aldi Recipe

As always when January arrives I am craving healthier meals. Don't get me wrong, we had healthy meals over Christmas but our meals were all out of routine and we all enjoyed some treats. As well as craving vegetables we are also feeling the pinch. Like most families we spent a lot both during the run up to Christmas and over the festive holiday so now it is all over we are having to tighten the belt a bit. This includes my shopping budget. I am looking for as many ways as possible to save some extra pennies. I am using our new chest freezer a lot and am freezing food so that it is not wasted but also gives us some more food options. Thankfully one shop that we can all depend on is Aldi!

Before Christmas their super 6 vegetables were down to just 19p each, so I stocked up! I got so many carrots I have even managed to blanch and freeze some. I was excited to see that their Super 6 offer this week included some of my favourite fruit and vegetables. While I was looking through their website before doing my shopping I also discovered a section that I had not seen before, Feed the Family for £5. This immediately caught my attention and needed further investigation! I found 3 different recipes that Aldi have created using the key products in the Super 6 deal over both fruit and vegetables and meats and fish. So I decided to give one of the recipes a go.

I finally decided to try the Roasted Gammon Joint with Kale and Mango Salsa. But as I had got a lot of turkey leftover from Sunday I replaced the gammon steaks with slices of turkey but did make the kale and the mango salsa.

This is what I did...

Perfect New Years Eve Party Food from Aldi

Now that Christmas day is over with all of the attention goes to new years eve.

New years eve it a fantastic excuse to have a good get together with friends and family. Any get together needs good food but not a big sit down meal like on Christmas day. On new years eve a buffet, picky meal is so much better. If you have ever tried making canapés you will know how fiddly they can be not to mention time consuming. Thankfully Aldi are here to help and they have some delicious treats that will really impress any guests that you may have. Even better they are at a price that will certainly make you happy!

This is what I am planning to serve up to welcome in the new year...