Day 1 of my Deliciously Ella adventure and it's shopping day! I had a list as long as my arm and ventured out to the supermarket.
Sainsburys:
Sweet Potatoes £4.11
Corn on the cob £1.50
Broccoli £0.50
Kale x3 £3.00
Spinach x2 £2.70
Carrots x4 £0.59
Red Onion x2 £0.23
Basil £1.00
Red Chillis £0.60
Garlic Paste £1.60
Coriander £2.00
Avocado x4 £3.20
Plum Tomatoes £2.40
Cherry Tomatoes £1.80
Bistro Salad £3.00
Peppers £1.50
Chestnut Mushrooms £1.00
Mushrooms £0.90
Courgette £0.64
Limes x4 £1.40
Bananas £0.94
Pomegranate £1.50
Blueberries £3.75
Houmous £1.00
Apple Juice £0.80
Orange Juce £0.80
Alpro Almond Milk x2 £3.40
Cider Vinegar £1.50
Olive Oil £2.25
Chipotle Chilli Paste £1.65
Tahini Paste £1.80
Tamari £2.00
Black Olives £0.42
Chopped Tomatoes £0.30
Tomato Purée £0.50
Black Beans £0.65
Kidney Beans £0.50
Green Lentils £0.50
Mixed Herbs £1.35
Cayenne Pepper £1.35
Crushed Chillis £1.35
Cumin £1.35
Quinoa Flour £2.90
Pumpkin Seeds £0.85
Raisins £1.20
Brown Rice Spaghetti £2.00
Brown Rice Pasta £2.00
Cashew Nut Butter £2.80
Almond Butter £3.95
Quinoa £1.80
Flax Seed £2.50
Total: £84.33
Holland and Barrett:
Quinoa Flakes £4.95
Total: £4.95
I also purchased a few other household items for the week, but for the benefit of this exercise I have removed them from my shopping total. For a reminder of this weeks meal plan please refer back to yesterday's blog.
In all honesty I did not expect the shop to be as expensive as it was, however I did have to buy a lot of store cupboard essentials (and an insane amount of vegetables!). I imagine next time the total shop would be a lot less.
So let's start this plant-based diet...
(From the Deliciously Ella app)
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1
Ingredients for Salad:
1 ripe avocado
Handful of broccoli florets
Handful of fresh coriander
Ingredients for Dressing:
1 lime
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of tahini
1/2 a teaspoon of tamari
1/2 a teaspoon of raw honey or pure maple syrup
Sprinkling of salt
Method:
1. Slice and steam the broccoli for 7 minutes, until cooked but a little crunchy. Place to one side to cool
2. Slice the avocado into small cubes
3. Chop the coriander into small pieces and mix with the broccoli and avocado
4. Squeeze the lime and mix the dressing together before drizzling over the salad
Deliciously Ella recommends serving this with homemade hummus, her pea and fennel salad and some sweet potato wedges.
I found this simple recipe surprisingly yummy. I will be honest I left out the coriander as I absolutely hate the stuff. Saying that I will be forcing myself to eat it in more complex recipes towards the end of the week.
I decided to serve the salad with some sweet potato seasoned with garlic and rosemary, accompanied by hummus and chipotle paste. This made it a more substantial and fulfilling meal.
This recipe I would use again, but probably more as a side dish than a lunch.
Dinner - Shepherds Pie
(From the Deliciously Ella app)
4 people
40 minutes
Ingredients:
400g tin of black kidney beans
400g tin of lentils
400g tin of kidney beans
150g chestnut mushrooms
100g frozen peas
1.5kg sweet potatoes
4 garlic cloves
3 medium carrots
1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Method:
1. Preheat grill to 220C
2. Peel sweet potatoes, chop to small cubes and steam for 20 minutes
3. Peel and grate the carrots and then slice the mushrooms
4. Heat saucepan with glug of olive oil. Crush in garlic and mushrooms. Sautée for 5 minutes
5. Rise and drain beans and lentils, add these to the pan along with carrots, tomato purée, tinned tomatoes, peas, chilli flakes, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper
6. Mix and heat for 10 minutes
7. Once sweet potato is soft, mash and add another drizzle of olive oil, pinch of salt and cinnamon. Mash until smooth
8. Pour bean mixture into a medium sized baking dish and add mashed sweet potato on top. Add small drop of olive oil on top and place in the grill for about 15 minutes, until top turns crispy and brown
I found this recipe really satisfying. Unlike a usual shepherds pie I've not been left feeling bloated. I altered the method to this just slightly by cooking it in the oven rather than the grill for around 20 minutes longer as I wanted to ensure the carrots, kidney beans, black beans and lentils were thoroughly cooked. I also added extra chilli flakes as my partner is a massive lover of spicy food.
Best thing about this recipe is there is extra portions to freeze! I will definitely make this again.
I'd personally say day 1 has been a success! I haven't even snacked which is highly unusual for me! I'm looking forward to seeing what tomorrow has in store. Make sure you come back to see what tomorrow has in store.
