Be a Kitchen Hero with Sainsbury's and win £50 shopping voucher

You may have noticed the new adverts on the telly for the by Sainsbury's range.  I caught the one with the very cool super-slow version of Kylie's 'Can't get you out of my head' and never before have I wanted a sausage sandwich so much!




Sainsbury's have re-designed packaging and improved favourite products to launch their by Sainsbury's range, which covers more than 6,500 product ranges and is rolling out to stores nationwide.

To celebrate this, Sainsbury's have asked me to come up with my Kitchen Hero dish, and have challenged you to do the same.  Featuring a store-cupboard essential, we all have a fail-safe, go-to recipe which we use time and again.

My Kitchen Hero product must be pasta.  I always have dried pasta in the cupboard, and know that whatever else I have in the fridge, or times when I forget to get something out of the freezer, if I have pasta, I'll always be able to cook up a family meal.

The recipe I use most is this super-quick and tasty spaghetti with creamy cheese sauce and smoked salmon. I love it because it takes less than 5 minutes, the whole family are guaranteed to clear their plates, and I just adapt it to what I have in the fridge.  Spaghetti is my favourite for this dish because it cooks so fast, but you can use any shape of pasta.  I often use the better value salmon trimmings, or if I don't have salmon, add some lardons; bacon; chopped ham or tinned tuna.  You can make it vegetarian too, and if there's been no fresh greenery in the fridge, I've been known to add a handful of frozen peas or sweetcorn instead.

You will need:

1 pack of soft cheese (I use Lacto free for my daughter, but any Philly style cheese will work)
You can add grated cheese of any variety that you happen to have in the fridge
Fresh spinach
by Sainsbury's dried spaghetti
Smoked salmon

Boil the water and add the pasta with a pinch of salt and a drop of olive oil.

While that's cooking, melt the cheese in a separate pan.  Add a splash of milk if it's too thick.  Add any other grated cheese you have, and a twist of black pepper.

Add the spinach to the pasta water for the last minute of cooking.

Drain, then serve the pasta, topped with slices of smoked salmon, the wilted spinach and finally pour over the cheese sauce.

So now I'm turning the challenge over to you.  I want you to comment below with your Kitchen Hero signature dish, telling me your family favourite meal using at least one of the by Sainsbury's staple products.  Leave me a comment describing the dish or link to a blog post if you've already written about it.

A panel of judges from Sainsbury's will pick their favourite and the winner will be awarded £50 Sainsbury's shopping voucher. There's an extra entry if you tweet and spread the word.  Please tweet "I'm entering @missielizzieb's #kitchenheroes challenge http://bit.ly/ZDAGNR"  Leave another comment saying you've tweeted.  Make sure you leave a method of contact such as your email or Twitter ID so we can contact the winner.

The competition will close at 12:00 midday on Tuesday 14th My 2013.  The prize is fulfilled by Sainsbury's and they are responsible for the judging process.

Disclosure: This is a featured post.  For more details please see my Disclosure page.

Where do you holiday when you're scared of flying?

Each year, the same old discussion comes up about where we're going to go on holiday.

Much as I DO actually love this country and firmly believe it has many hidden treasures; much as I think air flights cause untold environmental damage, I do basically use those as excuses not to get on a plane.

You see I'm absolutely terrified.  It makes me feel physically sick just thinking about it and any foreign jaunt is marred by weeks of my nervous snapping temper beforehand, and then fretting throughout the holiday about the return journey.

I do force myself to do it - I've been to Portugal; Spain; Tunisia; Greece; Egypt and even flown to Scotland and Ireland, but I'll avoid it if at all possible.  Any suggested destination sees me doing a quick mental geography lesson to see if I can get there by car/boat or train.  On my last family flight, Ruby held my hand firmly the whole time and said soothingly "it's alright Mummy, it's alright".  Talk about role reversal.

At the moment I'm trying to steer the Old Man towards Thomson Al Fresco holidays who offer lots of choice in Northern France - easily accessible by ferry!

We've done hotels; villas; woodland lodges; barges and self catering cottages so this time we want to try something new - camping.

Now, his idea of camping and mine are poles apart.  He recently exclaimed with glee that he'd signed us up for family membership at a private riverside club - ostensibly for the wild swimming possibilities.  He was full of excitement telling us that members were allowed to camp there over the summer and painted a picture of us all singing Ging Gang Goolie by the camp fire whilst munching on marshmallows.  However, reading between the lines on the club's rules and regulations leaflet, I'm harbouring strong suspicions that he's actually signed us up to a nudist club.  The mind boggles.  When I enquired about toilet facilities I was informed happily that they consisted of a 'bush and a shovel'.

Good lord!

I'm all for a bit of communing with nature, but I'd like something that sets us apart from the bears in the woods.

To me, camping needs to come with a minimum of a hot shower; running water and a toilet.  But preferably, a few more mod cons.  These mobile homes on the parcs and sites with Thomson look much more my cup of tea.

Now, I've just got to persuade him to drive there...either that or start a hypnotherapy course.

Disclosure:  This is a featured post in association with Thomson Al Fresco holidays.  All word and content are my own.  Please see my disclosure page for further details.

Blue Bell Fairy Shaker

We've had in mind now for a little while that we wanted to make a fairy shaker to take to the woods with us.

So one evening after dinner, we took a stroll and started looking for a suitable stick.  "It has to be a CAPITAL Y shape stick Mummy" yelled Ruby over her shoulder as she dashed this way and that looking for a suitable specimen.

It was a lovely evening, with the last of the dabbled sun glinting through the trees.  The heady aroma of wild garlic, warmed by the day's sunshine filled the air, and the first of the bluebells were beginning to open.

Once we found just the right stick, we took it home to make our musical instrument.  Ruby was totally inspired and wanted to make a shaker for the bluebell fairies, so she set to choosing blue ribbons and buttons to decorate the wand.  We used strong nylon thread to tie on a row of jingle bells (ours were left over from a Christmas decoration, but you can find these in craft or haberdashery stores).  Then she chose some velvet ribbon to wrap around the handle because it gave a nice soft finish and made in comfy to hold.

Once it was suitably adorned, we took it back to the forest to play and see if we could coax the bluebell fairies out.

Do you think it worked?

We shared this instrument with Red Ted Art's craft hangout, take a look at the video for more amazing musical creations.  There's enough to start your own orchestra!




Check out the blog links for all the instructions:

Maggy's maracas and shakers and her fabulous guitar
Adele's straw kazoo
Ali's cool castanets
Anthea's bottle pan pipes
George's tambourine
Crystal's jingle wristbands

Linking up with Kids Get Crafty and Country Kids.

    

Check out the bluebell page on the Forestry Commission website to find the best spots to see bluebells in bloom.

Time to relax

Oh!  We have a long weekend coming up.  The Bank Holiday has fallen on me like an unexpected gift.  I'd totally forgotten, but boy do we need it.

I'm determined that we use this extra day to recharge our batteries, relax, and HAVE FUN.

Life's been hectic lately, and none of us are sleeping well because of various stresses and strains.  Patience is wearing thin and tempers are fraught.  The endless stream of meetings; work commitments; appointments; trips to the doctors / dentist / hospitals; birthday parties; swimming lessons...the list just goes on and on.

We seem to have lost sight of what’s important.  We don’t have time to play.

True, the evenings are getting lighter which does at least give us the chance to squeeze a trip to the park or a walk in the woods in before bed, but even that is against the clock.

The weeks are whizzing by in a blur of chores and mundane trivia, and I find myself on autopilot from making the school packed lunch through to the dinner – bath – bed routine.  Even the bedtime story is a race against time before some engagement or other.

This weekend is already booked up - albeit with fun stuff, but there’s places to be, people to meet.  We’re off to stay with a friend on Friday night. I'm very much looking forward to it, but I know Friday will involve rushing around packing the car, organising a dog-sitter and fretting that we'll get stuck in traffic and be late. The Old Man will be up and at ‘em early as he goes off to plot some epic swimathon across Cambridgeshire. On Sunday we’re heading off to London to the 30 Choir Festival, and whilst I’m very excited about it, I expect it’s going to be a busy day.

But on Monday we have one whole day, just the three of us.  No outside interference.  No clock watching.  The phones will be switched off, the front door shut behind us, and we’ll be free.

Now, what shall we do?

Disclosure: This is a featured post in association with Rechargable Batteries. Please see my disclosure page for further information.  All words and images are my own. 

P&G and Asda Clean Water Campaign

Water.

We've had so much of it falling from the sky lately, it's easy to take it for granted.  We have an almost limitless supply it seems, and every time we need a drink; brush our teeth; take a shower; water our plants or flush the toilet, it's there.  On tap.

It's easy to forget that every single day 2,000 children die as a result of contaminated water.  More children die because of diseases caught through dirty water such as cholera and dysentery, than from HIV/AIDS and malaria combined.

P&G and Asda have joined forces to help address this.  From now until 8th May 2013, every P&G product purchased at Asda, will see one day's clean drinking water donated by way of their purification sachets.  Click here to see a full list of their range from household cleaning and detergent products to personal hygiene items and nappies.

After 8th May, there will be selected items on sale bearing the Clean Water logo, and for each of these purchased, clean and safe drinking water will be donated.

In addition, you can donate a day's clean water simply by clicking on Facebook.  Every like of this page will trigger another donation, so please share and tell your friends.

We've been given some sachets to try and to see just how they work, so check back soon to see how we get on.  Each sachet can transform 10 litres of contaminated water into clean and safe drinking water in just 30 minutes.

Disclosure:  All views expressed are my own.  I received a sample pack but no financial reward.

Parent Bloggers and The London Community Gospel Choir Unite

Being part of a choir has never been more popular, thanks in part to recent TV series and coverage.  The sense of community from being part of a group activity, as well as the reported health and well-being benefits make this something many would like to be involved in.  It requires little expense and no special equipment or instruments.

However, practical and logistical reasons make it difficult for modern, busy parents to attend groups and regular practices.  Through this innovative project, a group of busy mums have had the chance to receive expert tuition from the London Community Gospel Choir, to join a community and rehearse to take part in a much wider event, all from the comfort of their own homes.

Using Google Hangouts, parent bloggers Marianne Weekes; Sharon Donnelly and Helen Wills, together with Mary Isokariari from The Voice publication have been receiving expert tuition and practising 'O Happy Day' before coming together for a World Guinness Record Attempt of the largest ever gospel choir at the 30 Choir festival on Sunday 5th May.

Rosie Shelly, Community Manager at Google UK said "this project is a great example of people getting together online and it's a brilliant use of the Google + Hangout platform".

The bloggers involved have been sharing this journey live with their viewers, and shown remarkable bravery! Helen Wills got involved because she "thought it sounded like a really cool idea and it's so exciting to be involved in something that's never really been done in this way before".

Sharon said she was "looking for something fun to get involved in", and being able to do it from home really appealed.  Mari had secretly harboured a desire to win the X Factor, and felt that this might be the closest she'd get!

Actually, she's not a million miles from X Factor.  All those choirs you see performing on Saturday night shows?  Yep, chances are that's the London Community Gospel Choir.  They've performed with the likes of Kylie Minogue; Blur; Nick Cave; Madonna; Elton John and Westlife to name but a few.

And now they're singing with bloggers we know and love - how cool is that?

If you'd like to go along to the 30 Choir Festival celebrating their 30th Anniversary, you too could rehearse with them and join the world record attempt.  Tickets can be booked online.

Meanwhile, I'll leave you with their live performance last week at The Shard where they became the first live music act to perform at what is now the tallest building in Western Europe.

30 Ways to save £1

To mark the 30th anniversary of the £1 coin next month, Money Supermarket have launched a competition to find as many ways as possible to save money.  OK, so this makes me feel incredibly old because I remember getting crisp £1 notes for pocket money, but still, it seems a great idea for sharing tips.

Please note, in the spirit of frugality, some of the links and suggested products below are affiliate links, which means I may earn some pennies as a referral fee if you purchase/sign up.

Here are 30 of mine:

Cashback sites.  Everyone knows that cashback sites offer money back on online purchases, but some of them now offer much more.

1. If you have a smart phone, download the Topcashback app (affiliate link).  This allows you to register debit or credit cards and gain cashback in store now too as well as internet purchases.

2. The Topcashback app also has a nifty feature called 'snap and save'.  Its worth checking the featured products when doing your grocery shop.  If you purchase any of them, simply take a photo on your phone of your receipt and submit it, you'll be rewarded with anything from 10p to £2 back.

3. Quidco (affiliate link) is another one you should get on your phone.  It has a great 'check-in' feature which works with GPS to allow you to earn money when visiting shops.  you don't even have to make a purchase, just click a button on your phone.  Typically you earn between 10-20p per shop, but if you're mooching around town you can easily clock up a couple of pounds per day.  Quidco also offer cashback on in store purchases if you register a card, and a 'clicksnap' feature similar to Topcashback's.

4. Vouchercloud is another useful app to have on your phone. Again, using GPS it will find money-off vouchers for nearby shops, attractions and restaurants for you.

Grocery Shopping.

5. Try and make use of the handheld self scanning machines as you do your in store shop.  It helps you easily keep track of how much you've spend and keep to a budget.

6. Look for downloadable and printable vouchers before you go shopping on products you're likely to buy.  Supersavvymeyme is a good site for personal hygiene and cleaning product offers.  Other coupon sites include My Savings  and of course, Money Supermarket.

7. Work out when your local supermarket discounts fresh items - usually this is on a Sunday afternoon.  It's a great time to go shopping and take advantage of reduced-to-clear items.

8. Sign up to supermarket loyalty schemes.  Each year I manage to do my Christmas food shop using Clubcard and Nectar points I've saved over the year.

9. Follow these instructions to see if you have any 'missing' Tesco clubcard vouchers.  You can ask for them to be re-sent or use the codes to exchange them online.

Food

10. Get into the habit of batch baking on a Sunday afternoon for lunchbox fillers for the week. Cereal bars, bakes and snacks are so expensive and you're paying a premium for the individual wrappers.  A batch of fruit buns or flapjack takes next to no time to make, will keep the kid's lunchboxes filled and cost a fraction of the price.  It's really useful too if you have allergies in the family as you know exactly what's going into them.

11. On a similar note, instead of individual dried fruit packs, invest in some small plastic tubs and use dried fruit from the baking section for a fraction of the price.  Also make up individual jellies and decant yoghurt from home will save you money.

12. When cooking meals that need a lot of oven time, like casseroles, lasagne, pies etc, I always double up to save on fuel.  Cooking two and popping one in the freezer for a later date, saves on cooking time, and means you have a home-cooked meal handy which just needs de-frosting and re-heating.

13. Learn to forage! You don't have to go full-on and live of nettles to be able to enjoy the fruits of nature.  Make like your grandparents and pick the blackberries in the hedgerows.  Check out the amazing interactive map on the Fruit City website and find fruit trees growing near you.  There are a host of community orchards and herb gardens springing up where you can help yourself for free.  Find out what's in your local area.

14. Grow your own.  Again, you don't need to have a whole allotment plot to enjoy homegrown fruit and veg.  A windowsill or some patio pots can still provide salad and tomatoes for the family.

15.  If you are planning on growing your own, join a seed swap scheme to save money.  This could be informally with friends and family, or an organised one - go Google your local area.  Saving seeds from previous year's crops is also a great way to save money.

Drink

16. PLEASE don't waste money and resources on bottled water.  Many investigations have shown expensive bottled water has no more benefit than tap water.  Re-use an old plastic water bottle or invest in a water bottle that you can refill, such as these from Sigg which will also keep it cool on a hot summer's day.

17. On a similar theme, buying coffee while out is so expensive.  The mark-up on a cup of coffee in a High Street chain is around 300%, so instead of boosting their obscene profits further, take a flask out an about with you.  No longer the preserve of little old couples on day trips, flasks are hip again, and rather than getting sniggered at, I often get complimented when on the train both for my canny money-saving and my pretty flask.  Check out some of my favourite designs.

18. I can't talk about drink without mentioning alcohol!  I've recently tried out making my own wine, and this little venture is going to save me lots of money.  The kits are great for starting out, and will give a reliable finish, but then you can get more experimental and save even more money by using foraged fruits and herbs in your beer or wine making.

19.  Cheap supermarket vodka and gin can be made infinitely more drinkable by infusing with fruits or spices, and also make a lovely Christmas gift.  Check out these great recipes for Limoncello , Spiced Vodka and Sloe Gin.

Kids

20.  It seems so obvious, but join your local library to save yourself a fortune.  Brand new books are so expensive, so borrow them for free and have an ever-changing book shelf.  Many libraries now also loan games, music and DVDs.

21.  Seek out your local toy library.  Many are run by Sure Start Centres of local family centres, but a quick internet search should find you one nearby.  There you will be able to borrow toys and baby equipment for free or a nominal charge.

22.  Many kids enjoy craft activities, but the supplies can be expensive.  Encourage them to use natural materials and things found around the home.  We have a junk modelling bag where we store up loo roll tubes, boxes and bits of plastic which will be useful for making with.  Check out great blogs such as Red Ted Art which has a wealth of ideas and inspiration for free or low cost activities.

23.  Get back to nature and do more outdoor play.  The old fashioned activities such as tree-climbing; kite flying; den building; pooh sticks are all free and so much better for you than playing computer games.  There are some great blogs and resources to give you play ideas, and my favourite is Family Days - Tried and Tested.  She has some incredible ideas for outdoor play that you'll want to rush out and try.

24. Birthdays can be very expensive, and once your kids start school and get invited to parties it seems like you have to come up with a present a week.  Stock up during the sales and on BOGOFs, and keep a small stockpile of gift items ready.  I set a budget of £5 per child (30 kids in a class that's £150 a year!) Most parents seem to spend more than this in our school, but with careful shopping and buying things at good value, I can stretch my £5 to get a very decent gift.

25.  School uniform time can also be a drain on the bank account.  Check with the PTA to see if your school does a uniform sale of outgrown second-hand uniform.  If they don't, why not suggest one?

Transport

26.  Transport is another big bank account sucker.  Where we can we walk or cycle for short trips.

27. Look into car-share schemes if you drive to work.  Buddying up with someone and taking it in turn to drive, will cut your fuel cost in half and be better for the environment.  Check out sites such as Car Share or Car Pooling.

28.  If travelling by rail, try to plan your journey as far in advance as possible.  If you can travel at specified times, book a discounted fare which stipulates which train you must take.  Also remember to book through a cashback site, or use a discounted ticket site such as the Trainline.

Fuel

29.  This has to be one of our biggest monthly bills.  Make sure you're regularly checking for the best deals and switch provider if they offer a better rate.  Money Supermarket and other comparison sites can help.

30.  If you have an open fire place - use it!  Get the chimney checked and swept and burn solid fuel.  A woodburner is more energy efficient than an open fire, and burning wood is considered to be 'carbon neutral'.  We often take a large bag with us on dog walks and fill it up with free wood in the form of sticks and branches we find on the ground.  We find wood in skips (careful it's not been treated with harmful chemicals before you burn it, and ask permission before taking it); are given unwanted bits from family and friends, and Freecycle is a great source for free wood to burn.

Well, that's my 30, I could go on all day, but hopefully you've found some of those useful.  If you have any that I've missed, please do let me know.

Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links.  Money Supermarket are also paying £1 per tip posted up to £30.