Bubble & Squeak Cakes - Slimming World Friendly Recipe

After a big roast dinner on Sunday I was left with a few vegetables that I planned to eat with some leftover roast chicken & Slimming World friendly roasties the following day. By the time the dinner table had been cleared the pile of leftover roasties was no more - 2 growing boys had scoffed the lot! They never touched the leftover greens though, so at least there was something for my lunch on Monday, which I decided to make into delicious Bubble & Squeak Cakes, with some Smash that I keep in the cupboard for potato emergencies. I used to love a bit of Smash in my single days so I was over the moon when I heard that it was free on the SW plan, as long as you eat it as part of a meal and not scoff it at every opportunity!

I know that sprouts are not everyone's cup of tea, but that's the beauty of bubble & squeak, just throw in any leftover cooked veg that you have to hand. I used broccoli, carrots, sprouts & cabbage, and spiced it up with a few chilli flakes. 

Recipe for Bubble & Squeak Cakes by Helen Jessup on Scribd

I ate 3 of these for my lunch with balsamic baby plum tomatoes that I roasted at the same time as the bubble & squeak. I enjoyed the remaining 3 later with a little sweet chilli dipping sauce (1.5 syns for 1 tbsp).

Gifts for Teachers - Hot Chocolate Spoons

I intended to make these hot chocolate spoons before Christmas but my Mum bought some ready made from Lidl (or possibly Aldi, I get confused) which were perfect for what I needed them for. I thought they would make great gifts for teachers as the end of the school year is fast approaching. If you're like me and have five members of staff at Preschool to buy gifts for then something home-made and inexpensive such as these is perfect. Edible gifts have always gone down well with Preschool staff and the teachers at our school as it's not personal and it's not a mug (although we have bought mugs in the past too!).

For each spoon you will need :

a wooden or plastic spoon, lollipop stick or coffee stirrer
empty yoghurt pot
approx 25g dark chocolate 
A few micro Marshmallows (these were from Asda)
cellophane bags or sheets
ribbon

• Melt the chocolate in the microwave on short bursts until smooth
• Sprinkle a few marshmallows into the base of the yoghurt pot 
• Pour in the chocolate
• Stand the spoon in the pot, you may need to rest against the side
• Sprinkle a few more marshmallows on the top
• Allow to fully set before removing from the pot and wrapping

You can either add a gift tag with instructions for use or write on the back of the spoon 'Stir into hot milk'

Frugal Tips!

• The chocolate doesn't have to be expensive - Asda Smart price dark chocolate at 30p per bar is very nice and works just as well as the more expensive brands. 
• A tip from my Mum is to save the hanging loops (only the satin ribbons not the elasticated ones) from tops and blouses to add the perfect finishing touch to little gifts and they come in all sorts of colours - as well as being free!
• You can find wooden coffee stirrers in the big coffee shops - but you didn't hear that one from me *taps nose*, or you can buy them off Ebay.

These spoons cost around 27p each to make but you could make them cheaper using coffee stirrers or plastic spoons.

If you really want to you could buy the mug too, I'm sure every teacher secretly loves receiving 30 'Best Teacher' mugs every year.