On the last day of my week long student food blog, I really hoped to cook something special. However, as all great chefs know (look at me, cooking for myself for one week, and naming myself a great chef) it doesn’t always go to plan.

Last minute I have had to substitute chicken for something else. As the week has come to an end, theres quite little left from my shop now. So deciding what to serve next to my roast veggies and sweet potato fries was a challenge. What I have gone for is as follows, roasted veg, with beautifully boiled noodles, and spicy sweet potato chips as a side. Double the carbs- who cares!

A mix of fries!

I know this scraping the barrel a bit, but honestly it was actually very tasty, and as a thrifty student, I refused to go and buy more chicken from the shop.

The best aspect were the sweet potato fries, which I dusted with garlic powder and some cayenne pepper to add a little heat. The veg was made up of carrots, onion and pepper, and my noodles were… well just noodles.

I am feeling full now and I would probably make this dish again. This meal took around 40 minutes, which was mostly due to the roasted veg, and the unpredictability of my fries. Sweet potato fries have always been a bit of a mystery to me. Sometimes they’re great, sometimes they burn or they’re undercooked, however, today I hit it spot on, and they were a perfect side.

I did use some extra sauces today, sweet chilli on my noodles, and mayo with my fries.

Due to my chicken not making the cut, the cost must have been around 80p, which you can’t really argue with!

At the end of the week, I am left with:
– 1 carrot
– 1/2 a sweet potato
– 3 frozen chicken thighs
– 3 portions of dry noodles
– 3/4 bag of brown rice
– 1/2 bag of lentils
– 1 green pepper
– a few sprigs of basil
– 1/2 bag of frozen peas

As you can see form this list, I have used up nearly all of my perishable items, and my wastage has been extremely little. The rest of my veg I will use over the next few days I’m sure. I have also been able to eat leftovers for lunch, and I have frozen meals too, meaning I have saved money on sandwiches and packed lunches, and also I have food I can easily defrost in the future.

All in all, I have found this blog very fun to write, and I think I have successfully shown that you get a lot for your money as a student, if you shop in the right places.

Despite this success I am looking forward to eating pizza, and I think I deserve it after this week!