November 2013 Grocery Challenge

Mooomin:- take off the usable bits of chicken from the carcass, doesn't matter how small they are. Make a good flavoured white sauce, add in the chicken, I bulk it out with mushrooms, peas but any left over veg will do. Sometimes I'll add in a bit of cooked ham or cooked bacon. It really doesn't matter just use what you have. It then goes in puff pastry. I use frozen blocks cut into quarters, rolled out, filling in the middle, milk around the edges then bring the opposite corners together, and make it into a shape. cook, it really does fill you up and it makes an extra meal out of the chicken. I then freeze the carcass until I have about three to work with. Then I basically do what BlueMoo suggests but I use the nice bits from the stock to make chicken soup and all the horrible bits (skin etc) goes down the dog minus the bones.
Hope this helps

Did my first grocery shop of the month yesterday, spent £32.70. Got 2 pumpkins for 10p each, people don't realise they are vegetables and will store well because they were advertised as 'carving pumpkins', also got a good bargain in leeks, have frozen them as we use loads over the winter, so all in all was very pleased yesterday. I should be ok now until next week, meal planning and weekly budget seems to work for me.

Reporting an early shop for next week to take advantage of A*ldi Super 6 peppers at 69p. I never thought about freezing them - so may have to go back later!!! After reading Moomin's post I'm glad I shopped there today. I noticed stew packs in A*di for £1.29 or 39 - seemed to be a lot in them - lots of carrots, and two of leeks, parsnips and onions. May get one next week as it is enough for the two of us.
Also spent £5.55 on two special cards for Christmas!:eek:

Total spend of £15.48 which should see us through to this time next week as we have plenty in the cupboards and fridge/freezer. Signature updated.

[Deleted User] wrote:

Slow cooker rice pudding sounds fab. Is the recipie on the recipie index? Really want to give this a go this week as a nice warm pudding is just what's needed now that the weather is so cold.

Yep, up in the recipe index. Its great, you just stick in the ingredients, turn the SC on and you can forget about it for hours . Doesn't burn, doesn't dry up. If you want to use it the same day, use the High setting . I used the low setting by accident the last time I made it and it was still cooking the next day!!

[Deleted User] wrote:

Thanks Bluemoo. My budget is for me and OH. We love having a gammon joint and tend to eat it over 2 nights. never thought of cubing it and using it in omelette though or having it in curry or stew. Thanks for the fab ideas:T, I will definetly be trying them out. Nice to have more variety rather that eating it over two nights in the same way.

Yep I have the same budget as you approx £20-25 per week for 2 people.
Gammon is very versatile.

For example

1. Roast gammon with mash pots and mixed veg
2. Thin slice of gammon on half a croissant, topped with a spinkling of grated cheese popped in the oven
3. Sliced cold gammon with salad sandwich
4. Pasta with HM tomato sauce (bulked out with extra fresh tomatoes) with gammon strips
5. Gamon glazed with lemon and spring onions served with a jacket potato and veg
6. Gammon with egg, chips and beans
7. Spaghetti Carbonara (using Gammon rather than bacon)
8. Pea soup with chopped up pieces of gammon with wholemeal bread
9. Gamon fake stir fry (the traditional doesn't really work) with sliced cabbages (instead of beansprouts)/mange tout/green beans/baby corn/general spring greens
10. Chicken pie (mixed with a white sauce or a bit of gammon)

ETA: 11. Pizza (you can either buy pizza bases, or a little trick I use is to get YS ciabatta/other flat bread - or even just use white sliced) with gammon and pineapple. Or a meat feast with cut up sausages/pepperoni/chicken - a great way to use up all those tiny meat leftovers. Don't throw them away!!

Basically anywhere you could have bacon or chicken, substitue for gammon.
As gammon is so flavourful, a little can go a long way. (Especially in something like a pasta dish/bake)
Helps convince the OH they are having a 'meaty' dinner as well.

ETA: As well, the variety of different flavours/spices/textures of the meals really helps stop 'sameness' fatigue. i.e You really feel like you have eaten the same thing over and over.