July 2008 Grocery Challenge

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  • perrywinkle
    perrywinkle Posts: 224
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    mumzyof2 wrote: »
    ahh i will look at that thread tomorrow :) Thankyou

    can u use them at tesco on anything?

    does anyone know what i can cook with mince? except spag bol and chilli as i always tend to make those.. i cant make burgers etc either.

    Hi mumzyof2,

    This makes a very large Moussaka which could easily feed 8 – 10 people or even more but the quantities can easily be reduced for a lesser number. I make extra meat sauce when I do this and freeze for the next time – you could split the meal up and freeze it but I find that the potatoes are better done fresh and it takes up a lot less room in the freezer when it is just the meat sauce.
    It’s surprisingly tasty considering the basic ingredients although it wouldn’t be the same if it was a mince other than lamb.



    Moussaka

    450g minced lamb
    225g onions, finely chopped
    1 tbsp oil – olive is nice
    2 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
    3 lb potatoes, peeled and cut in half
    salt and pepper

    sauce

    230g cheddar cheese, grated
    50g butter or margarine
    50g plain flour
    600ml milk

    -heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion until soft. Add lamb mince and cook for another 4 – 5 minutes stirring. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook for 20 – 25 minutes. Season to taste.
    -boil the potatoes in a large pan of water for about 15 minutes until they are just cooked. Drain and cut into thick slices when they are cool enough to handle.
    -make the sauce by melting the butter in a pan and adding the flour. Cook until sandy in colour and gradually stir in the milk to give a thick smooth sauce. Cook stirring constantly for about 5 minutes then add about two thirds of the cheese.
    -place a layer of the sliced potatoes in the base of a large ovenproof dish then cover with the meat sauce. Put the second layer of potato slices over the meat sauce layer and then pour over the cheese sauce and sprinkle over the rest of the cheese.
    -bake in a 200oC preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbling.

    HTH
    Perrywinkle
  • ragz_2
    ragz_2 Posts: 3,254
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    Hia, went to Mr T earlier to get a couple of things, spent £15 but shouldn't need anything for the rest of the week. However then we are going camping for OH's birthday and when we get back it's DS1's 2nd b'day so will be spending a lot on party food (any cheap party food threads on here?).
    June Grocery Challenge £493.33/£500 July £/£500
    2 adults, 3 teens
    Progress is easier to acheive than perfection.
  • Blairweech
    Blairweech Posts: 1,379
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    Thankyou, savingfortravel - I did indeed walk away from the £50 spend - you are absolutely right, a few pounds off petrol does not justify an extra £20 on the shopping bill (plus I actually have to go out of my way to get to a Tesco anyway).

    I have just had a good look at the recipe index (specifically at cakes and biscuits because this is where a BIG chunk of my grocey spend goes). This week, I have not bought any cakes, snacks etc which means that if I want them I'm going to have to make them.
    We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret and disappointment
  • Sian_the_Green
    Sian_the_Green Posts: 1,584 Forumite
    If you normally spend a fortune on chinese sweet and sour sauce try making your own- ridiculous how simple it is

    4tbsp caster sugar
    2tbsp red wine vinegar (sure you can use other vinegars)

    Heat together until the sugar dissolver, bring to boil for 3-4 mins

    Add some chopped veg, orange juice, chilli flakes etc to taste and reduce with some water if too thick.
    God is good, all the time
    Do something that scares you every day
  • jak
    jak Posts: 2,027
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    Ok my budget for July is £85 and i'm determined to do it this month! So far i'm on budget and we are eating better than we have for ages due to Tescos and Asda price war thing. Hooray! I've just been to check prices of fruit and veg and made a list cosisting of aldi, and asda- tesco is good for salad at the mo but we've got loads so need some fruit now. Got to make a fruit salad for dinner friday so need lots of nice fruit. Aldi I think.
    J
    X
    2022 Comp total (prizes + free spins): £494.81 #20 £12 a day Jan: £382.95/£372 #57 360 1p challenge: £17.70 £10 a day Feb: £571.09/£280 March: £311.96/£310
  • teedy23
    teedy23 Posts: 2,088
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    Hi all, spent £19.43 in Tesco tonight. Thats my big shop for the month. Freezer is groaning cupboards are full. My pal who drives me to Tesco added a few things to my list to make up the £50.00 spend, so gets the petrol saving. My actual bill was £56.76, then my coupons came off, pals shopping bill, and left me with the £19.43 to add to my sig. I love it when a plan comes together.
    :T:jDabbler in all things moneysaving.Master of none:o

    Well except mastered my mortgage 5 yrs early :T:j
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  • angchris
    angchris Posts: 1,179 Forumite
    have had a great day today havent spent anything and dont intend spending anything 2moro either or for the rest of the week for that matter.
    brekfast consisted of hm seeded bread/toast with hm butter with hm jam...how fantastic is that i made it all myself!!! i made the butter on monday night using room temp double cream (oh stumbled across it in mr t at 10p and couldn`t leave it there all on its lonesome :D ) and shaking it in a jar till the buttermilk came out then mixing in a bit of salt and shaping it into a pat of butter. tea was hm spicy chicken dipper with hm wraps n chippo`s using just 1 breast sliced thinly and coated in spicy breadcrumbs between 3 people...by the time i had filled the hm tortilla wraps with salad leaves/cuc/toms from mums garden the wrap was full with a few bits of spicy chicken poking out the end making them look good, i find its much cheaper doing it this way as you can use much less meat than if you were to cook a meal of spicy dippers/beans/chips as oh would expect half a plate of dippers :rolleyes:
    have just got 1/2 leg of lamb out of the freezer and were having a roast 2moro ooops thats today now :o and hopefully if i can stop oh picking at it there should be enough leftover to make lamb pasties for another day.
    i have also made a cornbread cake (trying to use up cornmeal) and i topped it with some banana frosting (which was delish) using a very ripe banana mashed up and mixing icing sugar in untill it looked good then spread it over the cake and sliced up into small squares...am hoping that if the squares are smaller i will eat less of it thats my theory anyway :rotfl:
    i have to say that my kitchen is gradually turning into how you would imagine the waltons kitchen to be.. set in the 30`s i think, i have completely stopped buying "rubbish" ie crisps/cakes/biscuits in fact any processed food and make it all myself, i have rows of jars of pulses and nuts/seeds jams and pickles and my fridge actually now contains proper food of meat and veg rather than processed rubbish they try and sell you with neon signs and im feeling alot healthier for it and another added bonus is that my shopping bill has come right down to £100 for 3 + a rottweiler :D
    proper prior planning prevents p!$$ poor performance! :p
    Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money
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  • dink1
    dink1 Posts: 197 Forumite
    Hi Guys,

    Just nipped into Mr T on the way home from work and found that they had reduced all their crisps for some unknown reason (and they are all in date!) I resisted and only bought what was needed for packups!!!

    will update siggy in min.


    hope everyone has a great day today (although forecast is rain!!!)

    JayJay14 - Well done honey it must feel good to be in control.

    sorry have been reading so welcome to any newbies

    Dink!
    JanGC £250/£82 far:weight loss 1lb cc250/£86/cm40/£9.50 :A
  • Diane_239
    Diane_239 Posts: 266 Forumite
    hi all went to Mr T's when finished work yesterday and did a big shop which should last the rest of the month still have a few bits in freezer,set target of £200 for the month only got to get fruit,veg and fresh bits each week so well on target.£135 left for the rest off the month so should be able to come in on target.
    does anyone else freeze milk i only use semi skimmed milk and was just wondering if it can be put in the freezer?
    July 2008 Grocery Challenge.[£200/£200]
    Aug Grocery Challenge £200
  • Yes milk freezes well, just pour a little out of the top as it expands and may split bottle-this has never happened to me however. HTH

    Hi everyone,
    Hope you all have a great day!!!
    Going for a whoopsie hunt later with my mum... so I'm afraid it won't be a NSD today.
    Take care and keep up the good work!!!!!!!
    SFT
    :cool: Frugal Living 2010 member MFW by 2014 Was 88,000 now £46,877.90 Grocery Budget for Dec-April=£173.72/£244 (Groc Budget 2010 from Ebay/Voucher savings/Quidco -If we can do it will save our £980 GC budget) Now living the dream -in our tiny country cottage-all thanks to MS forums. x 39 2 go
    Stockpile Savings: £89.72 Voucher savings £8
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