Pls Help, I dont have a freezer!!!!!!!!!!

astonsmummy · 9 July 2006 at 10:30AM

Hi all,
I dont own a freezer at the moment, am hoping to get one when i get paid in Aug. The thing is - Shopping!! I have wasted so much money since my last freezer broke down.
I love cooking from scratch for me and DS (he's 2) But i'm stuck for ideas - I dont really want to have to keep going to asda or tesco 2 or 3 times a week, would prefer just to do a weekly shop, I cook alot using cupboard stuff:

Tuna pasta (3 different types) but it gets a bit samey all the time.
Corned beef and rice
Spag bol (usually the day after i been shopping

I cant think of other things to cook - not sure how long raw chicken keeps in the fridge. Are there things i can cook say mince on a monday and leave any leftover in the fridge to make a different meal with on wednesday?

DS basically eats ANYTHING, he loves pasta, rice, potatoes, chicken, (mild) curry, cheese. anything with a strong flavor really.

I want to try and meal plan for when i go shopping on saturday - so any suggestions would be much appreciated - Also, how much do u think i should budget for????

TIA xx

Athravan · 9 July 2006 at 11:08AM

Have you tried asking for a freezer on your local freecycle https://www.freecycle.org (I think) as I've seen 4 people offering freezers in my area in the last few weeks.... you might be able to pick up a basic one in working order or only needing some very cheap repairs for free and help the environment by recycling the product.

Because they are quite bulky to move and I think you have to phone the council to get rid of them (at least in my area), not just dump them, I think people offer the old ones up fairly regular when replacing with a new one.

AussieLass · 9 July 2006 at 11:44AM

Have you tried TVP mince or how about making a quiche, vegetable pie or pasties? Buying a small amount of bacon and keeping it in the fridge for these recipes are ok.

What about some chunky soups. With bread they are a good wholesome meal. We aren't vegetarian but I always include a couple of meatless meals in our week. It's healthier & money saving as well. It might give you a bit more variety until you get your freezer. HTH

demented_2 · 9 July 2006 at 11:53AM

Athravan wrote:

Have you tried asking for a freezer on your local freecycle https://www.freecycle.org (I think) as I've seen 4 people offering freezers in my area in the last few weeks.... you might be able to pick up a basic one in working order or only needing some very cheap repairs for free and help the environment by recycling the product.

Because they are quite bulky to move and I think you have to phone the council to get rid of them (at least in my area), not just dump them, I think people offer the old ones up fairly regular when replacing with a new one.

Yep I agree with Athravan, join your local freecycle and ask if anyone has one that they do not need anymore. My fridge freezer conked out on Boxing day. I asked on freecycle and got one near enough straight away. Just one thing on moving fridges or freezers, when you transport it" usually on it's side" keep it upright and not switched on for at least 24hours in its intended position so that the gases sort themselves out you shouldn't have any problems. My friend told me that you can't move fridges/freezers unless its being moved in a upright position, which is a bit scary and impossible as i have a volkswagen golf, with no sunroof for it to have poked out of. Anyway transported it lying down, got it home, stood it up for 24hrs, switched on and its been working fine....... pheww I'm out of breath now.

wigginsmum · 9 July 2006 at 11:57AM

How about doing a small roast at the weekend, then a stirfry and sandwiches with the remains? Should be okay for a couple of days in the fridge once cooked.

starlite_2 · 9 July 2006 at 1:11PM

And if you root around at the back of the shelves in the supermarket you'll often find meat that has a use by date of around a week later.

Queenie · 9 July 2006 at 1:59PM

There are a few fridge/freezer storage guides on the net, here are some for you to look at:-

Fridge/Freezer Storage Guide - PDF file

Refrigerator Storage Chart - Kansas State University (html)

Safe Home Food Storage - PDF, 15 page - Texax Agricultural Ext. Service.

The first few days after shopping you could use fresh meat with a good shelf life. You can add another couple of days to the shelf life again once you have cooked it.

In addition, use pulses/lentils to make meals.

Soya mince is economical and will adopt the flavour of the stock it is cooked in, so say by Day 6 would make a great bolognaise/chilli/Shepards Pie meal.

Tinned meats, such as corned beef, can also be used at the back end of the week.

So you could end up with a rough menu plan such as:-

Sunday: - Roast Chicken
Monday: - Leftovers meal
Tuesday:- Soup and rolls meal (use the carcass to make homemade stock for the soup)
Wednesday: - Egg meal (omelette/frittata/egg curry?)
Thursday: - Lentil Meal
Friday:- Tinned meat/fish meal
Saturday:- HM Pizza meal

Sunday:- Roast Pork
Monday:- Pork Stir Fry
Tuesday:- Jacket potato meal
Wednesday:- Cheese meal
Thursday:- Pasta meal (roast veggie pasta? Tuna Pasta?)
Friday:- Corned Beef Hash
Saturday:- Rice meal (rice salad, rice stir fry, lentil curry and rice etc)

Also, are there local grocer's/butchers that are in walking distance? I used to walk mine to the local shops and stop-off-at-the-park-trips. This was double saving because not only wasn't I using petrol, but I wasn't tempted by all the merchandise now on offer at supermarkets! Plus, a breath of fresh air for us all and a great way to make friends with your local grocer/butcher.

HTH

wigginsmum · 9 July 2006 at 2:02PM

Egg curry sounds interesting, Queenie - do you have a recipe?

astonsmummy · 9 July 2006 at 2:43PM

Thnx for all ur suggestions guys, have found loads of other great recipies on here too! Am going to work out my meal plan later on and shopping list xx

Ooh yes and the egg curry sounds good, think spud would love it too!

Queenie · 9 July 2006 at 3:03PM

wigginsmum wrote:

Egg curry sounds interesting, Queenie - do you have a recipe?

Easy peasy!! :laugh: Make your favourite curry sauce recipe (I use a Marguerite Patten oldie) and add some hard boiled eggs for the last few minutes cooking time. What could be easier?

If you don't have a favourite recipe (I can't post mine because of copyright) there are some great Indian Curry Sauce Recipes which were posted (and loved by many OS'ers

) by Curry Queen, which you could use.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Pls Help, I dont have a freezer!!!!!!!!!!

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