August 2008 Grocery Challenge

[mouche]

Another £1.80 to add to my total - 30p on reduced bread rolls at Asda and £1.50 on the most gorgeous giant cherries at the stall near the station. OH loves cherries and has demanded I bring some more back on my way home from work. I think I'll indulge him this time but after this the tons of apples from the garden need to be eaten.

Any ideas what I can do with the apples? They're not particularly sweet and OH and I are trying to lose weight so the usual apple pie desserty type thing is out of the question.

[Anzac Biscuit]

Mouche,

how about just stewing the apples? If they need sweetening you can add some raisins, and they freeze well too Or apple crumble, just cut down on the crumble

[naturally]

Mouche - sorry I missed what type of apples, but if you core them, slit the skin all around and bung in the microwave with 1 desertspoon sweet mincemeat it makes a gorgeous desert and not many calories.

A NSD for me - feel mean as I have cash on me and a colleage asked me if he could borrow £2 for a sandwich but I said I had no cash - thing is that £2 makes a lot of difference to me and he's hit and miss about whether or not he pays me back, so I have stopped lending him money. Also several of us have realised we have been generous sharing our food when he forgets his, but he has never offered £ or returned the favour, so its horrible to be sneaky but I have had to make sure I hide the extra food I have (I usually keep a few yoghurts and cous cous or pasta & sauce at work for when I forget my own!) and now I'm after treating myself to a can of coke from the machine but just remembered I told him earlier I only had 10p so would be busted! doh! Oh well, its more MSE this way I suppose!

[WelshWoofer]

Mouche - I'm in the same boat - trying to lose weight. This week I stewed some unwanted past their best apples with a little bit of sweetener (not sugar) and put some blackberries I'd picked in near the end (they go mushy if you stew them for the same amount of time as the apples). I had it as it was as a fruity desert or you could have it with some low fat yogurt to make it a bit creamy?

Nice and easy.

[turbo5019]

Just popped on to update sig. When to MrM's today again but only spent £6 on the 50p items I took my mother with me so we got 4 pks chicken, 4pks burgers & 4 pks sausages. So now I have 80 sausages, 40 burgers and 10pks of chicken. when I put them in freezer I also noticed I still have 20 chicken breasts, 3 pks 1kg mince and enought brad to last till xmas so I don't think I will need anymore meet for a good few months.


Anyone tell me how to make sausage rolls please I have sausages and puff pastery but is there any thing else you put in with the sausages?

[nicnacnoo]

£68.05 spent today at the meat market, B&M, home bargains and Asda, got plenty tho, plus this includes toiletries and nappies so not bad i think, got loads of pasta and cupboard stuff so should only need fresh stuff for the rest of the month.
Nic

[Chell]

How about using the apples in something savoury, perhaps a pork and apple casserole, you could use pork or pork sausages.

[greent]

Originally Posted by turbo5019

Anyone tell me how to make sausage rolls please I have sausages and puff pastery but is there any thing else you put in with the sausages?

I don't put anything else in. I skin the sausages and flatten them out a bit to make long sausage rolls. You can add some seasoning if you think the sausages need it (just a bit of black pepper should be fine)

Brush the pastry with milk and cut some slits in along the top - and make sure the join is underneath the sausage, or it can open during cooking

GT

[turbo5019]

Originally Posted by greent

I don't put anything else in. I skin the sausages and flatten them out a bit to make long sausage rolls. You can add some seasoning if you think the sausages need it (just a bit of black pepper should be fine)

Brush the pastry with milk and cut some slits in along the top - and make sure the join is underneath the sausage, or it can open during cooking

GT

Thanks for that will give it ago tonight

[wmf]

Been to |MrM and spent £4.80. Got the 50p chicken, beefburgers and potatoes. I'm going to have to watch myself here though because I haven't bought beefburgers for years and as I said earlier I have packs of sausages in the freezer now (and looked today for 50p ones but luckily for my health they had sold out). I had planned just eating butcher meat but am a sucker for these deals. Ah well, it's helping the grocery budget which \I've cut tight this month. My plan had been to make more veggie meals though. I'll just have to make sure I stretch this meat.
w

[Brighton belle]

chell - I love your kiddie pics. My honorary nephew and neice were taught signing by their mum and it was brilliant - as someone else said, they got much less frustrated by being able to 'say' what they needed.

Bit scary that I have spent half my Aug budget in the first 5 days, but I think I have all the basics in and it just means topping up with fruit and veg mainly. This challenge is making me think before i buy, and not automatically top up as soon as I run out. Off to try the curry queens curry sauce this afternoon. And have load of spinach to use from friends allotment.

[KAAT_LADY]

Good afternoon All


The weather is sticky and it looks like rain but hope not as I have three loads of washing on the line,,

We are going to see GET SMART next monday,, freebie with see film first,, we havent been for a long time so it will make a change and get us out of the rut we are getting into,,

have the BM on at the moment for DH just plain white bread,, I gave to crust of the old loaf to the Koi and they did enjoy it ,, they make the most wonderful noises as they are sucking it ,,,

well I will get off now and get something else done

KAAT

[princess leia]

Lots of business for Mr M from us all then
Altho I didn't need anything I still went in with my mum and ended up spending £5.50 on the 50p stuff for a BBQ at the weekend (just told DH that news LOL) and some yoghurt as I have run out of starters for my easiyo Only problem is now I need to get another freezer asmine is already chocca!!! Ooops

[greent]

An alternative to Twinks! These are less sweet and more crunchy, I think.

Ingredients:
275g/ 10oz oats
100g/ 4oz plain flour
120gm/ 4oz caster sugar (original recipe said 15ogm/ 5oz. I have taken it as low as 80gm)
1/2 tsp bicarb
225gm/ 8oz softened butter/ soft marg

original recipe also said to add 1 tsp salt, but it really doesn't need that AT ALL!


Whizz oats in a food processor until fine (I usually keep some back) Add all other ingredients and mix to form a dough. I then add back in my non blitzed oats.

If you don't have a food processor just mix everything all at once by hand - still works ok.

Recipe says to roll and cut out shapes - I just take blobs and flatten onto a baking tray. Makes about 40 good sized biscuits, about 65 smaller ones.

Bake at gas mark 4/ 180 (170 for fan assisted) recipe says 15-20 mins. I go for about 12! Cook until pale golden and slightly firm.

Keep for about a week in a 'tupperware' box and also freeze well


Gt

[greent]

My kids love these. This was a recipe from their school canteen (always worth asking the school canteen staff for recipes for the kids favourite items!)

INGREDIENTS:
3oz icing sugar
6oz marg
5oz plain flour
2oz custard powder

• Cream icing sugar & marg
• add flour & custard powder & mix to dough
• Form into a sausage shape & chill in plastic bag/ cling film for 2 hours
• remove from plastic and slice into 24 'rounds'
• place on baking tray & bake for about 10 mins at 180

yum yum - we're going to make these tomorrow.

Gt

[mumoffour77]

Ok, I went shopping today in MR Ts.....I spent £37.15
cheerios were on bogof @£2.78 and my kids eat them loads!!!!
I got a couple of chickens too as they were reduced
Gales lemon curd is still on for 20p a jar so I got 5....best before march 2009, probably used well before that!!!!
I bought tesco value oats last week @ 0.59 for 1kg they are still the same price....but beside them was superfast oats 2kg for £1.01 I know its a small saving.....but its still a saving esp for twinks hobnobs or greent's version!!!!
Im going to update my sig!!!!! when i find my spending diary

[annelouise]

greent - thanks for biscuit recipe I have loads of custard powder that needs using before we move so will try these with the kids.

Have just completed Curry Queens curry base,looks good.

Have a chicken ready to roast later with dauphinoise potatoes and veg,will keep chicken for curry and then thaish chicken soup.

OH and dd9 made a lemon cheesecake very successfully with a little pointing from me,had to buy another cream cheese and f & v today will update total after this.Still doing well,OH even told neighbours how well the MSE challenge was going!!!!

annelouise

[NW-ANGEL]

Originally Posted by turbo5019

Just popped on to update sig. When to MrM's today again but only spent £6 on the 50p items I took my mother with me so we got 4 pks chicken, 4pks burgers & 4 pks sausages. So now I have 80 sausages, 40 burgers and 10pks of chicken. when I put them in freezer I also noticed I still have 20 chicken breasts, 3 pks 1kg mince and enought brad to last till xmas so I don't think I will need anymore meet for a good few months.


Anyone tell me how to make sausage rolls please I have sausages and puff pastery but is there any thing else you put in with the sausages?

sorry if im being a bit dim but what is MrM's? and where do are these 50p item?
many thanks
kel
x

[mumoffour77]

Oh and DS2 noticed a receipt on the floor at the tills and came over to me and whispered "mummy when a receipt says apply for a clubcard today, does that mean the person didnt claim their points?" I said "yes" whilst i was paying for the groceries and DS 1&3 were packing.....I never thought anymore about it until we were back in the car and he produced the receipt that he found and said i think its worth a pound in deals!!!! Im so proud of my money saving child!!!!!

[mumoffour77]

Mr Ms is Morrisons!!
hope this helps!!