August 2010 Grocery Challenge

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  • Spiggle
    Spiggle Posts: 1,787
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
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    Good morning all,

    Just popping on to update with the online order made yesterday evening. I did it the convoluted way through Quidco to My Supermarket and then sent the trolley to MrS who were surprisingly cheapest of the three options (no w***r**e/o***o here). Even if I had used the £5 off from MrT it still would have worked out cheaper from MrS especially as I'd also had a free delivery code from them. So all in all worked out some £8 cheaper on goods and another £4.50 cheaper as no delivery charge. :D

    Not planning any more stocking up/main shopping (so only f&v, milk and meat) now until week beginning 16th when we'll probably blow the budget for the first time due to party purchasing. :o

    The sig is updated.

    Have a great day everyone,
    Spigs
    Mortgage Free October 2013 :T
  • kezlou
    kezlou Posts: 3,283 Forumite
    [FONT=&quot]Hi peeps how’s everyone doing?

    Thanks to usual bunch for the thread, really appreciate it!

    Well the past few days I have been shopping from the freezer and cupboard so it’s going good. Think I’ve finally used up all the cooked chicken form the freezer; I like to get it used within three months. So now that’s gone. Not sure what were having tonight will have a look in the freezer and see what they is.

    Not sure if anyone wants these recipes, I’m planning in making some soon so thought I would post it here as well.

    Vegetable samosa recipe.

    Instructions
    1. Making Filling:
    2. Cool boiled potatoes peel and cut them into very small cubes.
    3. Heat oil in a wok or a frying pan.
    4. Add cumin seeds and allow seed to splutter or turn brown, not burn.
    5. Add ginger and green chillies, fry for a minute.
    6. Add potatoes, peas, salt, coriander powder, roasted cumin, garam masala, chilli powder, amchoor (dry mango powder) or lemon juice. Stir well to coat potatoes and peas with spices. Cook on low heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring gently, until almost cooked. You do not want to overcook and mash the potatoes.
    7. Adjust salt and seasoning and lemon juice. Add coriander leaves and mix.
    8. Turn the heat off and leave the mixture open, to cool.

    Or just use a curry paste instead.

    9. Making Pastry:
    10. Place flour, salt and oil in a bowl. Rub with your fingers, like pastry flour. It should look like bread crumbs.
    11. Make firm dough, adding a little water at a time. I tend to make mine in a food processor these days. If making by hand, knead it well.
    12. Keep aside for 20 minutes and then knead again, until smooth.
    13. Making Samosas:
    14. Make a little ‘glue’ by adding 2-3 tbs. water to 1 tbs. of plain flour and mixing to a thick liquid. Keep aside.
    15. Divide the dough into 8-9 portions and make balls, using greased hands. Keep covered with a moist muslin/handkerchief or 'j' cloth.
    16. Mix 1 tsp. flour with 2 tbs. water, to make a 'glue' Keep it aside.
    17. Roll out one ball at a time on a greased surface, into a 7-8 inch circle/chapatti, approximately 2-3 mm thick. Cut it into half using a knife. You now have 2 half circles
    18. Lift one half in your palm and bring edges together, overlapping one over the other, making a cone.
    19. Brush a little glue on one of the overlapping edges and press the other edge over it gently with a 4-5 mm. overlap, to give the cone a good seal. If not sealed properly, it opens up during frying.
    20. Now fill one cone with approximately 2 tbs. of the potato mix. You should have enough edge left at the top (4-5 mm.) to get a good seal. Using 'glue', press and seal the top edges together.
    21. Make all samosas like this. Keep them covered with a moist cloth. If pastry is allowed to dry, it is more likely to burst during frying.
    22. Heat the oil in a pan to medium heat. If the oil is too hot, samosas will be soggy and not crisp. Oil should not be 'smoking'. Test by putting a small piece of dough into it, it should sizzle and rise gently to the top.
    23. Put as many samosas as will spread out easily in your pan and fry gently to golden brown. Turn them over gently a few times to ensure even browning. Take out and place on kitchen paper, to absorb surplus oil.
    [/FONT]

    To make a meat filling just do the same as above but without some of the veg. Generally meat samosas always have onion in them so make sure you them in as it help the spices to bind together.
    Onion bhaji's

    100g /4oz chick pea flour or gram flour
    1/4 tsp mild chilli powder
    1/2 tsp turmeric
    1/2 tsp baking powder
    1/2 tsp ground cumin (or more to taste)
    1-2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced (or other chopped/sliced veg)
    1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
    25g /1oz finely chopped fresh coriander (optional)
    Cold water to mix
    Vegetable oil for deep frying
    Sift the flour, chilli, turmeric, cumin and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped coriander, onions and chopped chilli and mix well.

    Preheat the deep fat fryer to 180ºC / 350ºF.

    Gradually add enough water to the flour mixture to form a thick batter, mixing very well so the onions are well coated.

    Very carefully drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm whilst you cook the remaining bhajis.

    Makes 10 -12


    enjoy


    kerry
  • pipersky
    pipersky Posts: 954 Forumite
    Hi all

    Been MIA for a while because time just flies! :o

    Any way - total spends so far for August are = £10.40 at A1di and £3.78 at Tesc0.

    Am on holi-bobs from Sunday, so am going to try to spend only on essentials. My sis went on her holidays today and has asked me to go and sort through her fridge and use up stuff that won't be fresh when she gets back so maybe will be able to scrape thru with that plus what I have already :money:
    Part time GCer, NSDer, Comper and (Bad)Flylady :o
    A big shot is just a little shot that kept shooting ...
  • meanmarie
    meanmarie Posts: 5,328
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    Spent €67.75 yesterday in Lidl, bringing me to almost half my budget for August....must cop on, needed what I got yesterday but will be using freezer and cupboards for rest of week at least.

    Marie
    Weight 08 February 86kg
  • Oh dear. I went into Iceland yesterday for some bread which I couldn't get as they didn't have the one I wanted but still managed to spend £11 on Rice Krispies, squash, fish fingers, coleslaw, mixed peppers & packets of rice. Then went to Sainsburys to get cheese, fruit shoots, fem hygiene stuff, gluten free cereal and cartons of apple juice & these plus some crisps & chocolate bars came to another £24. I still need to go to the co op today for some bread as I can't be bothered to go back to Iceland today.

    We had cous cous that I bought yesterday for our dinner last night with pork kebabs. Yuk! Not to my liking at all & I couldn't even eat it. Even OH who eats most things wasn't very impressed so the last of the pork chops will be served with rice tonight.

    Can someone tell me whether I need to wilt the spinach that I bought first or can I just put the bag in the freezer as it is? Also any ideas for using up 5 lemons? Not sure how long they will keep for as I don't feel like baking today.
    Grocery aim £450pm.Spent £519 August, £584 July, £544 June, £541 May, £549 April, £517 March, £517 Feb,£555 Jan, £573 Dec, £465Nov, £561Oct, £493Sept, £426Aug,£496 Jul, £528Jun, £506May,£498April, £558 March, £500Feb, £500 Jan, £490 Dec, £555 Nov,£566 Oct, £505Sept, £450Aug, £410 July, £437 June, £491 May, £471 April, £440 March, £552Feb, £462Jan
  • Just spent another £5 in Mr S. I hate that the Mr S where I work in central London charges more for the same products than the Mr S near my home does. Grr.

    Anyway, spent £70 now, have been budgeting £70 per week, and am a week into my August challenge, so could be worse!
    Mortgage£148,725 Student loan£13,050 HSBC loan£12,221
    AprGC:£/£320
  • Kadeeae
    Kadeeae Posts: 652
    First Post
    Forumite
    Just been to the butcher, £38.85, should be our meats for the next two weeks - still some in the freezer too :)

    As it stands now we should only need perishables for the next fortnight, I need to get back to menu planning regularly! Can't seem to get "in the mood" for it when the weather is warm, plus it is a bit harder to plan ahead when you're eating more salads etc....things that don't keep well. Least that's my excuse :rotfl:

    Must try harder for the coming week!!
  • Long Tall Sally,

    Lemons should last for ages, but you could always zest and juice them and freeze this (separately) in ice cubes or freezer bags. Spinach... never tried to freeze it but I would guess that like lettuce etc it will just go mushy and yuck. I would pour boiling water over it in a colander into the sink, cool, squeeze out the excess water and freeze in portion size amounts. I would probably take it a step further and add some veg/chicken stock, some nutmeg and blend to make a quick soup. Add some creme fraiche or single cream once defrosted and reheated. Yum!
    (PS - you might need to rinse it in cold water before starting as some spinach can be gritty.)

    DFS
  • kezlou
    kezlou Posts: 3,283 Forumite
    Can someone tell me whether I need to wilt the spinach that I bought first or can I just put the bag in the freezer as it is? Also any ideas for using up 5 lemons? Not sure how long they will keep for as I don't feel like baking today.

    spinach i just bung in the freezer in a bag, no washing, unless its full of mud). When you come to cook do it frozen then it still retains its shape and form. I do this all the time.

    Lemons : - they should last a fair while in the fridge.Or you could make cordial with them, or just zest and juice them and freeze for another day.

    Just used more food from the freezer so i've now got more space in there. We now have lots of mini sausage rolls to eat and have made a flapjack for later. For tea i've decided were having macaroni cheese and i'm making some wholemeal buns for sandwiches. Just waiting for the dough to come out of the machine.
  • ChocClare
    ChocClare Posts: 1,475 Forumite
    OK, last few months have been made of fail, as I've just been running round in ever-decreasing circles.

    I have now had my SECOND car written off THIS YEAR - the car I bought to replace the one that was written off in January :mad: - again, not my fault (I wasn't even driving this time) so other people's insurance paid out, but still inconvenient and you end up paying more for the replacement car and it still affects cash flow yadayadayada. :mad: Main thing is that no-one was hurt - I'll keep telling myself that. I guess the reason cars crumple and have to be written off is so that they absorb the shock which would otherwise hurt the people in the car.

    SO ANYWAY - we have been fairly affluent apart from this which means I haven't been paying close attention to outgoings, but then I thought, if I continue to be frugal now then I could SAVE the money for times when we're less frugal. Oh yes, I get there in the end... :doh:

    So, a bit late, but could you please count me in for August? I really want to save £40 per week, but who am I trying to kid, so can you please put me down for
    £320
    Thanks and good luck everyone (especially you sensible types who do this without being prompted!).
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