November 2010 Grocery Challenge

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  • Chloris
    Chloris Posts: 712
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    I toilet trained my daughter at 18 months and she was a star! It wasn't that unusual in our grandparents day.;)
  • Hi everyone.

    Asked OH to get me some yoghurts, he got yoghurts alright and quite a few other unnessary bits. So instead of a spend of £3 max, he spent £20+. :mad:
    Will get the receipt off him and update total at a more reasonable time of day. Also need to go to shops again as got no milk in.

    UTS
  • elf06
    elf06 Posts: 1,547
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    Oooh I missed this one starting!! Havent totalled up last month yet but I do know that I have gone over grrrrrrrrrrr

    Can I please be put down for £120 again in a desperate attempt to come in on target (in my deffence it was DS birthday this month and I did spend extra on that)

    As always thanks to all who keep the thread up and running
    Emma :dance:

    Aug GC - £88.17/£130
    NSD - target 18 days, so far 5!!
  • MRSMCAWBER
    MRSMCAWBER Posts: 5,442 Forumite
    Morning all...
    Before I start waffling I just wanted to post 4 new recipes I have tried -and that went down a storm ;) -hope they are of use to someone...
    I have "tweaked" them to fit SW .....
    Spanish rice with chicken and chorizo
    serves 2 -although we found it to serve 4 tongue.gif
    preheat oven to 180c/fan160/gas 4

    If serving 2 it comes to 2.5syns per serving on EE
    • 2 large chicken breasts -cut into chunks
    • 1 large red pepper -sliced
    • 56g chorizo (5syns)-cut into small chunks
    • 1 large onion -chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic-grated/crushed
    • 1.5tsp smoked paprika
    • 1/2tsp dried chilli flakes
    • approx 600ml chicken stock
    • 190g paella rice
    • frozen peas
    • lemon juice to serve
    1. drop the chorizo into a warm nonstick frying pan and heat to release the oils
    2. throw in the chicken chunks and cook until coloured
    3. add the onions and peppers and cook until softened
    4. add the paprika and chilli and cook for 1 minute
    5. add the stock, bring to a simmer
    6. throw in the rice and then transfer to an ovenproof dish/pan and bake for about 20mins -until the liquid is absorbed (add the peas after about 10mins)
    7. cover with foil and leave to sit for 5mins
    8. squeeze over the lemon juice and serve
    And for those of us with a remosk-it works in there too happy036.gif..... just tip it into the pan, cover with foil (so it doesn't touch the liquid) and switch on instead of baking in the oven biggrin.gif
    -6 -8 -3 -1.5 -2.5 -3 -1.5-3.5
  • MRSMCAWBER
    MRSMCAWBER Posts: 5,442 Forumite
    balsamic braised beef
    serves 4 again it served more here ;)

    1syn per serving on RED/EE days -if using cornflour
    • 1kg stewing/braising beef -cut into large chunks
    • 125ml balsamic vinegar
    • 150ml beef stock -I didn't need this but I did use 1 beef stock cube
    • 2 cloves garlic - crushed/grated
    • 1 onion -roughly chopped
    • 2 carrots -chopped
    • 3 sprigs thyme -I used 1tsp dried
    • mushrooms -cut in halves
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 1tbs of cornflour -mixed with a little cold water (optional) (3.5 syns)
    Now I turned this into a slowcooker recipe ... so its simple -BUT you will have to figure your own cooking times as Im a whack it in and leave it all day gal biggrin.gif
    1. place the beef and balsamic vinegar in a bowl and leave in the fridge for 1hr
    2. Remove the beef chunks and drop into the slow cooker and switch on (I use high -if you have the option) -DON'T ADD ANY LIQUID
    3. after about 1hr I gave it a stir and threw in the carrots and onions -and the vinegar saved from earlier
    4. after 1 hr add the bay leaf/rosemary/garlic/oxo
    5. then I left for about another 2hrs
    6. throw in the mushrooms and then just leave until everything is tender...
    7. about 30mins from serving you can stir in the cornflour mix -OR use gravy granules to the same syn count wink.gif
    Now I hope that makes sense... give me a yell if not and if anyone wants it I can always add the oven method...
    -6 -8 -3 -1.5 -2.5 -3 -1.5-3.5
  • MRSMCAWBER
    MRSMCAWBER Posts: 5,442 Forumite
    one-pot beef and red wine pasta
    serves 4 -well it did us
    EE = 1.5 syns per serving (5 total)
    1. 350g extra lean minced steak
    2. 1 large onion -chopped
    3. 2 cloves garlic -crushed/grated
    4. 1tsp dried rosemary
    5. 125ml red wine - 4.5
    6. 500g passata
    7. 250ml beef stock
    8. 1tbs tomato puree 0.5
    9. slosh of balsamic -optional
    10. pinch sugar/sweetener
    11. salt/pepper
    12. 1 bay leaf
    13. frozen peas -optional
    14. 250g pasta shells, twists etc..
    • drop the mince into a dry non-stick pan and colour
    • add the onion, garlic and cook until onions start to soften
    • add tomato puree and stir through
    • add red wine and bubble
    • add passata, stock, herbs and bring to a simmer
    • season and cook over a low heat for approx 20mins -stirring occasionaly -
    • remove the bay leaf
    • I add a slosh of balsamic at this point and season.. also add sweetener if needed
    • add the pasta and 125ml just boiled water..
    • cover and cook for 8-10mins stirring often to stop pasta sticking and throwing in frozen peas half way through...
    Now we loved it and I decided that it would be a great family meal with a tin of baked beans stirred in wink.gif -oohh and next time Im going to add mushrooms along with the onionsbiggrin.gif.
    -6 -8 -3 -1.5 -2.5 -3 -1.5-3.5
  • MRSMCAWBER
    MRSMCAWBER Posts: 5,442 Forumite
    slow cooker Chinese pork
    serves 4 -although I think its too much wink.gif

    RED/EE - 2 syns per serving
    1. 2 cloves garlic -grated/crushed
    2. thumb size chunk of fresh ginger -grated
    3. 2tbs soy sauce
    4. 3tbs dry sherry (or rice wine) (3)
    5. 1 star anise
    6. 1tsp 5 spice powder
    7. 1 cinnamon stick
    8. 2tbs brown sugar (5)
    9. 1kg pork shoulder -fat removed and cut into chunks
    1. mix 1-8 together in a large bowl
    2. throw in the pork and mix-cover and stick in the fridge overnight if possible
    3. the day after tip into the slowcooker and switch on (don't add any extra liquid)
    4. cook until tender -
    5. remove star anise and cinnamon stick
    6. then drain the liquid into a pan and reduce by half, add the meat back in and heat through
    Now then -when I did ours what I did was do it to number 5 -then at the same time I had a vegetable stir-fry under way so I then fished out the hot pieces of pork and mixed them through the veggies and reduced the liquid in the pan down until it was all thick n syrupy and drizzled it over...
    Hope that makes sense biggrin.gif
    -6 -8 -3 -1.5 -2.5 -3 -1.5-3.5
  • LannyLee
    LannyLee Posts: 184
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    Thanks for these MrsM.

    I am very pleased with myself as Monday was payday & we have not been shopping yet, although going to Sainsbugs tonight, but have made a list & will be sticking to it, we mainly need store cupboard & freezer staples, tomatoes, pasatta, frozen veg & milk for the coming week - so am hoping it will come to under £10.

    We have 2 loaves in the freezer, plenty of eggs & have our free milk & m0re order coming tmw with bacon & cheese & our R1verford veg box delivered on Tuesday.

    I have meal planned the weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon & Tue) using only things we have in the house, so hoping won't need anything else until next weekend & the rest of the week we'll be cooking using the veg box & freezer items, so potentially could be 2 weeks & only 1 shop, which before this challenge would have been unheard off.

    Wish us luck, really need to get through ths month just sending £50 as we put some more things on the C/card last month & so need the extra £100 to pay these off :o
  • Sunnyday
    Sunnyday Posts: 3,855
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    de1amo wrote: »
    (thats a thing i find odd about this challenge how people dissect their pet food from their groceries when pets are eating breathing members of the family!!)

    I can`t really work out which way this was intended to be interpreted, on first reading i found it to be a tad offensive ie as if people like me who have recently started doing this don`t include pets as members of the family?

    On re-reading your post i still can`t quite make up my mind.

    I stopped feeding my pets processed pre packed pet food from the supermarket and when funds allow they now have a lot of home made food from other sources. For example i make up batches of pet food in my slowcooker and mix with organic food ordered via the internet from various suppliers and feel that their diet is more healthy. Obviously this is more expensive to do so it can`t be maintained 100% of the time but their diet has vastly improved.

    As i now use so many different sources for their food its far easier to keep track of all my outgoings by seperating the spending and monitoring it this way as i`m sure that other people who have changed to this way of budgeting are finding too.

    My main budget used to be roughly £200 all in so has increased by approximately £20 by improving my pets diet. It now hovers around £160 for us and £60 for the pets. I do hope that by posting this it has made it easier for you to comprehend.

    SD
    Planning on starting the GC again soon :p
  • Menolly_2
    Menolly_2 Posts: 171 Forumite
    Hi, please can I join in? There's just the two of us and 4 hungry Maine Coon cats and we seriously need to trim the budget down! I didn't join in last month but we spent on average £110 a week - and that was only because I went shopping on my own for two weeks running and brought the bill down to circa £85.00 each time. Bill always seems higher when my husband "helps":rotfl:
    I am aiming to bring the spend for the month in at £350
    I'd like to get lower, ideally, as there is just too much month in my money.
    Obedient women are never remembered in History!

    November Grocery Challenge: 03/11/10 Spent £77.84:)
    10/11/10 Spent £84.95 17/11/10 Spent £79.63 24/11/10 Spent £75.39 :j
    December Grocery Challenge 30/11/10 Spent £32 Clubcard Vouchers and £79.15 Cash. 08/12/10 Spent £77.73 Cash and £127.50 Clubcard Vouchers - Christmas is now sorted!!! :snow_grin
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