February 2011 Grocery Challenge

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Comments

  • martafdz
    martafdz Posts: 1,000 Forumite
    Ingredients

    Meatballs (homemade or from packet)
    Olive oil
    1-2 carrots or a tin of carrots (baby carrots or sliced)
    1 big tomato or 2 small ones
    1 big onion
    1 red pepper
    Some frozen peas (1/2 a glass or more if you like them a lot)
    1 glass of white wine
    1 glass of beef stock, vegetable stock or just plain water


    Method

    1. Cover the bottom of a tall pan with olive oil and heat.

    2. Add the onion, the red pepper and the carrots (all chopped finely).

    3. Fry the vegetables in medium heat (they should go soft and not
    brown). If you see the onion turning brown, it is way too hot. It should go from white to yellow. The pepper should just go soft.

    4. Add the tomato(s), grated (or chopped really well).

    5. Add salt and a pinch of sugar (to kill the acidity of the tomato).

    6. I leave it for about 10 min at medium heat stirring from time to time. In the meantime, I pan fry the meatballs so they brown and seal the juices. I put them aside whilst the vegetables are ready.

    7. Add the glass of wine (any cheap one will do, or an opened old cava, around 200ml). Add also 1/2-1 glass of either water or stock. It all depends how thick you like the sauce. You can always start with 1/2 a glass and add water later on.

    8. Add the meatballs and the frozen peas and leave to boil for 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat and leave for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    9. Prepare some rice during this time and enjoy! Also great with chips.

    alb%C3%B3ndigas%2Bcaseras.JPG
    I did it tonight, I did too much sauce so I will freeze the sauce/vegetables leftover and next time I will only have to pan fry some meatballs and add them to this sauce! :D

    I wanted to do the ones that my grandma used to do and I found the recipe online, it tasted the same! :D
    Quit smoking *1st January 2010*

    13/12/2012, baby girl!!!
  • Can I please join again please, completely lost the plot in January but determined to get my spends on track this month... so can i be put down for £350 that is for 2 (One following Slimming world plan) adults 2 hungry teenagers 2 dogs a cat and some fish (they dont eat much);)

    I will be starting on 1st February Good luck everyone

    and thanks for running this thread its great.:T
    Determined to do better
  • CherryPie wrote: »
    Was hoping to last a few days before spending in Feb's budget, but bread & milk are essentials!

    May not actually do a "big shop" this month. Even though I've been very organised and done a list, I don't actually "need" any of it.

    And shock horror, I've done a meal plan! First one ever :rotfl:

    OK, it may not be that organised as Wednesday is "freezer surprise"!!

    But the rest of the days are actual food from the contents of my kitchen.

    Hoping to get closer to my budget this month, good luck everyone

    :beer:

    :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

    My Mum got so fed up of my Dad answering 'i dont know', 'i dont mind' or, 'surprise me' when she asked what he wanted for tea, that she resorted to labelling things in the freezer by those three names. it was so funny. :rotfl:
    DFBX2016 #160 - £3550/£8800

    DFBX2017 #160 - £0/£11,378

    £0/7807 CapOne (0% PAID) £0/2776 Tesco (0% PAID)
    £820/820 HSBC OD (100% PAID) £0/£795 HSBC M/C (0% PAID)
  • Mrs M please can you add me and my budget for Feb - £150.
    Thank you very much.;)

    Went to BM yesterday to buy crisps and biscuits for lunches next couple of weeks. Came to £3.96 - added to sig.

    I have now completed my next 4 weeks of menus based on what is in the cupboards and freezer and it doesnt look as though i am going to be spending much!! woo hoo!!

    I know this was asked not long ago but not sure if it was answered - does anyone have any good recipes for making home made crisps?? or even vegetable crisps?
    thank you muchly and good luck everyone for Feb!!!:T
    DFBX2016 #160 - £3550/£8800

    DFBX2017 #160 - £0/£11,378

    £0/7807 CapOne (0% PAID) £0/2776 Tesco (0% PAID)
    £820/820 HSBC OD (100% PAID) £0/£795 HSBC M/C (0% PAID)
  • martafdz
    martafdz Posts: 1,000 Forumite
    :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

    My Mum got so fed up of my Dad answering 'i dont know', 'i dont mind' or, 'surprise me' when she asked what he wanted for tea, that she resorted to labelling things in the freezer by those three names. it was so funny. :rotfl:


    :rotfl:OMG! That is hylarious!! Lol
    Quit smoking *1st January 2010*

    13/12/2012, baby girl!!!
  • rosieben
    rosieben Posts: 5,010
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    CherryPie wrote: »
    ...

    Creme eggs are essentials aren't they????

    absolutely <<runs off to add cream eggs to the shopping list >> :D
    ...

    I've got a Sun Holiday booked for May, so I've started buying things for my "caravan bag" much like peoples January box. I include these in my GC as they are groceries that I'll use while I'm away. I'm not going til May, but things like tea, coffee sugar, loo rolls etc can be stored just now. So glad of these Sun Holidays as I can't really afford an abroad break just now. Went on 3 last year and it's just nice to get away from the normality of home. Even took my old Mum away for a few days. She's my Grans carer 24/7. You would have thought I'd given her a blank cheque when I told her we were going away for a few days on our own :rotfl:

    that's a really good idea, and how lovely for your mum to give her a holiday :T
    ... don't throw the string away. You always need string! :D

    C.R.A.P.R.O.L.L.Z Head Sharpener
  • rosieben
    rosieben Posts: 5,010
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    martafdz, your meatball recipe is in the index, they look lush! ;)
    ... don't throw the string away. You always need string! :D

    C.R.A.P.R.O.L.L.Z Head Sharpener
  • hi all and good luck my feb grocery challange will start monday 31st of jan. a day early . good luck everyone xxxx
    (#80 save 12k in 2015) aim £10,000
    make £10 a day in 2015 £261/£4000
    emergency fund aim £100/£1000
    £1 a day for xmas 2015 £0/£365
    NSD feb 0/16
    feb GC £0/£120
  • RachelS
    RachelS Posts: 213 Forumite
    I agree that the Lidl nappies are great, however, Asda sell 2 big packs for £10 which actually works out slightly cheaper per nappy than the Lidl ones (at least for size 4 and 5). My Lidl also doesn't sell a size 4.5, so I go bigger.

    I would say the Lidl ones are probably slightly better quality, but not in any way I'd really notice - they just feel a bit softer.
  • weezl74
    weezl74 Posts: 8,701 Forumite
    edited 30 January 2011 at 9:56AM
    Hi there :) I really need to have something to motivate me to stay on the straight and narrow this month! Please can I be put down for £40 for feb (artificially low as we are using up stores)

    re: vegetable crisps, I have had some success with potato crisps, sliced to 2mm in the FP and then fried, they were like kettle chips and were lovely. I tried carrots too but they were a spectacular fail (water content too high) and so I just got tiny rubbery withered greasy carrotty bits. Be interested to hear if others have success.

    Good luck to everyone!

    :hello:Jonathan 'Fergie' Fergus William, born 05/03/09, 7lb 4.4oz:hello:
    :)Benjamin 'Kezzie' Kester Jacob, born 18/03/10, 7lb 5oz:)
    cash neutral gifts 2011, value of purchased gifts/actual paid/amount earnt to cover it £67/£3.60/£0
    january grocery challenge, feed 4 of us for £40
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