Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2017

After spending what feels like a lot of time away with work recently i'm really enjoying knowing i'll be at home for at least the next week and able to get on with things.

Make do - because i had an unexpected work trip last week and OH doesn't tend to cook these days due to lack of time, we now have a fridge drawer full of past-their-best veg, so i'm planning this week's meals around using them up. Today i've made masses of slow-cooked beans and lentils, most of which have gone in the freezer in portions for future recipes, but i've mixed a couple of batches with various grated veg, sweetcorn, the last of a jar of olives, plenty of herbs and spices including some OOD mint sauce i found languishing at the back of a cupboard, and some cajun-spiced breadcrumbs from the freezer that i made ages ago from homemade bread. The mix was then solid enough to form into patties and shallow-fry, i've had some for dinner in a wrap with salad and there will be plenty for my lunch and both our dinners tomorrow. It's not something i've tried before but was delicious and i will definitely make again.

Mend - nothing today but spent some break time looking at pretty ways to patch and mend jeans on pinterest, as my favourite jeans are now firmly in the mending pile to be sorted out before i wear them again. Both knees are now very ragged, i'm thinking i might try some reverse applique with some pretty fabric, or boro-style mending (might be someone on here who mentioned that recently?) They are already covered in cut-out embroidered pieces cut from my previous favourite jeans when they fell apart completely as i just couldn't bear to part with them.

Minimise - nowt today unless you count the bendy veg!

Quick question on using stuff up - i came across a pack of fancy-looking but OOD stuffing lurking in a cupboard today, i'm sure it will be fine to use but there's a reason it's sat around that long - we just don't use stuffing! (no idea why we even have it, it's so old it must even have moved house with us!) Can anyone suggest anything 'non-traditional' to do with it? i was thinking maybe using it as a base for more of the veggie patties like i made today, or trying to make veggie sausages by mixing it with soya mince and other stuff (that might be a bit ambitious!) but would very much welcome any other suggestions!

Hope everyone is well and enjoying the MMM life

RainbowHippie , I use dried stuffing mix to coat chicken or pork slices instead of breadcrumbs I have also used it when making scotch eggs as a coating It brightens up the blandest food .
Or chuck a handful into some ordinary minced beef to give added bulk or mix with diced veg,mushrooms etc and an egg and make veggie burgers.I love to try to use up any stuffing mixes I can find ,especially the ones that get marked down after christmas in the supermarkets, if its a bit on the bland side a good dah of curry powder or paprika will liven it up a bit .

JackieO wrote: »

Good afternoon chums I minimised one of my dried packet mixes from the stash and had a tomato and garlic pasta lunch with enought left over to have cold with some salad tonight.

I counted up and have 28(now 27) packets of dried pasta, rice cous cous, and casserole mixes that I found scattered around my cupboards on Saturday !!! They are going to be used up asap

Making do: with as much as possible to ensure my Love Food,Hate Waste will probably carry on after the end of Lent :):)I have far too much stuff in stock ,problem is, more cupboards, mean you tend to fill them up without thinking.

Mending: ,well I didn't mend today but I did another couple of squares for one of my charity blankets .Day six and still not been anywhere near a food shop

I so relate to the cupboards, I found mine were so jammed I couldn't remember what was in them and was buying stuff I didn't need just in case I hadn't got it. I emptied the lot and bought two cheap shelf units, now I have everything in one place and can see at a glance if I am out of something. Best £10 I have ever spent. Its saved me a small fortune over the past few months and I have my own little shop, lol.

Thanks JackieO and Silvasava for the tips on using stuffing, i'll try and work something into the meal plan for next week to get it used up. We do enjoy breaded chicken/fish/veg so using the stuffing instead of breadcrumbs sounds like a good idea for us. I do also like the idea of mixing it with sausage meat for a sandwich filling though so will have to debate it with OH and see what he fancies

Well done LynnP on sorting through your mum's stories - things with sentimental value are the hardest to let go of in my experience. And what a wonderful thing to have to remember her by. Good luck to your son for his interview, i hope it goes well for him.

Make do - made two lasagnes for dinner yesterday - one meat one for OH (using up two tubs of some bolognese he had made ages ago but then wasn't too keen on, so i froze it until inspiration struck) and one veggie for me (finishing off a packet of dried soya mince dated Jun 2015!! been using it gradually over the last year and it's absolutely fine). Made roasties to go with it from some sprouty potatoes, plenty left for lunch and dinner today.

Mend - Still got a big pile of sewing to get through and not yet had time. Was meant to be going out tonight but i am knackered and it's not something where i'll be much missed, so i may give it a miss and catch up with some sewing in front of the tv, hopefully mending myself as well with a bit of relaxation.

Minimise - a bit of the mess of 'things waiting to be done' that was piled on the kitchen table - new blinds up in OH's study, and while the drill etc was out i fitted new smoke/CO2 alarms in a couple of places in the house to replace old ones left by the previous owner that had recently stopped working (and did not have replaceable batteries :mad:, the new ones do and are fitted with rechargeables so will be much cheaper/less hassle when they next run out!) so also mending, sort of!

Have a lovely weekend everyone x