July 2008 Grocery Challenge

ragz_2

Hi, a bit late I know but as i Failed miserably to even attempt the grocery challenge last month I am determined to stick to it this time.
Please put me down for £350 for the month. (Going camping at the weekend and DS1's birthday party next week so it's a larger figure than I would like.

susan946

jediteacher wrote: »

My problem is that I have no baking kitchen equipment and I cannot afford to buy the whole lot in one go. I also need to know where to buy cheaply but not too sabby if that makes sense. I really have nothing - no cake tins, mixing bowls, rolling pin - nothing! :eek:

Any advice would be most welcome. :embarasse

You could try your local market, car boot sales, or Freecycle. You would need to be picky as some of it might be quite grotty, but there are bargains to be had. Also could put up a 'wanted' ad if there are free ads anywhere near you.

Also a lot of us 'more mature folk' (hope I'm not offending anyone here) were taught to cook as a matter of course. Do you know anyone who could give you some hints and tips?

Good luck but be warned - home baking can be addictive and can seriously damage your waistline!!!!

linzmac_2

fertyskids wrote: »

just one thing, yesterday i asked for ideas to feed the baby, he's on jars again. it costs me a fortune. today i tried tiny lumps of chopped up food (chicken and veggies) but he spat them out after gagging on them. he cannot chew them as he only has one tooth at the front. he really wants what we are eating and is really frustrated at pureed/mashed food. hes spitting them at me. we've started several distraction techniques just to get him to eat. sorry to ask this has anyone got any more ideas. the only thing he will eat it spag bol. overcooked very soft pasta, tinned tomatoes and quorn mince. i will really appreciate any ideas.

Just to say that babies can chew things perfectly well with their gums before they ever have teeth and the gagging is totally normal too as it prevents them from choking on the food. I don't know if you have ever heard of baby led weaning but it is basically a theory that babies over 6 months don't need to eat purees and get on much better being offered solid foods straight away and being included in family mealtimes, which it sounds like your DS is keen to do. If he is still getting plenty of milk feeds I wouldn't worry about how much or little solids he eats as he will be getting all his nutrition from the milk so maybe just give him some more solid food in front of him and let him explore it while the rest of you are eating. There is a website with a lot of info about this which you should find if you just do a search for BLW. Of course, you may not want to do this but it might be worth a try!

Linz x

Moniker

Morning everyone - it's glorious here and predicted to be quite warm today so I am in my gardening togs and going out before it gets too hot. The BM is on and I am going to do a 'rubber' chicken and rice dish later and may make some fruity bars while the oven is on if it's not too hot that is. Hope you all have a great day. Catch up later.

M

fallen_angel_shelley

can you put me down for £140 for july please

cookiedough38

jediteacher wrote: »

I hope someone can help me.

I love all your recipes but find it hard to follow them - I'm not a great cook and they seem really complicated.

However, I'm determined to persevere and crack some of them. I'm really keen to make some of the cakes as we've got some events coming up that need me to bring something along. My problem is that I have no baking kitchen equipment and I cannot afford to buy the whole lot in one go. I also need to know where to buy cheaply but not too sabby if that makes sense. I really have nothing - no cake tins, mixing bowls, rolling pin - nothing! :eek:

Any advice would be most welcome. :embarasse

Compromise! What things do you have already that you can use as something else. If its easier, I sometimes use a milk bottle or drinking glass as a rolling pin, may work for a biscuit cutter too?

If you have a wilkinsons near you they do a range of really cheap baking equipment, wooden spoons for about 40 pence.

jediteacher

susan946 wrote: »

You could try your local market, car boot sales, or Freecycle. You would need to be picky as some of it might be quite grotty, but there are bargains to be had. Also could put up a 'wanted' ad if there are free ads anywhere near you.

Also a lot of us 'more mature folk' (hope I'm not offending anyone here) were taught to cook as a matter of course. Do you know anyone who could give you some hints and tips?

Good luck but be warned - home baking can be addictive and can seriously damage your waistline!!!!

Thanks for the tips. :A Sadly, we live far away from family - my grandparents are my nearest relatives and my grandmother is a fantastic cook. It was a little odd in my family in that my brother who is younger than me was taught to cook, clean, mend, knit and sew but because I was a bit clumsy and burnt anything in the kitchen I was 'banned' from there. It wasn't anything nasty just the way things turned out. I looked after the younger children as that was where my talents lay and my brother is very homely and did that side of things.

Will keep trying. :T

patentgirl

Morning all

determined to do well this month a bad May/June so hoping to get back on tracks, my main problem is a fussy teenager who often has boyfriend round for tea who is just as fussy, DS only wants to eat when he wants to as he often eats out at work and forgets to tell me,then other DD often pops in with financee when there cupboards are low! they all know I am an easy touch! what with working full time an OH who does 12 hour shifts and by the time he gets home tea is sorted, I have got to be firmer and more organised I know, I do try to cook most things from scratch but takeaways are getting on the menu again more regularly
bread rolls sound great perrywinkle
good luck to all newbies must try and get on here more often it does motivate me

perrywinkle

cookiedough38 wrote: »

Perrywinkle - Thank you for the bread roll recipe, I was talking to the OH about making some bread. Do you know how much roughly they cost to make? - just out of interest?

Hi cookiedough38,

well that got my brain moving! Only started the challenge last month so not organised enough to have calculated recipe costs yet - should do really to see the difference. Anyway

2lb flour – lidl – approx 50 p a bag = 33p
2 packets yeast – special offer = 8.5p
½ pint milk – (2 x 4 pint for £2) = 12.5p

2 tsp salt, 2 tsp sugar = 1p

total for the 16 rolls would be approx 55p depending on which flour you used etc. I use the lidl white bread flour which many posters seemed to recommend but can't recall the exact price for a bag - I'm sure that a more experienced poster on the grocery challenge will help out with the costings if this doesn't look right.

HTH
Perrywinkle

patentgirl

greent wrote: »

Hi scaredy cat

We have fajitas most weeks and do them as follows

cube chicken (2 breasts works for 3-4 people)
fry it off it a tiny smidge of oil
add LOADS of sliced peppers & onions, chopped garlic & chopped fresh chilli & cook for a minute or so
Add a splash of cheapy white wine (about |£2.13 in Asda/ tesco - we buy it just for cooking these!)
Leave cooking for a couple of mins to absorb wine - you will probably get a few slices of onion and pepper get a bit black & sticky - yumm!

Serve into soft tortilla wraps with raw mushrooms/ salsa (bought ok, home made easy - chopped toms, onion, chilli if you want, bit of coriander)/ sour cream/ guacamole to taste. Dh also has grated cheese (heathen!)

Nicer than a packet mix, good at using up tired peppers and sprouty onions!

GT

thanks for this greent hadnt thought of making my own sauce for fatitjas what with Mrs Ms famous tortilla wraps another cheapish meal thanks again