Live on £4000 for a year - Part 3

sophiesmum_2

Have managed to find marinaded pork steaks in freezer (sun dried tomato and basil) which we will have with frozen green beans, some of asda 50p mushrooms and some grilled HG tomatoes. Didn't make fruit kebabs have made a fruit salad which has 7 portions of fruit in it(apple,melon,kiwi,strabs,grapes,banana,orange) will have with HM yoghurt.
F&V for today:
brekkie HM bread toasted with marmite:D, a banana, and OJ (2 portions)
Lunch - Vegetarian shepherds pie (? portions)at meeting
Tea - pork steaks, mushrooms, green beans, tomatoes (3 portions) fruit salad (3.5 portions) Totals for today 8.5+ portions

redglass_2

Brighton_belle wrote: »

It just separated into what I assume is curds and whey. Any suggestion on whether I can do anything with them - seems a shame to chuck.

Ahem, knew i wouldn't be able to stay in lurkdom for long. I think you may have yoghurt! My homemade yoghurt often comes out like this. I pour off the whey (you can drink it - quite nice - or use it for baking, though I've never done that) and then use the yoghurt as normal. It isn't the same predictable consistency as commercial yoghurt but it's still yoghurt. Sometimes you have to pour off whey more than once, as more of it comes out, but it's still OK.

The other thing that tempted me out of the shadows was the discussion of 5 a day. Unless I've missed it, nobody has mentioned home-grown beansprouts. I'm not too keen on these raw but some people like them in salads, with a nice dressing. They are great in stir fry, cheap, available all year round, and full of vitamins. Mung beans are easiest but you can sprout all kinds of beans and pulses if they are not too old. All you have to do is soak them in cold water to get them started off, then keep them in a dark place and remember to rinse once a day. Quite frugal, methinks.

Brighton_belle

redglass wrote: »

Ahem, knew i wouldn't be able to stay in lurkdom for long. I think you may have yoghurt! My homemade yoghurt often comes out like this. I pour off the whey (you can drink it - quite nice - or use it for baking, though I've never done that) and then use the yoghurt as normal. It isn't the same predictable consistency as commercial yoghurt but it's still yoghurt. Sometimes you have to pour off whey more than once, as more of it comes out, but it's still OK.

Well I didn't think so as the whey was an inch think of solid matter on top and the rest of the 7/8 of a litre was a yellow liquid... where as so far all my HM yog has been 99.9 def yog with a dribble of liquid on top. I think if I stirred it together the high ratio of liquid would just return it to milk?

sophiesmum_2

Just had my tea and it was yummy..........( 3 portions of veggies -including my first lovely toms from greenhouse)


Fruit salad for two people (3.5 portions F&V each including HG strawberries ) had with some Home Made yoghurt.....nomnomnom as weezl would say.




and my jams and loaf from weekend:D
wholemeal with linseeds and sunflower seeds,(OH's favourite at moment) blackcurrant jam(from garden), rhubarb and apple jam (from garden) gooseberry jam (from garden) still have more to pick as well as blackberries/strawberries so lots more jam to make yet.

whitewing

Good evening.

(Did you know a post has to be at least 10 characters?)

sophiesmum_2

Hi Whitewing,:hello:
hope everything is well with you, loved your statement before about focusing on the positive whilst dealing with the negative - great philosophy for life in general.

Just checking my spreadsheets and need to deduct the £6 I spent for cinema at weekend, will do that now. Another no spend day today.

Frugaldom

Sophiesmum you put me to shame with all your jam making and baking and garden produce! I don't know how you find the time and will power to do it all.

I did manage to get the 5-a-day into the "Spratt" household, so day 2 of my mini-challenge is a success. I think DS reckons I'm even madder now, as he walked in just as I was weighing the peeled carrots for dinner and reading a tin of mandarin oranges. :rotfl:

F&V so far today:

150ml fresh orange - 1 portion
banana - 1 portion
tomatoes (hm soup) - 2 portions
carrots - 1 portion
mandarins & sultanas - 1 portion

I just need to plan tomorrow's meals now and make sure everything's ready. I've got mince and a carton of my tomato & veggie sauce out of the freezer for spaghetti bolognese and I'm off to see how to make pate from beans, as it would be nice to have at lunchtime with oatcakes and salad.

On the mung bean subject, I used to grow these for making chow mein and for feeding to my parrots. I did think of growing more, as I love stir fries, but never got around to it. I hadn't even thought of these as being counted as a portion, but already know that 2 out of the 3 of us here don't like them or won't eat them. :mad:

Gone recipe hunting now - and might indulge in some hm fritters to use up the last of the pineapple slices.

Marru

Just treated this evening DD with tinned pineapple with drop of custard she also polished off two mandarines and then one apple was shared with me, piggies and rats. She was so happy today as she was able to drive in "Sister Bails'" car.

I have done my excercises (my tummy muscles are screaming) and had two fast paced walks with The Dog. (I won't mention the cheesecake that I had with Bails earlier)

Nothing else to report from here.

Marru

redglass_2

Brighton_belle wrote: »

Well I didn't think so as the whey was an inch think of solid matter on top and the rest of the 7/8 of a litre was a yellow liquid... where as so far all my HM yog has been 99.9 def yog with a dribble of liquid on top. I think if I stirred it together the high ratio of liquid would just return it to milk?

Mmm, in that case I'm baffled, can only suggest you stir it and if you get sour milk you could use it for soda bread, or let the curds drip dry in muslin and turn into cottage cheese, or give up and chuck it away. Going back into lurkdom now having failed to suggest anything really useful.

fizzel81

good morning all

im still here hanging on... this month comeing is going to be hardest of them all... august with the school holidays, im sat here trying to find places to go things to do see etc whilst spending as little as possible, i got over my little urmmm blow out going to stick it behind me as such and hope everything balances out in the end

im using some of my 'savings' (cannot beleave im writeing word savings!) to buy a bed, ds3 will shortly be out the cot and i cannot be fussed with buying a toddler bed for use for a year or such

i need to get on the computer more and take part a bit more with this thread

edited to add if all carrys on and i work hard to reduce my little blip (as i do know how much im behind!) i will have just under 3,000 in savings at the end of this challange, some of what i would have saved was used earlier in the year in moving costs, this includes 3 lots of train fare to come up about the house prior to moving, and other bits and bobs i got before and after moving)

not sure yet how im going to do xmas ie add in to this challange or not include, whats everyone else doing? birthdays for my 3 boys have been presents i had brought and saved before xmas for this year