50p a day til Christmas - healthily?! Weezl's next challenge...

redsquirrel80

I do like cookery programmes - the ones that show you techniques and new ways with ingredients. I've got to say that I used to like Delia when she showed how to cook 'properly' - so disappointed in her 'cheats' book/ programme. I ranted rather a lot over the tinned mince - workmates heard "yes, but if you buy a packet and bulk cook it then freeze portions it's so much cheaper" from me several times I believe! It would be fab to have a Weezl-esque programme on, though I suspect that most people would find it too much effort - and yes, there does seem to be this pressure that we 'should' be eating fresh salmon or steak or monkfish or quails or whatever at every meal. Likewise that we all have to look perfect - I do think that these makeover programmes boost people's confidence, but I wonder if it lasts.. is their life really permanently so much better for having new teeth or a smaller chin?

Am sure pretty much all of us buy into it at times - I have to admit to getting into that mindset that buying a certain thing or losing a bit of weight will make me happier - and sometimes it does work, for a while, but it's not lasting happiness... that is sadly much harder to find at times, and sometimes much more simple, and free!

Anyway! Food for today..
Breakfast - 2 x savoury muffins - 6p
Lunch - spaghetti with spinach & ricotta - 15p
Snacks - cereal bar - 6p and sweet muffin - 6p
Tea - something using liver again I think, really enjoyed it last night.. not sure what to make yet though!

Plum_Pie

Weezl, what a fantastic post. I really think you should index it on to the first page of this thread so lurkers and newbies can find it… you could call the section 'Weezl's wisdom' or perhaps 'Weezl's ramblings'!

I completely agree - one of the first things I did when I was a DFW was to stop buying fashion mags and suddenly the cravings for clothes magically reduced I also agree about working out what you want to do with your money. I've been self-employed before and am temping now, whenever I think of backsliding in term of packing my lunch, I say to myself - 'You can work for 3 minutes to pay for your lunch or you can work for 20 minutes'. Then I go and plant more salad!

moneydribbler

weezl74 wrote: »

moneydribbler, hello and a very warm welcome. We'll help with your meal planning! Just post your inventory and we can all have a challenge to help feed you!;)

You don't know what you've let yourself in for.... expect a list over the weekend then, and thank you


Thank you for all the info on tuna Advocet - I've got about 9million tins of tuna-in-brine in the cupboard already, but I'll look to the ones in oil when I'm next buying them I think. (I think that's what I love best about this thread, all the science stuff :T )


Cheers ISOM - I'm looking forward to a bit of baking this weekend - does the potato bread freeze okay, does anyone know?

With the yoghurt thing, I've some french family who are all svelt personages, and they all swear by natural (full fat, unadulterated, generally homemade) yoghurt - the bang for your buck on the saiety (sp?) is worth the calories because it fills you up and keeps you full. I've tried it over there - although not so much at home - and I'd tend to agree that you don't need very much and it doesn't half take the edge off. I'm not at all sure how it'd fit in with SW though.

I had a bit of a freegan bargain last night, m'colleague brought me some lovely organic rhubarb from his parent's garden - I LOVE rhubarb nomnomnom - so I stewed it up with some candied ginger I had in the cupboard, and now it's in the fridge, ready to go into the freezer tonight (too summery still for crumble, but I'll freeze it in single crumble-sized portions ). I know it freezes like a dream, as does the 8oz, 4oz, 4oz crumble topping :T .

Last night's dinner:
Spelt Pasta (kinder to my tum than regular, and cheaper than the Free-from stuff) about 25p
Cheese Sauce (value flour 2p, value butter 5p, milk 10p, whoopsied mexicana cheese- 35p for a huge bit, most of which is still in the freezer 3p, yellow pepper 27p, cooked leftover bacon 20p)

Which makes roughly £1.19 - more than the £1 I'd looked for and mostly due to the pepper and the more expensive pasta. I think, once I've run down what I've got, I'm going to need to look at rice or something instead of the pasta or maybe half rice, half pasta, and possibly frozen peppers if I can find them anywhere?

The cooks-on-tv thing; it's like either earlier on this post, or on the other one - there's a lot of M&Sesque "it's not just very expensive food all chucked together, it's jamie oliver's very expensive food all chucked together" in some of the programmes, and they're dangerous to watch hungry, but I still love watching them to get some ideas for techniques and things (Nigella's good for that, and that's all food pron...) - there was a chinese one on on Monday that had some interesting things about marinading and then coating chicken in cornflour to keep it juicy when it was fried - like healthy take away at home - which I think I'll be watching again. Then again, I've never knowingly followed a recipe exactly in my life, so maybe that's why I don't feel I need to have all the expensive ingredients?

loocyloo

hello!

been lurking since the begining of this thread and have got a collection of recipes! its all so inspiring and i am in awe of you weezl! (and the rest of you who post here!)

i have 2 little ones and husband (who doesn't understand this shopping frugally 'lark' !!! - i just don't let him go shopping any more, on his own OR with me!) i also work full time as a childminder, so have my own challenges in making meals and snacks that appeal to the children!

made the coconut bread, rather yummy! planning to try a few more recipes this weekend. i already make my own bread (by machine) and we get milk delivered .. as that way i don't have to go to the shops and then buy things i don't need!

probably off topic a bit, but, i buy big tubs of plain yogurt to add my own fruit etc too (choc shavings are good!), but getting fed up at only being able to buy low fat yogurt ... anyone know where i can get big tubs of full fat (without it costing the earth!) or, it must be easy to make! how? thanks!

loocyloo x

Plum_Pie

Loocyloo

A shop which sells Greek,Turkish or Indian food.

Or type 'home made yoghurt' into 'search this forum' (top right of screen).

boredofbeingathome

Well what we do is make piles of toast( especially when River Cottage is on)...stops any cravings, and HM toast with butter would do that..maybe it is why my weight loss is slow, but my purse is healthier...

There's sommat wrong there i am sure:rotfl: :rotfl:

Plum_Pie

The flavour has intensified in the lemon coconut buns I made to the point where I’m considering icing them to make them edible! I’ve rejigged and recosted the recipe.

Lemon Coconut Buns
(Inspired by Shaz’s Coconut Cake)
100g caster sugar
40g desiccated coconut
125g flour (self raising or plain plus large pinch of baking soda)
Zest of 1 whole lemon
Juice of half a lemon plus water to make up to 125ml total

Variations
30g (or more if liked!) finely chopped fresh fruit or dried fruit
6 tsp jam*
Icing

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and spoon into fairy cake cases.
2. Bake in a pre-heated oven at gas mk 4 /180C / 350F for 20 mins or as long as necessary for a skewer to come out clean.

*If using jam, half fill each case with bun mix, add half a tsp of jam and then cover with more mix.

Costing for bun with no added fruit, jam or icing.
(Lemon costed as ‘half a lemon’, as half of each lemons’ juice is useable for another dish!)
If lemons cost 5p each = 1.7p per bun
If lemons cost 10p each = 1.9p per bun
If lemons cost 20p each = 2.3p per bun

Softstuff

weezl74 wrote: »

So I think we are seduced by the words and the colours into thinking, 'oh yes!, my life is incomplete without seared pigeon breast in a rosemary jus' and by the glamorousness of the chefs. We see their lovely homes, their beautiful kids. Subliminally absorb the message, if I cook like you and eat like you I can have a life like yours...:rolleyes:

It feels just like the way that programmes like '10 years younger' and the whole tranche of women's magazines are there to tap into our insecurities and sell us a lifestyle we don't need or want...... 'Ah yes, £7000 worth of cosmetic dentistry, then I will be truely happy!':D

We live in a world which constantly invites us to not feel content with what we have.:mad:

I'm not being scathing here about anyone but me, I'm talking about what I feel happens in me, and I resent it!:o

Weezl, you've just posted what I was having a rant to my OH about the other night :rotfl:
The world seems set up for consumers, and it's only when you take a step back and examine it that you realise how little you actually *NEED*. When I say need, I mean really need, not just want.

My husband and I now rarely buy anything but food each week. That may sound pretty normal but if you think about it most people buy much more - magazines, entertainment, drinks out, cosmetics, books etc. etc. And then, when we do buy food, it's carefully considered so as not to be wasteful.

Things for us have once again become "treats". A discounted bottle of pepsi on pay day, an occasional movie rental (for 80p on a tuesday). Birthday and Xmas pressies mean more, because we wouldn't normally buy these things. I just get the feeling we're valuing what we have more, and having no pressure to keep up with other people or fashion relieves the stress somewhat.

Penelope_Penguin

weezl74 wrote: »

My most motivating thing was when I used Martin's demotivator tool, and put in the difference between what I used to spend on food, and what I spend now, and how many extra years I'd have to work to afford it (the old way). And those extra 8 years!!!!!!! :eek:seem so much more desirable.

Oooh, is that your motivation for this experiment - stopping work early

We're hoping for DH to reduce his hours when he hits 50 (and the Younger Penguin hits 18 ) and then stop completely before he's 55. We're moving to North Yorks to run a smallholding :j

Penny. x

BTW - I do a lovley pan fried, DH caught, pigeon breast, on a bed of HG leaves and HM bread!

redsquirrel80

OK I've found tonight's tea -

Breakfast - 2 x savoury muffins - 6p
Lunch - spaghetti with spinach & ricotta - 15p
Snacks - cereal bar - 6p and sweet muffin - 6p - and erm, sneaky packet of crisps - 10p
Tea - 'Milan Style Liver' (err it's liver, pasta and parmesan) - http://www.cookitsimply.com/recipe-0010-0159c27.html - with tinned tomatoes tomato & onions cooked into a sauce - cost about 45p

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Total for day 88p

There's a recipe for liver and courgette stirfry on that site too, sounds nice!