A free meal from what you have ? anyone else do this

[Deleted User]

I don't know about the rest of you but I have been thinking about the wastage involved in a lot of cooking I do my best to use every scrap up that I can or what I have left I try to utilise into something else.Probably for me its a bit easier as I live alone so only have myself to fend for.I do try to see if I can get what is in effect a 'free'meal'usually a lunchtime snack from something I have cooked already.Not just a portion left over for freezing, (I think most of on here try to do that) but an honest to goodness cobbled together meal. Last night I had a chicken & ham pasty from the freezer with Broccolli & mashed potato.I had had some HM soup to start with so I wasn't as hungry as usual. I ate the pasty and I suppose about half the mash and again half the broccolli so today for lunch I am going to finish up the mash and broccolli sauteed in the frying pan as a mini 'Bubble & Squeak' with a couple of rashers of bacon that need to be eaten up today and three rather dried up Mushrooms I have found at the bottom of the veg drawer.It will do me for a sort of 'brunch' as I go for my Sunday dinner each week to my DD's around 4.00.p.m.
I find that a bowl of soup before a meal does tend to fill me up a bit so rather than bin the leftover I have recycled it for lunch toady. Does anyone else think like me and try to spot a 'free meal' out of whats available or do you just bin it. I suppose it sounds a bit mean, but I do hate to waste good food. My DD has five children so there is very little wasteage there as one of the boys seems to have hollow legs and will eat anything that he sees his brothers won't. He is by the way the skinniest of the tribe of 4 boys but burns off an enormous amount of energy playing football almost non-stop.

princess_lou

Hi jackie, i try to do the same but most the tame fail miserably due to fact i cnt ever think of anything to do with it. for instance i just posted a thread( sorry dnt know how to link) and needed to look in my fridge... i have half a lamb joint, 4 pork steaks, natural yogurt, parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese tiny bit), courgette left over chinese special fried rice. its all on its lasts legs and It will prob go to waste as i dnt know wot to do with and have shopping arriving tomorrow. how do u do it? i have 2 children and oh...

Bitsy_Beans

Princess Lou - I would cook the meat and then freeze it - will give you a bit of breathing space before it goes off.

I don't tend to have much stuff to throw away - the only veg I have that isn't frozen are carrots and I munch them all the time so I end up buying more rather than having stuff left over! If I know I am not going to use all of something I always try and freeze the excess that I don't need.

ceridwen

I do the same - trying not to waste anything if I can help it. Dont always succeed - but I have a go anyways.

Stirfries, baked "Spanish-style" omelettes and using things as fillings for jacket potatoes are frequently-used ways of using up bits and pieces chez ceridwen.

I dont believe in wasting any of my money if I can help it - mind you: having said that - I dont even like wasting food I havent paid for if I can help it.

ceridwen

princess_lou wrote: »

Hi jackie, i try to do the same but most the tame fail miserably due to fact i cnt ever think of anything to do with it. for instance i just posted a thread( sorry dnt know how to link) and needed to look in my fridge... i have half a lamb joint, 4 pork steaks, natural yogurt, parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese tiny bit), courgette left over chinese special fried rice. its all on its lasts legs and It will prob go to waste as i dnt know wot to do with and have shopping arriving tomorrow. how do u do it? i have 2 children and oh...

I would mix the yogurt with whatever fruit I had and that would be someone's pudding or part of their breakfast.

The courgette and chinese fried rice would have some other suitable veg added - eg I would add chopped-up tomatoes and some sauted mushrooms for instance and heat it all up together and plonk some chopped-up omelette on top. If it wasnt enough for a meal for me on its own - I would have a slice of bread or baked potato with it.

Meat - I dont know - as I dont eat it.

Alikay

We picked some blackberries in the field next to our house yesterday, then DH went and picked the last few cooking apples off our tree. They were a bit grotty but fine after a very thorough peeling, so I guess the crumble was near enough free. Found a couple of sweet potatoes too and roasted them up while the oven was on - we just munched on them as a snack rather than part of a meal:D

I don't throw much food away either and try not to overbuy. The only thing I regularly chuck away is cucumber and lettuce.

clutterydrawer

I NEVER throw anything away, probably because I'm really particular about planning what I buy - nothing goes in my shopping basket without its fate being predetermined

I do like to squeeze an unlikey extra main meal out of random bits in the cupboard though, the other day I made a nice pasta meal using an old cupasoup for sauce, a little bit of the end of each piece of veg I'd bought, and some cheese rinds

Mrs_Thrify

Hiya, on the topic of food going to waste - well I do not think there is much in our house, although I did throw away some lettuce leaves in a bag yesterday and wondered if they should have been put in a lock and lock box would have kept fresh longer. I gave the dog a jacket potato today as it had been in the fridge since Friday.
I must also today, pick some blackberries from the garden to put in the freezer and stop the waste of them either dropping to the ground or rain dammage.

I have to admit we are all guilty of this sin and a little more thought and effort is needed.

freebiequennie

have to say nothing gets wasted in this house, had a curry mid week and was a serving spoon full left that was bagged and frozen and will just be chucked in next curry.

last week made a chicken, bacon and mushroom pie which we usually have for dinner then hubby has leftovers for supper one eve well he wasnt hungry at dinner time and was going to eat his later he then later on decide to only eat his veg and wedges as the 2/3 pie could then be used for dinner another night which it was.

we really dont waste anything in our house

Libbyloo_2

Hi, well today I've kinda had two meals out of one !! after I'd peeled the potatoes for dinner I dried off the peeled skins mixed them with a little oil and salt and popped them in the oven for 20 mins I served them with a little salad and some ketchup mayo and that was our lunch !!! I dont know why I've never done this before I always just throw the peelings out but glad I didnt today as it was absolutly delish !!!!

Ninno820

I am a recent convert to risotto and so I use that to use up bits - the old mushroom here, the spare courgette there. I bought a chorizo which I chopped up into useable chunks and then froze it. I find that a small piece of chorizo in the risotto adds a real depth.

On the topic of lettuce leaves etc julie_d why not try lettuce soup? Crazy notion I know but it is really refreshing. Fry off chopped onion and potatoe and then add vegeatble stock. when the chopped potatoe is coked add the lettuce leaves for just a few mins. Blitz everything thing up - add a bit of milk if you prefer. I have lost count of the amount of lettuces that have been "recycled" this way.