Store cupboard challenge

leiela

Oh great idea with the hot chocolate, i was wondering if it could be used in cakes i suspected yes but im not much of a baker and im not quite ready for experimenting haha.

Ok so i've spent the last house sifting though my shelves. Each cuboard has 2 shelves what i've done is put the stuff i NEED to use on the bottom easier to see shelf and put the less urgant stuff on the top shelf.

the plan to try and use up stuff on the lower shelf in priority.

Okie!!!

Ok i need ideas!! quite abit of this stuff was bought on a whim and when i got home i realised i had NO clue what to do with it.

Ok so heres a list idea's would be VERY greatfully recived.

Dried Bread crumbs 2 boxes ...
Batter Mix
chilli and garlic seed mix
Salad seed mix - plain
Pistachio nuts that im too scared to open because ill eat them haha.
Pecans - see above
Walnuts - see above
Egg Replacers - like 4 different kids ?!!!!
Hot chocolate
Banana milkshake mix
Chocolate milkshake mix X 2
wourceshire sauce x 2 bottles
Piri piri sauce
Chilli Sauce - hot and sweet
rice vinagar - 2 bottles
Balsamic vinegar
Tins of grapefruit X 4 MASSIVE tins
green olives
Soup mix (mix of grains, peas and lentils)
Barley
Salad bean mix (tried it once but i think i undercooked them, and i left them plain so didn't have much flavor)


I have a ton of other stuff too most of the basic's meat, eggs etc but these are the things i know will stay in my cuboards FOREVER if i dont figure out something to use them for.

In the case of the last three (barley,soup mix, salad beans) i suspect they would/could become stables if i could fiugre out some good recipes.

Beccatje

I think you could start with just sorting it all out first.

empty out a cupboard all the way and put in on a table. Take a good look at what's there, and decide what you think you'll use in the near future.

Things you won't use, are out of date or you've 'gone off' off, throw away.
Yes it's a waste, but sitting in your cupboard for another year taking up space is a waste as well. The money you've spent buying those items is already gone anyway.
And if you don't want/need the food, it's just as much wasted in the bin as it is inside you or your kids.

If you really don't want yourself and your kids to eat those cakes anymore but want to revert back to home made: TOSS the stuff!
Give it away if you can't stomach binning it.

I think that would be my approach.
Have a clear out and start again, the new way.

It would take a lot of the stress off your mind that's worth the wasted money.

Just my take.

Becca

Gryfon

What I've done for meal planning this week, is to print out seven meals with ingredients underneath, then I don't shop for whatever I already have in the fridge/freezer. These meals are for the week, some need doing sooner rather than later because of the fresh veg but a couple of things can be carried over to the next week if I don't fancy doing them this week. Also some can be made and frozen ready for when I do fancy it.

Here is one website which is supposed to help http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/

sunflower76

To use up some of the milkshake why not get the kids to make themselves smoothies as a pud? Mix up the milkshake as it says on the pack, then blend in a banana and a scoop of ice cream. Yummy and they can do it themselves.

You could have grapefruit for breakfast with a sprinkling of nuts / seeds and some natural yoghurt?

I think I'd be tempted to have a 'supermarket box'. Leave only one of each tin / jar / packet of dupclicate items in the cupboard and put the others in a box in the bottom of your wardrobe. It won't be quite so overwhelming then when you open the cupboard and see 4 tins of grapefruit etc. If you then visit the supermarket box before going shopping you can dig out anything that you've used that week.

I don't do 100% meal planning, I have a big list that will say Mon - Mince, Tue - Chicken breast, Wed - Belly pork etc. I don't feel quite so tied in then but I still know that I've got something in and am liekly to remember to get smething out of the freezer.

rachbc

I'd take a gradual approach - find a recipe that uses one or 2 of your stash and incoporate it into you plan, same next week and no buying more random stuff til you've used up what you have. if you want to get rid of the cake bites - can you take them to work to shar out or send in with kids to school/nursery to share? Then they are gone but not wasted.

If I'm buying something for a specific recipe I and won't use all of it I either make the same again or plan another meal to use up what's left. With nuts and seeds i limit myself to cashews, almonds and pecans only and subsitute if a recipe calls for something else. i also keep seasame, sunflower, poppy and pumpkin seeds rather than ready made mixes. They keep for ages and I use them in lots of different ways so I don't mind having a half bag of each knocking about.

So plan your usage and shopping, keep a core stock of things and substitute stuff from your store cupboard rather than buying a bag of something that will only be used once would be my advice.

2cats1kid

When I sorted out I found bits and pieces that needed using up, and I found recipes specifically to use them. Unfortunately one or two of them I liked so much I ended up buying more of what I used up!

Some ideas for your extras :

breadcrumbs - I'd use these with chicken breasts to make my own chicken nuggets/chicken tenders.

pistachios/pecans/walnuts I'd use in muffins (there's your healthy pudding) or in apple pies etc.

worcestershire sauce I use mostly in mince to give it more flavour. Also in gravies to add a bit of kick

batter mix will give you pancakes for pudding one night. Nice with ice cream, or just sugar and lemon. Actually pancake day must be coming up soon, so you could score brownie points with your kids.

chilli sauce - dipping sauce for your HM chicken tenders (above)

milkshake mix - not sure about this, but could you make it up quite strong and have it as ice cream? Put it in the freezer and stir every hour or two to stop ice crystals forming. Might at least use it up?

Soup mix and barley - soup! With some onions, carrots, maybe a couple of potatoes?

Olives - yuk can't stand them myself. But would you use them on a pizza?

Grapefruit I'd have for breakfast or use in a fruit salad.

bargainbetty

OK, it's not fabulously healthy, but you could use the batter mix to make some tempura vegetables.... make the mix up with water (soda water make it really light) and dip sliced veggies in it before frying them off. You can use up peppers, onions, carrots, broccoli florets, baby sweetcorn etc... it's really easy. Makes a good side dish for one of those sweet and sour dishes too.... Use the chilli sauce (sweet) as a dipping sauce.

I also use sweet chilli sauce as a dressing for veg- I throw broc, green beans, shredded cabbage and sugar snap peas etc into a bowl, cover with cling film and nuke it for three mins in the micro, then put a tablespoon of sweet chilli sauce over it and stir through. Fab side dish for anything.

For the breadcrumbs, why not try something like Chicken Kiev? Get a chicken breast or thigh, slice a hole into the middle and stuff it with some homemade garlic butter? HM garlic butter is simple, crush or finely chop some garlic and mix it into softened butter with some herbs thrown in). Then dip the chicken parcel into beaten egg, then breadcrumbs to coat. Bake in the oven and then apply to mouth!

Put worcestershireshireshire sauce into any meat dish - it deepens the flavour of shepherds or cottage pie a treat!

Soup mix - make a big batch of soup by softening off some veg in a big pan, then add the mix and stock. You could thrown in a chicken leg (skinned but whole) and then once it has simmered for an hour, just shred the meat off the bone. Having the bone in while cooking adds extra flavour, and a leg is cheaper than a breast. Add some barley too - just pre boil it for 10 mins before adding. Makes the heartiest soup you'll ever eat!

Don't worry about stockpiling too much - my mum believes that if you find a good deal on something you always use, it's worth buying. She currently has over 2000 teabags and about 30 loo rolls.

Good luck!

Penelope_Penguin

leiela wrote: »

A few weeks ago i made a full inventory of all the stuff in my cuboards it was my intention to use what i had before buying more. But tbh i keep buying more and more and my cuboards are getting fuller and fuller now granted alot of this new stuff is GOOD, ive bought some baking things and for the first time in my life ive started baking which my kids love and i've bought lots of things to get my on the path to OS money saving.

Well done :T I've done something similar - listed all the contents of my food cupboards, fridge and freezer. When I write my menu plan I look at that and try to use things up

I'll add this to the existing Storecupboard Challenge thread where you'll get more ideas.

Penny. x

leiela

Blah ok ... so i had some leftover scraps of veg at the bottom of the veg draw, so i've made a chicken cassarolle in the slowcooker, that will be used for the hubby's lunches at work for monday and tues.

I've put some soup mix in soak and when the cassaroles finished ill be using that and some leftover gammon to make a soup for me for monday and Tuesday at work.

Tonight for tea im using some pork, Veg, a jar of sweet and sour and one batter mix to make sweet and sour pork for tea which ill do with egg fried rice.

For lunch me and the kids had tuna pasta salad it used some leftover salad stuff and tins of tuna and sweetcorn ... god knows why i had tinned sweetcorn i can't stand the stuff... blah ... anyway its gone now

Oh and for pudding im thinking pancakes (using some of the batter mix) Icecream, banana's and toffee sauce.

Anyway sound good so far???

marfan_not_martian

longtimelurker wrote: »

Hmmm, do you have your meal plan displayed for the rest of the family to see? I'd be in trouble if I deviated from the 'weekly menu'! I also find that checking it in the morning I get excited about dinner, and that when I get home to cook it the meal plan is a way of saving time faffing around and cuts out stressing over dinner.

Hi longtimelurker.

I put the meal plan in my kitchen drawer so no one else sees it but the night before I check the meal plan and take out anything I need to from the freezer. I havent been doing it for very long, only started the last couple of weeks but its a great way of taking the stress out of deciding what to have for tea and also it helps reduce the amount of take aways we have.

good luck

mnm
xx