Store cupboard challenge

maggiecon

Since the new year, I have decided to sort my fianances out and the first thing I am doing is meal planning, making a shopping list based on this, and the hardest part, only buying whats on the list in the supermarket,

Anyway I had a total disaster yesterday, firstly I used a reciped for a tuna casserole that I found on this forum somewhere, and it was disgusting:( even the dog wouldnt eat it. So after that disaster I decided to make tonights planned meal as an alternative; Chicken Fajitas. started by chopping everything and when I was frying the chicken I noticed it smelt really bad, can t believe it was off as I only bought it on Monday evening :eek: thankfully I only bought one chicken breast, so I had to have chicken fajitas without the chicken. So I am left trying to make something for dinner tonight entirely fron storeboard cupboard ingredients.

Yesterday somebody suggested I should make queadillas from the left over tortilla bread, there is cheese tomatoes onions and spinach in the fridge so I will let you know tomorrow how it goes. Hopefully no more disasters to report

zippychick

ive merged this with the store cupboard challenge

strawberrypud

2 days into the challenge and I FAILED!!!

OH bought eggs on tuesday and I had to get onions yesterday or I wouldn't have been able to cook much else, I also got a creme egg! At least trying the challenge has highlighted my shortcomings!

dollydaydream07

well i've managed not to buy anything since saturday but today have run out of sugar and we are low on loo roll(this comes out my grocery money) so looks like either tonight or tomorrow i will have to go shopping for what i need

i will do this challenge again though but next time not on a whim, i'll plan it properly so i won't have to go shopping AT ALL!!!

FatVonD

IgotmarriedinVegas wrote: »

Hi all this is my first time on the message boards and I found this store cupboard challenge. Skint as always after Christmas. What me and my hubby do before doing the weekly shop is to write down everything in the cupboard, fridge and freezer and see what meals we can make for the family. We then make a weekly menu to stick on the fridge and make sure we keep to it. Not only do you start to use all the tins and stuff you've had for ages but it shows just how much money you waste on food that you don't really need to buy. Try it!

That's what we do too the week before payday!

Also, with there being 3 of us in the house (most of the time) we often get left with just 1 of something (if it originally came in a pack of 4.) If things are really tight we've been known to have a cook up of all the odd bits (separately, not the same pan but on the same plate!)

Savvy_sewing

strawberrypud wrote: »

2 days into the challenge and I FAILED!!!

OH bought eggs on tuesday and I had to get onions yesterday or I wouldn't have been able to cook much else, I also got a creme egg! At least trying the challenge has highlighted my shortcomings!

You mustnt think of yourself as a failure, you just keep trying to use things up. We all need to buy fresh bits and pieces, (and a lot of us Loo rolls!), its having a huge shop and stuffing the cupboards even more! Which is what I tend to do!:D:o

dollydaydream07

well i went and got my loo rolls, some cheese, some reduced scone and ended up forgetting the bl**dy sugar :mad:

oh well DD will just have to have cereal without sugar or toast for breakfast until i go to the shops again!!

recovering_spendaholic

I went to get some milk and bread today and went, for the first time in AGES, to Farmfoods - I was amazed that the Hovis bread was only £1.25 for 2 and the garden peas were two packs for £1. I got LOADS and it only cost me £11, and none of it was "rubbish" - just frozen veg, bread, milk, loo rolls, frozen pastry (bargain at 75p) and chicken portions. Made a chicken roast dinner tonight with Chicken from freezer, and used up alot of veg from the fridge, plus some frozen roast potatoes which had been in the freezer for ages. It was a really nice meal - I was amazed! I also found some frozen raspberries in the bottom of the freezer from goodness knows when so I made a raspberry topped sponge using up a packet of quick jel and we had that with some ice cream! Kids really liked the sponge and didn't moan at the lack of the usual biscuits etc.

Pinkcandyfloss

Week before payday- as usual the hardest week of the month , me and hubby had £6 to buy what little we could to compliment the food we had in our store cupboards. Hubby went to the shops and came back with eggs, hash browns (his weakness?!), sausages el cheapo (as he describes them), 2 bags of new potatoes reduces at tesco to 10p each, butter (cheap but omg salty), cheese 250g and a pack of value super noodles. He did absolutely great except he blew £2 on eggs (6 pack), e normally buy free range but he picked up organic ones and didnt notice till he was half way home.
As this thread is more to do with whats in my cupboard, I'll tell you how I created meals using the above and my bare-ish cupboard stock

Meal 1. My take on bubble and squeak- parsnips, Brussels sprouts, red cabbage and potatoes all left over from veg box and past their best boiled and smashed together with butter and lightly fryed served with sausages from freezer.

Meal 2.hash browns and sausages with bake beans

Meal 3. stew type dish using up stewing beef, tinned tomatoes, stock cubes, frozen veg and pearl barley

Meal 4. Chicken with salad and new potatoes

Meal 5. Tinned soup- it always lurks in my cupboard but never gets used so.... (hubby doesn't see soup as a meal )

Meal 6. Tonights meal using up eggs, left over milk, noodles brought and storecupboard as well as remaining salad to make a noodle omelette with side salad

During the week I have also used my bread maker to make a loaf (I had all the ingredients) which has been used for sandwiches, croutons, toast etc and teacakes so we have a little treat. I have also made flapjacks but the recipe failed and the butter a cheap lidles one had too much salt i think as when i went to lift the flapjacks out they crumpled on a plate and the butter literally had to be drained away! I saved the day though by spreading my chunks of flapjacks on a baking sheet baking in a hot oven until the sugar caramelised and help pieces together then waited for my flapjack shards/nuggets to cool and the drizzled cooking chocolate (of which i only had 6 squares) over the pieces- turned out surprising well and we snacked on them whilst watching films

Tomorrow is payday woohoo!!!!

wendywitch

I have acquired a butternut squash but don't have a clue what to do with it or how to prepare it and ideas guys?? :huh:


I don't think anyone ate anything yesterday. Noone felt like it after having to say goodbye to our very poorly dog