Store cupboard challenge

Penelope_Penguin

LoopyLinz wrote: »

Hi Folks

Having a bit of a tough month for various reasons and have found things really tight money wise. Have just been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and hubby has been doing the shopping so we have ended up with all sorts of things. Basically we need to make 16 dinners, for two adults and lunches, for just me with a minimal spend!

Have made a list of everything we have (which please bare in mind hubby has been doing the shopping!) cant seem to put things together to make meals if you are with me?

Anyway......we have -

Crispy chicken dippers x 15 4 meals
Oven chicken chargrills x 4 4 meals
Fish fingers x 10 5 meals
Beef burgers x 12 12 meals
Mince beef (500g x3, 730g x 1) I turn 500g mince into 12 portions of bolognaise or chilli, with loads of veg and lentils, so 36 meals
Bacon x 4 slices BLT for 2 lunches

1 pack sausages (8) 4 meals - eg casserole, pasta sauce
Garlic chicken kiev x 4 4 meals

You seem to have enough protein for all the meals you need. Add carbohydrate from your stores, and fresh fruit and veg with any money you have, and your 16 meals should be a breeze :T

I'll add this to the Storecupboard Challenge thread to keep ideas together

Penny. x

Butterfly_Brain

There are loads of good recipe ideas in the forum as well, we all seem to be in the same boat!

LoopyLinz

Penny please tell me how you manage to turn 500g mince into all that?!! Will any veg work?!

Nicki

Using the food you've posted, I've come up with 25 meals (all serving two) with only a few extras needed:

2 meals
Crispy chicken dippers x 15
1 bag lightly spice potato wedges
Half bag frozen broccoli or tin sweetcorn

2 meals
Oven chicken chargrills x 4
Quarter bag curly fries
6 carrots
Half bag roasted parsnips
2 servings frozen stuffing


3 meals
Fish fingers x 10
Quarter bag frozen mash potato
Add some veg

4 meals: 1x bolognaise and pasta, 1 x beef wraps, 2 x pasta bakes
Mince beef (500g x3, 730g x 1)
Garlic bread x 3
2 jars ragu original sauce
1 packet tortilla wraps (8)
1 and quarter bags pasta
2 lasagne sheets
Add salad

1 meal: spaghetti carabonara
Bacon x 4 slices
Half packet grated cheese
1 packet spaghetti
2 small onions
Need eggs

2 meals
Garlic chicken kiev x 4
1 bag potatoes
1 packet pasta and sauce (mild cheese & broccoli)


1 meal
1 bag potatoes
1 pack sausages (8)
1 serving frozen carrot & parsnip
1 tub frozen cabbage

1 meal: beef casserole
1 packet beef pieces
1 serving frozen turnip
2 peppers
Beef gravy granules
2 small onions

1 meal
1 pepperoni pizza
Add salad


1 meal: chicken satay
2 frozen chicken fillets
1 packet ready made satay sauce
Half box rice

1 meal
8 frozen meatballs with sauce
add some more pasta and some veg

6 meals
Beef burgers x 12
Add burger rolls, chips

Breakfasts
500g butter
1 carton pure orange juice
1 tub squeezy honey
1 box cornflakes
1 bowl rice krispies
Poridge oats
1 frozen loaf of bread

Desserts/snacks
Yoghurts x 7 (various flavours)
Summer Pudding: Half bag frozen bread crumbs, 1 tub frozen stewed apple, Sugar
Pineapple crumble: 1 bag crumble topping, 1 tin pineapple chunks
2 tins beans & sausages
3 packets super noodles (chicken, mild curry, southern fried chicken)
3 packets lightly salted tortilla crisps

Store cupboard
Cooking Oil
Vinegar
Ground black pepper
Ground mixed spice
Mixed herbs
Garlic granules
Chicken gravy granules




1 bottle diluted apple and black currant
1 bottle diluted orange juice


It's the first time I've done this kind of challenge, and am not sure I'd want to eat all of these combos myself. On the other hand its exactly the kind of stuff my OH would buy if left to do the shopping and some of it really only lends itself to tv dinner style meals. On the bright side, when its all gone, you can get some nicer stuff in, which will make your life a bit easier!

ETA: you will need some more veg and fruit to make sure you get your 5 a day. Maybe frozen veg or tinned beans or pulses if preparation is hard at the moment. Some more fruit juice would help too as an easy way to get one of the portions.

Penelope_Penguin

LoopyLinz wrote: »

Penny please tell me how you manage to turn 500g mince into all that?!! Will any veg work?!

Fry a couple of large chopped onions, with garlicand 500g minced beef (I use steak mince - no fat comes out of it, but per portion, it's very economical) until soft. Add chopped veg (courgette, carrot, celery, pumpkin, sweetcorn, green beans, etc, etc I use what I have, usually what's in season, so cheaper) and 2 tins chopped tomatoes. Bring to simmer and add a couple of good handfuls of red lentils. I then add some more liquid and herbs, then put into the bottom of the Rayburn for several hours.

You can add chilli and kidney beans for chilli, or use the sauce for lasagne.
The lentils disappear, and it's yummy :T 4 of us have it for supper, and I freeze the rest in 2 portions for meals later.

Penny. x

happymoneysaver79

Hi everyone, ive been popping in and out of the old style thread for ages now, picking up some very useful information along the way. However our problem of overspending seems to come from the weekly shop, food doesn't seem to go far in this house even though there are only two adults and a toddler. I don't seem to throw much away and always look out for bargains at the supermarket but I still find myself topping up the weekly shop, every few days. I decided that maybe the easiest way to see what is happening is to do a big shop and see how long I can make it last, only adding to it with essentials i.e. bread & milk. I intend to meal plan and do some batch cooking, oh takes a ready meal or salad/sandwich to work 5 days per week but is always around for an evening meal and breakfast, sometimes supper. I am having a complicated late pregnancy so I shouldn't really be dragging heavy shopping bags around, this is partly the reason I am trying to get it all out of the way at once, so it is less of a strain, hence the reason for so many ready meals, I need some convenience at the moment:rolleyes: .
I have made a list of everything in the freezer and cupboard and I hope some of you would be kind enough to offer your advice on how long this could roughly last. My list is as follows:

Freezer-

veg

1 x 1kg broccolli florrets
1 x 1kg baby broad beans
2 x 1 kg sweetcorn
1 x 1kg garden peas
3 x 1kg pettis pois
2 x 1kg carrot & swede mix
2 x 1kg casserole mix
1 x 300g tuvar (pigeon peas)
1 x 400g okra

Fish

9 x large fish fillets in batter
500g x white fish fillets
220g x king scallops
16 x seafood sticks
12 x cod cakes
6 x jumbo fish fillets
20 x fish fingers

Meat

8 x southernfried chicken breadsteaks
4 x pork steaks
1.3kg chicken fillets
6 x chicken kiev

family size chicken & veg pie
16 x pork sausages
4 x chicken fillets in crumb
3 x chicken dippers
3 x chicken & veg pies
8 x minted lamb quarter pounders
5 x chicken & veg shapes
2 x chicken chargrills
4 x meal for 1 shepherds pies

Pizza & Bread

2 x wholemeal loaves
5 x garlic baguettes
4 x garlic nann
1 x peperoni pizza
1 x cheese pizza

Chips

2 x 1.81kg fries
1 x 1.25kg chips
1 x 1kg crispy potato slices
1 x 1/4 bag home roasts

vegi meals

4 x southern fried quorn chick strips
1 x vegi lasagne
9 x lemon veg quarter pounders
2 x veggie sausages
5 x meat free burgers
6 x quorn burgers
2 x veggie puff pastry pies

puddings

1 x family apple crumble
2 x family apple tarts
1 x black forrest dessert
1 x tub vanilla ice cream

In The Cupboard

10 x spaghetti in tom sauce
9 x chopped tomatoes in juice
7 x baked beans
2 x broad beans
1 x crab meat
2 x pilchards
1 x haricot beans
1 x chick peas
1 x lentil soup
1 x kidney beans
2 x tomato soup
1 x jar chilli cooking sauce
1 x jalfrezi sauce
1 x tinned custard
2 x tinned strawberries
3 x tinned grapefruit segments
1 x prunes
1 x fruit cocktail
1 x 1000g pasta
2 x packet instant rice
3 x jars instant gravy

+ plenty of rice, potatoes, salad etc.

Any help and ideas to help this stretch would be fab, I am going to go away now and have a work out of how long I think I can make this last and then see if it tallys with what you guys think.

Many thanks

Happy xx

newlywed

Sorry, no suggestions, but a question....

HOW big is your freezer????!!!!!

happymoneysaver79

newlywed wrote: »

Sorry, no suggestions, but a question....

HOW big is your freezer????!!!!!

A friend gave us a chest freezer in addition to our upright one with four shelves. Not that big really, just crammed. x

princesstippytoes

You have plenty in your freezer to last you a while so maybe if you only buy fresh fruit and vegetables and what milk and bread you need you can run it down before you have your baby.

How about picking something from the freezer each day that you would like as a base for your meal then go and look in the freezer and cupboards for ideas of what you have in to go with it. I started to plan some meals for you but I stopped because I should be doing my own instead of someone elses. :cool:

Penelope_Penguin

It's difficult to say, without knowing your appeties and the sizes of individual items, but I'd suggest you have over 100 servings of protein :eek: So about 2 months' worth for you and DH

I'll add this to the Storecupboard Challenge thread, later

Penny. x