Weezl's phase 1- recipe testing and frugalisation- come one, come all!

nicki_2

Right, I give up :rotfl: £130.64 but 871 portions of fruit/veg which works out at 7 a day per person. The thing that I'm thinking though is that wholemeal stuff is more filling so you could possibly get away with less wholemeal/wheat flour/pasta etc and cut the bill that way

I'm now going to go through and see if I can get enough 7-a-day by halving things so it would be suitable for a family of 2 and see what sort of total I make of that

phizzimum

just a thought with regard to keeping track of the actual recipe reviews...maybe we should post them in a different colour? this would make it easier to pick them out of all the other (vital) waffle.

just got back from Tescos and have stocked up on chick peas, tinned toms, sausage meat, turkey mince, pickled red cabbage and beetroot - so I can't wait to try the other recipes. going to make the carrot cake tonight too - DD1 a bit dubious as she doesn't like oranges, so I'll only make half the amount in case I end up having to eat it all!

boredofbeingathome

phizzimum wrote: »

just a thought with regard to keeping track of the actual recipe reviews...maybe we should post them in a different colour? this would make it easier to pick them out of all the other (vital) waffle.

just got back from Tescos and have stocked up on chick peas, tinned toms, sausage meat, turkey mince, pickled red cabbage and beetroot - so I can't wait to try the other recipes. going to make the carrot cake tonight too - DD1 a bit dubious as she doesn't like oranges, so I'll only make half the amount in case I end up having to eat it all!

No, make the full amount and test over the week - how long it keeps etc;):D

Sian_the_Green

Hey Weezl, I like the new post you have put up about the parameters. In a lot of cookbooks they have a store cupboard section which includes things they assume you will have in the cupboard. Are we assuming that for this family they will not have anything of that sort? i.e. salt, bicarb, chilli flakes, worcestershire sauce...

Would be nice to have a section on the cheap and cheerful ways to grow your own etc, I realise this isn't easy for lots of people but your imaginary family might like to try growing their own herbs or putting their sprouting potatoes out in an old bin as an added extra. I almost imagine it as a book having an appendix for alternatives e.g. a couple of pages each for a family with space for a few tubs on the patio, for a family who have space for some chickens, for a family who are willing to freecycle to get an extra freezer for the cellar...

I would like to try the onion tart but in a shared house I often get home to find things made for me, lovely but not always conducive to meal planning. We each pay about £15 a week to the housemate who owns the house which covers all our food, drink, loo roll, cleaning products etc and washing powder. We eat very well for that, meat most evenings and lots of veggies, pretty much everything home-cooked and fairly frugal! Sharing can be great but you do have to compromise on some things, I would have a tighter budget if I was on my own but then I wouldn't be able to go to the fridge and eat a portion of tiramisu

x

Lesley_Gaye

I was wondering, like StG, if maybe we could have some kind of cupboard setup that would include things like a few of the basic spices etc. In our frugal cooking on OS we often use garam masala, paprika, ground corainder and cumin, and they would last for some time.

Just thinking if it would be a good idea as including, say, 2 spices, in such a small budget would be nigh on impossible, and each recipe doesn't use much, so it is sort of unrealistic in a way. Also I have found that using meals based on beans and pulses, the easiest and cheapest way to make them tasty is often to use (several) spices.

What does everyone think? Does each months meal plan need to be absolutely complete in its shopping list, or can we have some things in a cupboard?

ifonlyitwaseasier

Makes 32 squares, so the testers might want to make a half batch (pah!! we do not do things by halves!!)

• 350g sugar (26.25p) - reduced to 200g (used soft demerara as was in the cupboard)
• 350ml veg oil (32.55p)
• 4 eggs , lightly beaten (39.6p)
• 320g grated carrots (about 4 Large) (26p)
• 200g raisins (26p)– increased to 350g
• grated zest and juice of 1 large orange (11.3p)
• 350g self-raising flour (10.15p)– about 370g found it to be too loose
• [STRIKE]3 tsp bicarbonate of soda (4p)[/STRIKE]– left out entirely no need when using SR flour
• 3 tsp garam masala if you have it in, or mixed spice or half cinnamon half nutmeg if you don’t (3p)

Zest and juice the orange. Warm the Orange juice in a saucepan and add the raisins to soak in it to plump up. Allow to cool. – added a spot of hot water and zested the orange b4 microwaving to get the most juice from it

Warm oven to gas mark 4.

Blitz all other ingredients together in food processor or mix together in large bowl with a wooden spoon. - added raisins once rest mixed

Pour into 2 cake tins, papered or greased. Or use fab silicone ones if you have them. - used two 8” square tins greased with low fat spray oil

Bake for 45 mins or until golden yellowy brown and springy in the centre to your touch.


-will make 32 once cut, no idea of the changes in price.
smells divine and will add taste results once we’ve had some J

ok so amended it a little bit but i think it's in a way that will work, it's actually a very similar recipe to one i use for carrot/banana cake already,

ioiwe

PS nomnomnomnomnomnomnom oh my that is lovely cake

ifonlyitwaseasier

Lesley_Gaye wrote: »

I was wondering, like StG, if maybe we could have some kind of cupboard setup that would include things like a few of the basic spices etc. In our frugal cooking on OS we often use garam masala, paprika, ground corainder and cumin, and they would last for some time.

Just thinking if it would be a good idea as including, say, 2 spices, in such a small budget would be nigh on impossible, and each recipe doesn't use much, so it is sort of unrealistic in a way. Also I have found that using meals based on beans and pulses, the easiest and cheapest way to make them tasty is often to use (several) spices.

What does everyone think? Does each months meal plan need to be absolutely complete in its shopping list, or can we have some things in a cupboard?

and of course if you have one bought one month you'd buy a different one the next month, and depending on access to asian supermarkets/websites you can buy large quantities for very little

vandanfc

Weezl's list (well as close as I can get it) from Tesco

All prices and special offers are correct as of 8 February 2010
shopping list

45 items. £110.32

5 a day = (618 portions in your trolley)

Fruit & Vegetables Guide price in £

6 x Tesco Disney Kids Fun Size Apples Class 1 (10) 6.00 any 2 FOR £2.00 - valid until: 14/02/10
Instead of kiwi fruit - sub'd these:
4 x Tesco Kids Fun Size Pears Class 1 (10) 4.00 any 2 FOR £2.00 - valid until: 14/02/10

3 x Tesco Cooking Onions Class 1 (10) 2.94
4 x Tesco Market Value Carrots (15) 3.20
4 x Tesco Market Value White Potatoes (2.5kg) 3.96
2 x Tesco Red Onions (10) 1.98
1 x Tesco Value Roasted Salted Peanuts (200g) 0.27
5 x Tesco Value Sultanas (500g) 3.25
4 x Tesco Cooked Beetroot in Natural Juices (250g) 2.28
1 x Great Scot Marrow Fat Peas (500g) 0.60

Dairy

4 x Tesco Whole Milk 4 Pints (2.27L) 6.00 any 2 FOR £3.00 - valid until: 01/03/10
2 x Tesco Value Mixed Eggs (15) 2.98
2 x Tesco Butter Me Up Spread (500g) 1.50 any 2 FOR £1.50 - valid until: 23/02/10
2 x Pilgrims Choice Mature Cheddar (400g) 3.99 2 FOR 1 - valid until: 23/02/10
Meat, Fish & Poultry

No sausage meat to be found, so sub'd these, but no where near enough to compensate -
2 x Tesco Value Meatballs (8 per pack - 224g) 2.00

1 x Tesco Value Pork Belly Slices (1Kg) 3.98
1 x Tesco Fresh Turkey Mince (562g) 2.00
2 x Tesco Value Turkey Drumstick (900g) 4.20
1 x Tesco Value Unsmoked Gammon Steaks (250g) 1.39
Frozen

2 x Tesco Fresh Frozen Very Fine Whole Green Beans (1Kg) 2.00
2 x Tesco Sliced Carrots (1Kg) 2.18
4 x Tesco Value Mixed Carrots, Cauliflower & Broccoli (907g) 2.80
4 x Tesco Value Peas (900g) 3.48
4 x Tesco Value Sweetcorn (907g) 3.44
Tins, Jars & Cooking

1 x Tesco Pure Vegetable Oil (1L) 0.93
1 x Colman's Mustard Powder (57g) 0.94
1 x Gia Garlic Puree in Vegetable Oil (90g) 0.59
1 x TRS Garam Masala Aromatic Spices (400g) 1.78
15 x Oak Lane Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce (420g) 4.35
14 x Tesco Value Plum Tomatoes in Tomato Juice (400g) 4.34
1 x Oak Lane Red Cabbage (710g) 0.79
1 x Tesco Spanish Green Olives Stuffed with Pimiento (935g) 1.60
1 x Sacla Italia Classic Green Basil Pesto (290g) 2.97
1 x Kucharek Chicken Cube (120g) 0.69 was 89p - valid until: 09/02/10
Packets & Cereals

2 x Tesco Value Wheat Biscuits (36x15g) 1.50
3 x Tesco Value Porridge Oats (1Kg) 1.74
10 x Tesco Strong White Bread Flour (1.5Kg) 6.10
1 x Tesco Value Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg) 0.43
1 x Pride Lemon Juice (250ml) 0.48
1 x Silver Spoon Granulated Sugar (1Kg) 0.98
3 x Tesco Tricolore Fusilli (500g) 1.74
2 x Tesco Value Pasta Quills (500g) 0.86

5 x Tesco Value Long Grain Rice (1Kg) 3.65
4 x Tesco Whole Foods Chick Peas (500g) 3.16
Drinks

1 x Tesco Value Tea Bags (80 per pack - 250g) 0.28

maman

Nancy888 wrote: »

Hi

I just use a grater - it seems too much of a faff to get the food processor out for a few breadcrumbs

HTH

I just hand rub them to start off then rub them around a plastic collander (less spiky than a grater for my hands). I often do enough to freeze some too.

princess_loki

i am doing roast lamb and all the trimmings tonight - got distracted on phone call and potatos had over boiled . so made mash to put in fridge for lamb and leek stew later in week:rotfl:.

am i odd... the one thing i really hate about cooking is potato's - it is the whole peeling, boiling, mashing or roasting - takes ages (or seems to!) think it may be something to do with being in girl guides on holidays away when if you ended up on potato's you had to peel a whole sack of them!!

back to the thread - made banana bread with over-ripe bananas and used up some tesco olive oil spread that we didn't like (which said ok for baking) - cakes look different to normal but am hoping they will taste ok!

when i am off work (temping at the moment) i batch cook and make double of everything to take over to my mum and dad so they are in for treats this week! tomorrow i will be taking them 2 portions onion tart, half carrot cake, banana bread and root vegetable soup!