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

Allegra

weezl74 wrote: »

Do you think another one in 2 weeks time is a good idea too?

Highly likely, I'd say It does rather depend on the final distribution of meals, though - but having a batch cooking day every couple of weeks regardless of the fact that the second one each month might be somewhat lighter in effort is a very good idea, as it keeps you in the swing of things, right ? Cooking only once a month might work for some people - very busy ones - but it's far more likely to become an unpleasant chore rather than a labour of love that way, to my mind at least. What does everyone else think ?

Weezl, are we thinking of rolling out a live test starting from 1st April, then ? And is this evening meals only or everything ? Do we have breakfasts and lunches final plan as yet ? Knowing my recent record, you have probably answered that already, in which case I apologise - and if you haven't, and are not ready to yet, I am not rushing you, just wondering how long I have to knock up a rough batch cooking draft that will help us testers as opposed to Shirl herself - so no rush, okay ? And also what I should cover in first draft - just evening meals, or everything.....

rachbc

ceridwen wrote: »

Just been and grabbed my basic Slimming World booklet.

Reet....

Milk - skimmed (568ml) - 9.5 Syns
semi-skimmed - 13.0 Syns
full-fat - 18.5 Syns

Reet....now have we got any Slimming World experts hereabouts to translate what that means in calorific terms/goodness terms purlease?

As the way I "translated" that myself was "if I water down milk 2:1 then I'm getting an equivalent amount of goodness/calories to semi-skim milk" and "If I water down milk 1:1 then I'm getting an equivalent amount of goodness/calories to skim milk".

I might be wrong in translating this that way - but thats what it seems like to me personally.

Nope - if you have 100ml of ff milk and dilute to 200ml with water you are getting 100ml worth if milk vits and minerals (eg 119mg calcium) and 68cals

If you have 200ml of skimmed you are have 200ml (plus a bit extra that you get topped up when the fat is taken out) worth of milk vits and minerals (248mg calcium) and 70cals

Similar cals but half the vit and min content in watered down milk as opposed to skimmed

ceridwen

A link about this:

http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html

I havent actually tried water kefir myself - but have had the milk kefir and its very similar to yogurt (both to taste and to make).

Lesley_Gaye

Had the Tomatoey Pasta for dinner tonight, went to do a survey while I remembered, but it isn't ready yet. So will report back here for now

Our usual pasta and tomato sauce is very similar except I use olive oil for the flavour to saute the onion, it has basil in, fresh if I have it in the garden, I don't use bacon and I top the sauced pasta with grated parmesan and toasted pine nuts.

We usually also have a big bowl of salad with it.

The quantity was a bit light for DP, fine for me, especially if I had some salad. I had made 2 batches of vegan brownies today, so DP topped up with 1 from each batch - more of which later.

I liked the sauce, but couldn't really taste the bacon, which was ok if the bacon was there for calories and not flavour. After about half of it, we each put a tblsp of parmesan on top, but if we were B&S it would be good enough without.

I decided to experiment with the vegan brownies and did a batch with white flour as usual and added some raisins - lovely. Did another batch using wholemeal flour and replaced 50g of flour with rolled oats and also added some raisins. Still lovely, but the brownies are a bit flaky and not as fudgy, so next time I will add more oil and water to make them fudgier, and that should mean they should stick together better. Flavour is delicious, and I am happier because they have more proper goodness in them. Would prob work well with instant oat cereal.

Weezl, will put some of the definitive recipes in the spreadsheet and whizz it over for you to paste the column in if you haven't already done it

ceridwen

[QUOTE=weezl74;3

Also I lost a whole thread on old-style, and I'd just be so gutted if this thread got deleted, because it represents literally hundreds of hours of work and research. And I've tried backing it up but I can't

I'm so sorry if anyone feels I'm being cautious or precious I just feel I and we have invested so much!

Love weezl x
[/QUOTE]

1. I'm a bit confuzzled here....what was the thread that got lost?

2. I am the one who keeps urging to get "back-ups" actually. I know *** all about the actual mechanics of doing this (being the computer-illiterate I am...) - but have got the vague idea that its some sorta copy and past jobbie to a personal file on one's own personal computer...

How would I know? - as that sorta thing is way beyond my paltry computer skills:rotfl::rotfl:- so I resort personally to keeping owt I want to keep track of by putting all relevant links on my personal private blog and physically typing in info. I wish to keep on said private blog - and then (as long as the Blogger website doesnt go into meltdown mode...) I'm sure I've kept track of my info. I've also done a lot of very laboriously writing down on paper various info. from the Internet that I wish to make sure I keep - whatever happens to the Internet as a whole....(ceridwen in "doomer mode" again......).

artybear

added both the baked bean curry and the *shudders* sweetcorn fritters. The menu really looks yummy nowxxxx

nopot2pin

Allegra wrote: »

Highly likely, I'd say It does rather depend on the final distribution of meals, though - but having a batch cooking day every couple of weeks regardless of the fact that the second one each month might be somewhat lighter in effort is a very good idea, as it keeps you in the swing of things, right ? Cooking only once a month might work for some people - very busy ones - but it's far more likely to become an unpleasant chore rather than a labour of love that way, to my mind at least. What does everyone else think ?

I totally agree....
I normally batch cook 2 or 3 times a month.
At least one of those batch cooks, I will cook 2 or 3 different things, at the same cooking day.
The other time(s) I batch cook, I might make a curry, or a chilli, for my evening meal, but make at least 4 portions of that, so that 3 go in the freezer...Ron can get quite hungry
I suspect most people will adopt the second option that I use to batch cook, instead of the first, as it is definately easier.
I use both, as I batch cook for elderly parents regularly........... they eat meat and I don't, so I cook different things for them, as to what I have.

Bummer
Work
Again:(
TTFN

weezl74

Lesley_Gaye wrote: »

Weezl, will put some of the definitive recipes in the spreadsheet and whizz it over for you to paste the column in if you haven't already done it

I think I've done all the main meals but would value your help with checking the batches and quantities are good for

everything involving the apple
the carrot cake 4 batches and the cereal bars (also 4 batches I think, but it's whatever doesn't make us go into huge stock deficit or positive IYSWIM?

How does that sound?

Oh and the pate needs adding too?

also now we know mustard is 2.5g per tspn and most recipes are 1-2 tspns can you rescue any mustard anomalies?

Sorry to be so woolly of head, I'm not feeling right today

ceridwen

grandma247 wrote: »

Ceredwin I can tell you it spreads beautifully even from the fridge. You must have missed that one in A.D's books

Thanks...in that case...at a rough guess...it probably costs the same sorta price level as best-quality buttery spread - but its organic butter in it and sunflower oil (instead of the rapeseed oil I suspect even good-quality buttery spread is) - so a much better product and worth the bit of effort entailed:D:T

Right - I'll be having a go at that then...

nopot2pin

Lesley_Gaye wrote: »

Had the Tomatoey Pasta for dinner tonight, went to do a survey while I remembered, but it isn't ready yet. So will report back here for now

I was thinking on having something like this for dinner tomorrow night, so if I do, I will get the survey done
I'll post here, if I do, so you can see