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

HOWMUCH

On the note of making full use of your oven whilst it is on. Sunday I cooked the roast and a lasagna, Chilli, soup all at the same time.

1st put in meat to roast (Bottom shelf) with roast potatoes on top shelf
2nd put lasagna on the bottom shelf along side the roast
3rd when potatoes cooked replaced with the chilli, which I had started off on the hob, placed sweet potatoes (Aldi 39p 500g) and half a butternut squash to roast.

Replaced the potatoes when the lasagna was cooked, Top shelf then had yorkshire puddings on it alongside the chilli.

I used half the sweet potatoes and butternut squash with the roast dinner then rest was added to 1 litre of water with 2 veg cubes and turned into soup with a quick blast from my hand blender.

Potatoes will reheat very fast to serve with the roast.

I make my oven work for me and it gave me 4 meals instead of just 1

System

weezl74 wrote: »

if I made 2 batches of the carrot cake in post # 2 how much would I have left of it's ingredients as shown in the currentest Asda list?

No problem. I'll include my workings, in case I have missed an update to your shopping list somewhere...

But first, starting only with the carrots...

You are buying 2.9 kg of carrots.
Two batches of carrot cake will use 640g carrots.
This means that you will still have 2.26 kg of carrots left. HOWEVER, this calculation assumes that there is no wastage in preparing the carrots (no peeling or topping/tailing), so is over-optimistic.

Have you allowed a % figure for waste in preparation when calculating the quantity of fruit/veg to buy? If it is easier to PM me, please do so.

weezl74

Avocet wrote: »

HOWEVER, this calculation assumes that there is no wastage in preparing the carrots (no peeling or topping/tailing), so is over-optimistic.

:rotfl::o:o:o

oh, I just washed the carrots because the skins weren't all cracked and earthy! so just the tops wasted for me, I just did it on a large one and lost somewhere between 1-2% of previous weight.

How does it seem to go With that figure for wastage?

Like your atention to detail BTW

weezl74

HariboJunkie wrote: »

Weezl, I'm not saying you should use it but my recipe for corned beef hash is very simple and I will try to cost it for you if you want, except I don't use Asda....:o
It's basically, par boiled spuds, chopped and fried in a little olive oil. Add chopped corned beef (from the fridge to keep it firm), one beef stock cube and enough water to cover or HM stock. Simmer until spuds are cooked and stock is absorbed.
Transfer to a shallow oven proof dish and make four wells in the top. Crack eggs into the well and bake until the eggs are set.
Serve with baked beans.

serves 4?

Looks good

Might have to include an eggless one depending how much the cakes use up and whether the puddings are a bit unvaried by general consensus. But I really like the sound of it, thanks. Hello and welcome BTW I don't think I've said that!

Hello too to HOWMUCH

System

weezl74 wrote: »

avocetI keep thinking, 'shall I answer this question or will it come across as a bit soap boxy?'

Proselytising is good when you feel strongly about something and have a just cause, as you do! I wasn't criticising! And I don't think you have been at all soap boxy. It has been very interesting to read about your rationale and motivations.

No, I was just admiring you for actually doing something about it, rather than sitting at home fiddling with the subject in an abstract, hobby-like manner.

ceridwen

Lesley_Gaye wrote: »

well reading that list I don't think many people would think it was subsistence level

It looks a lovely list of food, well done. I don't think it would be hard to stick with that for a months main meals, can't wait to see the other items in the day now. Very exciting

I don't know if you want any more ideas for the beetroot but I had a thought today. I had a wonderful roasted beetroot tart in a pub some time ago. It was buttery pastry, blind baked, with beetroot chunks roasted with olive oil and rosemary and scattered with tiny pieces of feta and a few pine nuts. Could be frugalised.

And on the chickpea flour thing, my brother is coeliac (he can't have gluten which is in wheat, barley, oats and rye) and I have created several things for him including a tart made from chickpea flour and filled with roasted vegetables tossed in yogort spiced with masala spice mix. It was delish.

Another thing I did for him was Spinach Dumplings using Natco tinned spinach and chickpea flour in the main, served with a spicy tom sauce rather than the yogort one suggested

I just LOVE this recipe swapping, my Word doc is nearly 90 pages long now! And that's just the main meals!

Well...those foods mentioned sound in our Weezl's words "nom nom" to me - mucho nom nom:)

weezl74

Avocet wrote: »

No, I was just admiring you for actually doing something about it, rather than sitting at home fiddling with the subject in an abstract, hobby-like manner.

thanks

I do my fair share of just sitting and fiddling though!

Haribo:), your costings would be welcomed, which shop do you have locally?

Lesley would you fancy trying to frugalise the beetroot tart?

I think it would be good in Keith and Hetty Barnacle's meal planner

ceridwen

and Lesley - even if it doesnae go in our Weezls Grand Plan - 'twould be good if you could give us those 2 recipes you mentioned that you made up purlease:) - ie the roasted veg. tart and spinach dumplings:):)

HOWMUCH

I made corned beef hash on Monday evening.

1 340g tin of cornedbeef (bought whilst on offer 200g tin with 70% free) £1.27
1 large onion sliced (bought whilst on offer at Aldi a couple of weeks ago - 3 large for 39p) 13p
500g diced carrot (Aldi 69p 1kg) 35p
1 large swede diced (currently on offer at Aldi) 39p
4 medium potatoes diced (I buy a 25kg sack for £5.50) 15p
3 oxo cubes 13p
Salt and pepper to taste.

Put everything in a very large pan and cover with (boiling water) simmer gentle on the hob for about 2hrs (mine in done on my smallest ring on the lowest setting with a lid on

£2.42 8 portions = 30.25p per portion.

We like to eat in after it's been in the fridge a couple of days really thickens up.
Half went into the freezer for another meal and half was served this evening with a whoopsy french stick (13p)from Mr T which I got out of the freezer
so it worked out at 33.5p for evening meal per person

It's all about looking out the special and reduced offers getting them and storing until you use them.

HOWMUCH

Thanks for the welcome weezl.
I took up this way of living 3 years ago when I decided to down size my wage and give me a better life. I just have to watch the carbohydrates cos of the diabetes.