Weezl and friends Phase 2 -giving it a whirl for Shirl! Testing meal plan for a month

Allegra

Just finished a batch of bread/doughnuts. God those doughnuts are nice !

Allegra

weezl74 wrote: »

allegra :AI forgot to say a proper thank you earlier for the shopping list

what a great asset for shirley.

Poohbear's daughter was finding it hard to convert the list to weekly, so I know she'll be thanking you for your efforts

Let's not forget Kezlou's efforts, though - the fact that she had already roughly divvied up the list made my job of fine-tuning it take half the time it would have taken otherwise !

I am now gonna take a wild stab in the dark and hazard a guess that you probably wouldn't be averse to me producing a week 3 and week 4 shopping list at some point, time permitting ?

weezl74

Allegra wrote: »

Just finished a batch of bread/doughnuts. God those doughnuts are nice !

aren't they just?!

did you do fifths and then 4 normal breads and a batch of doughnuts?

How many doughnuts did you make?

wyebird

In addition to statutory free school meals, there are quite a few extended entitlement progs out at the moment, where all children , or all children in certain years, get free meals. Welsh Assembly funds free breakfast clubs.
We are collecting data this year on how this affects take up, which should be interesting

Allegra

weezl74 wrote: »

aren't they just?!

did you do fifths and then 4 normal breads and a batch of doughnuts?

How many doughnuts did you make?

Yep - I followed the recipe exactly, except for the bit where I set the doughnut dough to prove before I added the sugar, so I had to slop the sugar in at the last moment. I don't think they suffered for it all I got 18 doughnuts from the dough - I had to make them a tad smaller than you must have done, though, as I only had a pathetically small amount of oil in so had to use the smallest pan I had for frying in order to get sufficient depth of oil !

As for timings - I started at 6, the dough was set to prove at 10 past. I did the dinner while waiting for the dought to prove, the loaves were out at quarter past 7, which is when I started frying the doughnuts - and they were all done by 10 to 8.

So I would say - 10 mins prep, 40 mins proving, 25 mins cooking for the bread, 35 mins to cook the full batch of doughnuts if you have to cook them two at a time as I did

Julimk

Now have timings for two of the three batch recipes, just the bread & ginger loaf outstanding.

Has a decision been made whether to include the cooking time for the chickpeas in the houmous recipe? The ingredients say cooked chickpeas & the method is just blending everything together. If the cooking time for the chickpeas is included then the timings for houmous on Shirl's recipes would need to be adjusted too, as that is currently 5 min prep & no cook.

hornetgirl

Goodness, it takes me longer and longer to catch up when I don't manage to log on during the day - you lot do chat.

I was pondering the fruits question, and suspect that whatever you specify, people will change it according to their preference. DH takes a packed lunch every day, as do I when I'm working. We each take a piece of fruit. I like variety. He takes a banana. Every day. He does like other fruit, but a banana it has to be at lunch time.

I christened my new food processor at the weekend by making hummus. It was very nommy, but I think I overdid it with the garlic. Luckily we both ate it.

Allegra

Julimk wrote: »

Now have timings for two of the three batch recipes, just the bread & ginger loaf outstanding.

15 mins prep (5 mins extra to allow for all the gingering and the like)
40 mins prove
25 mins bread bake
30-35 mins ginger loaf bake

I would leave the timings for houmus as they are, on the assumption that the chickpeas are already cooked - but have Weezl note somewhere that timings for soaking and cooking the chickpeas are separate.

Julimk

:T

Have timings for all published vegan recipes now. So will update the list tomorrow. Unless anyone has anything further to add?

Weezl, if you want me to insert these timings into the appropriate & current spreadsheet, ping it over to me & will do tomorrow. And let me know if there are any other bits & bobs I can help with tomorrow too.

nopot2pin

weezl74 wrote: »

Potty, I don't suppose you got anywhere with asda customer services and the firming agent in the kidney beans? (how much calcium)

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh *thud, as the penny drops*

That will be why for the last 4 weeks, I have felt like I have forgotten to do something.
Although I have had a lot on with hen weekends and making wedding favours, and other stuff
I will get it sorted, now I know what it is

Lesley_Gaye wrote: »

anybody know how much gooseberries are? I can't find them on mySupermarket or Google

I am keeping track of the produce from the garden and we have had over half a kilo now and I don't know how much to price them at. I have guessed at £7 a kilo

At that rate, we have had just over £45 worth of produce so far this year, not counting the leeks we still had in Jan/Feb

we have gooseberry fool with lunch today made with Lidl yogort, just cooking the gooseberries now

I'm not so sure they are that much per kilo.....
I go to a PYO place every year..... though I have not been this year yet, and I cant remember last years cost ... but I dont believe I would have paid that much for them

Hippeechiq wrote: »

I used to smoke - which was a great stress reliever for me, but I gave up 3½ years ago. So I used to take great pleasure from a glass of wine in the evening...just the one, either purely for the pleasure of it, or to help me unwind. Now I can't afford even that - so what helps me unwind? what breaks the monotony of the daily drudge of looking for the best value food and recipes and my other troubles? NOTHING

However, due to very careful budgeting this month, I was able to afford 3 for £9 bottles of red on offer at £idl at the end of last week - and I can't tell you what a lift it gave me

It could make Shirley/Kitty feel it's the difference between existing and living because let me tell you, most of the time it can feel like the former

I have to say, I used to be in very similar circumstances a good few years ago.....
I gave up smoking.
I started making my own wine.
I shopped better/cheaper, not on impluse.
I am in a better place now, but careful budgeting will always be part of my life for the forseeable future.

artybear wrote: »

Anyone good at working out WW points?

I have done it on my online calculator but want to check if someone else gets the same.

Its for the pasta funghi?

Not massively OT so doesn't matter if people are busy.

I was pleasantly surprised with the budget-I think I would have cut a lot more.

I can do this...
But I will be back later with the details if thats ok