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

grannynise

ashia wrote: »

Can I just say....as a humble observer.....(aka lurker).....thats you're all :j:T:jamazing:j:T:j (imagine cheerleaders with pompoms)

Claw_back_money wrote: »

*steps out of lurkdom*
Hi all
I've been dipping in and out of this thread and the previous and I think you're doing a really fab thing,

In_Search_Of_Me wrote: »

Sounds like you are all doing fabulously! A well done from me...who is v concious that all I am doing is supporting from the sidelines but hopes that is of help cos its all I can manage for now!

And from another lurker ...... :T:T:T:T:T:T
I'm loving the recipes and the conversation. Maybe we need a Weezl's lurkers' thread?

spotdogkez

Hi - I'm still lurking and following avidly.

Frankie - really interested to know what extras you would buy for lunches if you don't mind sharing the info - that was one of the reasons I felt unable to follow the plan as I wouldn't get the lunches past the kids. So any info on cheap and healthy ideas gratefully received.

Weezl - a while back you asked if anyone would be interested in how a plan like this could work for a family with younger children. I for one would be extremely interested if/when you may have time to offer that information.

One of my biggest monthly expenses is milk - my kids love it and I am loathe to take this away. They have cereal with milk each morning and a cup of warm milk each morning and evening. In total we use between 10-12 litres a week and we always buy longlife - half skimmed for me and dh and the other half full-fat!!

shanks77

Ok the chilli mince wasnt our favourite. Ex hates SP mince even before we started this planner so think he was a bit biased before he tasted it. However we both found it really sweet (and he didnt add the carrots) so found that a bit bizarre. I was really looking forward to it so was a teensy bit disappointed. There was waaaaay too much rice and will try 75g pp next time. However all said and done we will both have it again and next time i will make it and see if it makes a difference.
Still motivated enough on the planner and happy to carry on for the rest of the month.
Frankie you have done a sterling job today well done.
Arty glad things are working well for you nice to see your confidence growing.
For me personally find that porridge is best in the morning as the toast isnt enough for me. The only way round it would to have soup and sandwich for lunch but i am a bit bigger than the national average and am on feet all day so that prob makes a difference.
HTH xx

weezl74

yay for lovely lurkers cheering on all the lovely testers

shanks the porridge is 10p per serving, the other brekkies are a few pence cheaper but there's not much in it. What I would say though is after you've used up all the ready oats, try it with just plain oats, plus the other ingredients cos that'd be even cheaper, but you'd have already eaten enough calcium from the ready oats IYSWIM? then it reduces to 7p per day

Allegra

I just had the onion tart - very nice, shame no one else in the family will eat it. Too much faff to make for myself only and then have to cook two different meals for other people, so that's one that I will sadly not be taking away with me post-planner.

I was going to make some more bread today and perhaps savoury bites, but then a little nagging voice at the back of my mind that I have been mostly ignoring since January suddenly broke into a holler and sent me out into the garden - cos it's April now and if I didn't start sowing pretty soon Shirley woul not be eating her own veggies this summer. Nor, for that matter, would we. As it is, peppers and chillies will have to be coming indoors again in autumn as they did last year.

ISOM, it's nice to have you cheering from the sidelines, and the same goes for all the rest of you who are doing the same And I have also noticed that Asda is conspicously short of the key planner ingredients. So yes, either half the UK is Weezling it on the sneak - or Asda bosses are reading the thread and creating artifical shortages to push the prices up ! Cos we can't have everyone feeding their families for £25pp pm, not when we are running a supermarket....

Frugalmumof4, we have had the shepherdess pie from that recipe on occasion, and we both like it well enough - but veggie DD has had it once and declined to repeat the experience. I will have to make it for us again sometime though. I have tons of green lentils lurking in the cupboard - I really will have to run a storecupboard challenge once this month is out, as I am getting seriously overrun by food !

Potty, I too used to be veggie (went veggie when I was 13) then started craving non-veggie stuff. Fish makes perfect sense - hard to get those Omegas from elsewhere. But my craving is a little less easy to justify - I craved pork ! Mostly bacon, but any kind of pork would hit the spot. That was when I was 20 and pregnant with DD - I carried on cooking and eating veggie - or mostly vegan - until I split with the ex though. I like eating veggie, but I do miss my pig if I don't have it for a long time

Frankie, how do you grease your loaf tins ? Sticking is usually due to tins being insufficiently greasy. I have switched to silicone for a lot of things now, but still have some things that need greasing, and for that I find a little splodge of oil spread all over with a silicone pastry brush is best. The split top is usually caused by a rise in temperature that however isn't hot enough immediately to kill the yeast - what happens is that it's hot enough for a crust to form but not hot enough to stop the rising, so the dough under the newly formed crust continues expanding. I quite like the rustic look of a split top and will sometimes put the bread into a cool oven just to get the effect, but it can make slicing difficult, so if you want to avoid it just make sure the oven is really hot before the bread goes in.

Grannynise, you are not allowed a separate lurkers' thread We like you all here and we'll not be letting you go. Plus we shall expect less lurking and more conversation, okay ?

Arty, re the chicken - I found that filling made with 200g chicken made loadsapies as it was, so I just froze the rest until I could think what to do with it all. And as my chicken only needs to feed on or two depending, much like yours, a goodly chunk went... To the cat. Sorry folks. She's a frugal old girl most of the time, but she does like her big bird, and deserves a treat from time to time.

weezl74

spotdogkez wrote: »

Hi - I'm still lurking and following avidly.

Frankie - really interested to know what extras you would buy for lunches if you don't mind sharing the info - that was one of the reasons I felt unable to follow the plan as I wouldn't get the lunches past the kids. So any info on cheap and healthy ideas gratefully received.

Weezl - a while back you asked if anyone would be interested in how a plan like this could work for a family with younger children. I for one would be extremely interested if/when you may have time to offer that information.

One of my biggest monthly expenses is milk - my kids love it and I am loathe to take this away. They have cereal with milk each morning and a cup of warm milk each morning and evening. In total we use between 10-12 litres a week and we always buy longlife - half skimmed for me and dh and the other half full-fat!!

spotdogkez, that does sound like a hefty spend on milk :eek:but I completely understand your reasons for not wanting to lose it.

Primarily, I think it's a lot about how vital milk is to them as babies, and its hard to know exactly when to make that transition away from it and towards other drinks. I will certainly do some more research and get back to you, I'll need to do it myself anyway because Fergie has cow's milk now and I'm always wondering how much is the right amount IYSWIM?

grandma247

Hello I have just caught up and I am glad you haven't been too chatty, I only had five pages and a bit to read.
Some interesting points I found. The amount of money saved on the plan is wonderful. I have been doing the challenge on the £4000 thread and we have got to the stage where there is quite a bit of money left in the bank at the end of each week now. Using the ideas on the plan would increase that too.
I am not a big pasta fan and once,maybe twice a week is quite enough for me. We have had pizzas a couple of times in the last week or so and all of it gets eaten. I just have to get some bases made in advance for busy days although I use any rolls or small round loaves I have in the freezer as bases if I need to.
Well done to all those on the plan fully you are doing a great job.

artybear

Well the pies were a success!!
Easy to make and tasted yummy.

We havent had piccies for a while so.....


This is the pies before they were cooked


This is once they were cooked


And just to show you the filling!

They got a 9/10 from both of us and will be staying on the menu.So a successful first day for mr artys first day on the planner:T:T

Allegra

That is bee-yoo-tiffful, Arty ! Well done you

shanks77

weezl74 wrote: »

yay for lovely lurkers cheering on all the lovely testers

shanks the porridge is 10p per serving, the other brekkies are a few pence cheaper but there's not much in it. What I would say though is after you've used up all the ready oats, try it with just plain oats, plus the other ingredients cos that'd be even cheaper, but you'd have already eaten enough calcium from the ready oats IYSWIM? then it reduces to 7p per day

Thanks for the costings i dont think that the pence in difference would matter too much though. I personally find the porridge a bit more filling and sustaining than the toast and to carry on getting all my vits etc i may in the future add a dollop of the apple curd on top. For the meagre amount of sugar for 1 i decided i couldnt be bothered and have missed it out every day and to be honest have not noticed the difference.
Arty the pies look lovely and so different to mine. Its funny how we all have the same recipe but i dont think all our meals would look the same. Your sauce looks a bit thicker than mine but delicious. Glad your and Mr Artys first day was a success it makes the rest of them a bit easier when the first one goes down well.