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

shanks77

weezl74 wrote: »

...see and our version is cheaper so I'm sure people feel less murderous after tucking in;)

re the risi: frozen peas and slithers of cut up sundried toms garlic and oregano?

Mmmmmmm that sounds lovely not sure ex will go for the peas but i am sure i can find something that will please him.
He was at my mums yesterday and saying how much more he was enjoying the planner than he expected. The only thing is that he thinks there are too many carbs in there but he understands why so after this we will prob cut down on that a bit. Otherwise all going well made extra of the chicken pie and bacon pudding last week so all i need to do is defrost and do the pots and veg. So a fairly easy couple of days for me :j
As its a nice day going to take dog for a nice long walk then not sure what to do with the rest of my day off. Could do some cleaning but thats not really appealing. Hope everyone has a good day.
Oooh i forgot i have the Dr Who taped could watch that this afternoon yippeeeeee

Allegra

weezl74 wrote: »

re the risi: frozen peas and slithers of cut up sundried toms garlic and oregano?

Sounds good to me

HowlinWolf

I have given a paul merritt loaf to my (soon to be) brother in law today, he is a chef and was quite impressed by the bread. Toasted it also helped sister in law and I get through our horrific hangovers.
Will probably make a weetabix loaf in a while when I've recovered a bit more

nopot2pin

weezl74 wrote: »

OK non-olive likers, do you like the following (in little amounts in a pie to add a bit of pizazz):

capers Never tried them, but would try them
roasted red peppers Yes...like these
gherkins I like them... but not sure they have a place in the pie... would it not be too vinegary ???
pickled red cabbage as gherkins... but if I would try either/both if it was in the recipe

this stuff:
Aye.... I like this stuff too

When you say little amounts Weezl, how much are you talking ?
I have a jar of red cabbage in.... so could try to make the pudding with that if you wish...... how much do you think I would need ?

weezl74 wrote: »

hello murrell and potty, but all opinions welcome

the veganised version of the risi e bisi with the walnuts in is by far the most expensive main meal on the vegan planner.

It's still do-able, but if it's not delivering as much 'bang for it's buck' then I wonder about swapping the walnuts (it's priciest ingredient!) for something else, or reducing/ removing it.

What do people feel?

I really like it, but some folk aren't keen on marrowfats and murrel wasn't too sure about the dish without a something extra... so I'm just pondering really....

:):):)

I didnt use walnuts, as I forgot to buy them
I used pumpkin seeds instead, and they worked fine.
I am sure sunflower seeds would work just as well, if it keeps the cost down.
Personnally, I think if using marrowfats, then seed or nuts is a nice additional texture to the risi e bisi....as it is quite a moooooshy meal without the wee crunchy bits

weezl74 wrote: »

re the risi: frozen peas and slithers of cut up sundried toms garlic and oregano?

Now... this sounds like a nice variation, that I would love to see on the planner.
I also think Allegras frozen pea and chick pea variation would be good

weezl74

nopot2pin wrote: »

When you say little amounts Weezl, how much are you talking ?
I have a jar of red cabbage in.... so could try to make the pudding with that if you wish...... how much do you think I would need ?

I would really appreciate that test potty, thank you would you snip up and add 75g in lieu of the olives and see how it goes?

I think maybe adding a scant teaspoon of sugar would balance out the vinegaryness I look forward to the verdicts of potty, the biddies and Ron :rotfl:

weezl74

HowlinWolf wrote: »

I have given a paul merritt loaf to my (soon to be) brother in law today, he is a chef and was quite impressed by the bread. Toasted it also helped sister in law and I get through our horrific hangovers.
Will probably make a weetabix loaf in a while when I've recovered a bit more

poor howlin

when is your big day?

How are plans shaping up?:)

also, any thoughts on veganising the pasta alfredo?

We have some creamed coconut on the list, might that add some richness lost by losing the cheese?

Or perhaps it is unveganisable!:rotfl:

poohbear59

weezl74 wrote: »

hello again

erm... you know when I was saying to use up your lemons in the cordial?

I totally forgot about the stuffing!:doh:d'oh!

has anyone got any left you can just freeze in bits or juice and zest and freeze so we can still test drive the meal?

I used mine as I only had two left but I made the cordial with lemon juice out of a bottle and two whole lemons. My young visitors/testers said it needed more sugar and it was yummy! ast time I made the stuffing with juice as I had no lemons here and the men loved it.

weezl74 wrote: »

dear testers, hope you're all doing ok

as we're nearly half way through the month, just wondered how you're all feeling?

I'm not sure if this info will help, but shirley average has by now saved just under £185 if she's followed the planner exactly :T:T:T:T

ISOM felt it was more motivating to focus on the amount of money we've saved her in such a short time (and over the long haul)- thanks for that tip ISOM :A

I haven't checked out bank account yet but I think I am going to be able to pay off a bit more of a credit card when I get my paultry pension tomorrow.:D
Just in case you were wondering I am not old enough for a 'pension'. I retired on health grounds.

weezl74 wrote: »

hello murrell and potty, but all opinions welcome

the veganised version of the risi e bisi with the walnuts in is by far the most expensive main meal on the vegan planner.

It's still do-able, but if it's not delivering as much 'bang for it's buck' then I wonder about swapping the walnuts (it's priciest ingredient!) for something else, or reducing/ removing it.

What do people feel?

I really like it, but some folk aren't keen on marrowfats and murrel wasn't too sure about the dish without a something extra... so I'm just pondering really....

I was distracted by a very long telephone call when making the risi e bisi on Friday night and my men ate it without any cheese at all. They did put some black pepper on top and thoroughly enjoyed it.

taka

weezl74 wrote: »

OK non-olive likers, do you like the following (in little amounts in a pie to add a bit of pizazz):

capers - No idea - not sure I've ever had them!
roasted red peppers - Yummy!
gherkins - not hugely keen
pickled red cabbage - again not hugely keem

this stuff:


Never tried this version but I like tofu I've marinated myself in soya sauce+ginger etc

weezl74 wrote: »

re the risi: frozen peas and slithers of cut up sundried toms garlic and oregano?

Sounds really yummy. :T

slm6002

Hi everyone, i have been lurking since you started this thread and i am very impressed at the effort you are all putting into this.

I need to reduce my food bill so have been looking with great interest at the recipes. My OH is very much a meat and 2 veg kind of person but when i mentioned this plan and the amount of money we could potentially save he almost sounded like he would give it a go. I am currently pregnant so thinking the pate may not work for me but guess we could substitue it for something else maybe.

I will keep popping by to see how you are all doing

weezl74

Panzanella- from planners 2 and 3 (and also to use up arty's crusty bread )

Ingredients:

• 2 tins plum tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces (juice drained off and warmed up seperately with 2 tspns sugar, salt, pepper, 1 tspn vinegar to make a little home made ketchup)
  
• 1/2 a jar of olives stuffed with garlic, sliced very finely
  
• 2 small onions, very thinly sliced
• 2 tspns dried herbs (I used dried oregano, very nice:D)
  
• 75ml oil
  
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1.5 loaves HM bread, cut into cubes
  

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic and herbs. Drizzle with the oil and the 3 tbsp vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss well.
2. Place half of the bread in a wide, shallow bowl. If the bread is quite stale and dry, you should first spoon a few tbsp of water over the bread and let it soak some of the water up, then with your hands squeeze all of the water out and place bread in a different bowl before proceeding. If it isn’t too stale then you can skip this step.
3. Spoon half of the tomato mixture over the bread. Layer the remaining bread on top and then the remaining tomato mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or until serving time. Just before serving, toss the salad and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. At this point the bread should have assorbed the water from the tomatoes and be all moist. If the bread seems dry for some reason, add a little bit more oil and toss well. Serve immediately.