Whats wrong with my Shopping List??

BWZN93

Also, with the seedless jam thing, It might be easier to make your own (its not as difficult as it sounds - honest!) if you get access to nice and very cheap (or free!) fruit, I made enough to fill 3 regular jars of jam for literally the cost of the sugar (which was waaaaay cheaper than 1 jar of hartleys for instance) and its probably better for you as it has no additives and colourings. The girls at work absolutley love my jam and think im very domesticated, when all you really need is a heavy bottomed saucepan, a sieve if you dont like seeds/pips, sugar and the fruit itself.

Who was it that said its blackberry season too?? I think i might have a scout soon as im sure ive seen a blackberry bush near here somewhere!

Freecycle is also a great idea, someone might have an old breadmaker/slowcooker somewhere if you put up a wanted (both are worth their weight in gold imo!) notice, and trying to use coupons whereever possible, Mr Tesco keeps spitting out cat litter discounts for me! Also, look to the freebies board (I think) as a while back there was a thread running for those who emailed companies to get discount vouchers and free samples of stuff, which I found exceptionally helpful during my uni days - I never paid full price for anything! Its especially helpful if there are some things that you cannot compromise on (in this household its teabags!), a simple complimentary email and cheeky request for a voucher got me several pounds worth of free goods from various companies.

I hope this (rambling) post helped!

Jo x

Mics_chick

"I find making stuff from potatoes or making sweet, savoury or stuffed pancakes etc are invaluable."


Please could you give us some examples of this?

topgranny

Whenever I make anything using mince, e.g. chilli, bolognese, shepherds' pie, I put a handful or two of porridge oats into the mixture and cook it for a couple of minutes longer. It bulks out the meat quite a bit, probably making an extra portion on a one-meal batch. The oats cook right down so no-one knows they are in there and they are good for you too. It does thicken the liquid too so you might need to add a bit more in the form of stock or water and a stock cube. It makes the shepherds' pie gravy lovely and rich.

Someone said about putting in lots of veggies and whizzing them up to pad bolognese out too. I also put red lentils into things and let them cook down, though this is more to get my DS(32!) to eat pulses without him knowing!!!

Mics_chick

Just want to say thanks to SammyKaye for this thread proved very useful to me too

elona

Someone asked for examples of stuffed pancakes and dishes using potatoes so here it is.

Potatoes

Chips

Baked with cheese and beans or other topping

Home made potato scones with a fried egg or bacon on top

Cheesy mash

Homity pie - pastry flan with chopped boiled potatoes, garlic and onions with grated cheese and a little milk to bind the mixture - placed on pastry - top with a little cheese and bake for about 30 mins. Serve hot or cold.

Pancakes

Can be savoury or sweet

Filled with apple and cinnamon

Sprinkled with sugar and lemon juice

Filled with cheese and onion

Bacon and tomato

Chicken pancakes

Spread pancake with tomato puree (home made)
then chopped chicken and onions with garlic ( sauteed)
Mix this with cheese sauce and add to pancakes before you roll them up, place in baking dish, top with more cheese sauce and grated cheese and bake for about 30 mins.

My DDs love this so much that chicken pancakes have become a birthday treat!

Sorry if some of this is obvious but hope it helps.

barbie_babe

i go to a farm shop for my free range eggs i get thirty eggs for three pounds.(in cornwall)maybe you can look see if there any farm shops near you .as they last about three weeks so if you bought every fortnight you could make a few meals out of them aswell as using for baking .

corris3

Your shopping lists both looks OK although the second one is definitely better.
Buy as much of the reduced stuff as you can and freeze it.... lucky you getting first choice!

I don't know where you live but in this area which is semi rural loads of people give away apples, plums etc a this time of year... accept gracioulsy and freeze or make into jam which is very very easy ( the WI book of jams and preserves is foolproof)... you sound a competent cook so if you make enough why not sell jams at a car boot... homemade always sells and sales means cash. I have found though that making jam when you have to buy the fruit is not always economical.... much better when it is a freebie.

For a cheap potato recipe try
Cheese and potato bake : make a white onion sauce ( flour, marg, milk, onions) and layer it with sliced cooked potatoes in an oven proof dish,( use left over cooked potatoes from the day before to save time) ending with the onion sauce. Top with grated cheese and bake until the top is bubbly and golden. Eat on its own or with baked beans.

Don't forget to fill the oven once you've put it on... apple crumble, scones, sponge cake, bread and buter pudding etc etc.

Good luck

Chipps

Another cheap, easy & filling recipe is cheese & potato pie, which is basically mashed potato with some grated cheese mixed in, put into a greased ovenproof dish in layers with things like baked beans, onions, corned beef etc.
For example, a layer of mash with cheese in, then one of fried onion, then more potato, then a layer of baked beans, topped with a more of the mashed potato, sprinkle a bit more grated cheese on top then put in the oven for about 20 minutes until heated through.
Very easy, very filling.
I often don't put the onions in, sometimes I put sliced tomatoes instead. Sometimes I put a layer of corned beef. It depends what's there really.