I'm eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge

Lynsey

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Lysney, you have been such an inspiration on this thread.

Bless you, my eyes are filling up.

Kirri wrote: »

Can I confess this evening I felt totally fed up of dinner from what I had to use up yet again.. felt like going to the supermarket to get something I fancied instead!!

Kirri, that's where combining a budget benefits. It controls your spending and gives more options. I know that being a veggie limits you to a degree and I wish there were more "whoopsies" for yourself and of course other veggies.
I like "proper" meals as much as possible rather than experimenting with what I have got left.
I would like to cut back on meat, not become a veggie - but half and half if it makes sense. Being a veggie should really be a much cheaper option, but I don't think it is. Or am I wrong??

Lynsey

VfM4meplse

Lynsey wrote: »

Bless you, my eyes are filling up.

Lynsey wrote: »

I like "proper" meals as much as possible rather than experimenting with what I have got left.
I would like to cut back on meat, not become a veggie - but half and half if it makes sense. Being a veggie should really be a much cheaper option, but I don't think it is. Or am I wrong??

Lynsey

Well I have certainly found it to be. I rarely spend more than £10 a week on food (bearing in mind that my storecupboard is heaving with pulses and grains of all descriptions), but then neither am I too fussed about having proper meals if a snack is readily available. On the other hand, my b/f who is a stickler for 2 meals a day (one of which is a huge bowl of cereal) will spend £30+ in Waitrose 2 or 3 times a week :eek:. £6 on chicken as part of a meal for just one person is too much IMO, but as he points out to me, he doesn't spend money on half the things I do. (For example, I went to my local high street this l/t to return goods worth £25, and bought £38 worth of goods at the same time...to be fair I bought 2 smart work dresses, and matching costume jewellery sets for this price, reduced from a total of £110. A bit like a whoopsie in it's own way!).

Kirri

Lynsey wrote: »

Kirri, that's where combining a buget benefits. It controls your spending and gives more options. I know that being a veggie limits you to a degree and I wish there were more "whoopsies" for yourself and of course other veggies.
I like "proper" meals as much as possible rather than experimenting with what I have got left.
I would like to cut back on meat, not become a veggie - but half and half if it makes sense. Being a veggie should really be a much cheaper option, but I don't think it is. Or am I wrong??

Lynsey

I have set an £80 p/m budget more so to keep spending in control really (I set it last year too but doubled it most months!!) - but I guess I just want to clear out all the old food first and almost start again weekly - I had a friend who literally could eat for fuel only, I am finding that dull though, already.. maybe because I'm craving 'fresh' foods and this week has been a bit stodgy.. think I will have a light pasta tomorrow and might treat myself to an aubergine or something!

Half and half makes sense, most people probably eat too much meat, I used to find it hard to digest compared to veggie meals. Yes being veggie can be a lot cheaper, my downfall is probably making loads of new recipes and in so doing having bought lots of extra ingredients for meals but when I see the price of meat I am glad I don't eat it as I dread to think how much I'd spend then!

Lynsey

Kirri wrote: »

but when I see the price of meat I am glad I don't eat it as I dread to think how much I'd spend then!

I'm the opposite. lol
15p and 25p packs of sausages (10p in the past), 10p packs of pate, mince for 59p, joints for a few pounds, half-price Lidl weekend offers (pork, pork and pork) and loads and loads more.
It used to cost me a fortune when veggie son lived at home, Linda McCartney stuff, Cauldron, Quorn etc., etc., he does make stuff from scratch now though.................probably because he's paying for it!! I very surprised you are finding being a veggie cheaper, though as stated, it should be.
I would hit pastas if I was a veggie, I love leek, mushroom and blue cheese sauce pasta - normally with lardons and the juice poured over though. So many sauces to have with pasta, even the Dallaglio chilli one is quite nice.

Lynsey

MrsCD

Hello everyone,

I've just started reading all of your messages, so I hope you don't mind me popping in.

Thanks for your inspiration!

I'm trying to use up the food in the freezer and cupboards too, but sometimes get stuck in a rut with recipes. So, this year I'm going to try some new recipes out and hope that the family eats them. If not they'll go hungry.;) Or else they'll have to do the cooking!

I'm not a 'veggie', but we have two or three days a week where we don't have meat, and I find that lentils cooked in the oven or slow cooker, with lots of vegs and a stock cube makes a tasty winter meal served with some crusty bread, and there's usually some left over for next day's lunch.

Someone asked what to do with sausagemeat. You can make a sausage and apple plait by using a rectangle of puff pastry (flour with grated frozen butter or marg, then mixed with water) and putting the sausagemeat down the middle with sliced apples on top. Then you cut the pastry on either side at an angle, about 6 or 7 times and plait the pastry over the top. Brush with milk and cook in the oven until the pastry is golden. (200C-ish about 30-40 mins, maybe a little more depending on how thick the plait is)
This can be used up cold for packed lunches etc.
What's the recipe for the marzipan muffins? DD2 bought 2 packs of marzipan then didn't need them. She hasn't quite got the hang of money saving.
Going to bed now. I keep telling myself I won't stay here too late...

bramble1

Small spend yesterday of £3 something, will dig out the receipt later, for dog food, 19p WW jaffa rolls and 49p for a box of mini tangerines!

Dinner tonight is lasagna, courtesy of my gran, will freeze the remaining portions for future lunches i think. Lunches are made, Egg mayo for OH and potato salad for me.

This weekend i need cheese, bread, sarnie things, drinks. Which i can either get for nothing using a waitrose voucher or pay for....unless my tesco voucher arrives and i will then use that.

Lynsey

Bad start to the morning!!!
Went to get the garlic mussels out of the garage freezer this morning and it's all frosted up. Drawers were jammed at first, but wiggled them open. Food not frosted, only the drawer fronts and the freezer door. Got that to sort soon. Noticed all the packs of sausages. lol
Got loads of beef and horseradish sausages (I think they're beef anyway) to use up, hope they are not too hot!!

Toasted teacakes for breakfast, fish fingers for myself later and hubby's having the last packet of kippers and the garlic mussels.
Need milk today, might go to Tesco as I've got coupons for Pro Activ milk and it's on offer there. Still got a couple of free Clover Lights to pick up, might have a trip to ASDA and have a look at their clothes sale.

Got one more pack of ALDI part-bake rolls (nice) to use up and then I'll need bread, but might get the breadmaker working again.

Lynsey

recovering_spendaholic

MrsCD - here is the recipe for Marzipan muffins:

175g marzipan
280g plain flour
1tbsp baking powder
pinch salt
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
200ml milk
6tbs sunflower or other light flavoured oil

First of all line a 12 hole muffin tin with wrappers and pre-heat the oven to 200.

mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in mixing bowl.
beat together eggs, milk and oil.

quickly stir the wet into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

make the marzipan into 12 little balls.

Put the mixture into the muffin tins and then pop a little ball of marzipan into the middle of each muffin.

Bake for 15 minutes until just golden brown.

I topped them with a bit of glace icing and a cherry. They were nice.

Toast this morning with a bit of red leicester cheese and a milky coffee.

Lunch will be soup (kids took butties) and dinner will be steak and kidney casserole with cobbler topping with carrots and cabbage or sprouts. All from stocks so no shopping needed for that! Pudding will be blackberry crumble which I have been saying we will have for days but no-one wanted it so I have now defrosted it and will bake with the casserole.

I do need to go shopping today but will try and keep it to a minimum - I need some salad stuff, milk, sugar, sweetner, eggs and yoghurts. Goodfellas pizzas are better than half price at Sainsburys at £1.20 so I will get a few as they really are the nicest frozen pizza and are a nice treat for a lazy tea with jacket potato and coleslaw. Might also go to Farmfoods for bacon.

Lip_Stick

Well, this morning could have gone better. Decided to go to Asda to get some new socks and onion rings. Got to the till, went to pay, and I didn't have my cash card arghhhh. Talk about embarrassing! Now I have to go back sometime to pick it up and pay. They've got my M&S cloth bag that I paid about £4 for so I better get that back!

Got my order from Westin Gourmet today. Well, the steaks are so small I think ds could polish a whole one off. Looking forward to trying them though, as well as the sausages. Yummmm. Going to have to sort the sausages out into groups of 3 and put in the freezer... yawn.

Lunch today will be the standard cuppa soup and a piece of fruit.

MrsCD wrote: »

Hello everyone,

sniped...
Someone asked what to do with sausagemeat. You can make a sausage and apple plait by using a rectangle of puff pastry (flour with grated frozen butter or marg, then mixed with water) and putting the sausagemeat down the middle with sliced apples on top. Then you cut the pastry on either side at an angle, about 6 or 7 times and plait the pastry over the top. Brush with milk and cook in the oven until the pastry is golden. (200C-ish about 30-40 mins, maybe a little more depending on how thick the plait is)
This can be used up cold for packed lunches etc.
...

Hi there MrsCD. Welcome to the thread! That recipe sounds lovely so will definitely give that a bash. Daft question probably, but is it best to use bramley apples?

trixie4

I've not spent a penny on food so far this month! :D

I did a small shop (under £10, all fresh stuff) before starting this challenge and paid for it with a T**co gift voucher I received from Valued Opinions.

Very pleased with myself!!