I'm eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge

ms_night_ryder

So not an nsd afterall, went out to do audit, popped into sains to see if any whoopsies, spent £3.74 on 2 packs of john west hot smoked salmon fillets, they look gorgeous a pack of raspberry and white choc cookies and a 3 pack of organic tropical juice.

Then done my audit and there was a local sais popped in and spent "2.54 on a pack of baby spinach for my pie, down to 40p a pack, didnt know if it would freeze well or would have bought more, lindt choc and a 6 pack of mccoys.

smoked salmon in freezer, didnt say if you could freeze, but froze some smoked kippers not to long ago and they defrosted fine.

gailey_2

Hi guys

I made something similar to that fruit bread last xmas as pressies.,
saw it on c4 river cottage xmas fayre.
might be on their website still

was very simnilar but had sultanas and raisens in which were soaked overnight in a little brandy overnight before doing bread next day.

also was made in one of those deep round cake tins which detachable bottom.

you mix the dough into 7balls I think
1 in middle then surround the middlle ball with balls all way round until no gaps
Then its glazed with beaten egg yolk to go golden
after cooked sprinkling of brown demera sugar!

Its quite fancy I have some brandy so might try it this week.

Gailey update.

hubby went shopping aldis -next door to this work supersix still the same.

so he got apples 69p
oranges 69p
kiwi 69p
more milk.

but he forgot potatoes.

we also out butter so off round spar tommorow in secrh of reduced butter and sunday reductions.

I stocktaked the freezer

slightly overestimated the rolls only have 80!
Amazed my reduced bakery pile going down
have 5loaves left
bagels
3packs pancakes
2packs teacakes.

3packs mince-think can make 6meals from
1 pack fish
4packs sausages.

have meal planned sunday 29th-wed 15th and it got hard towards the end!

today

I had hm chicken soup and roll for lunch
kids had cheese sandwich and reduced crisps.

dinner girls had mini sausages, oven chips and last tin of beans with bread and butter.
me and hubby had fish with potatoes and veg.hubby whinged too much veg but meant to be following slimming world he told me he wanted back on plan this week which means 1/3veg/salad on plate and lots of fruit.

Im quite easy can survive on supernoodles.
pasta with just tomatoes
homemade soups planning onion soup and potato and leek this week.
cauli cheese.

but hubbys tricky he loves his meat!

going to try doing toad in the hole
sausages and chips
sausage casserole
some roasted sausages for his sandwiches.
hot dogs and chips

you spotting a sausage theme here!

Have made a shopping list and will need to spend £20 between now and payday cant see any way around it as cupboards rubbish and not much but veg and bread in freezer.
plus 20bags of foraged plums!

on my must buy list is

butter we run out-reckon 2 if I bake.

top up milk we get through 4pints a day 28pints a week sometimes more!
eggs-we have some but lot of my planned meals involve eggs.
poataoes- mashed, roasted baked you name it
fruit another 5quid next week.
value fromage frais for baby and toddler
pullups for toddler £3.20lidls.
crisps-running low and spotted some out date ones corner shop can negociate a deal.

squash- depends how long current one lasts is double concentrate
hoping the coffee lasts out

need more sugar to do some baking as long as family has cakes and desserts they wont feel deprived.
orange juice-mix with vodka as treats

value pepper was 18p hope still is

value herbs 18p-might need 2 as used generously.

passatta -have none best for pizzas planned 2 homemade pizza nights

cheese-hoping to get on offer cheese lidls tommorow

bargain box cereal as kids dont like porridge.

tinned tomatoes -only got 4left use for casseroles andkids just have pata tomatoes and grated cheese

value pasta 25p

value stuffing -15p did promise hubby not to make the paxo/lentil burgers again.

sainsbury basic angel delight was 10p think its now 12p get a few.

value choc mouse-35p-low cal as not convinced any choc in there.

lidls frozen oven chips 65p a bag

lidls beans
lidls tinned spagetti.

cress 25p hubby can have egg and cress rolls

plain flour-to make gingerbread.

will see if can afford golden syrup and make flapjacks as have oats.

does this list look ok

will look out for reductions as could do with some sliced meats.
will look out for reduced chicken.

got 4packs mince thinking doing

sheperds pie- makes 8portions
spag bol
chilli con carne
burgers.

got unidentified meat defrosting for roast tommorow think its beef.

got last pack bacon defrosting

tommorow planning brunch lunch of toast, fried eggs, bacon and sausages.

but remaining will do cheese and bacon mini quiches for lunchboxes.
but need more butter to make the pasty.

Hubby says I enjoy lists and being organised.

cant rememebr last timewe run out money so far before pay day.

im listing lots stuff for sale which will fund the extras.

thankgod for stupid amount frozen veg I brought from farmfoods.

brekkie is choice of

cereal
fruit
yogurt
toast/pancake or philadelphia bagel.

on weekends will be cooked as special treat.

all the family like toasted sandwiches and chips.

That thread about dine in at poundland for £4 made me chuckle
I quite like batchelors pasta in sauce-fab standby.

hoping to get valentines deal.

wondering if they will all be £20 or if there be £10 one.
get tax credits next thursday so can treat ourselves to 1.
plus the marks deal can be fab if includes whole chicken as can make 3meals out chicken, have dessert and cheap good quality wine.

Right must stop waffling and go to bed.

wont tell hubby about veg curry.or fact we wont have poppadoms and naan.
he has to have garlic bread with pasta any idea how to make that from scratch?

Kirri

^^ Garlic bread should be easy enough, maybe some late reduced baguettes and just mash some fresh garlic and a little herbs in with butter and stick under grill? Fancy some myself now...

Could do crumble with the plums? All stewed fruit goes well under crumble!

Or if you get any reduced basil, do in mixer with oil as a basil pesto type sauce and use that as a pizza base instead of passata, or there's a tomato less pizza recipe in the River Cottage book

I will try and find that River Cottage fruit bread recipe.

kraftykat

Sounds yummy Gailey

Lynsey

Morning, thanks for the recipe Kirri - I'll have to try that sometime - never used my breadmaker just for dough, but want to.

Hope all suffering feel better today, I woke up with eyes stuck together and joints aching!!!!! Paracetamols are getting low.

Hubby made curry and rice ready for today, I'm just messing.

4 weeks in and just over £46 spent - well pleased and well under target and still well stocked up. I'm going to try and clear some freezer space in the next two weeks and only really need some meatballs and chicken breasts if Lidl do them on half-price in the coming weeks. I'm going for an empty freezer drawer (two would be nice) and then I'll be able to organise the weekly menu better.

Got to get rid of some of the free Dallaglio sauces these next two weeks or so.................I'm sure they're breeding. lol
So a couple of pasta meals planned this week and fish is on the menu.

Target for the week is 2 NSD's and no budget set and only basics needed - depends what Lidl have next weekend.

Lynsey

Kirri

Give it a go, so much nicer to finish the bread in the oven and the fresh, warm bread then becomes almost a meal in itself - probably doesn't work out as cheap as reduced supermarket stuff but only about 30p a loaf even with organic flour. Have had mine about 3.5 years now and don't think I've bought a loaf in that time!

Had hm fruit bread toasted again this morning and started the fruit juice which is use by this week, won't buy Innocent from Morrisons again as always has much shorter date than Waitrose, probably why they can sell it for £1 though... No idea yet what I'm having for lunch and dinner will probably be cauliflower cheese.

Total for this month £53.23, of which £20.34 is food and £32.89 on fruit and veg. Am probably not spending more till Feb now. I have a little more space too as used up a few things

vintage43

Sunday lunch today is proper comfort food! It's soooo cold... bramley apple and pork sausages out of the freezer, all the left over veg from the fridge and some chopped tomatoes, some spice and water are in the slow cooker and I'll do mash to go with it later, yummy
Still don't seem to be seeing much space in my freezer, I am working on it honest!:D

ms_night_ryder

having the covent garden soup for lunch, making the pie for dinner, beef is in slow cooker as i type.

went to waitrose and picked up the free milk, ended up spending 31p as didnt want to spend nothing, did pick up 2 more of the papers for more free milk, will freeze

sexykellylovespink

hi ladies - still full of a cold, it just doesnt want to leave me...:o
i am just about to make bacon barms with some defrosted bacon...mmm, i also have a chicken in the oven, going to make a full on roast dinner and use some of my freezer stuff today such as broccoli, cauli, roast tats, and yorkie batters, also fresh carrots and cabbage, stuffing and gravy.
even better make chicken and veg soup tommorrow
i think i will sort and rearrange my pantry today as its looking a little disorganised, one of my favourite jobs...;) !

bramble1

Just back from the shops - someone remind me in future lidl on sunday doesn't open till 11!!!!

Spent £24.66 in lidl/morries. Got some reduced WW meals for 95p, 2 packs meat balls, 2 pack cheese, sack of potatoes etc.

Roast chicken for dinner tonight, I'd like to not go shopping for a while and clear my freezer a bit more. So will meal plan with what we've got in stock.