I'm eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge

cherrypies

Kirri, how easy are the soy beans to grow? I only started growing my own veg last year after we moved house so I'm still very much in the experimental/learning stage! My husband loves soy beans though so will definitely put them on the list for this year!

cheerfulness4

Lynsey wrote: »

It's via the Facebook link I posted Jane, you need to post tips, ask questions, thank others and do lists etc and you earn lots and lots of £1 coupons. Select the household ones for Tesco and get the free Fairy and Flash ones. Loads of others - fill ya boots.


Lynsey

Wow just signed up but can't make head nor tail of what you do on there. I don't do Facebook normally.
I've looked at 'the wall.' Am I on the right track?

Flat_Eric

I think I should join this challenge. I have so much in my cupboards, there isn't room to fit everything in ! Both my freezers are in a mess and in my outside freezer there is long forgotten food that I could probably make use of. Instead I seem to buy the same things all the time and even I think buy stuff that I already have!

My supermarket shops cost a fortune ! yet when I think about it now, I'm buying stuff I already have just because its on offer.

I guess meal planning is the key .... how do you do it ?

VfM4meplse

Flat_Eric wrote: »

I guess meal planning is the key .... how do you do it ?

It depends on how flexible you're prepared to be! If you don't have a family to feed you can fix your sights on a couple of items at a time (bulky / space-occupying in particular) and get them down quite fast. eg I'd bought some Weetabix on offer 3 for 1 last year and not touched it, so had a staggering 144 in my cupboard on 1st January! So I made my mind up if I wanted a snack, it would have to be Weetabix - no more buying goodies! - and now I am more than half way through. For dinnertime, I target the contents of my freezer and take something out for the evening. If I don't fancy anything to eat I just put the defrosted item in the fridge until I am ready, it still keeps for a few days. Setting a target date, list and spend for food shopping also helps.

When my stash is down, I don't think I'll be buying Weetabix in the foreseeable future .

Lynsey

cheerfulness4 - you need to "like" and everything is done through "Mission Control" - post and reply etc as above - good luck!!

Had to pop out this morning and actually went into Sainsburys and got another 3 Fairy Liquids for 25p each - all my Sainsburys Fairy coupons now gone - just Tesco left, but they are free there!! :money:
Spend 50p on another pack of the reduced TTD Vietnamese snacks.

Welcome Flat Eric - meal planning is not for me, just a day at a time - good luck though and hope the savings are massive!

Pancakes later, just simple lemon juice and sugar. Cheese on toast for breakfast in a minute or two.

Lynsey

Kirri

cherrypies wrote: »

Kirri, how easy are the soy beans to grow? I only started growing my own veg last year after we moved house so I'm still very much in the experimental/learning stage! My husband loves soy beans though so will definitely put them on the list for this year!

They were very easy really! Seeds I think I got from T&M or was it DTBrown? They grew into strong plants, no support needed as they are not very high - then when the leaves fall off the pods are ready! It's the high boiling point and long cooking process that puts me off tackling them plus I don't really know what to add them in! What does your OH eat them in? I find they were interesting to grow but for me was more a novelty, there are more useable things to grow really. I grow over 60 types of fruit and veg though!

Flat_Eric wrote: »

I think I should join this challenge. I have so much in my cupboards, there isn't room to fit everything in ! Both my freezers are in a mess and in my outside freezer there is long forgotten food that I could probably make use of. Instead I seem to buy the same things all the time and even I think buy stuff that I already have!

My supermarket shops cost a fortune ! yet when I think about it now, I'm buying stuff I already have just because its on offer.

I guess meal planning is the key .... how do you do it ?

Welcome to the thread, one thing that a few of us have done that I find really useful, is to go through and put into a list the whole contents of the freezer/cupboards etc, it makes it much easier to plan what we have and what we need to use up then

I don't meal plan as such, I just have a list of meals I could make and choose things from that day to day.

cherrypies

Right, I'm definitely going to grow some then! He eats them lots of ways, normally just as edamame with sea salt but I also add them to fresh noodle salads or make bean salads with them (M&S do some fab edamame salads that could give you some ideas for using yours up) the cooking really isn't a problem, I just boil them in lots of salted water for about 4 or 5 minutes and drain. They can be added to just about anything as you would with other pulses but they do taste best cooked briefly and served simply, I think you can also cook them long and slow in the oven with spices and salt and turn them into a crunchy snack, never tried this though!

60 types of fruit and veg?! I'm VERY impressed! With herbs I probably managed about 15 varieties last year and was really pleased with that since it was my first try but i'm definitely going to try more this coming season :-)

Kirri

cherrypies wrote: »

Right, I'm definitely going to grow some then! He eats them lots of ways, normally just as edamame with sea salt but I also add them to fresh noodle salads or make bean salads with them (M&S do some fab edamame salads that could give you some ideas for using yours up) the cooking really isn't a problem, I just boil them in lots of salted water for about 4 or 5 minutes and drain. They can be added to just about anything as you would with other pulses but they do taste best cooked briefly and served simply, I think you can also cook them long and slow in the oven with spices and salt and turn them into a crunchy snack, never tried this though!

60 types of fruit and veg?! I'm VERY impressed! With herbs I probably managed about 15 varieties last year and was really pleased with that since it was my first try but i'm definitely going to try more this coming season :-)

Thanks for the tips, I really should tackle them in a meal!

My varieties has increased each year - I did see lentils in one seed catalogue though not sure they are that successful but would like to try them next.

These are the soya beans I tried, quite cheap seeds too:

http://www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk/seeds-plants-gardening/18391/soya-bean-elena-seeds

I also did the large Greek white beans from here, they were successful too, very, I have pots of them dried.

Borlotti is my favourite bean though in this form, they are great to grow if you've not tried them, lovely coloured pods and no real work as you just leave them to right the end of the season and pick when the pods just start to turn from fresh to dried and the beans are pink/purple and can eat them fresh, or freeze or dry them, very tasty. Would definitely recommend Borlotti for growing yourself. I have a stash of dried and frozen I will be turning into burgers.. good in pasta sauce too.

Or broad beans minced with onion in a dip, the best thing ever - they can be planted now/soon/over winter too.

gailey_2

Happy pancake day guys.

well did co-op yesterday not many reductions/bargains was strict with myself.

defrosted some mince to make a lasagne and it looks rank horrid brown hubby refusing to eat it says risky so its been binned:(.
I brought creme fraiche and yogurts and accidentally left out overnight in cold kitchen hoping they be ok chucked in fridge first thing.

Popped in spar to get some mince but dident have any that looked nice so need to ring hubby check aldi as have reduced mozarella, 1carton of pasatta and lasagne sheets, paramasn, creme fraiche for white sauce.

got reduced chicken fillets-5 down to £2.50
we have rice in cupboard
we have naan in freezer.
just need a curry sauce then thats =Meal 1

brought more eggs for tonight=Meal 2

Brought reduced 8pack sausages 39p in spar/sausage casserole=meal 3

brought reduced chicken kievs 4pack -needs chips or potatoes and we out of both so need 1 or both on next shopping list. This will be meal 4!

have cheese and ham plus butter so going to do batch of mini quiches.-snack or lunch
we have bread rolls but low on loaves and no crumpets.,-brekkie
cereals running low

milk, tea /coffee, sugar and butter ok
oils ok.
nearly out of stock, herbs and pepper!

have reduced pizza in freezer still-with chips thats meal 5

have bread flour-just need passsata to make hm pizza -meal 6.

2small packs diced beef to do beef casserole-but need stock and maybe more rice -meal 7!

pork belly in freezer for sunday roast but need yorkies, peas and gravy so need to do very small basic lilds shop.-Meal 8

diced bacon-need passatta and pasta-meal 9.

eldest had party over retail park sunday but wanted me to stay wheich meant missed lidls.

need to check out what deals they doing this week .

desperatly need to refill fruit bowl.
we ok for desserts as have icecreams, yogurts and cakes here.

we ok for crisps as have some leftover from party.
biscuits we ok.
squash we ok.

so could be lot worse.

need a plan as have about 10-15 items could really do with this week which allow me to stretch what we currently have.

internet shop was delivered thursday last week so was hoping not to do big shop until next thursaday.

just do spar\co-op whoopsie hunt in between before we hit farmfood and maybe morries.

tempted to go back spar get more chicken kievs later.

we have golden syrup and oats so could try do hm cereal bars.

going to try doing few more soups at lunches as have 4tins tomato.

kids have beans and spaggetti in tins

have emergancy tuna/ sweetcorn for sandwiches when ham runs out

loads of onions so maybe few onion soups or leek and potato.

cupboards seem quite full.

freezer and fridge running very low.

Lynsey well done on coupons. such bargains.

thankfully we ok for next month on all household, washing powder and toiliet roll.

Lynsey

Lynsey well done on coupons. such bargains.

Get that printer sorted, loads of coupons available at the minute. Just spent another hour printing!!
Just checked my Fairy Liquid and 13 so far (some off last time) and 5 Persil washing up liquid (all free) - loads more Fairy to get from Tesco tomorrow!!
The Lenor (40 wash) is only £1.68 in Tesco, so 68p when using coupons, I prefer that to Comfort - stock up on that (Lenor) as well.

Anyone had their pancakes yet??
Having mine at 1pm.

Lynsey