I'm eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge

ammonite

Thursday - ate out
Friday - ate at in-laws
Saturday - ate at parents
Sunday - ate at friends
Monday - what do you mean I've got to cook for myself?!

Not sure what we'll have yet, I'll go freezer diving soon.

Had a few minor shops in local shops to pick up essentials. Off to Morrisons tonight for the beer offers, petrol coupon and a top up shop so expecting the £60 spend (so I get the petrol coupon).

Absolutely determined to stick to my £100 shopping budget this month.

Lip_Stick

Morning all. Ds has had a nice morning opening pressies. Taking him out for his dinner as I want to try to get his hair cut. Kept forgetting last week! :mad:

Made fried egg with muffins for breakfast but ds wasn't very hungry so I gave his to the rats. Dinner will probably be a cheap sandwich at Asda.

Tea for ds is burger and chips at his party. No idea what I'm having.

Lynsey - thanks for the birthday wishes for the little one.

ammonite - looks like you've had a cheap week lol.

Jane those buns sound lovely, how did you do the dough in the BM? I mean, how did you make them bun size and not one big bun in the BM? lol... that's probably a really daft question.

recovering_spendaholic

Happy Birthday to your DS Lip_stick!! Hope you both have a lovely day!

I made the dough in the breadmaker and when it was done I took the dough out of the machine and kneaded it again and made it into little rolls. My friend's husband is a baker and he showed me how to roll the dough and it makes such a difference to the finished product - they look really professional.

Need to go out to Aldi today but have got to wait in for UPS to collect my hoover because I rang Very and told them about it breaking and they have agreed to refund or replace it:j Now just need to choose a new on as I DONT want a Vax again!!

Have finally made the curry that I was meant to make at the weekend. I bulked it out with a chopped Butternut squash that I found in the bottom of the salad drawer in the fridge, so I hope it is nice. I think I will have to freeze it because it is too hot to eat it today and I have loads of my tuna cannellini bean salad to eat up from yesterday. I also found a bag of pork cheek lurking in the freezer so am going to look for ways to cook that - never done it before.

Need to get motivated and do some housework before I need to send for Kim and Aggie!!

Florenceem

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

Happy Birthday to your DS Lip_stick!! Hope you both have a lovely day!

I made the dough in the breadmaker and when it was done I took the dough out of the machine and kneaded it again and made it into little rolls. My friend's husband is a baker and he showed me how to roll the dough and it makes such a difference to the finished product - they look really professional.

Need to go out to Aldi today but have got to wait in for UPS to collect my hoover because I rang Very and told them about it breaking and they have agreed to refund or replace it:j Now just need to choose a new on as I DONT want a Vax again!!

Have finally made the curry that I was meant to make at the weekend. I bulked it out with a chopped Butternut squash that I found in the bottom of the salad drawer in the fridge, so I hope it is nice. I think I will have to freeze it because it is too hot to eat it today and I have loads of my tuna cannellini bean salad to eat up from yesterday. I also found a bag of pork cheek lurking in the freezer so am going to look for ways to cook that - never done it before.

Need to get motivated and do some housework before I need to send for Kim and Aggie!!

Can you give a guide to what the baker told you to do please?

Florenceem

Lip_Stick wrote: »

Morning all. Ds has had a nice morning opening pressies. Taking him out for his dinner as I want to try to get his hair cut. Kept forgetting last week! :mad:

Made fried egg with muffins for breakfast but ds wasn't very hungry so I gave his to the rats. Dinner will probably be a cheap sandwich at Asda.

Tea for ds is burger and chips at his party. No idea what I'm having.

Lynsey - thanks for the birthday wishes for the little one.

ammonite - looks like you've had a cheap week lol.

Jane those buns sound lovely, how did you do the dough in the BM? I mean, how did you make them bun size and not one big bun in the BM? lol... that's probably a really daft question.

This has made my day. :rotfl: Sort of daft question I would ask.

recovering_spendaholic

Florenceem wrote: »

Can you give a guide to what the baker told you to do please?

Right - don't really know how to explain but I'll try!!

You get the dough and plop it out of the machine onto a very lightly floured board. The key is not to use too much flour for kneading and shaping.

Then you cut the dough ( without re-kneading) into shapes, weighing each one to 75g each.

Then you take one 75g piece of dough and start to roll it around under your lightly floured hand on the worktop, pressing REALLY hard. It is weird but as you roll it round pressing hard you feel the dough start to respond to your touch, then you roll faster and faster and pull your hand into a claw shape and roll the ball of dough loosely around under your fingers. then you take your hand off and you have a perfectly formed round roll. You have to roll hard though - I can really feel the muscles in the top of my arm when I am doing it. I don't know how you insert pictures or I would post one! When you have rolled all the rolls into shape you cover the dough with ungreased cling film and let rise for 30 - 40 minutes and then cook on baking parchment at 200 for 12 - 15 minutes until they sound hollow when you knock the bottom of them. I make the dough with 2tsps yeast, 500g flour, 1.5 tsps salt, 30g oil and 310 ml water. I just set it onto the basic dough recipe.

Instead of rolling into rolls you can take each 75g of dough and roll with a rolling pin to make pitta breads - you just roll into shape and then don't let them rise and bake straight away - they are so lovely and puff right up!

I made the curry finally! and DD2 who is off school today had some for lunch and I portioned up the rest in lock and locks and will put it in the freezer when it is cool.

Don't know what to do about tea - DD2 is going for her colonoscopy tomorrow and can't eat anything so it seems a bit cruel to make something tasty! I might send DD1 round to the chip shop with her friend and tell her to eat it in her friend's house, and I will just have some soup in sympathy with DD1!!

It's not so warm here today - just lovely and pleasant!! Still need to motivate myself to get out into the garden though!

Lynsey

Managed to get some cheap reduced potatoes from Morries - 2 x 2kg packs for 29p each (Scotty brand, look nice and never tried). Also bought some Wiltshire ham for £1.09 (half-price) - £1.67 spent there.
B&M's - got 2 packets of 50g crisps for 19p each, 2 packs of Schwartz ratatouille mix at 10p per packet and some Hellman's mayonnaise with lemon for only 29p (250ml) - only 87p spent there and £2.54 spent in total. Just Sainsbury's later for some Cravendale and hopefully some bargains.

Next week I'm going to experiment and try and get £25+ worth of "whoopsied" food for £10 max.

Only short on swede now and NOT paying more than 50p, so that'll have to wait.

Not really much needed and in a great position, I can really be "picky" now and select the best bargains when available - that's what I'll be doing for the next 5 weeks. Got 4 packs of Vitalite still and loads of Cravendale coupons. I'm trying to only spend £15 up until and including Friday and leaving £10 for Saturday - if possible - see what Lidl meat offer is and I'll get a few packs of the sliced cheese.

Weather is actually very hot today and a welcome slight breeze every now and then ............................. it will sadly come to an end!!

Lynsey

Florenceem

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

Right - don't really know how to explain but I'll try!!

You get the dough and plop it out of the machine onto a very lightly floured board. The key is not to use too much flour for kneading and shaping.

Then you cut the dough ( without re-kneading) into shapes, weighing each one to 75g each.

Then you take one 75g piece of dough and start to roll it around under your lightly floured hand on the worktop, pressing REALLY hard. It is weird but as you roll it round pressing hard you feel the dough start to respond to your touch, then you roll faster and faster and pull your hand into a claw shape and roll the ball of dough loosely around under your fingers. then you take your hand off and you have a perfectly formed round roll. You have to roll hard though - I can really feel the muscles in the top of my arm when I am doing it. I don't know how you insert pictures or I would post one! When you have rolled all the rolls into shape you cover the dough with ungreased cling film and let rise for 30 - 40 minutes and then cook on baking parchment at 200 for 12 - 15 minutes until they sound hollow when you knock the bottom of them. I make the dough with 2tsps yeast, 500g flour, 1.5 tsps salt, 30g oil and 310 ml water. I just set it onto the basic dough recipe.

Instead of rolling into rolls you can take each 75g of dough and roll with a rolling pin to make pitta breads - you just roll into shape and then don't let them rise and bake straight away - they are so lovely and puff right up!

I made the curry finally! and DD2 who is off school today had some for lunch and I portioned up the rest in lock and locks and will put it in the freezer when it is cool.

Don't know what to do about tea - DD2 is going for her colonoscopy tomorrow and can't eat anything so it seems a bit cruel to make something tasty! I might send DD1 round to the chip shop with her friend and tell her to eat it in her friend's house, and I will just have some soup in sympathy with DD1!!

It's not so warm here today - just lovely and pleasant!! Still need to motivate myself to get out into the garden though!

Thanks - are these round rolls not the traditional long iced finger shape.

ammonite

You are doing so well Lynsey!

Hope your son had a good bday Lip_Stick - I did indeed have a very cheap week!

Just had slow-cooked pork in celery, mushroom and gravy sauce (way nicer than it sounds!) out of the freezer and a portion of mash.

DH had chicken peppercorn and mash out of the freezer.

We have used all the bread stocks up so that definitely needs re-stocking. Think I might try the slow cooked spag bol that I've been threatening to do for a week, see how that goes!

Lynsey

ammonite wrote: »

You are doing so well Lynsey!

Thanks and I am doing well and even convincing myself now that I won't fail and that's despite a couple of "low" periods.
I really feel in control now and another frugal 5 weeks will put me well on track for an easy 2nd half of the year.
I keep telling myself I'll have £900 for the next 6 months and have survived spending less than £600.

Got my Cravendale from Sainsbury's and picked up 11 mags this time, so loads of 50p coupons to keep me in cheap Cravendale for a while.
2 x 1 litres Cravendale using 2 coupons = £1.00
1 x chicken biryani 89p from £3.50 = 89p
2 x Saint Agur blue cheese 59p each from £2.25 each = £1.18

Total = £3.07
Days total = £5.61

Hoping for a NSD tomorrow and Thursday, but WILL buy BIG value "whoopsies".

Sending off a parcel to my Son and wrapped up today ready to be picked up tomorrow. Mainly sending him his new phone contract (we pay for it, but virtually free with cashback) and we've put in loads of washing stuff, Dallaglio sauces, pasta, toothpaste etc, etc, etc, and hardly made a dent in stash - more non-food stash than food stash - thanks to couponing.
Hopefully save him and his girlfriend lots of pennies and leave a little hole to fill.
No washing liquid/tabs for him to buy for 6 months or more.

Lynsey