I'm eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge

Welsh_Poppy

Morning

I saw that WW programme last night talk about additives and ripping peeps off.

I have made a big pan vegetable soup and now making a veggie sausage pie and some veggie burgers healthy ones so not cooked in oil.
bread cooking in oven ....
Another NSD......
Sorted out my BT contract as on a special price for 12 months and that ran out so got another deal...yippee

recovering_spendaholic

Kirri - what was the proramme called - Just Despatches?

Have just come back from Aldi, where I spend £17 but got loads of stuff. I got milk (what I went for:o) and they had loads of meat with 50% off and the date was 30th January, so I got pork chops, chicken breasts, pork stir fry, turkey mince and lamb chops, so I think I did well. I think I will cook the pork stir fry tonight as pork stroganoff with rice.

Lip_stick - your ex sounds as clueless as mine!

Lynsey - I wish I could do £25 a week for when there is just me and DD, with other DD away at university, but I just can't. I used to get loads of reduced stuff in Tesco, but they seem to have stopped doing it now - I haven't seen any significant reductions for months.

Lynsey

Jane - £25 per week is only really doable with a decent standard IF you have the stash.
Once you have your stash, you just need to tick-over with basics.

So using your stash with £25 per week is fairly easy (if you have the time), but NOT if the £25 includes getting your stash.

How about putting away say a £200 stash budget and having a £25 per week budget?

Once I clear a freezer, I will be filling it again with reduced items - just fresh new ones. lol

Kirri - last January was a low spend month also, using up Xmas stuff has helped. Back to reality next month, though still 2 freezer drawers to clear which will help budget.

Lynsey

Kirri

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

Kirri - what was the proramme called - Just Despatches?

Bit of a long title in my TV guide:

Weight Watchers - How They Make Their Money: Channel 4 Dispatches

was on Ch4 at 8pm last night

Kirri

Lynsey wrote: »

Kirri - last January was a low spend month also, using up Xmas stuff has helped. Back to reality next month, though still 2 freezer drawers to clear which will help budget.

I was also using up quite a bit I'd bought in December but still came out with quite a high spend! It's hard to even work out what my budget should be, I do get offers but rarely any reduced stuff. I'm thinking probably £80-£100 in winter per month, a lot less in summer as I have the home grown veg so my spends drop really low. Toying with dropping the fake meat reliance which would be healthier and cheaper.. but MUCH more work cooking.. I think I will have to see how 2013 pans out because I have a lot less stuff stashed away now (it's lovely having a tidier kitchen!) so this year's spends will be more realistic as I start to buy what I need as I go along.

I spent another £27 per month on average last year on toiletries/cleaning products but that was purely organic toiletries and eco cleaning stuff so don't think that was too bad.

Jelly_Biactol

Nut Roast with a Hint of the Orient

Nut roasts have become a bit of a fixture on special occasions for some vegetarians and this is a tasty one: moist, yet crunchy, with a lovely flavour. The hoisin sauce is key to the flavour. You can serve it freshly cooked with hot vegetables, and cold with salad afterwards. It’s also suitable for vegans. A food processor makes it quick and simple to prepare but you can make it easily without one. If you are using a processor, be careful not to over-process the nuts — the mixture needs to have some texture!

Line your loaf tin with a strip of double-thickness greaseproof paper from end to end, with the paper ends sticking up: this will enable you to lift the roast out easily.

Serve in fairly small portions as it is quite rich and filling.

Serves 6-7

1 onion or 2-3 spring onions including the more tender green parts
1-2 sticks celery, including any tender leaf
7oz of shelled almonds and hazelnuts or cobnuts, combined in roughly half and half proportions
25g (1oz) pumpkin seeds
110g (4oz) wholemeal breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce stirred into 150ml (¼) pint hot water
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons mild oil for frying
Plus a few whole nuts to decorate

You will need a greased 450g (1lb) loaf tin, lined with a strip of greaseproof paper.
Preheat oven to 180C (fan oven) or equivalent.

1) Chop the onion into roughly 1cm pieces, cut the celery into 2 or 3 vertical strips and slice fairly finely. Fry in the oil until the onion is soft but the celery still retains a little texture.
2) Chop the nuts roughly and whiz briefly in the food processor with the pumpkin seeds: they should still retain some texture.
3) Add the breadcrumbs, onions and celery, the hoisin and hot water and a few twists of black pepper. Whiz very briefly to combine.
4) Ease the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top with the back of a wet spoon. If you like, you can roll some whole nuts in a little oil and arrange over the top.
5) Bake for around 45 minutes until golden on top and cooked through. Leave in the tin to settle for 10 minutes (it will be very fragile when it first comes out of the oven) and then loosen the sides with a small palette knife and transfer to the serving plate. (If you have decorated the top with nuts and have any handsome-looking bay leaves to hand, tuck a few in between the nuts for a decorative flourish.) Slice with a sharp carving knife, using a fork to steady it.

Recipe courtesy Mrs Simkins (thank you:T).
For more recipes and tips from Mrs Simkins, and details of Mrs Simkins’ books, visit www.mrssimkins.co.uk.

Kirri

Also try the Mary Berry Christmas Nut Roast recipe, though does have egg/cheese in as well. Can't believe I've been veggie for so long and had only just tried a nut roast, was really good!

Jelly_Biactol

Veggie Week Challenge & Aldi Super 6 recipe:
Savoy Cabbage Tagliatelli

Serves 4

1 large Savoy cabbage (Aldi Super 6), outer leaves removed, quartered, cored and sliced into thin strips
450g/1 lb dried tagliatelli
10 rashers of veggie bacon (streaky variety if possible)
olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 good handful of thyme
1 handful of grated parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
200g/7oz buffalo mozzarella, cut into 1cm / 1/2 inch dice
2 handfuls of pine nuts, lightly toasted

1) Cook the veggie bacon according to the instructions, and slice thinly
2) Heat the olive oil, add the garlic and thyme and soften
3) Stir in the Savoy cabbage and parmesan, add the veggie bacon, cover and cook for 5 minutes, shaking every now and again
4) In the meantime, cook the tagliatelli until al dente
5) When the cabbage is nice and tender, loosen with some olive oil, and add the drained tagliatelli into the cabbage
6) Mix in the mozzarella and pine nuts, and serve immediately

- smoked tofu or veggie hotdogs would also work instead of the bacon (or for the meat-eaters, just use pancetta:))
- try broad beans or peas with the same ingredients


Adapted from ‘The Return of the Naked Chef’ by Jamie Oliver.

Florenceem

Lynsey wrote: »

Oh God, yes. Just for food and being ultra-frugal.
I don't budget for toiletries as all in hand mainly with coupons and/or glitches etc. I will need bits and pieces during the year just to top up.
I personally think it's the basics like butter, spread that takes quite a bit out of the budget. Maybe you can buy cheaper basics, but I don't like too ................. well not too much.

You do need the time to be frugal though and have the shops available, so not everyone can achieve it ................ sadly.

Lynsey

I include cleaning stuff plus toilet rolls in the £25 a week.

Florenceem

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

Kirri - what was the proramme called - Just Despatches?

Have just come back from Aldi, where I spend £17 but got loads of stuff. I got milk (what I went for:o) and they had loads of meat with 50% off and the date was 30th January, so I got pork chops, chicken breasts, pork stir fry, turkey mince and lamb chops, so I think I did well. I think I will cook the pork stir fry tonight as pork stroganoff with rice.

Lip_stick - your ex sounds as clueless as mine!

Lynsey - I wish I could do £25 a week for when there is just me and DD, with other DD away at university, but I just can't. I used to get loads of reduced stuff in Tesco, but they seem to have stopped doing it now - I haven't seen any significant reductions for months.

My Al.. doesn't seem to reduce stuff - just chuck it out.