Preparedness for when

GreyQueen

greenbee wrote: »

Its on the radio anyway... bad enough having to listen to them. Looking at them would be a step too far!

My thoughts exactly.

Was recalling two consecutive budgets in the 1980s when I was listening in on the radio and darning moth holes in my old wartime grey wool army blanket. Wasn't planned that way, it was just co-incidence, but I felt appropriately 'umble.

Don't think I've ever met a budget which didn't screw me over, so have pretty low expectations of this one.

NewShadow

Quick question - What are peoples SHTF meals?

I've had a ton going on this week (anyone who reads the news might get why... politicians should just not try and be funny), and I've mostly been eating toast.

Really nice toast using local butter and sour dough bread from a local 'artisan' bakery, and better than chips...but still; a loaf a day is not good for the diet. I need to get better at defaulting to 'healthily' in a 'crisis'.

GreyQueen

My go-to meal when in a hurry is an omelette. Most of us keep eggs at home and you can add all sorts of things to your omelette. Chuck some salad at it and you've covered most of your nutritional needs. It's almost as fast to cook as toast and sticks to your ribs much more.

I've not eaten bread in the past two weeks and have lost just over 6 lb without trying. And I was eating righteous windmill-milled organic flour homemade bread, not factory pap, either.

Sympathies for those who have to deal with politicians in person.

[Deleted User]

Pasta, risotto, noodles or cous cous with whatever I can find in the fridge that needs using up. I've always got an onion and we have leeks in the garden and on the allotment and fresh parsley in the polytunnel so I've the basis for a sauce or to stir through cooked grains.

thriftwizard

Anything eggy, as GQ & MrsLW have suggested - we have a handful of chickens at the back of the garden, so as long as I treat them right there'll be eggs - and/or stir-fries, with noodles or bulgur wheat. A stir fry takes just a few minutes to put together & the minimal cooking preserves lots of the nutrients that are lost in recipes that take longer to cook. You really don't need fancy, expensive oriental veg either; shredded cabbage, garlic, spring onions, maybe a red pepper & a handful of sprouted beans, maybe even some of the dreaded Green Stuff, with apologies to Mardatha. A bit of chicken in it is nice but a handful of cashew nuts will do the same job & taste just as good. And you can ring the changes very easily by varying the ingredients & the accompaniment, so you don't get bored.

The one thing you do need is a decent wok; I acquired mine at a car boot sale for 50p. Non-stick isn't necessary as carbon-steel will build up a protective layer all by itself if you just rinse it after use; i.e. don't scrub it out with a brillo pad! Very economical on fuel, both in use and in cleaning.

Bombay potatoes are also a good, quick meal; I generally bake twice as many spuds as we're going to need, wrap the leftovers in foil & keep them in the fridge, then they're good to go on an evening when I need a quick, tasty dish.

Karmacat

My go-to meal is pasta, frozen peas, crumbled feta and pesto I lurve it. If it needs to be even quicker than that, tinned tatties massive rethink soon, as I want to start cutting down on carbs.

[Deleted User]

Home Bargains are selling 120g sachets of Sweet & Sour, Stir Fry Sauce, for 20p a sachet. BBE date July 2017.

Just the thing to add flavour to a bland SHTF meal.

I tried one yesterday, with a YS Bamboo Shoot and Beansprout Stir Fry.

Very nice it was too.

mardatha

Egg and chips, add bacon if coping with extra S lol

RAS

Pasta and pesto
Chickpea salad (drain add chopped onion/springonion and herbs plus dressing, and any of tomato, olives, anchovies or tuna, halved egg)
Noodles with stirfry or even just oil, chilli and spring onion
Omelette

Cappella

This week it would be chunky smoked bacon and bean soup with homemade bread. Always got soup on the go, and in the freezer too.
Omelettes, or eggs in any form really are good too for a quick meal, or posh cheese on toast with onion and anything else we have in.
I can cook on the woodburner on the allotment, or on the camping cookers if it's a power problem: or even on the trivet over the open fire we've still got if all else fails.