Don't Throw Food Away Challenge

Firemunchkin

hedgesparrow wrote: »

I think my lesson learnt is that I need to do a stock check of the fridge every week, probably when I do my menu plan. That way I won't forget about things we have.

Absolutely. I joined the 2012 thread last January, and that's what I learned too. Once you get into the habit of keeping an eye on what's in the fridge, at the back, in the door, all those little jars of sauces etc, and getting OH involved (it took mine a few months, but when he realised we had more money for treats he soon got on board) - it all gets much easier.

We base our menu solely on what needs using up first. This week, for example, the cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage all needed to be used first so we focussed our meals around that. We're having beef curry with spicy cabbage, sausages with cabbage & lentils, cauli-cheese with chicken thighs, aloo gobi (potato & cauli with spices) which will join the sag aloo (spinach & potato) in the freezer (saving them for a proper homemade curry night) and the broccoli on the side of cullen skink (milky haddock stew - using a pint of milk I froze before we went on holiday in the summer).

We've got loads of lemons & limes LO from the NYE party, we've been making lemon drizzle cake every week but they'e not going to last much longer, so I'm going to squeeze the juice out and freeze it for later use. I'm tempted to get the rind off as well, there are so many recipes which need lemon rind. Same with the limes. Alternatively, you can make frozen lemon/lime slices (great for drinks!) by tray freezing them and then putting in a bag. This is great when you've used half a lemon and don't want the other half to go dry in the fridge. :T

I'm mashing up the bananas for the freezer (good for cakes), chopping the strawberries to go in some milk for a milkshake (this is a first time so it might not work), making small individual crumbles with the (very soft) plums, making some breadcrumbs out of end bits of the loaf (again - for the freezer, brill for escalopes or fish), chopping & freezing a very very soft tomato (it'll go in a sauce another time), blanching & freezing the celery (ready for the next stew), freezing the dill and making a curry paste out of the handful of LO coriander. :A

We've ended up being quite creative in order to reduce the waste. We had last night's LO takeaway curry (it's a good place, so no worries about having it the next day) combined with some meatballs from the week which needed using up. It sounds a bit odd, but it was yummy!

UNfortunately, we've missed a few bits. 1 lemongrass stick has gone moldy (2 in the pack) = 40p; 1/4 bottle of thai sweet chilli (it's moved house with us 3 times and we've not opened it in 3 years - I'm not going anywhere near it) = 35p; 1 lemon (from the above surplus, it didn't make it) = 30p; 1/5 of a rice/celeriac/spinach dish (we ate most of it, but it wasn't very nice, and I am paranoid about eating rice more than 24 hours after it's been cooked) = 50p. Total waste: £1.55

I also got my payday wrong, I didn't get paid yesterday - it's next Thursday! So I'll start again next weekend when the new food budget starts.

DawnW

Just had to bin 3 soft, sprouty onions

Baileys_Babe

Solstice_3 wrote: »

Busy day today! Bought a YS chicken last night even though I knew there was no room in the freezer, roasted it this morning and made chicken noodle soup 2-3 portions, striped it into sandwich/soup/salad meat and put the carcass with my other one, the defrosted carrot and chicken ends and the tops of tonight's spring onions into the stock pot, made about 4-6 pints of stock! Only problem is I didn't have enough freezer pots, hoping to squeeze the two pots into the freezer and will have to make more soup on Monday. Also made some plum compote, one pot sweet for breakfasts and other being turned into savoury plum sauce for tonight's dinner. My counter is full of cooling bowls and pots right now lol

After I've made chicken stock I strain it to remove the bones etc then I reduce it until their is very little liquid, which is frozen in ice cube trays. When I go to use the stock I pop a "stock cube" in a jug and dilute with hot water. Saves loads of room in the freezer.

Miroslav

princesskitty29 wrote: »

How about whizzing up with a little milk or yogurt into a smoothie? I have seen some recipes for healthier blueberry breakfast muffins too. Or make them into a compote to go on porridge?

I like those ideas.

Already put fruit in porridge, but the smoothie is a new idea to me.

Thanks

rosie383

Hi all.
Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I need an answer from you lovely people today.
I accidentally overcooked 2 salmon filllets! Had them in one of those brown oven bags from Asda. I had put them in the oven alongside chicken, but forgot to take them out so they are 'well done'. They aren't burnt or anything, just prob a bit on the dry side.
Now, my kids have gone off salmon, I am not a fish lover but will eat it cos it's healthy, and I need to make sumat that dh could take to work tomorrow and reheat for his lunch.
Any suggestions welcome please. Apart from flaking it into cream and having with pasta. That doesn't work to reheat next day.... tried it and it goes quite dry and sticky.

sparrer

rosie I'd mash it down, mix with just enough tomato juice to moisten, slice some tomato and make salmon & tomato toasties, or add to a baked pastry case for a quiche, or make individual patties.

My first throw-away of the month is about 1/6th of a tomato which had started to go black round the stem end. Cut that bit off and added the rest to the veg tub in the freezer for making stock. Calculate it was about 4p worth. Stupid, I knew it was beginning to go but too lazy to take it out of the fridge and put it in the freezer

rosie383

The quiche is a great idea. I think I may even just throw enough spices at it and tell everyone it's chicken!

Mrs_Veg_Plot

sheeppappar wrote: »

However I've just frozen a lamb leg leftover from a joint and some scrappy bits that were left for it. it's not enough meat to do anything proper with but I must must be able to find a use for it.. just wondering if you clever people had any ideas? xxx thanks in advance xx

Hi sheeppappar it is probably a bit late now but has looking at this thread and noticed you did not get a response. I would make it into lamb broth. Lightly fry an onion, add diced potato carrot and celery or any other bits of veg that need using up, add a good hand full of pearl barley or broth mix, check as some need to be pre-soaked, add the chopped bits of left over lamb and stock. Let it all simmer until cooked through.

LittleVoice

I have to report my first "waste" of the year. A small portion at the back of the fridge of sweetcorn pasta salad which should have been used up last week. Value about 10p - so still within my £1 ceiling for the month.

rosie383

I went to Morrisons earlier (to buy some non-existent almonds posted on Grabbit) and got a tub of creme fraiche for 19p. Mixed the salmon into it along with a half packet of cheap smoked salmon lurking in the fridge. A good squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper, and a decent squirt of peri peri sauce. Enough to mix with tagliatelli and did dinner tonight and for dh work dinner tomorrow.