Help me meal plan please :o

i_wanna_save_money!

I decided to go through my cupboards and fridge and write down exactly what I have. I have just shocked myself with the sheer amount of stuff we have in, so please can you all give me some good ideas how I can use up all the stuff. I am not to bothered about the BBQ stuff I have in the freezer as hopefully the weather will go nice again soon, and we have lots of barbies in the summer.

There is OH and I ( both have big appetites ) and 5 year old DD and 2 year old DD, and at weekends step-daughters ages 15 and 10.

We always complain that there is 'nothing to eat' :eek: but obviously, we have loads of food but no ideas to cook.

( Also, once I have used a food how do I cross out the words on pc? )

Any help really appriciated - I need it lol.

i_wanna_save_money!

Here goes:

CUPBOARD:

4 x 500g passata
1 x packet of spaghetti
1 x 500g pasta quills
[STRIKE]1 x 500g fusilli [/STRIKE] USED HALF
1 x 1kg basmati rice
1 x 500g pearl barley
half box of dried peas
[STRIKE]4 packs chicken noodles [/STRIKE] 1 left
2 x sharwoods chinese BBQ and sesame marinades
1 x batter mix
1 x fajita spice mix
1 pack sauce chicken casserole
1 x chow mein stir fry sauce
1 x stir fry chop suey sauce
half a packet of dried french onion soup
little bit of taco spice mix
2 x knorr dried chicken noodle soup
[STRIKE]5 tins of tuna [/STRIKE] 3 left
1 tin sardines in tom sauce
1 tins oxtail soup
[STRIKE]1 tin potato and leek soup[/STRIKE]
1 tin of spaghetti
1 tin mushy peas
[STRIKE]1 tin hot dogs [/STRIKE]
1 tin garden peas
1 tin green beans
1 tin pinapple slices
[STRIKE]2 jars of korma sauce[/STRIKE]
3 tubs of gravy ( recieved 2 the other day to test for a test site )
Hot BBQ sauce marinade
2 balsamic vinegar
salt
vinegar
soy sauce
black pepper
bay leaf
about 15 beef oxo
hot chilli powder
paprika
12 veg oxo
jerk seasoning
curry powder
bicarbinate of soda
vanilla flavouring
yelloe food colouring
self raising flour
cornflour
icing sugar
10 various flavours of two part dressing and paste to make warm chicken salads
2 bottles sticky ribz sauce
2 jars burger relish
cereals : cornflakes, porridge, rice crispies, coco pops
1 loaf of bread
[STRIKE]4 crumpets[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]2 muffins[/STRIKE]
1 nan bread
1 pack mixed seeds
2 x value milk chocolate
2 strawberry jellys
4 bournville dark choc bars ( don't really like dark choc, a elderly gentlemen gives me a bar each a week for the kids, and I havent the heart to tell him they dont like dark choc! )
horlicks, coffee and tea
2 jars of honey

FRIDGE:

2 tubs of marg
10 HM choc crunch cakes
4 eggs
[STRIKE]left over chicken and mash from tea last night[/STRIKE]
about half a pound of cheddar
[STRIKE]5 pints of milk[/STRIKE]1 plint left
8 kiddies yoghurts
some strongbow cider
sauces/jars etc: salad cream, mayo, peanut butter, burger relish, ketchup, beetroot, jam, apple sauce, tomato and basil salad dressing, jif lemon juice, mustard, garlic butter,
Fruit and veg :[STRIKE]grapes,[/STRIKE] [STRIKE]2 mushrooms,[/STRIKE] [STRIKE]red[/STRIKE] green yellow pepper, spring onions , garlic, carrots, 2 onions, cucumber, 6satsumas 6 pears, 8 bananas, potatoes


FREEZER:

16 smoky BBQ chicken drumsticks
3 pack of large pitta bread
about 200g of mince
2 veggie burgersw
50 party sausage rolls
half a bag of cauliflour
8 pancakes
2 mince beef pies
[STRIKE]5 haddock fillet fishfingers[/STRIKE]
4 chicken legs
2 mini corn on the cobs
3 quarter pounder burgers
5 salmon fillets
2 portion spag bol
4 smoked haddock fillets
half a bag prawns
20 lincolnshire sausages
1 chicken breast fillet
4 chicken pies
2 packs sausage meat stuffing
loads of ice lollys
500g mince beef
[STRIKE]500g turkey strips[/STRIKE]
12 minted lamb steaks
20 chick nuggets
20 pork sausages
[STRIKE]3 chappatis[/STRIKE]
1 pizza
12 kebabs on sticks

lynzpower

Woweeee youve got loads!

Ok i would do something like this

Sat - Pies ( chicken/ mince) , cauliflower, peas & green beans gravy,

Sun - minced beef bol pasta using 3x passata, onions, mushrooms pack of spaghetti

Mon - Tuna pasta bake ( 2 x tins tuna passata, pasta veg topped with cheese )

Tues - chicken fillet out of the freezer with the one chicken you have in the fridge, noodles, spring omnion, mushrooms peppers chow mein sauce

Weds - turkey strips , korma sauce, rice, veg , naan , chappattis

thurs- bangers, mash peas, onion gravy

jo1972

Oh my, you've enough food for about 6 months :rotfl:

I'm looking forward to reading any suggestions you receive cos I'm quite rubbish at working out what goes together but makes it a little more exciting!!

lynzpower

then

fri - spagbol out of the freezer in a paSTA bake

sat fish fillets with potatoes ( ? hm oven chips) and veg

the salmon fillets you can marinade & have on top of stir fry noodles

use the chicken legs to make a chicken cassserole with your packet, and serve with mash & veg

lamb steak with roasties veg & more of that gravvy

serve the veggie burgers in pittas we always do this crammed with salad/ coleslaw *yum*

have the kebabs on sticks with spicy rice or noodles again stirfried in one of your sauces with shredded veg ( carrots , beansprouts, courgette onion etc)

sorry my brains gone dead now

jo1972

Lynz, will you come out grocery shopping with me this afternoon :rotfl:

i_wanna_save_money!

I know I have loads in, can't believe it myself. It just seems to have 'appeared' lol. I am not going to go to tescos until most of this food has gone. When I need bread/milk i am just going to go corner shop. I generally say 'i'm going to tescos for bread n milk' then come back with loads out of the reduced section. The local shop is quite expensive for bread/milk but going to tesco for it because it's cheaper makes me spend loads because i just see things that we 'might' need.

I used to meal plan, and it used to go really well, but it just sort of slowly stopped.

I enjoy cooking, and love my slow cooker, just need motivation to get me back on track again.

lynzpower

jo1972 wrote: »

Lynz, will you come out grocery shopping with me this afternoon :rotfl:

hey anything to get out of working

i_wanna_save_money!

Lynzpower, you have said some really nice ideas there. I wouldn't have though of doing pasta bake with the spag bol.

lynzpower

another thing we used to have as kids was like a "snack tea" almost like a mini buffet which woud use up some of the sausage rolls, nuggets adn then have bread, wedges picky bits. Good for an afternoon of film watching with the kids

lynzpower

the bourneville you can make a chocolate sauce with, gorgeous with the pancakes and possibly strawbs or other fruit.

break up some choc and mix in a bit of golden syrup ( or honey will do) heAT it in a bowl over the top of water till it goes runny

Done