Eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge - part two

dannie

Hi, I've not posted since the 17th March 2017. Since then, only two items purchased which do not take up much kitchen surface or fridge space. I have also continued to declutter some recipe books. The previously cancelled online (food) grocery order is now planned for next week.

Progress seems to being made. Although the fridge is full, the freezer is looking less full and the drawers are certainly lighter. The kitchen surfaces and cupboards are also more spacious.

What still happens is in "using up", a bigger recipe is produced. Recently, (freezer) stored homemade almond milk was used in a bread recipe and hence approx. one kilo of this bread went back into the freezer! Also, ground up lots of (freezer) peanuts into "flour" which were then refrozen due to the high quantity produced.

Today, resisted going shopping for some cheese and made some cottage cheese with some "old" skimmed milk powder. This was put on a sandwich and reminded me of salad cheese you can purchase.

Primrose

I keep saying to my OH that we seem to have so much food stored in fridge, 2 freezers and storecupboard that we should impose a "Leningrad Seige" lifestyle on ourselves to see how long we can survive until it's all used up. I dare say we would be eating some odd menus and mixtures towards the end but I long to see the bare back of the cupboards and the freezer badly needs defrosting again.


I'd be up for it but somehow he always finds an excuse to nip out and buy replacement items for things I would try as a challenge to do without!

zafiro1984

Bit of a disaster yesterday, the central heating boiler decided to give up the ghost, so whilst that is being replaced we have no easy way of heating the house. I decided to light the ironheart woodburner which also has an oven. So today it has been a search for dry wood, I've found some almost dry logs and some really dry old fencing posts in the workshop so I've kept warm using the saw to get it into 2' lengths. Fire now lit, temperature up to 20C and now I'm going to use the oven, might as well as it costs nothing to run and saves electric.

So out of freezer 2kg of cubed beef to make into casseroles/pies
A load of plums to make into crumbles/pies and other things.
No doubt everything cooked will end up back in the freezer.
I know I've saved electric but it has felt like hard work - roll on a new boiler.

JensFeet

Hi all...

I've absolutely no idea what's been going on with using up stores / freezer and shopping as have been ensconced in hospital for the past 3 weeks - scoring a day's weekend leave tonight and tomorrow!! It's now been 37 days since I've been able to eat anything and I'm still in awful abdominal pain which the hospital haven't been able to identify as yet. Also got myself a super case of Shingles too and have lost 4 stone in the last 5 weeks.

The consultant has said I may need to be in for up to 8 weeks so have had to delay my new job start date which is gutting. But even worse (lol) I'm not here to look after the budget or food and I know for certain many takeaways have been consumed by OH and kids!! Never mind. Not much I can actually do but get stuck back in when I finally do get home.

Going to read through how everybody is doing but hope all is well for everybody else and I can't wait to get back into the driving seat here at home.

Jen x

kboss2010

Just taken stock of my rammed to the gills freezer:
6 portions of soup, 2 portions of spag Bol + garlic bread, 2 portions of chorizo risotto, 4 bags of frozen veg, 3 portions of chicken stock, 2 tubs vanilla ice cream, beef olives & chicken & beef gravy.

Right, so that's a nothing but essentials shopping week while I use up my freezer stocks!

JIL

Well I went shopping with a list. My eldest is coming to stay tomorrow night, then going home Sunday evening. So I bought a few bits for him. Then I bought flowers and chocolates for the mums on mother's day.
I fully intended to keep my shopping to a minimum. I was shocked when it came to £70.35. £26 was mother's day, a couple of light bulbs £4 and bits for son £5. Even taking them off its way over the £10 I was going to spend. I'm sure I didn't need ALL of the other things I bought.
I will try again next week. Really must do better.

Suffolk_lass

JensFeet wrote: »

Hi all...

I've absolutely no idea what's been going on with using up stores / freezer and shopping as have been ensconced in hospital for the past 3 weeks - scoring a day's weekend leave tonight and tomorrow!! It's now been 37 days since I've been able to eat anything and I'm still in awful abdominal pain which the hospital haven't been able to identify as yet. Also got myself a super case of Shingles too and have lost 4 stone in the last 5 weeks.

The consultant has said I may need to be in for up to 8 weeks so have had to delay my new job start date which is gutting. But even worse (lol) I'm not here to look after the budget or food and I know for certain many takeaways have been consumed by OH and kids!! Never mind. Not much I can actually do but get stuck back in when I finally do get home.

Going to read through how everybody is doing but hope all is well for everybody else and I can't wait to get back into the driving seat here at home.

Jen x

Sorry to hear that Jen, and good to see you back posting. Look after yourself and get well soon - Shingles is painful I'm told, as well as abdominal pain - nightmare

purpleybat

i don't often pop into this thread but for the last year ive been trying to run my freezer down.
the thing is I keep taking stuff out to use up but the subsequent leftovers get put back in. for example today I took out 2 things of mince, a huge tub of tomato sauce and some bacon scribblings I found lurking, back in went 2 ready meals I made (admittedly for my dad but they have to live somewhere) and 2 tubs of bolognese sauce, so the freezer is fuller than before!
I was hoping today to make more space cos I have fresh veg that needs using up before I go away on thurs for a few days (it'll be manky by the time i'm back) and was planning on making a couple of gratin type things.
the rate I'm going itll be another year before I can defrost it. tho on the plus side the UFOs are disappearing and everything is becoming labelled

[Deleted User]

Not done very well this week as I found a new vegan shop and spent £50 in there!!

Oh well, onwards and upwards I suppose...will put myself into a spending fast now until the end of April...fresh f&v plus milk only!

Suffolk_lass

Any good recipes for cabbage-based meals please team?