Eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge - part two

abbe89

Out: to defrost for the next couple of days: 2 x chicken, paneer and spinach curry and 2 x chicken and leek soup.

zafiro1984

I need to join in again

I tend to live out of my freezers, I grow veg/fruit and freeze, rear turkeys and freeze, tend to buy by the carcass and freeze. The problem is that my obsession is 'I hate waste' so I'm always on the look out for more things to freeze so the freezers are always stuffed full of food.

Today for example: I picked all the windfalls from the Bramley tree processed and froze them, collected a bucket full of crab apples and some rosehips so I can make jam tomorrow but if I haven't time guess where they will end up. This evening I made sweet potato and leek soup with a bit of celery and carrot (all home grown) enough for tomorrows lunch and guess what, I made too much so I had to freeze the rest. Goodness knows when we will eat it.

I posted on this thread a couple of years ago and it helped so I need to join in again. I knew I had to do something when my DH suggested I bought another freezer - that would make 5

zafiro1984

Day one, feeling hopeful!!

I've just emptied the small freezer under the fridge and stocked it with enough home made ready meals and meat from the other freezers to last until the weekend, along with some uncooked frozen veg and fruit. I even put some bread, wraps, rolls and milk in it. Hopefully, it will add a bit of structure to what I need to do.

I'm just going to record what has come out of the freezers or cupboards not fresh stuff. List of items for today for two of us - It looks a lot but we always seem to have different meals.
Freezer:-
chicken soup, 2 turkey/apricot burgers, bread rolls, sweet potato and leek soup, turkey casserole, bread and butter pudding with mincemeat from last year. raspberries, a pasta dish with herbs, toms and peppers.
Cupboard:-
Things to make dumplings.

caronc

zafiro1984 wrote: »

I'm just going to record what has come out of the freezers or cupboards not fresh stuff.

That's what I do, though I include fresh things in my use ups if it needs using or it will get wasted:)


In: scotch pie

Out: cupasoup
Used up: cucumber, 1/2 tin baked beans

dannie

Since last Saturday, local weekend shopping brought in some "yellow-sticker" items but these have not ended up in the freezer (yet?). Also, purchased some store cupboard food flavourings.


The end of tomorrow will "reveal" whether I have managed to reduce freezer contents to one drawer only. Also, will calculate how much was spent on food in October.

zafiro1984

Yesterday went OK to a point, but at lunchtime my DH suddenly announced that there was a lecture we needed to go in the evening so there was a bit of reorganizing dinner but I managed to stay with the original concept and just used food from the small freezer.

Day Two
OUT
Freezer - peas, 4 slices bread, 2 pieces cake, apricots, milk, soup, aubergines, tomatoes.
Cupboards - things for crumble topping,
Fridge - casserole which was on the list for yesterday, opened pack of bacon, peppers which I forgot to freeze.

caronc

Lots of fresh stuff into the fridge as well as

In: chicken breasts, root veg mash, sandwich pickle
Out: beef olive, peas
Used up: cold meat, end of a head of lettuce

zafiro1984

So far so good.

Out for today
Freezer:- toms, aubergines, pepper, garlic, grated cheese, 2 slices bread, beans, sweetcorn, bits of cooked turkey, a couple of pieces of cake to transform into a pudding.
Fridge:- some mince that needs using up, plus veg
Cupboards:- things to make a caramel sauce, pulses and stock cubes for soup.

I'm working my way through the vegetables in the fridge and have come to realise that I should use what I grow not buy things I can't grow like cauliflowers.
The dog helped us finish off the casserole from yesterday so It's soup for lunch!!!

I've a 'funny order' coming from Asd.. this evening, it's just milk, bread and dog food, enough for the month - I'm trying not to go to the supermarkets as I know I'll spend on things I don't need, just to 'stock up'

caronc

In: nothing
Out: chicken thighs, corn cob, tea bags
Used up: last of the homegrown tomatoes will be roasted to make passatta while I've got the oven for dinner.

dannie

dannie wrote: »

Mini-challenge for me is to end the month with just one freezer drawer (from four) being used. Earlier this year, it was just the one which was 90% full. At the start of this month, two drawers were full. I'll focus upon using up mainly my ready-made recipes.

Just one freezer drawer full now!