December 2013 Grocery Challenge

Sequeena

beth2242 wrote: »

Today was pay day which means I have started on December grocery budget! Shouldn't need anything til Sunday when I will need to buy packed lunch things - I've managed this week by literally scraping snacks and things together to throw in the lunch boxes! Determined!

Did quite a big shop when I had a silly moment about a week ago and went way over my November budget - have eaten out a few times since then (from a different budget) and had a few takeaways so we definitely have plenty. I keep buying things that I don't know what to make into though!! I have 4 giant Mushrooms that need using tomorrow! Any ideas? Making a Bolognese tomorrow in the slow cooker too which will do us for tea and maybe some left over to freeze but we will see! Need to organise I food plan - but have way too much in the freezer and cupboards that I am spoilt for choice for what to put with what! How do people manage these meal planners? Got loads of potatoes, new potatoes, jacket potatoes, frozen chips, bread, cous cous, chicken, frozen diced beef, frozen fish, eggs, ham, veg etc. Then in the cupboards we have an endless amount of sauces and the Maggi 'so juicy' packets, gravies, Schwartz packets, tuna, every kind of pasta you could think of, pesto, pasta sauces! Spoilt for choice?! Its ridiculous really how much food we have in the cupboards and fridge and freezer and we need to use it all up - we could feed the 5000 if they turned up at our door!!:mad:

How about stuffing the mushrooms with cheese and breadcrumbs? I see it in the supermarket often but it's not something I'd eat myself.

just_the_two_of_us

Agree with Sequeena Cheese and breadcrumbs filling for flat mushrooms is absolutely delicious. Not sure how to cook them but I find lots of good recipes on the Beeb Good Food.

I'm not sure about your food stock reduction Beth 2242 - when we had more than just a month's supply in I used to look for the store cupboard / freezer items that were nearest their sell by date and plan round using those up first. I hate throwing stuff away and this month am going to use someone's excellent idea about costing the items you throw away just to give myself extra motivation! The Love Food Hate Waste website is good for ideas.

It means however that we sometimes have strange meals. But last night we had egg, chips and baked beans to use up and it was yummy!!!!

I now have a spreadsheet with the meals that we eat on a regular basis to help with buying my store cupboard /fridge-freezer items for a whole month and within that some meals have options so if one type of meat is on offer I may do a beef / pork /chicken casserole.

Hoping to do my big shops tomorrow or Saturday then just Xmas meat to order from local butcher - more expensive but worth it especially as DS is home - and weekly milk, bread and veggies to buy of course.

Hope everyone has a good December Challenge. xx:)

Annie_99

Beth,
To meal plan I would get paper and pen and do a freezer list, and cupboard list including everything then you make a meal plan.
So if you have, mince, peppers, mushrooms and pasta sauce that's Bolognese.
Chicken, onion, spices or curry sauce, bag of Rice that's curry and rice
You work your way through freezer, cupboards, fridge, making meals and crossing off as you go.
Then you add basics like T roll, shampoo, w powder, pack lunch, cereals Tec
Ark at me! Sound like I'm a professional!!!! It works for me!

Soworried

beth2242 wrote: »

Today was pay day which means I have started on December grocery budget! Shouldn't need anything til Sunday when I will need to buy packed lunch things - I've managed this week by literally scraping snacks and things together to throw in the lunch boxes! Determined!

Did quite a big shop when I had a silly moment about a week ago and went way over my November budget - have eaten out a few times since then (from a different budget) and had a few takeaways so we definitely have plenty. I keep buying things that I don't know what to make into though!! I have 4 giant Mushrooms that need using tomorrow! Any ideas? Making a Bolognese tomorrow in the slow cooker too which will do us for tea and maybe some left over to freeze but we will see! Need to organise I food plan - but have way too much in the freezer and cupboards that I am spoilt for choice for what to put with what! How do people manage these meal planners? Got loads of potatoes, new potatoes, jacket potatoes, frozen chips, bread, cous cous, chicken, frozen diced beef, frozen fish, eggs, ham, veg etc. Then in the cupboards we have an endless amount of sauces and the Maggi 'so juicy' packets, gravies, Schwartz packets, tuna, every kind of pasta you could think of, pesto, pasta sauces! Spoilt for choice?! Its ridiculous really how much food we have in the cupboards and fridge and freezer and we need to use it all up - we could feed the 5000 if they turned up at our door!!:mad:

If you make a list of everything you have in it is easier to make a plan around it.
If you get stuck start a thread listing it all so that you can get help/ideas.
I did that in November and we have used almost everything up now and spent a lot less.
We have eaten so well all month, I thought we would end up with weird meals. I don't even think the kids have noticed that we were on a use up month

BlueMoo

blue your dinner sounds lovely i believe im free if u need the nos making up
at your dinner party

Thanks very much - it was super delicious. Dinner party is full I'm afraid, but I'll let you know next time :D:D

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Beth2242 - Agree with suggestion to fill the whole mushrooms with a bit of crumbled cheese (if you use mozzarella, you can also stuff with sundried tomatoes/sprinkle of basil, if you use feta/halloumi, you can also stuff with roasted peppers and perhaps some lamb mince (or sliced little pieces), you could lightly grill and then stuff with little beef slices and top with horseradish. Lots of ways to go here. You can make a crunchy topping with breadcrumbs (stale bread is great for this).
This can be served with new potatoes and a side salad.

Or chop up the mushrooms - make a chicken&mushroom pie or risotto or pasta/spaghetti. (You will need double cream and I would also add white wine and tarragon for an extra dimension of flavour)

Or beef stroganoff

Or classic cheese&mushroom omelette

Or use in a fry up with sausages and grilled tomatoes, eggs etc.

Or mushroom soup

Or in a quiche


In terms of your food cupboard, the key is to find one thing like the mushrooms, and then make a meal around it.
So if you have chicken - I would first start off with a plain chicken dish 'e.g. chicken fillet served with new potatoes, green beans with a white wine sauce.

Then if you have a lot/or leftovers, then plan to do a chicken dish where you can use the LO - such as chicken pie. So make chicken and bacon pie served with mashed potatoes and leeks.
(Now you have incorporated bacon)

Next meal, how about a pasta bake sprinkled with bits of bacon.
(Say you still have leeks and green beans left - either cooked or the last ones left in the packet) - How about a leek/green bean risotto

Then I usually plan a leftovers meal which will vary according to what I have left - in this case maybe you would have enough here for a veg soup.


You can build up your base meals e.g. pie/pasta/fillet/risotto/stir fry etc, and then just change the flavours depending on what you have.

I also tend to pick a meat, and then pick a country, and change from day to day so that the flavours and textures are varied which means you don't feel like you are eating the same thing

For example - You say you have fish - I will just pretend in this case it is cod.

Day one: English - Fish&Chips with peas
Day two: Asian - Fish thai green curry with rice with green peppers
Day three: Spanish - Fish served in a cassoulet of chickpeas and tomatoes
Day four: French - Fish steamed served with potato dauphinoise and asparagus
Day five: English - Fish pie served with mash and leeks
Day six: Italian - Pasta served with chunks of lemon basted fish and spinach
Day seven: Scandinavian - Pickled fish served with a salad.
etc. etc.

I would leave the pasta and pasta sauce as standbys as they are always a good back-up meal.



*****
Supper last night was herb mini sausages served with ovencooked potato discs (skins left on), mixed veg and a onion gravy.

******

Going out tonight - will see how my spend goes.
Having a browse for christmas pressies, then out for some drinks and a meal.


*****

Sorry for super long post everyone

Soworried

What a great post BlueMoo, very helpful :T

mooomin

£4.06 spent this morning on eight pork sausage and two lovely thick gammon steaks from the butcher. Another £0.60 spent on three bananas :eek: Didn't realise that the bl**dy Co-op charges per banana. :rotfl:

tessie_bear

im going to enbark on a christmas food shop list today and see what i can spread out over the next couple of weeks...im not really a one big shop person and tend to get a bit stressed when the trolley is so full i cant push it
really want to get some freezer food for christmas so think we will be using up some odd combos....all good fun

have a great day tess

shiningfaery

My first shop for December arrived this morning. Online shop done!
Safer for me this way

£10.49 from my Baby budget and £34.83 from my Food budget. Happy with that as I wont need to do a full on shop just picking up bits fresh when needed....also making my own bread this month so hope this will reduce some of my waste too.

Any ideas what to do with a whole cucumber?

xxlouisexx56

I haven't been around for the past couple of months!

But for dec I am hoping to lower my total as I already have £60 saved for the Xmas shop in T's saving stamps.

We have a good stock of things in the freezer also.

My aim this month is to only spend £200 in cash !