Ok so I think I have a 'slight' problem...help

117pauline

I am on a mission to reduce the stash in both freezers and kitchen cupboards. Each time I take out meat from the freezer, I put £1 in my grocery purse, 50p for a tin or packet!

So far, from 28th Dec, I have only bought milk. I have got a menu plan for the rest of the month so I should not have to buy any meat at all.

It has also reminded me of some of the things I had intended to make and never got round to - so they have been added in as new recipe try-outs as well.

It will be more interesting I think when I get right to the end where there are some unidentifiable lumps - could be anything!

Kittenkirst

Mini sausages with bacon- use them in batter to make scrummy toad in the hole. Or put with some tomatoes/passata, some frozen veg and spices alongside rice?

Soak some of the beans and make soup the following day with some homemade bread (flavoured with herbs or garlic)

Kittenkirst

For the flour and jam search the forums for jam doughnut muffins- made these last night and got thumbs up from work peeps :-)

HenrysMummy

OOo KittenKirst I love the mini sausage toad in the hole idea! Thanks

jammy_dodger

JackieO wrote: »

:o:oI have a large lock'n'lock box crammed full of packets of dried sauce mixes that I have collected over the past year when I have seen them reduced or on special offer.Its one of my resolutions that I WILL not buy any more packet mixes :) but then I suppose we all have our foibles when it comes to shopping I bought two jars of mincemeat reduced to 30p each yesterday in Sainsbobs and realised when I got home I still have a jar from last Christmas at the back of the cupboard.I think its sometimes you see a bargain and think "that will come in handy" trouble is you shove it in the cupboard and forget you've got it.I live alone and yet I have enough food in my cupboards and f/freezer to feed half the street.Daft really as its hard cash sitting in the cupboards.As its NYE I have decided enough is enough and NO more shopping for me until the stash is reduced .I have even given both of my DDs free rein in my cupboards to help themselves yet I still have stack of stuff left .So NO more, its gotta go and this time I am going to make sure it does .
I am at DDs at the moment but when I get home tomorrow I shall be writing out and listing things along with menu's to use this stuff up.I am hoping that by doing so I will reduce my January food budget by quite a large amount :):) I normally have £60.00 in my seperate food purse for the month I am going to see how much I can get through before having to use any hard cash in the shops
Good luck with the rest of you and Have a Happy New Year
JackieO xx

`

I could of written this post myself jackieo i dont think i could begin to write a list but i shall declare (78 tins of soup :eek:)
dont ask....
.i too am determined to stay out of the shops until my mountain is more of a mole hill
i was still bulk buying and stocking up on offers
my two kids have gone off to uni but i still was shopping like they were here and yet ive been living off toast and cereal as no urge to cook ...
I have given up one of my 3 freezers as i felt no mone living on their own should have 3...was in withdrawal for a while but my large chest freezer is crammed
i shall make baby steps to reduce these stock piles
JD xx

Kittenkirst

A few more ideas-
*dried chickpeas, soak & cook to then blitz with some lemon juice and garlic for hoummous. Could roast a pepper to make it roasted pepper variety
*pearl barley & winter veg mix- soup or could use lentils or the dried beans for different varieties
*pearl barley as base for a risotto
*red lentils, rice & nan- tarka dhal and sides
*chicken casserole- sweat onions, add some chopped bacon/pancetta, add chopped chicken breast. Cook down for a bit. Add chicken/veg stock then add sweet corn (& peas if you like, I don't lol) then add in rice put in casserole dish with kid and bung in oven for 45 mins. Check halfway to make sure enough liquid.
*lentil and egg curry with the naan breads

You have stuff to make lasagnes....using chicken and peppers would be a lovely change.

Hope this helps and isn't repeating anything already suggested

HenrysMummy

OK so Lemony pea and prawn risotto was a winner!

Im going to do toad in the hole with the mini sausages tomorrow night as that is when my last few eggs need using by.


With the pearl barley and winter veg do you think just adding stock would be enough to make a soup out of it all then KittenKirst??

Thanks all

Arlandria606

Your list is making me hungry!

I can see chili in there easily: 1 can tomatoes, 1-2 tsp chili powder, the kidney beans, some of that frozen chopped onion and some of the garlic, the mince, a beef stock cube, and possibly a can of baked beans too. Serve on some of the white rice, the jacket potatoes, or over the fries - you should get enough for 4 good portions, 6 smaller ones.

The porridge is screaming out for some of the honey, jam, or chocolate spread to be swirled through it!

One of my favourite quick-and-easy sauces is equal parts honey and soy sauce. It's great on salmon, sausages, and there's an amazing Gordon Ramsay recipe for that on duck with some 5-spice, if you still have those and happen upon some duck.

With the chicken, chicken gravy granules, and puff pastry, I'm thinking chicken pot pie, along with the chantenay carrots and any other veg you have handy.

Since you enjoyed the lemon and prawn risotto, lemon and pea (or petit pois!) risotto is another option if you still have risotto rice left - quick, easy and very tasty. I suspect that throwing the pancetta in there would be great, too.

Petit pois a la francaise would take care of some petit pois (obviously...!), onions, butter, garlic, bacon/pancetta, and stock. You'd need to add some lettuce though.

Honey and mustard are a traditional pairing for sauce - would be good on the chicken or even some veg.

The couscous and stock are begging to be put together with the sultanas and chickpeas.

Hope that helps somewhat!

Jnelhams

If you have stacks of in-date packets and cans you could consider taking them to a local food bank as there a lot of folk with nowt in the cupboard.

gayleygoo

It's good to have a stash of food for a few days in an emergency - if bad weather or illness means you can't get out etc. I plan to do this by keeping a large plastic tub with long-life goods such as tins of soup and meatballs, pot noodles, tinned potatoes and veg, packets of nuts and dried fruit, cereal and cereal bars, and anything else that will keep fro a considerable amount of time. Also, a few of those 5l bottles of water in case the pipes ever freeze up or burst. The plastic tub can be kept in the shed or just somewhere out of the way, and I'll know there'll be food for emergencies and can use stuff up in the cupboards!