Long post warning - Forget a hero, I need a map!

Frugalsod

If you are on a diet you could always make the portions smaller, so it will go slightly further. If you have something bigger you could always batch cook and freeze the excess. I find that I make a chilli in the slow cooker with lots of lentils and then freeze more than a dozen spare meals. As it has meat and veg I can defrost that and reheat to eat it on its own.

skogar

If you don't want to eat the same thing the next day to take to work how about freezing portions (I use takeaway containers). By the time you've made a few things there will be something different to take to work the next day. Worth a shot.

Need_A_Map

Frugalsod wrote: »

If you are on a diet you could always make the portions smaller, so it will go slightly further. If you have something bigger you could always batch cook and freeze the excess. I find that I make a chilli in the slow cooker with lots of lentils and then freeze more than a dozen spare meals. As it has meat and veg I can defrost that and reheat to eat it on its own.

OUTCH! Wash your mouth out young lady (or sir as the case may be).

I'll have you know that slimming world isn't a diet - it's a healthy eating life plan (joking )

But honestly. Portioning is something I need to get better at - I still cook for a thousand and have finite freezer space. I eat too much to avoid throwing away.

I am not a dustbin, or a door mat, or a wage slave, or anything else label like.

If I say it often enough, it might sink in

I think I'll have to batch cook this week. Might be the best way to make sure I actually eat properly in the evenings. When it's hot I tend to just come in and melt for a time before going to sleep.

So, 20 lunches figured

6x hm soup (and maybe some hm cinnamon popcorn) (hot, vegi)
2 x hm chilli (hot, vegi)
3 x bean salad with 2 shredded chicken breasts and some fat free vinaigrette I think I have in my draw at work (cold)
2 x ratatouille and mixed bean salad (cold more than likely, vegi)
2 x ratatouille and sweet potato chunks, maybe 30g cheese (and yes, I weigh my cheese) (hot, vegi)
5 x beans and wedges (3 tins over 5 days, hot, vegi)

EDIT: [strike]5 more to figure, but [/strike]uses half my sweet pot and clears some cupboard space.

Found a bag of lurking lentils in the spice cupboard and a bag of dried chickpeas ( probably seemed sensible at the time)

So options now include Lentil/ chickpea/ chicken/ spinach/ tomato curry - Mmm spices

That's really a dinner dish for me though.

I've got a joint of pork defrosting, so, if I had roast pork with sweet pot mash and veg for dinner two nights, then 2 more lunches would be:

21 - Pulled pork pitta with hm tom soup (still need to scrounge some onions to make BBQ sauce!)
22 - Grilled pork and cheese pitta with tom soup

And

23 - Pea (well, lentil) and ham (pork) soup - with frozen smoked gammon stock

Winter_Phoenix

Need_A_Map wrote: »

I'll run out of yogurt after 6 days (normally 200ml a day, but can stretch it over an extra day - making it 150). I can make with milk and water at work and hope no one notices I've not paid my dues until payday.

That leaves 11 days at home to figure out later - watermelon or early lunch I guess.

Could you borrow a yoghurt maker from somewhere, or get one from Freecycle? (Or if not, just put "How to make yoghurt" into Google, which will tell you how to manage without one.) Using the milk you are allowed from work and your current supply of yoghurt, that would stretch your breakfast ration beyond six days.

Failing that, you could freeze some portions of yoghurt now, and then at least it would not all be gone when you've hardly started your campaign!

Need_A_Map

Winter_Phoenix wrote: »

Could you borrow a yoghurt maker from somewhere, or get one from Freecycle? (Or if not, just put "How to make yoghurt" into Google, which will tell you how to manage without one.) Using the milk you are allowed from work and your current supply of yoghurt, that would stretch your breakfast ration beyond six days.

Failing that, you could freeze some portions of yoghurt now, and then at least it would not all be gone when you've hardly started your campaign!

I have an easiyo yogurt maker, but always use the packets.

I can't take milk home from work, and can't have a crazy amount each day - porridge every day will raise eyebrows as it is

But, I've got cartons of uht I can use. Might experiment when I get desperate next weekend.

I mean

How bad can it be?

[Deleted User]

It won't be too bad honey every day you get a bit closer to pay day.Once back in the dark days of the 1970s (literally, as we had massive power cuts all over the country) I was very hard up.The country was on a three day working week, and the mortgage rate hit 15% !!!! seems horrendous now,but times were very lean to say the least. One Wednesday I sat and counted how many slices of bread were left in the bread bin to eke them out until Friday as I had two small childrens packed lunches and one husbands packed lunch to make, I managed it (just) but never forgot how close to the edge it was money wise.

So I have always kept a good standby stock for the 'just in case' times that we all have now and again.These days its usually raided for my youngest DD and her tribe as she is often broke before the end of the month . Her OH has just had a wage cut!! but cannot afford to tell his boss where to stick his job, as he has a wife and four children and a mortgage to pay.My DD works full time and long hours so they just about keep afloat with a bit of paddling help from me.In four days time it will be August and at least you will be in the same month as payday which, mentally will make you feel better :):).
You are doing ok and you may suprise yourself at how you have coped,you won't starve, you may eat stuff that's not your usual fare, but you will acheive your goal I feel sure.Keep posting and let us all know how you are getting on and how you are streeeetching your stocks to get by.Its something we mostly have all had at some point in our lives so your not alone.Well done on getting this far
Cheers JackieO xxx

Need_A_Map

You know, there are some really lovely people on this forum...

[strike] 36[/strike] 35 days

Breakfast - oats, made with water and cinnamon (to see what it's like and cause I don't want to have to open a milk until yogurt experiments at the weekend - wasn't too bad - a little gloopy. I think I didn't add enough liquid. I only have to have it three days at home on my plan)

Lunch - probably have roast pork and veg for lunch as it's cooking now.

Dinner - making up 4 batches of pasta with mixed veg and soft cheese. Will likely have this for dinner until Thursday.

Need to

Trim fat off and weigh/portion pork
Slice pork into pulled pork pitta and pork and cheese pitta for work mon/tues
Make tomato soup for with pittas
Plate up a second roast for tomorrow's dinner
Defrost stock to make lentil and pork soup for wed/thurs
Make 4 portions of pasta for tonight and tues to thurs
Clean kitchen
Sort clothes for the week

Plan

Breakfast

6 lots oats with yogurt and fruit - at work
19 lots oats with milk (or maybe hm yogurt) - at work
25

8 breakfasts of watermelon - at home
[strike] 3[/strike] 2 lots oat with water - at home
11

Lunch

1 lot pitta pulled pork with tomato soup - at work
1 lot pitta pork and cheese with tomato soup - at work
6 lots homemade soup - at work
2 lots home made chilli - at work
3 bean salad with shredded chicken and fat free dressing
2 bean salad and ratatouille
2 ratatouille, cheese and sweet pot chunks
5 baked beans, cheese and sweet pot chunks
3 shredded chicken, baby corn, green beans, diced peppers, sweetcorn
25

2 lots 2 pitta pizzas with tomato, cheese and sweetcorn - at home
3 lots bacon, 2 eggs, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes - at home
1 lot Quorn sausage, eggs, beans, mushrooms, tomato - at home
1 Courgette bake - at home
[strike]1 lot roast pork[/strike]
8 3 to find

dinners - at home

[strike] 4 [/strike]3 pasta, mixed veg, soft cheese
1 roast pork and veg
2 faggots and veg
3 chilli with mince
1 vegi moussaka

Still need to work out more evening meals - mostly there.

Really not liking the idea of more than a month of no spends.

pandora205

This is a good recipe for a meatless goulash if you can substitute stuff you haven't got (e.g. part of beef stock cube for marmite). I tried it once to use up ingredients and now it's a staple:
http://agirlcalledjack.com/2014/05/13/mixed-bean-goulash/

Need_A_Map

That looks delicious. I think I have almost all that needs - not the marmite *blegh* but everything else I think.

WantToBeSE

pandora205 wrote: »

This is a good recipe for a meatless goulash if you can substitute stuff you haven't got (e.g. part of beef stock cube for marmite). I tried it once to use up ingredients and now it's a staple:
http://agirlcalledjack.com/2014/05/13/mixed-bean-goulash/

That's my favourite jack Monroe recipe Tastes LOVELY!