Living out of my store cupboard & freezer, how little can I spend to feed my family?

missymoo81

Well done wanttobese sounds delish!

Thanks for the yorkshires tip Butterdly.

We actually had the veggie toad in the hole for dinner and littlies loved it! So that used up plenty of eggs and the old carrots.

milasavesmoney

Not making Vietnamese soup tonight. My back went out last week (first time ever and sooo painful) so the doctor gave me muscle relaxers. I took one this morning and a little while later took another! As I was swallowing the second one down, it dawned on me I had already taken one. I've had two naps today and still feel off. I found spaghetti sauce in the freezer and so spagbol it is for tonight, if I can figure out how to use the stove.

Anne_Marie_2

I always used to have smoked sausage (Mattessons type) for adding to home made tomato sauce for pasta and pizza for hubby and daughter. A little goes a long way, and used just half at a time for pasta for two. Would freeze the other half if I knew it wasn't going to get used over a few days. Always found it would stretch quite far, if unexpected visitors appeared, as often was the case when DD was a teenager.

Another favourite use for smoked sausage was chopped up finely, added to some mayo and ketchup or home made tomato sauce with grated cheese. Toast one side of the bread, spread mix over other side and grill until bubbling. Made a nice lunch dish. (I used to have same without smoked sausage but add finely chopped pepper, spring onion or onion and mushrooms).

Ellsey

Hi I have read this thread and hope I can contribute. With regards to using up items. I look out for reduced meat and freeze this. I find that the time fir reduced meat varies greatly, however my local supermarket reduces fruit and veg to 10 % of the original price at 7pm. I therefore only shop once a week but always at this time. When I get home i defrost a piece of meat that goes best with my veg reductions. I then batch cook it. This long weekend I have made 6 batches of spag Bol, 4 batches of veg soup and an invented sausage thing. Each batch feeds 4. hTH

Ellsey

Just thought I also chop and freeze reduced veg e.g. Peppers, onions, carrots. I then add frozen to stir frys, sauces etc. we tend to eat the reduced fruit, but I made a pear crumble yesterday as they were going too soft. I often add grapes to stir frys too.

missymoo81

Oh Mila poor you, sounds painful!

Love the sound of the smoked sausage Anne Marie.

Not sure how long my optimistic food shop will last, already had half the milk, and have 2 more weeks to go, think maybe it will last 2 weeks instead of 3, but it is my first budgeting so we will see, and we live and learn!

missymoo81

Lovely ideas Ellsey! I love getting reduced food, although that would be why my freezer is soooo full!

Spendless

missymoo81 wrote: »

Or chicken and veg pie mmm mmm.....

I've been thinking Nd wth this challenge, I'm having to think more about what I'm eating and drinking. For instance, of a morning I tend to drink coffee, it used to be tea but switched to coffee when I got no sleep when babies were small! Anyway sorry rambling. I was about to make another coffee and realised, we only have one jar left, but hundreds of tea bags, so I just made a cup of tea instead, and I might as well just drink tea during the day instead of coffee, saved me buying any more coffee any time soon.

Another thing I've learned, with snacks and things, I'll have a bit of toast or a biscuit or whatever really. But instead I'm really thinking ahead, thinking oh what could i have that wouldn't impact further meals, for instance, I could use the bread for littlies lunches and they like a biscuit of a morning, but I've got rice cakes only I eat so would be better eating some of those... I'm getting there, it's quite a journey though. Thanks for sticking with me.

Oh and thanks Mila, littlies are A LOT better, I actually got some sleep last night!

I've been doing the same. I considered chopping up my last pepper just now to put into the bologonaise that is in my SC, but decided against it, it won't add much to tonights tea, but can become more of a main component in another meal. Think yourself lucky you have tinies instead of teens, fed up of finding my son has eaten what I had planned for a meal. He did it the other night with a pack of poppadoms despite me sticking a label on that said 'do not eat, required for meal!'

I also used to watch portion control when mine were little, eg 1 weetabix wasn't enough, 2 were too many, so I used to break one in half and serve 1.5 each.

lessonlearned

Have decided to change the menu, so today's planned moussaka will be for another day. I will just freeze the meat as it is for now.

I have some peppers and sundry veg lurking in the fridge which need using. So it will be home made Chinese style tonight using up a small pack of ys shredded duck and a few frozen prawns from the freezer, plus the scraps of veg. I will do a stir fry, chilli prawns and duck pancakes. Leftover cheesecake for pud - only for only DS though. I will just have some fruit.

I'll use the cucumber in a salad tomorrow - don't fancy salad today.

I do need to get some milk and yoghurt today but that should be all.

missymoo81

I have just made some biscuits! Using bits and pieces, I melted some oil, honey and frozen raspberries in a pan, tipped in some muesli and bound it all together with an egg, the made it into biscuit shapes and broke up some of the littlies Easter eggs and put them on top, really scrummy! And using up bits that have been languishing for months!!!