Cooking for one

caronc

Absolutely when I started this thread it was never about how much or how little folk had to spend on food but how they cooked for one and any tips (and my word there have been many and I've learned so much ). The importance of food spend varies greatly depending on both income & if you are a "live to eat" or "eat to live" person or somewhere in the middle but even on low budgets don't we eat all well which is the most important thing xx

Nelski

caronc wrote: »

Absolutely when I started this thread it was never about how much or how little folk had to spend on food but how they cooked for one and any tips (and my word there have been many and I've learned so much ). The importance of food spend varies greatly depending on both income & if you are a "live to eat" or "eat to live" person or somewhere in the middle but even on low budgets don't we eat all well which is the most important thing xx

well said caronc. We are a very mixed bag on here it seems and that adds to its attraction.

Now lets hug it out and have a virtual baileys

PasturesNew

mcculloch29 wrote: »

Have you thought of buying socket adaptors so that you can use more standard bulbs? It may be a safe and affordable work-around for you.

I've not found that they make them. The end plan is to get them changed using a proper electrician, in the next 2 years. It's cheaper to do that than buy new bulbs

I know somebody who did it at my suggestion and they got it a lot cheaper than replacing their bulbs.

Daft thing is, it was one of those Govt Energy Saving Building Regs that meant houses had to be "greener", so some clever !!!! worked out that if you used special sockets that only a specific lightbulb fitted into - and that lightbulb was ONLY a low energy one - then it'd tick the boxes.... so they did that. Trouble is, they mostly put those in people's hallways and on the stairs ... and then the bulbs blew and people were going round without light on their stairs as they couldn't get the bulbs.

You could get them online at £10 each + P&P but that's a faff for a bulb! Fitting is called: BCS3 - it's a bayonet fitting, with 3 bits that stick out.

PasturesNew

karcher wrote: »

.please stop trying to tell me I'm not...

You misread/misunderstood me. I struggle sometimes to communicate and I clearly failed right there.

greenbee

I had those lightbulbs in my kitchen PN. There were three in the fitting. After the second one went I bought a new light fitting in Ikea for £30... the cost of 3 bulbs

I'm also mostly cooking for one - I've emptied two of my three freezers recently, and have also stopped going to the shops and instead have a weekly veg box and a weekly recipe box. I can pause either of them if necessary (e.g. when I'm abroad for work for a week or so), and for anything I can't get from them I do the occasional Ocado order. Not going into shops is saving me a fortune, I'm eating properly (5-10+ F&V a day), and there is no food waste. I make my own yogurt and am working my way through the stuff in the cupboards (mostly carbs and pulses).

So today I had yogurt (I make my own) for breakfast with granola (I have rather too much of this in stock so it will probably last a couple of months); a recipe box meal for lunch as I had a friend over; and roast veg for supper. There are leftovers from lunch, as the two-person meals generally do three.

[Deleted User]

a bit of scratching around today, I`m making a sd loaf, which will last me about 10 days as frozen slices. Baked tonight and sliced on tuesday. I also have two aubergines to cook, going to make a simple tomato and aubergine pasta sauce, 4 portions, so will freeze 2

Obviously then pasta and sauce for lunch with a bit of cheese and green veg

At teatime, lightly toasted sd from the freezer with peanut butter and a mound of alfalfa sprouts on the top. I grow my own alfala sprouts, they are incredibly healthy and costs peanuts. I started a sprouting thread years ago, all instructions on there. I flat dsp of seeds gives me lots of sprouts, which last a good few days in the fridge. They sprout from scratch in about 4 days. Very cost effective to grow your own

other than that, no food planned. All this talk about finances, in the old days with three small children, we used to live on broad beans and parsley sauce, only costing the milk and cornflower, we were so skint but managed still to eat healthily. A big pot of kasha simmered with tvp and veg like celery and carrots, that did 5 of us in the 80s, everyone liked it and again it cost so little. I had a little book by Rose Elliot, called thrifty fifty and it was meals for four for 50p, they were veggie and delicious and was a life saver. She also did `simply delicious` and `not just a load of old lentils`. Her butterbean pie with a cheesy crust was absolutely gorgeous. I gave them to a cs for someone else to use when my lifestyle changed. The meals were so cheap that we always had a pud, so everyone felt full and satisfied, puds were like stewed apple and a few toasted almonds with a small dollop of cashew nut cream. At that time in our lives we ate better than ever and I know that our grown up children are very grateful. I made all our bread by hand and knew that everything we ate was good

Nelski

ahhh I do love a sunday :j:j

Pretty much a chill day for me today after working yesterday but I have got it on my mind to do another freezer inventory as I think I have been chucking stuff in without noting it and I am not entirely convinced its going down at all. Cant believe that bar a couple of things I have bought for visitor meals I have still basically got one and a half full freezers...when I started this at christmas I honestly did not expect it would last this long.

So food today will be something gorgeous but not sure what :cool: Ill get back to you on that one after the clear out

Have a lovely sunday everyone :T

caronc

Morning everyone,

As I cooked my lamb shank yesterday I'll not need to do much CFO for tonight's meal just steam some veg, reheat the meat and make gravy:) Now the shank is cooked I don't think it will do me twice so I'll enjoy it tonight and the pooch can have the scraps if there is not much left;)

I had got my freezers down a bit but my recent meat order has filled them back up so I'll be well stocked for a good while, though having the "kids" back for Easter weekend may well make a dent in it:D

Today I'm going to plant my tomato and chilli seeds, I love this time of year when I can start growing things again. I should have just enough HM passatta in the freezer to last until this year's harvest but apart from a small bag of runner beans and some brambles I've used everything else up from last year. :cool:

karcher

kittie wrote: »

. Her butterbean pie with a cheesy crust was absolutely gorgeous.

You've just reminded me, I used to make butterbean mash as an alternative to potato mash, as potatoes tend to sit heavy in my stomach,...must make them again.

The Butterbean Pie sounds good...don't suppose you can remember the recipe and if so, be kind enough to pass it on. TIA

Morning everyone. Happy, chilled out Sunday to you all

caronc

Oh butterbean mash not had that for ages, that could go well with my lamb tonight I fairly sure I have a tin the cupboard:)