Cooking for one

Hollyharvey

I've just had porridge with some blueberries stirred through for breakfast.


Lunch will be a sandwich with either cheese and salad or tuna/mayo and some salad I haven't decided which one yet.


Dinner will be a lamb steak with some new potatoes and an assortment of veg.


This means I will use up some of the salad bits that are starting to look a bit past their best and the same for the veg.


I am going to take the trolley and go to Tesco this morning. I didn't do it yesterday because of the weather. It will be the first outing with the trolley other than bringing it home from the shop.

moneyistooshorttomention

Talking of colour of light bulbs.

I took it into my head many years back now to put a coloured light bulb up in my front room (house was right on the street - a pretty well-used street at that...). Think it was a pink one actually. I'd chosen it because I thought it would be a nice attractive light and wasnt aware of any "connotations;)".

I was then thoroughly puzzled at why my father was being so "illogical" as to get uptight about a lightbulb and trying to get me to change it - as he didnt explain. So the lightbulb stayed (in all innocence:)). I never did have any unanticipated problems....

It was no wonder I was pretty naive for rather a long time - ie given parents that would never explain why they were anti things and so I routinely ignored them...:cool:. I did have to learn rather a lot for myself by hard experience....

************

Weather looking reasonable here - so out for a walk countrywise. Think I'll head towards the only direction I know of round here where there is both decent countryside and some modern places to eat out. So lunch will probably be whatever one of those places has.

meg72

SunnyGirl wrote: »

I was just thinking the same thing about making soup! Spicy red lentil as I have red lentils in the cupboard too. I have also brought my blanket from the airing cupboard, where I'd optimistically put it away for summer, back out.

Soup seemed a good idea to me too as was so cold and wet here. Made a pot of pea and ham last night. Wouldn't you know this morning is glorious brilliant sunshine so soup is going in freezer lol

caronc

Good morning everyone,
Goodness kinky sex, latex, swinging, gentlemen callers (OMO was used regularly round here when I was gowing up to indict someone was having an affair not sure if the soap powder was actually displayed in the window) and red lights. :eek: I thought we were a respectable bunch :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Thank goodness the wind and rain have eased and thankfully the greenhouse tape has held. My Dad is bringing me some "proper" tape so I can secure until I can get it re-clipped in. Unfortunately most of my chard has been devastated by the weather so I'll plant some more today.
Going to make the most of the dry day as it's rain again tomorrow.

I've LO rice & veg from last night that I'll have for lunch with a poached duck egg. This week so far seems to have had a rolling LOs theme so tonight I'm having a piece of salmon, with spuds, asparagus and peas so hopefully no LOs:)

PasturesNew

BBC1 Rip off Britain on at the moment - RIGHT NOW they're interviewing people complaining that supermarket offers aren't any use for singlies.

I hate the programme/condescending presenters... but thought I'd mention it in case anybody's near a telly and "cares" what their low-level/cr4p findings found

Those women really need a poke in the eye - so irritating/patronising

EDIT: Right, as usual, sleight of hand etc. They took one man who didn't have a freezer and sent him with a bag of his shopping to a woman who runs a cookery school. You could've shown her a real live alien when she was so stunned that the price of a small tin of peas/beans is nearly as much as a regular can (has she never bought them?).

The man's bag of shopping was a bit odd - he did say he goes twice a week - but there wasn't much "food" in his bag.... also very meat heavy (two packs of mince and a pack of fish /seafood), then a whole cabbage, bag of carrots, bag of spuds.

He said this bag cost him £24 and he would usually spend £60/week on food. (my aim is £10/week, including treats).

Advice given by the "expert" who has probably never lived alone/cooked for one was mostly rubbish/the bleedin' obvious. Even if she does live alone ... I bet she's often having people over the dinner/meals/whatnot .... looked her up. Ran a bistro, worked in catering/hospitality, cordon bleu cookery school at her home, sits on many panels promoting "best local produce" (aka expensive food most people never eat).

She got him making coleslaw - he never buys it, said he likes it, but was probably thinking about 1-2 tablespoons occasionally, whereas she had him making enough to feed 12!

The final flourish was her cooking a HUGE wok of frittata containing chorizo (he never bought that! nor did he look like the chorizo buying type), chopped cabbage/carrot, leftover potatoes and eggs (not enough eggs in my opinion) ... she then handed him some. Yes, very nice love, but you just called that a recipe for the end of the week to use up the odds/sods ... and you've now generated another 4 portions he can't freeze and might not fancy

This is a bloke whose shopping bag tells you he probably eats a lot of: mince/fried ... with spuds and veg on the side. He didn't look like, nor did his bag present as, the sort of person that spends their life making kilos of coleslaw and eating frittata. I bet he never does either ever again.

Hollyharvey

Well, I'm back from having gone shopping with the trolley for the first time. I walked the just under two miles to Tesco. The pavements are quite uneven along one particular road and have clearly been repaired in a lot of places, so I was quite worried but the trolley just seemed to go along fine. The only problem was on the way there when it was empty and a strong gust of wind nearly took it out of my hand I felt a right idiot trying to hang on to it


I am really pleased, I stuck to my list buying only things that I would have bought in the supermarkets that up until now I have had access to, and I have just compared prices and it was £5.51 than it would have cost me where I would have gone to shop this morning if I hadn't have bought the trolley, and that isn't Waitrose, so I am very pleased.


It may not sound like a lot but if I can save £5.51 a week against what I would otherwise have spent that is £286.52 a year so a good saving. I think I can get my food bill down even further by using Aldi as well. I will walk there with the trolley sometime next week. Financially it looks like it has been a good purchase long term for me.


The walk back was fine, with the weight of the food the strong side winds didn't cause any problems at all.


So, I am very pleased with trolley

meg72

Ekkkkkk bloody slugs have had my beans again. Right as don't think I will get many runners this year have sown 20 French beans in pots on the patio table and sprinkled it with salt. I cant use slug killer as I have a resident toad.

I will have beans, I will have beans, I will have beans, ll probably frozen fro Iceland at this rate.

Hollyharvey

PasturesNew wrote: »

BBC1 Rip off Britain on at the moment - RIGHT NOW they're interviewing some biddy who is complaining that supermarket offers aren't any use for singlies.

Thanks, I'll watch that on catch up later today, that will be interesting.

PasturesNew

Hollyharvey wrote: »

.... first time. .... strong gust of wind nearly took it out of my hand I felt a right idiot trying to hang on to it .... I am really pleased.... £5.51 ....if I can save £5.51 a week .... £286.52 a year ..... Financially it looks like it has been a good purchase long term for me....

So, I am very pleased

Hurrah. Success.

At £5.51/time it won't take long before it's paid you back.

The only trouble I'm having is at the other end of the spectrum of issues .... I see it as an enabler in that I expect it will tempt me out of the house to more places and on more occasions, so it will "cost" me money as I'll be out and buying things I didn't want/need more often Also, while out, it's easier/more tempting to think "Ah, I'll just get this additional item because I can"

But I can't blame the trolley for that; that's a self control issue.

Glad you're getting on well with it - those first half a dozen trips out will soon have all your knowledge/skills in place to not be a danger to other people minding their own business that fall into your pathway

You get a "free sense of freedom" with every trolley purchase don't you

meg72

PasturesNew wrote: »

BBC1 Rip off Britain on at the moment - RIGHT NOW they're interviewing people complaining that supermarket offers aren't any use for singlies.

I hate the programme/condescending presenters... but thought I'd mention it in case anybody's near a telly and "cares" what their low-level/cr4p findings found

Those women really need a poke in the eye - so irritating/patronising

EDIT: Right, as usual, sleight of hand etc. They took one man who didn't have a freezer and sent him with a bag of his shopping to a woman who runs a cookery school. You could've shown her a real live alien when she was so stunned that the price of a small tin of peas/beans is nearly as much as a regular can (has she never bought them?).

The man's bag of shopping was a bit odd - he did say he goes twice a week - but there wasn't much "food" in his bag.... also very meat heavy (two packs of mince and a pack of fish /seafood), then a whole cabbage, bag of carrots, bag of spuds.

He said this bag cost him £24 and he would usually spend £60/week on food. (my aim is £10/week, including treats).

Advice given by the "expert" who has probably never lived alone/cooked for one was mostly rubbish/the bleedin' obvious. Even if she does live alone ... I bet she's often having people over the dinner/meals/whatnot .... looked her up. Ran a bistro, worked in catering/hospitality, cordon bleu cookery school at her home, sits on many panels promoting "best local produce" (aka expensive food most people never eat).

She got him making coleslaw - he never buys it, said he likes it, but was probably thinking about 1-2 tablespoons occasionally, whereas she had him making enough to feed 12!

The final flourish was her cooking a HUGE wok of frittata containing chorizo (he never bought that! nor did he look like the chorizo buying type), chopped cabbage/carrot, leftover potatoes and eggs (not enough eggs in my opinion) ... she then handed him some. Yes, very nice love, but you just called that a recipe for the end of the week to use up the odds/sods ... and you've now generated another 4 portions he can't freeze and might not fancy

This is a bloke whose shopping bag tells you he probably eats a lot of: mince/fried ... with spuds and veg on the side. He didn't look like, nor did his bag present as, the sort of person that spends their life making kilos of coleslaw and eating frittata. I bet he never does either ever again.

LOL PN have just got to ask what does the chorizo buying type look like