<<<out of cheese error>>>

greenbee

I've been away for 2 weeks. The garden was a bit of a shock when I got back. Wildflower meadow where the lawn was, but the roses and irises looking fabulous between the weeds. Busy weekend ahead to get it ready for my next trip away...

doingitanyway

Funny how a spendy month seems to be a theme of DF diaries.

Great deal on the coffee. I imagine it is rather nice coffee too

HairyHandofDartmoor

Your trip to France sounds lovely Redo. Maybe the money saved via your bargain coffee beans will fund the trip :rotfl:

redofromstart

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

Maybe the money saved via your bargain coffee beans will fund the trip :rotfl:

I don't drink quite that much coffee sadly £4 kg for beans that I like, against the cheapest I can find here at £7 - which I don't like as much. The boxed white wine at c£1.76 a bottle is a good saving but we tend to drink it more because we have some available .

Actually wasn't that much from current budget. When we went to Spain last year OH developed a hideous chesty cough on day two so we didn't spend much and I left the euros in the travel purse till we next went away. That covered the two nights accommodation, lunch and the supermarket spends and I still have about 30 euros. Now I am not pretending to myself that it was cost neutral on that basis, as I could have converted the euros back to pounds if I had needed them but the impact on actual cash flow has been the £70 for the ferry.

Last night we had lamb steaks, marinated in oil, lemon juice, cumin, coriander and chilli flakes for a couple of hours, then pan fried for five minutes each side, sliced and served with spicy couscous and more lemon. Was nice for a change.

The F&V situation is very poor, I have a few carrots, satsumas, figs,a green pepper, half a box of mushrooms, a ripe pineapple and a tired cucumber. There may be some salad leaves ready, but the boys had all of the radishes from the tunnel yesterday. I'm trying to avoid food shopping until they go back to school on Monday so rummaging to see what we have hidden in the freezer is key.

doingitanyway

I bet you conjure up something nice from what you have. Post what you decide on please

redofromstart

doingitanyway wrote: »

I bet you conjure up something nice from what you have. Post what you decide on please

So far we have had baked figs wrapped in prosciutto for lunch - halved, wrapped in half a slice of ham and then baked on baking paper at 180 for 12 minutes. V nice. Splash of balsamic drizzle on the side.

Cucumber and red onion salad - found red onions with a couple of potatoes in the cupboard. Rescued the least mushy thin sliced, then marinaded in hot water, sugar, cider vinegar and some chilli flakes.

Carrots grated and in a tub in the fridge. Made a dressing with olive oil, lemon, toasted cumin seed, grainy mustard and a squirt of honey. Keep apart until last minute so it doesn't go soggy,.

Dinner will be poly tunnel lettuce, chicken and the salads. Nipped to the co-op for a lemon and some baby plum tomatoes too. Also found some celery and an elderly apple (OHs lunch bag!) so may attempt Waldorf salad too.

It doesn't help that OH has decided today is the day to start a health kick, totally supportive of this but not going shopping on a Saturday for all the tea in china. All the coffee in France, maybe

doingitanyway

I knew it! A feast no less. Necessity is the mother of invention.

And now you can survive well into the weekend. I too made a decision not to go out and buy anything for a few days.

greenbee

The good thing about not having much in the house is that it does mean you have to be creative with what you've got available, and it looks as if you've done very well. And it looks pretty healthy, so nothing for OH to complain about.

System

Caught up with your diary and can smell your coffee beans from here. My parents went away and came home to plants that had died off from the heat and no watering, they have been replaced. I have watched the bra fitting clip and found it moots useful.

Sounds like the debt busting is still happening but a little slower , just like lots more people including myself.

Seasidegal58

I got to the bit about the figs on your post and started salivating!:rotfl: I'm about to have something to eat before I go out but it's a boring old ham and tomato wholemeal roll and apple. Nothing like your lunches!

Savings on the coffee sounded excellent plus a nice jaunt into the bargain.

Enjoy your Sunday redo.