Family of 5 'shop from home'food storage challenge...

NoahsPennilessMummy

Oh my goodness I haven’t been on here in years and can’t believe this thread is still going!
D&DD remember me? Possibly not lol

D&DD

Haha course I remember you NPM !!! How's things?? My word Noah must be at senior school now how's he doing??? Hope the family is all well hun it's lovely to see your name pop up again


Much shuffling of freezers and cupboards going on here as Rosie is still on soft food for now she's doing really well and eating reasonably well again.


Just trying to decide what to do for dinner for the humans lol XX

purpleivy

I soo used to enjoy this thread! I've been putting too much food in the freezer, can't resist the lovely quality and variety of meat that comes on the Ocado 50% sales! I am away a few days, but need to have a ban on these purchases otherwise any extra bits or prep I do for my Big Birthday and Christmas won't have anywhere to go.

Cottage_Economy

Morning all

Purpleivy - I love your signature

D&DD - glad to hear Rosie's recovery is going well. We're having issues with little miss fluffy and litter trays at the moment. She has discovered the fun of pooping in the bath despite having two clean litter trays that she was using fine up until two days ago. I've put one of the litter trays in the bath to see if that works.

Lovely morning here, nice and sunny. Makes up for yesterday. I had to drive in the dark through howling rain and traffic after visiting my parents (mum had her hip done last Friday). Took me three hours to get home instead of the usual 1hr 45. Thank goodness there was leftover sausage casserole and soup for us to have for dinner. I had no breakfast yesterday as I felt a bit nauseous but made up for it at lunch with cheese and crackers, plus two bits of bacon fried up with red onions and tomatoes. Dad was testing his new found cooking skills as mum still on two walking sticks and can't do it. Very tasty.

Was going to go out today to do a bit of charity shop snuffling and buy a few bits of food but I'm still in bed drinking tea with a sore shoulders from gripping the steering wheel (I think I left finger marks in it I was so nervous) so I'm giving it a miss. Asked DH to pop to the Morrie's on his way home from work and buy the few bits we need (teabags, sugar, bananas, brocolli, milk) and asked him to get a pizza for himself and MIL for tonight's dinner (he's mithering a bit for a takeaway so this is my way of heading this off!) I have a yellow sticker GF one in the freezer for me.

That's it for today. Rest and relaxation. Might catch up on some knitting, reading and do the finances.

D&DD

That's a really good tip Denise I've had my eye on a sewing mag offer thanks


PI did you finish all your sewing jobs?? Yes we're a tad meat heavy in our freezers too but Rosie is making a dent currently lol I am trying to reorganise everything as we eat sooo differently now there's only the four of us.Good thing is it's so much cheaper so I have more wiggle room for offers etc.


CE so glad your mum's surgery went well but that's an epic drive for anyone wow no wonder you're feeling knackered!!
Look after yourself too hun I think a lazy day is definitely called for!


We ended up having a homemade lasagne last night I never ever have cooked it for the whole family before it's usually just me and OH as the boys never ate pasta.
All four of us had it and cleared our plates and we had a fresh homemade loaf with it and some lettuce from the garden so really a no spend dinner whoop


NPM have pm'd XXX

NoahsPennilessMummy

Has anyone got some good tried and tested slow cooker recipes ?
I’ve got a triple slow cooker from Aldi which I bought about 9 months ago with the intention of batch cooking for the freezer but actually haven’t used it yet
I find slow cooker recipes can be a bit samey so any recipes anyone recommends would be great!

Tonight’s tea is HM pizzas using dough from Panny :j

Cottage_Economy

NPM - I don't tend to follow a recipe as such when I do use it for cooking. I just throw a lot of stuff in, maybe altering some of the flavours to suit the meat using herbs/spices/stockpots and using up anything that is on the way out. That sausage casserole recipe was one of the first ones I've looked up in yonks just because I was bored with having plain sausages and mash. I probably use my crockpot more for making stock out of bones.

What about starting with some cook-in sauces?

D&DD - that lasagne sounds lovely. DH hates cheese and the times I've tried to make lasagne for us all without cheese it was tasteless.

Had a lovely relaxing day yesterday. Not a single bit of housework was done.

Then last night i was woken up by the cat on the end of the bed making a dreadful noise, not a wail like he has a tendency to do now he's deaf and a bit senile but more a pain cry. Made my blood run cold so I got up to see what was going on with him. He was all over me nudging and purring, and when I got back into bed he ran up and got under the covers with me. The rest of the night was spent with him coming and going and looking for reassurance and strokes so we're both knackered. We think he might have had a bad dream and when he woke up he thought he was alone and couldn't hear anything so cried out in fear. He's happy as larry this morning. Brought us a mouse and a myxi rabbit :eek:

So dinner last night was a touch disappointing - I found I did not have a GF pizza in the freezer and made do with the last of the leek and potato soup with oaty cheese crackers. I had a craving for something a bit sweet and sharp afterwards, so had a ripe cooking apple. That hit the spot! I don't think our trees are straight Bramley's, more a hybrid, as there's no way I'd ever be able to eat a cooking apple normally.

Breakfast has been porridge and golden syrup and lunch will be crackers and cheese for me. DH is out at the NEC today so has taken a couple of leftover slices of his pizza and two slices of sponge for his lunch. MIl is out with her other son for a roast dinner today so won't be eating tonight, hence DH and I will be having lamb chops from the freezer for dinner. MIL's teeth are blunt and she can't eat them so I usually wait until she's not having dinner to cook some.

Despite my tiredness, I must move my butt to do some chores today. The bed needs changing and sheets washing, the landing and stairs need hoovering and the bathroom needs a swish round. I also need to bake a cake and cookies, and start freezing some more eggs. I noticed this morning one of the hens is moulting so shortly we may have an egg shortage.

Oh and the cat litter in the bath did not work. She went and used our other cat's tray, much to his annoyance.

purpleivy

How do you freeze your eggs?

Cottage_Economy

purpleivy wrote: »

How do you freeze your eggs?

I normally just crack the amount I want to freeze in a bowl, beat them up, put them in a food bag on a tray in the freezer so I end up with flattish rounds that I can stack.

I do them in quantities of 6 for omelettes, 4 for victoria sponge and 2 for fairy cakes.

I have read about some people that just crack them straight into a muffin/cake tray and then bag them up after they're frozen, which is another way. I don't think frozen eggs separate very well though so no meringues etc unless you separate them before freezing.

Cottage_Economy

Another miserable wet day. It was howling with rain during the night and at one point I was awake for about half an hour, snuggled under my lovely warm duvet listening. Simple pleasures I realised yesterday the reason I was so cold in bed this last week was because I had still had the 4.5 tog summer duvet on :doh: No idea why I thought we had a 15 tog duvet on. So I switched it over yesterday for a 10 tog and added a brushed cotton duvet cover

Had an egg freezing session yesterday so now have enough for four Victoria sponges. Also made a Victoria sponge yesterday but need to go out today and get some butter to make up the frosting. Didn't get to the cookies but they are not needed at the moment.
Picked a load of green tomatoes, the last of the crop this year, and put them in bags with some of the cooking apples to ripen up. Also picked up some more windfall apples

Didn't end up having the chops last night. DH didn't get back in until late and had stopped for a burger on the way home :mad:. I had some toast and a hot chocolate for tea instead.

Made up some tuna and sweetcorn mayo wraps for DH's lunch today plus a couple of slices of sponge cake. Lunch will be cheese and crackers for me as usual, but I've only been able to stomach some tea and a banana so far this morning. I might try and have lunch early and maybe have some toast in the later afternoon with a milky coffee.

Tonight it is lamb chops with the last of some new potatoes and cauliflower for DH and me, and MIL is having a piece of yellow-sticker salmon with chilli sauce, rice and peas/sweetcorn.