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Cooking for one (Mark Three)

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  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698 Forumite
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    edited 25 April 2020 at 11:51AM

    I think I need to downgrade a few things and be smarter how I shop.  Yes the Chicago town takeaway pizzas are pretty darn good, but so are the Dr Oetker ones that regularly come in at half that price!

    I'm a peasant. I got the Tesco 67p pizzas when I had access to an oven.
     https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/299425011 
    Quite often the cheap ranges are "better for you" as they contain fewer posh ingredients such as creams and salt and sugar.  
    Best/branded items could still be seen as a "treat/special", not as a default choice when buying a pizza.  
  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698 Forumite
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    I have a bit of time, so just compared.  These figures are for the whole pizza: 
     
    See how much "better" that cheapo one's looking? 
    If you scan quickly across the meat content, it looks at first glance like the cheapo one's got more meat in them too.

  • Wednesday2000
    Wednesday2000 Posts: 8,360 Forumite
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    PN - I didn't know about the bank holiday. I think it's weird Ocado let me book it if they can't deliver that day. I just looked and I can't change it now as all the slots are gone.

    I was hungry again so I thought I would have a healthy snack as I've had two meals already today and it's not even 2 pm. PB on three crackers with some cherry toms and raw carrot sticks. :)


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  • Farway
    Farway Posts: 14,711 Forumite
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    I suspect my costs have increased slightly, due to not being able to mooch for YS and having to go with whatever is not too heavy or awkward while keeping it simple for ND to fit in a carrier bag for me, for instance apples are prepacked & not pick & choose, same with tomatoes.

    Sun came out so did a spot of garden mooching, as I was out the un talkative neighbour came out & gave me a spare pointy cabbage, apparently they have veg boxes & this is surplus. Ta very much :smile:One more to my hoard
    Because of the new cabbage I've decided it's another roast tomorrow, so a LO lump of pot roasted beef removed to defrost
    Tinkering with my camera, aphids enjoying the sun on a rose bud :/ I'll let them enjoy it for a bit longer, just in case the birds need a meal

    Eight out of ten owners who expressed a preference said their cats preferred other peoples gardens
  • candygirl
    candygirl Posts: 29,455 Forumite
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    Another scorcher here today , so am in n out with Bon :)
    Had egg on toast for brunch, n not sure what's for tea yet.Probs jacket spuds, cheese, salad n coleslaw. 
    My friend's Daughter is in early labour,  so we're all on pins waiting 😮
    "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf"

    (Kabat-Zinn 2004):D:D:D
  • Brambling
    Brambling Posts: 5,967 Forumite
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    edited 25 April 2020 at 9:17PM
    Farway said:
    Re queues:  I read some use garage forecourt shops, not SM attached ones, dearer but in & out "toot sweet" if you catch it with no cars filling up
    This is what I do if I just need milk it's about 20p more than my local T Exp but seeing as I'm not tempted to buy anything else whilst in there i figure I'm saving anyway and worth it not to queue especially when restricted to my lunch break, it's about 1.5 miles round trip

    I drove down to town today as the parking is currently free and then ended up unplanned in Sainsbobs even through there was about 20 in the queue it was moving fast, it took me about five minutes.  Unfortunately my car was the other end of town and I hadn't really planned a Sainsbobs shop 🙄 I've decided I'm going back to the farm shop next week as the fruit and vegetables are so much nicer and they have some lovely local meat
     
    I did pick up a small pork loin joint and lean lamb mince both YS and some nice marmalade on offer in Sains and some English asparagus, Hampshire watercress and local plum tomatoes and eggs from the very few stalls in the farmers market on the way back to the car.  Both SM and the bakery had SR flour, I did think of grabbing some for my nephew but was carrying enough already

    Welcome DireEmblem I miss the savings from YS as well as the regular reduction I got from the meat and fish counters in W8itrose, there's a large store next to the office which use to have good reductions lunchtime.  

    I wasn't that hungry lunchtime so just had some fruit.  Dinner was the roast loin of pork, which even after following cooking instructions I seemed to slightly over cook 😕 I should have gone with my gut and cooked it 10 minutes less, I had it with roast parsnips, root veg mash, braised red cabbage and LO runner beans.  I cooked a couple of chicken thighs when the oven was on, they were my planned dinner so I had defrosted them and they'll do for lunch tomorrow 

    Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage   -          Anais Nin
  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698 Forumite
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    You can still get YS, after the main shoppers have gone.... trouble is, we're dealing with a virus, so that YS item is the one most able to have been touched by a fetid hand, or coughed over, or whatever as it's been sitting out longest :) 

    When I say I'm just going in for bread, I don't mean that exactly.  The other day I was going in for bread, but also to grab 3-4-5 pastes in passing ... and maybe dip down and grab 3-4 bars of chocolate.  But there's no mulling.... it'd be an in/get/out requirement, I know what I'm in for and don't even need to slow down as I pass and grab.  I do like to also pop to the far corner to see if they've got samosas if it's 4ldi or L1dl.  

    I'm in for 1-2 items ... with 2-3 in mind in passing, possibly.   

    But certainly in the realms of not even needing a basket, I usually pick up/carry what I'm buying.  

    Sitting here now I've just cracked open a fresh box of cup a soups, cheapo ones I grabbed to try.  Not a big buyer of cup a soups, but there are times in life when it's handy to have them on tap, like now.  It's a meal if you can't get a meal.  It's a snack, it's a break from the norm... and they're cheap.  Mr T's are 25p for four; this one's some minestrone/noodles and probably from L1dl and maybe cost me closer to 40p for a box of four.  I'd not pay more.  I can recommend the Mr T 25p/4 vegetable ones.... their chicken/veg aren't too shabby either. 

    I think ... I'm now going to go and cut a crust in half and have half of a bread crust to dunk in this :) 
  • Farway
    Farway Posts: 14,711 Forumite
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    I'm joining the LO  troop this morning, lunch will be LO cauliflower cheese.
    I was thinking of bunging it in a sarnie but there too much for that. I'll nuke and maybe blob of ketchup
    Cooler but still sunny, good as today is another roast dinner day, mainly to use up the fresh green veggies before they're compost
    I keep getting food given to me, not complaining, but I must have reputation as a dustbin :open_mouth: , I've a granary loaf & ciabatta rolls with olives now [not liked after purchase apparently ] plus a couple of softy bananas. Bread's in freezer, bananas will go in my porridge
    Eight out of ten owners who expressed a preference said their cats preferred other peoples gardens
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