Cooking for one (Mark Three)

Wednesday2000

I had a jacket spud with baked beans and salad for lunch. I took the advice of a diet book I started reading and sat down to eat my lunch without any distractions and I actually couldn't finish it all. I had to throw about 1/3 away. Well, I gave some of it to my dogs as well.

I bet I would have polished off the whole thing if I had been doing my usual eating while watching TV. That is a good tip.

Brambling

Wednesday my sister was told by her Drs surgery that they were currently only booking the flu jabs for the over 65s (September) as they didn't know when they would get the under 65s as it's a different vaccine. I know the under 65 vaccines came in later to my surgery last year as well, I haven't had my text from my surgery yet telling me to book one.  

PN I'm surprised you are looking at flats as I know you are sensitive to noise and flats can be noisy

Storm Francis seems to have almost blown its self out now and the runners looked to have survived although I think it has finished off the tomatoes   I as glad I had no reason to go out today

lunch was a jacket potato with tuna mayo.  Dinner LO chicken with stir fry veg and noodles using garlic, ginger, chilli and soy sauce to flavour.

Farway

Storm Frances has now left the area, sunny with a bit of a breeze so I may go and put the Runners back to upright later

I had another tin of soup for dinner yesterday, those tinned soups saved my day really, plenty enough for one and now I need to add some to my next shop.

My Asd@ shop is due after 12, only one sub, mystery spuds own brand instead of Maris Piper.

Not too concerned really, I've being going for a named variety because they seem to be better quality in the past with fewer manky ones

I'll have a quick shufti when they arrive and reject if they are sprouting marbles

Shopping can't arrive too soon, I've finally run out of milk, opened emergency UHT but it's rank in tea, OK for porridge though

Lunch, nothing planned, still slightly fragile from previous night's tum trouble I'm not being very adventurous, and as the shopping arrives at same time It'll be quick & easy when it happens.

I've some mini fruit pies in the order, one of them maybe?

Dinner, nothing planned but tinned spaghetti on toast sounds tempting. years since I had that, may bung a couple of fried eggs on top now I know more eggs are on the way

PasturesNew

Brambling said:

 
PN I'm surprised you are looking at flats as I know you are sensitive to noise and flats can be noisy

Yes, which is why few fit the brief.  There are flats .... and flats.... many round this way are converted from old mansions and some have a sort of "bungalow" sticking out at one end, for example.... so very little of it is under another flat.  I've seen one with a drive up to a garage, front door beside that and gate into garden beside that and it had a large conservatory.... self-contained and space to extract oneself from any irritants.  These are still difficult to find + they present their own new problems.  e.g. there's one round the corner, almost a new build... but the parking is right in front of the front door and is beside the bins... the layout is such that you'd sit inside facing the ceiling to floor windows, staring at your own bonnet and everybody going to/from the bins. 

Wednesday2000

Brambling said:

Wednesday my sister was told by her Drs surgery that they were currently only booking the flu jabs for the over 65s (September) as they didn't know when they would get the under 65s as it's a different vaccine. I know the under 65 vaccines came in later to my surgery last year as well, I haven't had my text from my surgery yet telling me to book one.  

Yes, I read that yesterday on the NHS website that over 65s got a different vaccine.

Wednesday2000

I'm going to have a vegan cheese and tomato toastie in a minute. I'm just drinking some fizzy water.

PasturesNew

Farway said:

I had another tin of soup for dinner yesterday, those tinned soups saved my day really, plenty enough for one and now I need to add some to my next shop. 

Shopping can't arrive too soon, I've finally run out of milk, opened emergency UHT but it's rank in tea, OK for porridge though

Dinner, nothing planned but tinned spaghetti on toast sounds tempting. years since I had that, may bung a couple of fried eggs on top now I know more eggs are on the way

Re soup: 3-4 chicken breasts + 2 big spoons of curry paste + a tin of condensed soup = chicken tikka masala.  Of course, that's then enough food for four meals... but could be a way to use half a tin of tomato soup if you eat one half as soup.... half a tin, 1-2 breasts, 1 big spoon of curry paste would fit.  (For the record: chicken into frying pan, fry/brown. Add paste and soup to pan, stir.  Simmer ~20 minutes. Serve with rice or whatever. Recommended is condensed soup as it's thicker). 

I always intend to buy powdered milk, never get round to it/never see it when I look/remember.  Fewer supermarkets sell it.  That's powdered milk, not coffee whitener.   Another alternative to try, rather than UHT, would be a tin of carnation evaporated milk, that's milk evaporated, so add water and it's milk again. Easiest starter ratio is to say 1 tin of milk + 1 tin of water.  The actual ratio is to start with 100% milk and reduce it by 60% to make it evaporated; that means you're left with 40% milk, so a true return to what it was would be a ratio of 1 tin of milk to 1½ tins of water.

I've always been a fan of tins of things for toast in the cupboard.  I used to like spaghetti bolognese, but that can be quite pricey.  Mr T were selling their own brand spag bol for 20p a few years back, that was passable, but they put the price up and now it's disappeared.  Heinz is pricey .... but they do half tins, which are pricier... but Mr T has a current offer of "3 half tins for £1.70", so that's about 56p/can. https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/258514204 
I picked up a 39p full sized can of beans/sausages yesterday to go onto toast, Mr T's cheapo brand.  I serve half a can at a time when I do that. https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/300523965

missychrissy

I like Aldi’s tins of beans and sausage at 40p. They contain 8 little sausages (though I had one with only 7 once) and I’ll have half a tin on toast. I keep my bread in the freezer so only defrost what I need and at £1.05 a loaf (16 slices) that’s 6.6 per slice. That’s a meal for 26.6p.
I use a lot of dried veg eg red lentils, split peas, barley and next time I open a new packet I’m going to cost it out per tablespoon so that I can cost out meals more precisely.

PasturesNew

missychrissy said:

I like Aldi’s tins of beans and sausage at 40p. They contain 8 little sausages (though I had one with only 7 once) and I’ll have half a tin on toast. I keep my bread in the freezer so only defrost what I need and at £1.05 a loaf (16 slices) that’s 6.6 per slice. That’s a meal for 26.6p.
I use a lot of dried veg eg red lentils, split peas, barley and next time I open a new packet I’m going to cost it out per tablespoon so that I can cost out meals more precisely.

I like the meatballs in tomato sauce at about 40p from L1dl/4ldi.  I serve half a can on rice or pasta (or even mash) and it's kind of a bit like sweet/sour meatballs... and I know I could add a splash of things to make it sweet/sour and/or I could add peppers/pineapple/carrot, but I never actually add those things. I could also add curry paste and make it tikka massala meatballs, but I don't. I just eat the meatballs most of the time   

I also usually buy the sausages/beans, but, right now, Mr T is my closest shop - it's walkable and I will walk there when I am not expecting to pick up 24-48 cans of fizzy pop.  L1dl is further along the road and small; 4ldi is another 1.5 miles away and small.  So, right now, I'm exploring Mr T's cheapo food choices.... buying the same things I'd get from 4ldi/L1dl. 

For bread I buy a loaf closest to 55-60p.  I used to buy the 35p loaves at L1dl/4ldi but they weren't that great... whereas the 55p loaves are "springier/softer" in the main.  I can't waste freezer space on bread at present as I've just under half of one shelf available to me, half a loaf would take up most of that.

greenbee

PN - you could tell her you're happy to respect her opinion if she respects yours. And that as in your opinion her behaviour puts you at more risk, she needs to keep well away from you. Or you could raise it with your LL, as it impacts on everyone in the house.