Cooking for one (Mark Three)

Brambling

I'm with the pay more for better quality meat, fish, cheese and eat less of it  camp saving money elsewhere on my shopping etc.  I did enjoy my W8itrose rump steak on Saturday it was lovely and tender with no gristle and just enough fat to add favour, it was half price YS and i think it was other wise on offer at £3.50 and my pork fillet was FR Hampshire pork from their meat counter also a very nice piece of meat

PN it's a difficult choice but i will say the longer you are renting the more chance that you won't be able to afford that dream place when/if it comes along.  I think most of us have to compromise with our must haves and decide which are more important to us.  Noise level, road, location, parking verses poor decoration, size of garden etc.  I looked at a lovely house, newly decorated etc off road parking for one car (which was ok for me but difficult for visitors) but it was the other side of town to where I'm now living.  This house needed decorating, gas CH, shower, new kitchen, double glazing and had a very small toilet which needing knocked into the bathroom, but I walked in the front door and knew I wanted it even if I had to do more work than planned.  I was lucky in that the price reflected the work that needed doing and I could live in it whilst the work was done, i was also happy to do it bit by bit although the CH and shower took priority  and the price meant I had money in my budget to do it.  And as Farway said no road is perfect I lost my last cat to a car and I live in a very quiet Close.

Lunch was a bit picky cheese, tomatoes, crackers and some fruit.  Not sure about dinner yet it will probably be LO pork from last night but I'm toying with the idea of using up ricotta and making spinach and ricotta cannelloni but it depends if I CBA later

PasturesNew

Breakfast was 1/3rd of a cheesecake (they're the 65p ones, about 7" or so diameter).  A proper CFO choice for breakfast  

I had a cup a soup and one of those never-ending flatbreads for early lunch. 

Wednesday2000

I went to get my flu jab at Boots and I looked at the food they had there. I got a green juice, a vegan "Turkey" sandwich and a packet of crisps as they had a meal deal. 

I'm about to make a cup of tea.

I can't even remember what I had for breakfast before I left...

PasturesNew

Brambling said:

I think most of us have to compromise with our must haves and decide which are more important to us.  

And I am compromising and prepared to compromise on a lot of things.... and I've an open mind to what I'll end up buying ... but nothing suitable is coming up.  Lockdown has told me that I absolutely can't be "stuck in the middle of a grot spot", my original buying plan included "doesn't matter where really if it's nice as you will get in your car to go out and get things".  Lockdown changed that, it meant you couldn't just get in the car and go out and get what you wanted, from wherever.... and that staying local/walking was King.  

When your budget is quite close to bottom of the market prices, you're more likely to encounter the duds that are difficult to sell.  I don't want the moon on a stick, but don't want to be trapped in a hovel, surrounded by an industrial estate and next door to open land where ferals race stolen motorbikes all night  

caronc

Good afternoon everyone, 
Dry and bright here this morning though it's to rain later. 
I'm pooped now after a very thorough session with Henry (hoover) - furniture moved and everything! If I can find some oomph I'll mop through after lunch. 
Sausage sarnie for lunch with  lovely Toulouse sausages RTC spotted in M&S yesterday while my son in collecting a parcel. (He got a RTC pack of Cumberland ones too .)
Another JO being tried out tonight - Golden Parmesan Fish bake which also contains butter beans and leeks. We'll have the bake with baby spuds, green beans and spinach.

Farway

Wednesday2000 said:

I can't even remember what I had for breakfast before I left...

That rang a bell here, one meal merging into another, although my breakfast is nearly always the same, porridge + sliced banana + blob of yoghurt + honey

My other meals are very much find, heat, eat & forget

Off to mini spot of gardening tending the volunteer border this morning, at least no watering was required

Over to Co-op for a couple of bananas, don't need more because @sda delivery due tomorrow

On to Chemist for my prescription collection, and into Costcutter [now Premier I noted] where YS lunch & dinner were found

YS Two large seeded baps [50p] + YS MFO sweet & sour chicken with rice. £1.19, bit of a good YS that one, the offer was 2 for a fiver so nearly half price

Looks OK, and certainly solves a meal quandary

Lunch was one of the baps, with cheese & piccalilli filling

Dinner, the YS MFO above

Wednesday2000

Farway - the days are blending all together this year. I keep taking my vitamins on the wrong day as I have a day pill box.

I felt hungry after my lunch so I made a quick chilli with some leftover bean and corn salad I made yesterday. It was nice to have on a cooler day.

Farway

Sun's out today, plus my @sda delivery is arriving this afternoon, had e mail and it's all there, no subs or items unavailable

The loo roll panic must have passed and tinned spaghetti is also back.

I over estimated the MFO RM cheapo macaroni cheese, two more arriving later and I've still got one from last delivery in the fridge , which is testament to the strength of the additives lurking within. BBE is 14th. The freezer awaits

Lunch & dinner will be Use Up LO stew, make some 'fridge space

I'll probably Use Up the YS bap for gravy dipping

Last night's YS Chinese was OK at £1.19, def not at over £2.50

being a Chinese meal I was compelled to have a bowl of muesli later to assuage hunger

I was going to remove the tommy plants from my conservatory but spotted some more ripening this morning so that job is postponed

caronc

Good morning everyone,
My tommy plants in the conservatory and on the deck are still doing okay though the deck ones will need to come down soon when it turns colder I'll leave the indoor ones for as long as I can.
Showery and windy here this morning, it feels quite a bit cooler too.
This evening my I'm off for dinner at an Indian restaurant with my sons and DIL-to-be now she is out of quarantine. Depending on what is announced today it might be a while before we can get together again and I've not seen my DIL-to-be since mid-August so glad we are getting the chance tonight. The chef is ex-Mother India's Café in Glasgow and has a similar tapas-style approach. If the food is a good as the last time I was there we will be well fed.  Ham salad or HM soup from the freezer for lunch.
ETA - last night JO fish bake was lovely 

Farway

Hope you enjoy your evening out Caron, I sometimes forget how different rules apply elsewhere.

Some of mine are in Manchester & locked down , no other families / friends  in house etc

My shopping arrived early, better that then never, not that I was doing anything apart from listening to the radio

It must take special training to pack tins on top of bananas

The 'nanas are OK though, and this time the iceberg lettuce is a nice one

The spuds have a ginormous one in there, too big even as a baker or a portion of chips. I foresee mash on the horizon