October 2018 Grocery Challenge

[Deleted User]

thriftwizard wrote: »

I've just been told I'll need an operation very shortly, so I may have to duck out for a couple of months, depending on how mobile I can be afterwards;

Best wishes for the op. xx




Living out of stores. Fourth spend of the month came to £6.23. Some ys stuff. Got


tomatoes
6 avocado
4 kiwi
2 packs of large wholemeal baps
falafel
finest moroccan houmous
2 massive bags of salad


The salad are 400g each, so about the size of 7 regular bags in total - salad overload - so am gonna make Jack Monroe's salad bag pesto and freeze. I have loads of different pasta/spaghetti to use, so will be good for that. Just over again on my £1 a day, but hopefully it will even out. Have a lovely w/e everyone. Have updated sig.

JingsMyBucket

Okay, so I just went through my receipts and counted up how much I've spent on this dinner I'm hosting tomorrow. The total is currently at €17.61 of which €10.99 was the bag of frozen shrimp. There are still a few more items to go to complete the appetizer and dessert so I think I may top out around €29. Thinking about it now, I should have just used the chicken breasts in the freezer for this Thai soup instead of buying shrimp!

This is one of my issues sometimes regarding recipes. My brain gets really set on following the recipe exactly that I forget it's okay to adapt. I could've saved myself €10.99 and cleared some space in the freezer, especially because I'm not too keen on chicken breasts myself. Oh well, I know for next time.

selloptape

Just quickly added up spends and seem to be on target.

Cupboards, fridge, freezer are all full but I'm not sure what with... Nothing that I feel like eating! Will try and eat from stocks this weekend apart from milk so I can clear space for food I actually want to eat. Hoping to find something exciting at the back of the freezer

pamsdish

Went to Morrisons as my favorite tipples on offer, as usual none on shelves, so bought a Southern Comfort and a bottle of Baileys, both on offer, Christmas drinks looking well stocked already. 2 jars of coffee 4 reduced packs of sausage, some medication and a few other minor bits, £50.70 spent so will get £5 voucher next visit which is going to be mid November
Wrapping October here as going on hols Monday.

K9sandFelines

luckofthe_irish wrote: »

I am GF as I am coeliac and manage pretty well on a budget. If you have any specific questions please message me any time! I stick to 'naturally' gluten free foods rather than GF bread, pasta etc. as I find the nutritional value is not as good and neither is the value for money! This week I have made vegetable & chickpea curry & veggie minestrone soup for lunches & dinners - super cheap, GF and easy to cook in the slow cooker!

I think it's the bread and pasta i am going to miss, though i have tried some GF pasta tonight for the first time and it was actually very nice; and not too badly priced in Morrisons. I have also managed to get some bits like cereal, and other stuff from Approved Foods of all places. I tried to make a homemade gf loaf, and the taste was awful; which is why i just wanted to try a store bought one. The only one gf and vegan in Morrisons by mine, is Morrisons own free from buns. I am very much a sandwich or crackers for dinner and curry for tea kind of girl, and like bread with my soup!
I haven't had my bloods back from the doctors yet, but i have to eliminate wheat at the moment and keep a food diary. However, i don't know whether it will eventually be oats aswell, and cross contamination elimination also. I am still finding it hard to think out of the box. Do you have any meal plans or anything i could take inspiration from?

K9sandFelines

pamsdish wrote: »

:grouphug::heart2: Good Luck.

Thanks Pamsdish. No further in the know just yet!

K9sandFelines

selloptape wrote: »

Good luck with the appointment K9s!

Thanks selloptape, still waiting on the results.

K9sandFelines

pamsdish wrote: »

8 days now incapacitated with back spasm, still can`t stand for more than a few minutes, the only plus is can`t shop either.

Ooh heck, that sounds painful!:eek:

K9sandFelines

Doom_and_Gloom wrote: »

Vegan and avoid gluten too. Sometimes slip up with gluten and if it's just a very small amount usually I'm fine but I've also had very bad reactions to small amounts so do my best to avoid it.

I also usually just go for naturally gluten free products too. Rice, potatoes, buckwheat, quinoa etc.
Besan/gram/chickpea flour is useful, can still make vegan omelettes and the like with that.
However I do buy the GF oats for my porridge which isn't cheap.
I buy bfree wraps when reduced and freeze as I like fajitas and the like do the same with their pizza bases too. I do also buy the odd pack of GF pasta, it lasts ages as I don't eat it often.
Bread is a minefield as most use egg whites/egg as a binder or honey as a sweetener :mad:. When you do find a loaf that is vegan and GF it is usually £3+ for a tiny 400g or 450g loaf.
https://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/recipes/recipes-free-from-brown-bread this came out rather well in the past.
I buy tamari instead of soya sauce.

It has made the budget go up a little but not too much. Get the vitamin b from greens, nuts, seeds, legums etc that would be easier to get from wholegrain but now can't. If GF oats are an option do include them.

I haven't had the full results back yet, so don't know whether its all foods in the same group or just gluten/wheat i need to avoid. I have managed to get some bits on approved food, but bread seems the most challenging. Is the brown bread recipe nice? I tried the recipe off the side of the Doves GF wite bread flour packet, and found it horrible in taste and it kept repeating on me. I've been advised to try fermented buckwheat bread instead. I will probably like you look out for YS wraps/bread etc. Ironically the Warburtons was reduced today instore but not sfv. I got some Morrisons free from buns to try, and some Natures Store (?) cornflakes. I've ordered some bits off Approved Food aswell, and contemplating whether i need to get anything from Holland and Barrett. I don't want to go overboard though, as i am not sure what my results will be.
I mostly need alternatives for dinner, as i am so used to a sandwich crisps and fruit. It's unbelievable that even crisps i mightn't be able to eat, and things that you wouldn't dream of being off limits are!
Do you have any meal plans or anything i could take inspiration from?

Sorry for all the seprate replies, i can't multi-quote :rotfl::embarasse

My spends are £2.99 and 62p ( can't remember when), £10.44 today in Morrisons and £3.40 in work and £31.64 on pending Approved Food order

So total is £49.09

Doom_and_Gloom

I'll be honest the recipe isn't the same. It's the best one so far. Ready made gluten free vegan bread best one so far is the one from Abel and Cole, however not cheap at £3.50 or £3.70 usually for a 450g loaf depended if it's plain or seeded. Even when on offer it isn't cheap. Every now and then I treat myself.

I don't really meal plan as such anymore. As it is the OH has to cook for me a lot though my multi cooker helps when I want to 'cook'.

Stir fry. Veg and rice, rice noodles, 100% buckwheat noodles.
Curries, just be careful about some spices having wheat in the mix if already made. Again with rice, potatoes or quinoa.
Love chilli. Had the last of that today with a jacket potato.
Veg soup. I have with rice cakes. Not the same but I've gotten used to it I admit. Again when I treat myself or make the bread I have that. Rice in soup works too as does gluten free pasta.
Vegan lasagne. The gluten free sheets aren't cheap but it is worth it in my opinion.

The original Nutri-Brex is a good wheatabix substitute (buy when on offer). Even means you can make a wheatabix cake with that and some gluten free self raise flour if you really feel like a treat. Good with Alpro custard :cool:.