Help me meal plan from my stock inventory!

JoeyEmma

So, I've spent the afternoon cleaning out and doing an inventory of the cupboards, the fridge and the freezer. Seeing as though its the run up to Christmas I want to try and spend as little as possible. I seem to have loads of food, but not much to make actual meals out of. I want to try and keep shopping to fruit, veg, dairy and as little meat and fish as possible. Help me come up with some ideas. My very long list of food (sorry for being anal and including spices etc, but it all helps for the meal planning!!!). Oh and there is just me and my boyfriend to cook for.

Cupboard/ Fridge/ Freezer Inventory 10/11/07

Dried Cupboard Goods
Chicken stock powder
Vegetable stock powder
Beef stock powder
Chicken Bovril stock
Pasta
·Penne (4kg)
·Spaghetti
·Angel hair
·Bucatini
·Lockshen
Rice
·Basmati
·Risotto
·Tomato risotto
·Pudding
Matza meal
Corn meal
2 split pea soup mixes
2 dried noodle packs
Soba noodles
Couscous
Dried cannellini beans
Black olives in brine
Mixed olives in oil
Cornichons
Dried porcini mushrooms
Nacho kit
2 fajita kits
Ready made tomato sauce

Canned goods
Beans
·2 Chilli kidney
·Flageolet
·Black eyed
·Heinz Baked- 3 big, 2 small
·Cheap baked
Chick peas
Mushy peas
Sweetcorn
Lentil soup
7 Heinz cream of tomato
Lentil soup
Moroccan lamb soup
4 chopped tomatoes
Passatta- 1 big, 3 small
2 tubes tomato puree
Fish
·Red salmon- 1 big, 2 small
·10 cheap tuna
·2 good tuna
·2 sweet chilli tuna
·Sardines
·Anchovies
Corned beef
2 evaporated milk
2 condensed milk
Mango slices
4 sachets sugar free jelly
Custard powder

Baking
Self raising flour
Plain flour
Strong white flour
Cocoa
Baking powder
Bicarb of soda
Red food colouring
Vanilla essence
Quick yeast sachets
Sultanas
Dried dates
Dried tropical fruit
Desiccated coconut
Stem ginger in syrup
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Dark chocolate (85%)
Light brown sugar
Caster sugar
Icing sugar
Royal icing sugar
Popping corn
Golden syrup
Honey

Spices and Herbs
All spice
Black peppercorn
Cardamom (green)
Cayenne
Chilli (dried)
Chilli powder
Cinnamon (ground)
Cinnamon sticks
Coriander (ground)
Coriander seeds
Cumin (ground)
Cumin seeds
Garam massala
Garlic powder
Ginger (ground)
Italian dried herbs
Mixed spice
Mustard seed- black
Mustard seed- yellow
Nutmeg
Paprika
Paprika (smoked)
Season all
Sumac
Tumeric
Vanilla pod

Sauces/ chutneys
5 Dowerhouse chutney
Piccalilli
Mango chutney
HP sauce
2 ketchup
Mint sauce
Horseradish sauce
Redcurrant jelly
English mustard
English mustard powder
Wholegrain mustard
Sweetcorn relish
Burger relish
Lea and Perrins
Tabasco
Ancona hot pepper sauce
Sweet chilli sauce
Oyster sauce
Thai fish sauce

Oils and Vinegars
Extra virgin olive oil
Olive oil
Rosemary infused olive oil
Vegetable oil
Sweet almond oil
Walnut oil
Sesame oil
Fry light spray
Malt vinegar
White wine vinegar
Sherry vinegar
Cider vinegar
Balsamic vinegar

Fridge bits
Capers
Pickled green peppercorns
Pickled beetroot
Pickled herring
Pickled walnuts
Artichoke hearts
Harissa
Hoisin sauce
Chinese chilli bean sauce
Thai yellow curry paste

Freezer meat & fish
Fish fingers
Cod butter sauce
3lb mince
Chicken livers
1 pork chop
2 burgers
7 portions pork sausage
2 portions spicy lamb sausage
Bacon

Ready made/ building blocks
2 curry sauce base
3 tomato sauce
2 pints chicken stock
Glass white wine
Puff pastry
Puttanesca sauce
Liver pate- 1 small 1 big
Meatballs in gravy
Bolognaise sauce
Lamb and spinach curry
Garlic bread
1 pizza

Frozen veg and puddings
Hash browns
Chips
Green beans
Peas
Spinach
Red berries
Crumble topping
Chocolate ice cream
4 portions sticky toffee pudding


I know I can make dull pasta and tomato sauces, plus chilli/ bolognaise and sausage bakes. We seem to have a glut of pork products, which I don't eat (they belong to OH). Help me with some ideas!

thriftlady_2

Hi Joeyemma, just a quick q before I give this some thought -do you keep meat and dairy separate when cooking -couldn't help noticing the lokshen and matza

JoeyEmma

No I don't- well spotted!

thriftlady_2

OK, that's one big list. You are very well stocked with spices and flavouring ingredients, so you'll be able to make lots of tasty things.

Things which occur to me at the moment are:
Bean chilli with some of the tinned beans -maybe serve one meal of chilli with a cornbread topping using the cornmeal, and one meal over the nacos with cheese sprinkled over.

Mince -use 1 lb to make keema curry either with your spices or your curry sauce from the freezer, serve with basmati rice. Freeze half.
Use another lb to make mexican beef to have in the fajitas. Freeze half.
Use the final lb to make a Chinese style minced beef. Use some of your Chinese sauces and add carrots, green beans and serve with noodles.

Fish fingers, mushy peas and chips

Make the spicy lamb sausages into a Morroccan style casserole with tomatoes, harissa and maybe chickpeas. Serve with couscous.

Chicken livers -either risotto (use your stock) or pilaff using the basmati rice.

Pasta bake with the tomato soup or tomato sauce, sweetcorn and tuna.

Use the puff pastry to make a Russian style fish pie. Roll pastry into a big square. Use the tinned salmon and maybe the cod, add chopped hardboiled eggs, any spices you like, and bind with a thick white sauce put it all in the centre of the pastry and fold the corners up to make a parcel (it should look like a square divided into 4 triangles).

Make a Mediterranean pasta sauce with the artichokes, olives and capers.

Sausages/burgers with baked beans and hash browns

HTH

Quackers

thriftlady wrote: »

HTH

HTH?

HTH?

Thats bl00dy fantastic me thinks.

Although I know its not my list

*wanders off to make list for Thriftlady*:D

JoeyEmma

OK, to cut back on home from school snacks, I'm going to do some baking.
I'm going to make Delia's hot cross buns (a firm favourite of my other half, although I've never made them myself). In addition I'll give Mary Berry's ginger squares.

Meal ideas that I've thought of-
Spanish sausage casserole- with tomatoes, onions, potatoes, paprika, black olives and the spicy sausage
Mushroom risotto (using some fresh mushrooms and some of the dried mushrooms)
Tinned salmon rissoles, chips and salad
Pasta bake using the tomato sauce and a ball of mozzarella
Minced beef and onion pies (I can make the filling and freeze it and then assemble it using up the frozen puff pastry and serve it with baked beans).
Chilli bake, using sliced potatoes as a topping (can make double quantities of chilli and freeze the other half)

Help me think of what to do with the tinned tuna! I've been on Allrecipes and can only find recipes that use tinned cream of mushroom soup, noodles and loads of cheese (some over a pound of cheese!!!)- yuck. No wonder America has a weight problem!!!

JoeyEmma

thriftlady wrote: »

OK, that's one big list. You are very well stocked with spices and flavouring ingredients, so you'll be able to make lots of tasty things.

Things which occur to me at the moment are:
Bean chilli with some of the tinned beans -maybe serve one meal of chilli with a cornbread topping using the cornmeal, and one meal over the nacos with cheese sprinkled over.

Mince -use 1 lb to make keema curry either with your spices or your curry sauce from the freezer, serve with basmati rice. Freeze half.
Use another lb to make mexican beef to have in the fajitas. Freeze half.
Use the final lb to make a Chinese style minced beef. Use some of your Chinese sauces and add carrots, green beans and serve with noodles.

Fish fingers, mushy peas and chips

Make the spicy lamb sausages into a Morroccan style casserole with tomatoes, harissa and maybe chickpeas. Serve with couscous.

Chicken livers -either risotto (use your stock) or pilaff using the basmati rice.

Pasta bake with the tomato soup or tomato sauce, sweetcorn and tuna.

Use the puff pastry to make a Russian style fish pie. Roll pastry into a big square. Use the tinned salmon and maybe the cod, add chopped hardboiled eggs, any spices you like, and bind with a thick white sauce put it all in the centre of the pastry and fold the corners up to make a parcel (it should look like a square divided into 4 triangles).

Make a Mediterranean pasta sauce with the artichokes, olives and capers.

Sausages/burgers with baked beans and hash browns

HTH

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quackers

JoeyEmma wrote: »

Help me think of what to do with the tinned tuna! I've been on Allrecipes and can only find recipes that use tinned cream of mushroom soup, noodles and loads of cheese (some over a pound of cheese!!!)- yuck. No wonder America has a weight problem!!!

What about Tuna Fishcakes?

Really easy & go with anything.

I'm a veggie so dont eat them but everyone else in the house loves them.

JoeyEmma

Ok, so I now have 15 meals and two lots of after school snacks (OH is a teacher and HAS to have a snack when he gets in!!!)
1.Spanish sausage casserole/ Mexican casserole (both yummy, but only one portion of lamb sausages!)
2.Mushroom risotto
3.Tinned salmon rissoles
4.Pasta bake
5.Minced beef and onion pies
6.Chilli
7.Bean chilli (good for lunches- my OH doesn’t actually like beans, I sneak them into his food)
8.Keema curry
9.Fish fingers, chips and peas
10.Russian style fish pie
11.Sausages, hash browns and beans
12.Burgers, hash browns and beans
13.Chicken liver pilaff
14.Mediterranean pasta
15. Chicken curry (forgot to add 4 chicken thighs to the freezer list)

JoeyEmma

Quackers wrote: »

What about Tuna Fishcakes?

Really easy & go with anything.

I'm a veggie so dont eat them but everyone else in the house loves them.

As silly as it sounds, do you have a recipe for them?

I suppose I could make these with tuna instead of salmon. I've made them with salmon before and they are scrummy.
http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/salmon-fishcakes,1042,RC.html
I could chop the gherkin and capers really finely so OH doesn't notice them! I love them but he hates them (although enjoys eating food with them in if he doesn't know they are there).

Ok, now we are up to 16 meals.

Quackers

My daughter makes them, not me

But I know she just uses mash, tuna and some herbs.

She makes breadcrumbs for coating by making a couple of slices of toast and 'blitzing' them in blender.

She's just 13 and a bit of a whizz in the kitchen.

Sometimes she adds cheese to them too for cheesy tuna cakes.

Thats because when she makes some she makes some with just potato and a big chunk of cheese in the middle for me.

I've just looked at that recipe though and that'd work with Tuna instead of Salmon. Will pass that recipe on to her me thinks