Frugal, thrifty, make do, mend! Let this debt come to an end!

themadvix

Having also cut out all ultra processed fake meat Elisheba, I can recommend getting into tofu! The trick is to pair it with strong flavours and to coat it in cornflour before frying it baking - gives it a lovely crunchy outer. Have also been having recipes that include halloumi as the protein source as that gives a bit of a bite too. And I’ve started making my own Glamorgan sausages (make my own bread, so avoid UP bread in the them) - they freeze well and are very filling, so last quite a while too.

Makingabobor2

Glad you are all safe and well @Elisheba.  I agree about UPF, I am trying very hard to only cook from scratch, but last month went a bit haywire as I was trying to save a bit of money and stocked up in The Land of Ice, with a few things that were cheap, but not so good.  Hopefully back on track now. 

KajiKita

I’m another trying to cut down on UPFs. I find I do quite well on breakfast and lunches but by the evening I am gnawing through almost anything in my path … 😉 Done a blitz of batch cooking and freezing over the BH weekend and I am hoping that will help. The other thing I do (as I feel very time poor) is eat SM ‘ready foods’ that are overall less processed such as frittata or quiche. Yes, there are still some UPF ingredients in there, but less by volume / proportionally than something like a fake ‘chicken’ nugget and, I (like to) think that as the ingredients are closer to what my body recognises as real food, it will be happier processing it etc. Now if I could only stay away from the chocolates that are permanently available at the top of the office … 🙄🤷‍♀️😉

KK

Elisheba

Afternoon, money saving marvels,

Sounds like a lot of us are on the same page regarding the UPFs.  I think it is well nigh impossible in the modern world to completely cut out all the chemicals - for example some lovely bounty balls I have been making with dates, cocoa and then rolled in desiccated coconut - absolutely yummy, not low in sugar but high in fibre so not bad for a sweet, and tastes like a bounty bar.  But cocoa has some chemical in it, to stop it going lumpy or something I imagine, and so does desiccated coconut.

So nothing is perfect unless you just eat organic veg on its own!  So I am just trying to have the majority of what I eat be natural/non UPFs.  I also have a bag full of fake meat things in the freezer.  I can't in good conscience throw it all out, there are people starving in the world, so maybe I'll just have the occasional meal with it until it has all run down. Just got to find some sort of balance.  As I'm trying to lose a bit of weight I think its more important for me to avoid white carbs and sugars, so I can get my body's weight regulation systems working properly again. 

Menu plan for the week is pretty simple - its deliberately vague so i can just add whatever veg/cheese products I see need using up.

Thursday and Friday - Cous cous and veg - probably just with a Suma stockcube and some fresh lemon juice. I have a pepper, a cucumber and some feta that needs using so it'll be a cold dish I think
Saturday - wholemeal pizza
Sunday - Nut roast and new potatoes and veg
Monday - homemade soup and cheese board
Tuesday - Vegetable curry (think I have some halloumi I can add) and brown rice
Wednesday - wholemeal spaghetti with lentil bolognaise
Thursday and Friday - Pearl barley risotto

That'll do for now.  Not sure when I'll be doing another T£sco delivery - it will depend on when the pet food looks like it is running out.  In the mean time I can run to the C00p for any top ups needed.  

I have had a look at my oil tank and I don't think I have even used a quarter of it, so I think I'll be fine for oil this winter.  So I have divvied up the oil money I had allocated to other annuals pots that I have overspent on, so my pots are all looking a lot healthier. Still a bit over in the adventures pot, but that can come out of the Premium Bond savings - indeed that was originally what the PB savings were for but I found another purpose for them, so I'll think about what is going where at the end of the year. And of course I'll need to make sure I put money aside for oil for next year - don't think I'll get away with it two years in a row!

In winter prep, I need to order wood but before I do that I need to see if I can fix the flat tyre on the wheelbarrow I was given so I can move it.  I also need to see if I can get some local numbers for a chimney cleaner, and a gutter cleaner, as they both need done.  Other than that though I am not too worried about the winter - this house was so much warmer than my old one last year, that all I really need to do is wear an oodie and I'm fine during the day.  No awful draughts or freezing cold rooms.

This weekend I have a pile of things needing done.  As long as it is dry I can cut the grass, then weed the borders.  I need to empty all the camping stuff from last week into the garage and make sure it is all organised well.  Fix the wheelbarrow tyre.  Buy a card for the wife of someone who died.  Write a few different cards and post them. Hoover the house, and clean the upstairs carpet.  Clean the bathroom.  Weed the patio.  Put up a door in the kitchen, and sort that cupboard out.  Change the cat litter. Walk silly dog. If I can get most of that done I'll be happy, and then fit in church on Sunday and some rest time as well - we'll see how it goes!

Office day tomorrow, so need to have an early night tonight.  I've been sleeping about 11 hours each night this week, so no idea how I'll manage to get up at 5am tomorrow  .  Hopefully I am over the worse of the tiredness from camping last week now though.  I have a Friday list of things I need to sort out tonight, so I can basically fell into the shower tomorrow, feed the monkeys and then leave.  Fingers crossed the trains are a bit better than they have been the last few journeys!

Right off the walk silly dog, and then get some work done.  My rain coat is arriving tonight so soon I will be able to stop eyeing up the sky with such suspicion!  Although who knows when the washing i put out will dry and we keep getting little rain showers out of no where! Have a great day, everyone!

Makingabobor2

What is the recipe for the Bounty Balls?  They sound delicious and quite healthy

Elisheba

Makingabobor2 said:

What is the recipe for the Bounty Balls?  They sound delicious and quite healthy

I just sort of made it up based on a few date ball recipes I had seen online.  I get some dates - probably about 300 - 500gms (if they are a bit old and dry I soak them in hot water quickly), add them to a big jug with 2 tablespoons of cocoa and then zap them with my hand blender until it forms a thick paste (if you have a decent blender use that).  I add a tablespoon of water or so as needed. Add more cocoa if you want a stronger chocolate taste. 

Once you have the paste make up balls and roll them in desiccated coconut (its a bit messy) and put in the fridge to firm slightly and get a bit less sticky. You could add a bit of chopped ginger, or some raspberries, some crushed up mint leaves, or some vanilla for extra flavoring.  

themadvix

Elisheba said:

Afternoon, money saving marvels,

Sounds like a lot of us are on the same page regarding the UPFs.  I think it is well nigh impossible in the modern world to completely cut out all the chemicals - for example some lovely bounty balls I have been making with dates, cocoa and then rolled in desiccated coconut - absolutely yummy, not low in sugar but high in fibre so not bad for a sweet, and tastes like a bounty bar.  But cocoa has some chemical in it, to stop it going lumpy or something I imagine, and so does desiccated coconut.

These chemicals are likely common in most things and may be naturally occuring - I've just searched for both of these and coconut contains sulphites, while cocoa has potassium carbonate. I suspect neither of these is an issue. It's the emulsifiers and other chemicals that are trying to mimic natural substances that are the issue. You also have to consider the tiny amount of it that you are consuming if you're having a largely plant-based whole food diet - very little indeed. Cutting out obviously processed food is far more important than eliminating every little thing.

Makingabobor2

Thanks for that. I will have to try them, they sound very tasty and just the thing to stop me eating too much cakes & chocolate

Elisheba

Bore da, frugal fighters,

I quite agree, TMV, you can only worry about so much and need to put these things into perspective. And hope you enjoy the bounty balls, @Makingabobor2

I'm on the train for work, which so far has no delays. It's normally the connection train which is delayed though, so I'm not counting ajy chickens yet. The 5am start this morning to get to the train station on time was not pleasant, but I feel quite awake now.

The forecast for today is low 20s, so I have a dress and cardigan on, but at 7am in the morning it is blooming chilly! Could do with a fleece coat!

I have my breakfast/lunch (muesli and fruit), and dinner (veg cous cous) packed for the day, and flask of coffee so hopefully should not need to spend anything.

Yesterday's cous cous turned out very nice indeed. I cooked the cous cous with a suma organic veg stock cube, added half a teaspoon of raas al hanout spice, and the juice of 2 lemons. Once the cous cous was ready I mixed in a tin of beans, half a cucumber, some feta, and then I fried two peppers and an onion in a little olive oil and mixed them in as well. Very nice indeed.

It is a beautiful morning so far. The sun is out, and the mist is rising from the fields. One of my friends, who is a bit of a railway aficionado, told me the train route I take to work is considered to become of the prettiest in the country. I don't know if I would go that far, but the Malverns and the Cotswolds are very beautiful in the mornings.

If I have any energy tonight when I get home I need to bring in the washing from the line and put it away. I have a massive list of things to do this coming weekend, but I'm going to make sure I go to a cafe for some coffee and cake at some point as well. Need to make sure I have some balance!

Right, hope everyone has a lovely Friday and a fab weekend!

Makingabobor2

Hope your journey continues with no delays