Reverse Meal Planning

joedenise

Using up some bacon bits I found in the freezer to make a carbonara for dinner tonight.

greenbee

I made some delicious soup with the last of the BNS soup, chicken stock, cabbage and sweetcorn. I'm going to turn the rest of the chicken stock into a version of sopa di lima for the week ahead (hopefully I can work out where I have buried the chillies in the freezer!) which should mean I can take the last pair of chicken carcasses out of the freezer next weekend to make more stock. The bolognese that hasn't made it into the freezer is going to be used with lots of kale tonight. I've planned the week's meals around the fridge contents and running down the freezer and will continue to do so until the outside freezer is cleared, at which point I'll start actively including cupboard ingredients that need using up. These are mostly carbs - as I try to stay lowish carb (ideally 30g-50g at the moment, but will be going up to 100g (which doesn't meet everyone's definition of low carb, but it MUCH lower than the majority of the population) for a while to work my way through the odds and ends of bread, pasta, flours, oatmeal, rice, couscous, bulghar and buckwheat I still have. I know that health-wise I'm OK at that level, but it's still going to take a long time to get through it all! And for the moment, I need to focus on the freezer... so there will be a point at which the year-old loaf of bread in there will have to be used up!

rtandon27

The plan for tonight's dinner was mushroom & spinach dry curry with chapatis & roast spiced chicken.  That plan went up in the air when BFF from over the pond called unexpectedly...2 hours later setting the world to rights and there was no time to cook a 'proper' dinner - cue the freezer dive!  A rummage round produce two portions of chicken & chorizo pasta.  A hour later we were OH & I were both hungry again!  OH had a cheese & onion wrap and I had a bowl of microwave rice with chili sauce & cheese.  A weird and unbalanced dinner, normal service will resume tomorrow. 😉

(ETA - 1/2 way through the call BFF's teenage son asked what was for lunch and she unusually told him to have a rummage and find something!  D0rit0s & salsa for lunch - he even double checked that it was ok with her🤣🤣🤣 - he's not used to being left to his on devices)

Suffolk_lass

Baileys_Babe said:

I'm surprised @Suffolk_lass you did not serve 1 fillet between the two of you, sounds delicious.

I should have done but I have fretted a bit that DH is hungry (he always eats something before bed but not sure how much this is hunger and how much is habit) and I did want to use them quickly. Anyway they were lovely and fresh and delicious so a bit of a lockdown treat as a one-off. I have a small leg of lamb out to roast today

Mrs_Cheshire

We used loads from the fridge yesterday for dinner, 2 packets of tortellini, a smoked sausage, a punnet of mushrooms, part of a jar of pesto and some mozzerella cheese. Also used a flatbread and 2 meatfree burgers from the freezer and some eggs that are a few days past their best before. 

Today we'll have chicken pesto bread rolls for lunch and I've dug out some soy,garlic and ginger pork steaks for hubby and I and some bbq chicken for the kids, will serve with new potatoes, carrots and broccoli for tea. 

I'm pleased with the efforts made in Jan, need to keep up the momentum in Feb. 

joedenise

Have got a couple of the Iceland extra large slow cooked lamb shanks out of freezer for dinner so will have those with the usual roast dinner accompaniments.

Using up the LO chicken and bean casserole and mash for lunch rather than freezing it.

Baileys_Babe

Suffolk_lass said:

Baileys_Babe said:

I'm surprised @Suffolk_lass you did not serve 1 fillet between the two of you, sounds delicious.

I should have done but I have fretted a bit that DH is hungry (he always eats something before bed but not sure how much this is hunger and how much is habit) and I did want to use them quickly. Anyway they were lovely and fresh and delicious so a bit of a lockdown treat as a one-off. I have a small leg of lamb out to roast today

That makes sense, pleased you enjoyed your treat.

My OH often says he is hungry but sometimes it is boredom and other times thirst. I often suggest he has a glass of water and wait 20 minutes, which often works.

greent

Used up another block of the Xmas cheese yesterday and today on lunches (was a smoked one) Several more still to go.... (normally DS1 takes them back to uni and eats them for lunches, but he's not gone back (obv) and there's far more variety here than he has at uni, so he's eating other things too!

joedenise

Soaked some mixed beans yesterday and will be using them tonight to make a mixed bean goulash based on the recipe on the Jack Monroe site.  Will serve with some rice.

Currently making some onion soup using up half a dozen onions from stores.  Will be enough for at least 4 portions so we'll have half today and I'll freeze the other half for another day.

rtandon27

Last night's dinner was a roast pork shoulder with roasted potatoes, parsnips & carrots.  We did the potatoes in some more of the duck fat left over from the confit duck legs we had last year - just sooooo tasty & probably enough left for another round next time I've got the oven on.  The parsnips & carrots were done in dried thyme & olive oil.  Used up all the wonky root veg that was languishing in the cupboard so now we are left with the more attractive root veg.  There is plenty of roast pork left so will do for lunch today & tomorrow, possibly Wednesday too!

I have three large swedes & an enormous celeriac to work into the meal plan - Any ideas out there for something interesting?