Reverse Meal Planning

rtandon27

Meal for the day - a pack of microwave rice from the store cupboard - bought many moons ago on sale along with the last of the chicken from last weekend's roast - no veg - forgot to cook the last of the pak choi.  OH is on liquids today so our planned meal went out the window & I forgot to eat until 3pm - LOL

The veg box arrived but have not opened it yet - tomorrow will be meal plan day for the week based on what is in the box & whatever is in the fridge/freezer/cupboard!

greenbee

Mackerel with rhubarb was fabulous. I've got lots of rhubarb left, so I'm trying to work out how best to keep it to have with the remaining mackerel fillets in the freezer. I don't want it every day... but I don't know whether I'll get anymore rhubarb over the next few weeks and it was REALLY good!

rtandon27

Greenbee - can you make the sauce and freeze it? - Then defrost sauce & fish to cook when you next are in the mood?

greenbee

rtandon27 said:

Greenbee - can you make the sauce and freeze it? - Then defrost sauce & fish to cook when you next are in the mood?

I was thinking of something like that. It's a one-pan dish. Rhubarb and shallots with the mackerel baked on top. So I could just bake the rhubarb and freeze, then cook the mackerel and shallots and add the heated up rhubarb afterwards. I didn't have any hazelnuts which they suggest adding, but it was delicious as it was. I had a watercress and clementine salad to start, and a cucumber salad with the fish. 

Suffolk_lass

greenbee said:

rtandon27 said:

Greenbee - can you make the sauce and freeze it? - Then defrost sauce & fish to cook when you next are in the mood?

I was thinking of something like that. It's a one-pan dish. Rhubarb and shallots with the mackerel baked on top. So I could just bake the rhubarb and freeze, then cook the mackerel and shallots and add the heated up rhubarb afterwards. I didn't have any hazelnuts which they suggest adding, but it was delicious as it was. I had a watercress and clementine salad to start, and a cucumber salad with the fish. 

That sounds so nice. You could just freeze the chopped up rhubarb so it can be added as you go - it is one of my favourite garden products to freeze and I try for several zip bags through the season. I shall definitely add it to savoury dishes more now too.

By the way, I loved your longer post of how you have been shopping for the last couple of months. I wonder how many of us will continue to rely on the local providers we have been using after some form of normality returns. I am in the fortunate position that debt is low and we have a bit extra in the income so I will stick.

Extrapolating from the old expression about knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing is that this crisis is teaching us to be resourceful from within. I wonder if British manufacturing will get a little boost off the back of this. I would like to think so. It feels more stable as a basis for prosperity than intangible influencing based on a purchasing economy. That and respect for the jobs that others do. - Sorry, I'm obviously in a funny mood having woken at 05.15! 

Suffolk_lass

I made a curry last night with all the pickings from the chicken plus the drumsticks meat. It was the remnants of some cooked dried chickpeas from the freezer, onions, roasted butternut squash, carrots, cashew nuts, frozen spinach and some paste that has been lurking open in the fridge - oh and a teaspoon of lazy chilli  - DH made a third of the Jamie O recipe for quick flatbreads which were naan-like and that was it with some spicy mango chutney. Then we went and finished the ice-cream with a couple of broken up ginger nuts as sprinkles/wafer substitutes! 

Rowan9

All sounds delicious! 

Suffolk_lass

wmf said:

All sounds delicious! 

It is to meals like this that I owe my (not) sylph-like figure! 

greenbee

Suffolk_lass said:

greenbee said:

rtandon27 said:

Greenbee - can you make the sauce and freeze it? - Then defrost sauce & fish to cook when you next are in the mood?

I was thinking of something like that. It's a one-pan dish. Rhubarb and shallots with the mackerel baked on top. So I could just bake the rhubarb and freeze, then cook the mackerel and shallots and add the heated up rhubarb afterwards. I didn't have any hazelnuts which they suggest adding, but it was delicious as it was. I had a watercress and clementine salad to start, and a cucumber salad with the fish. 

That sounds so nice. You could just freeze the chopped up rhubarb so it can be added as you go - it is one of my favourite garden products to freeze and I try for several zip bags through the season. I shall definitely add it to savoury dishes more now too.

By the way, I loved your longer post of how you have been shopping for the last couple of months. I wonder how many of us will continue to rely on the local providers we have been using after some form of normality returns. I am in the fortunate position that debt is low and we have a bit extra in the income so I will stick.

Extrapolating from the old expression about knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing is that this crisis is teaching us to be resourceful from within. I wonder if British manufacturing will get a little boost off the back of this. I would like to think so. It feels more stable as a basis for prosperity than intangible influencing based on a purchasing economy. That and respect for the jobs that others do. - Sorry, I'm obviously in a funny mood having woken at 05.15! 

Thank you! I will chop and freeze the rhubarb, as this is by far my favourite way to eat it, and I already have far too much fruit as I can't get a veg-only box at the moment (or a potato-free one either) and I prefer to eat lots of veg. Hopefully I'll get some out of the garden soon - I have lots of tomato plants (all the seeds germinated, which was unexpected!), and my broad beans are coming up. I need to fill up my small raised bed and move the strawberries over and sow some lettuce, and then plant seeds for climbing beans and courgettes so I can plant them when the raised bed is ready (hopefully next week sometime). I'm now tempted to acquire a rhubarb crown as I have a terracotta forcer, although I can't quite work out where it will go. As it's sunny but cold today, I might do some planning in between bits of gardening  

I do hope you're right about people thinking more about sustainability and their local economies. I know I need to look at my use of Amazon - I used to boycott them due to ethical concerns, but in the last couple of years I've been travelling so much it's been the easy option as their delivery process is so efficient. I've also boycotted Tesco fairly successfully in the past, but they are currently the only place I've been able to get a delivery from. Once lockdown is over, I need to remind myself of my priorities and look harder for solutions that work for me. 

Lunch today will be leftover sausages with salad bits that need eating, and tonight I'm considering eating the lone frozen pizza and having a lazy evening. The rest of the week is planned, and I still have plenty of meat and fish as well as far too much fruit and kale! I think I need to ripen the bananas, nectarines and pears and get them chopped and into the freezer. 

Pyxis

I was online at 5.30 this morning and wonder of wonders I managed to get another Waitrose slot! For Tuesday! The last one was a month ago.
I’m hoping to top up my veg with some watercress, asparagus and rocket, and get more fresh herbs and pot herbs to keep me going. Oh and some clementines to make up for the apples in my veg box! 😉
They are the only ones that sell my favourite beer, too, so I shall stock up with that too.

Like you, I’m not an Amazon user, and I, too, have been boycotting Tesco for years now. Coincidence! 😊