Reverse Meal Planning

QueenJess

Today I have mozzarella to be used up, so I made mozzarella, pesto and tomato toasties (and salad) for lunch.  The other pack I will use on a pizza later in the week.

Dinner will use up some of the two massive swedes I have left over from the veg box - I will mash it with some potatoes then add peas, veggie sausages and some onion gravy.

ruby_eskimo

Lots of lovely sounding meals here as always.  Making a stir fry for dinner tonight using up cabbage that my parents gave me over Christmas, a leek, some peppers and minced beef we had leftover from making lasagne at the weekend.  Bit of a weird mix I know but basing it on an "spring roll in a bowl" recipe that I found online when I was looking for ways to use up the cabbage.

Suffolk_lass

rtandon27 said:

Last night's dinner was stuffed pasta with spinach & mushrooms in a cream sauce. - OH's favorite 10 minute meal to make and he doesn't even notice that it's meat free monday!

Had a rather disappointing organic veg box delivery this morning -  I'd switched from UK produce to a mixed box as we'd grown tired of all root veg - turned out to be quite meager portions - I've costed it out against our regular delivery store & am a bit annoyed that the exact same veg would have cost 50% less from them.  Will have to give a real think as to ethics vs. cost as that amount saved each time could go straight to the mortgage or even saved up for the scary fuel price increases that are predicted!

That's the thing here too @rtandon27 - so I read the labels in the local SM and buy local (lots of Lincolnshire down to Kent) and we are fortunate to have the extra freezer for our own produce so an abundance of bean curry is never a problem. I have my third meeting of the week this evening but after that I want to focus on my seed audit and get my greenhouse sorted on one of the mild days and get what I plan to grow this year agreed and seeds ordered.

Last night was evening club with me hosting so I made a quick chicken pie with the remains of Saturday's chicken, adding frozen peas and sweetcorn to pad it out with veg. There is half left, so might be lunch then soup for supper.

We (DH) also finished off the wedge of Stilton (been in the freezer for at least a year before I got it out for New Year's Eve) with the remnants of the malt loaf, a few olives and a glass of port - I joined in with a bit of cheddar (this time of year, blue cheese makes my mouth sore after too much sugar over Christmas). The thing about the stilton is, I know there is a quarter of a big one still in the freezer, and a bag of pre-cut rectangles from a Ploughman's Lunch I did where the other choices were more popular, but at least one bit has gone.

rtandon27

Suffolk_lass said:

That's the thing here too @rtandon27 - so I read the labels in the local SM and buy local (lots of Lincolnshire down to Kent) and we are fortunate to have the extra freezer for our own produce so an abundance of bean curry is never a problem. I have my third meeting of the week this evening but after that I want to focus on my seed audit and get my greenhouse sorted on one of the mild days and get what I plan to grow this year agreed and seeds ordered.

@Suffolk_lass - and to add fuel to the fire (pun not intended), the purveyors of said veg box sent a flyer in the box & then and e-mail later in the day to talk about all the wonderful things they are doing to alleviate food poverty!  Wonder if they realize that some of their very own longtime customers will be forced to look elsewhere in order to pinch the pennies? Once upon the time, the boxes were incredible value & kept us in veg for an entire week and them some!

Dinner last night was as simple as possible - fish fingers & oven fries along with steamed green beans - all from the freezer and as little effort as possible after a couple of very emotional days.  Sometimes relying on freezer standbys is the best way to keep fueled!

CCW007

@rtandon27 I'm considering cancelling my veg box - we have a greengrocer in the next town who are struggling and I'm keen to support and the quality of the veg box has decreased.  Tomatoes go off in a few days, the fruit which was delivered last week was bruised and not very appetising. 

However I feel a daft kind of loyalty as they kept us going during the first lockdown when we couldn't get a supermarket delivery so I feel guilty it.

Logically I know that we the customers also kept them going as the retail side of their business ceased overnight so they ramped up the veg box delivery to compensate so I really shouldn't feel guilty!

Freezers are officially full so no more YS shopping and even batch cooking is difficult.  Had to take a ready meal out the freezer last night to fit some bread in so dinner is already prepared at least.  

Breakfast was a smoothie using some frozen banana and carrots and lunch will be LO soup and salad.

Suffolk_lass

We live not too far from one of the organic veg box companies' distribution depots but have seen Dutch lorries arriving at the depot - I had a quick check and the site refers to "road miles" - so presumably the ferry does not count. In and of itself I am quite relaxed about eating Dutch fruit and veg but the promotional stuff for that company talks about working with local growers and implies, without saying, that this is British grown. It just felt a bit disingenuous for me.

I do buy some foreign-grown fruit and veg and I'm sure there are a fair few road miles in there - navel oranges and clementines from Spain, but again, lots of these now come via ferry to the South Coast rather than being trucked across the mainland, and some come via train since the driver shortage hit. NZ Braeburn apples, which come in unaccompanied container vessels with climate controlled environments, are also a favourite here, although we also harvest apples locally, I mainly cook with them.

It's a bit of a minefield so I satisfy myself by buying from companies in the UK, employing UK people, and looking carefully at labels or asking for clarification on origin (market for the latter), most of the time. Ironically, the market stall is the least "ethical" but I like him, and it is his little business and he was there throughout the lockdowns, offering an outdoor option as one of life's local constants (and I feel some loyalty to him).

I buy my seeds from a local commercial operation (not sure if I will use the acre's worth of phacelia seeds, but hey ho, borage is lovely for the bees...)

joedenise

Going to make a cassoulet for dinner tonight.  There should be plenty left to go into the freezer.  This will use up some cooked dried haricot beans from the freezer, the meat we bought back from France plus a piece of pork we cut off the pork joint yesterday, which will need cutting into smaller pieces.  Really looking forward to it.

QueenJess

I love my veg/fruit box. I think it tastes better and I can make a box last 2 weeks. I still have a few bits left over from just before Xmas (swede and red cabbage) and they are still in great condition. I find it lasts so much longer than the supermarket.

I choose a British box for veg (although I have a different one for two ish weeks of the year during the hunger gap). The fruit is mainly British, but some has to come from elsewhere in order to have variety, but they ship it and don’t fly it over.

I’ve used the same people for about 11 years now and the quality is always there. It is more expensive, but it gives me variety, lasts longer and I like the ethics of it.

QueenJess

Bit of a using up day today (isn’t it always!). Lunch is leftover sweet pot and chickpea curry from the weekend with some slightly out of date pittas I forgot about, but still look fine.  I’ll just heat them up a bit.

Dinner will be leek (end of veg box) and smoked mackerel (freezer) pasta bake. Pudding will be the ends of various frozen fruit bags that are currently defrosting with yogurt and some meringues that are just finishing in the oven using the chickpea water I saved from making the curry.

Frugalista

ruby_eskimo said:

Lots of lovely sounding meals here as always.  Making a stir fry for dinner tonight using up cabbage that my parents gave me over Christmas, a leek, some peppers and minced beef we had leftover from making lasagne at the weekend.  Bit of a weird mix I know but basing it on an "spring roll in a bowl" recipe that I found online when I was looking for ways to use up the cabbage.

Sounds nice, any chance of the recipe?

Also, I have a large bag of carrots that are on their last legs - anyone got any ideas?  I am considering soup as a last resort as neither of us are keen on the baby puree texture - but if anyone has a spicy recipe I would appreciate it.  Unfortunately, I don't have any fresh coriander - but have most other things. 

Thanks in advance.