Reverse Meal Planning

EssexHebridean

Hello @MissRikkiC- I just consulted MrEH on the recipe (he’s Picklemaker extraordinaire and the chief of all things Chutney in this house!) and between us we’ve worked out it is this BBC Good Food one: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pickled-beetroot - the only change we make is drastically reducing the oil in the first step - I usually put a little puddle of it on my hands then rub that over the beets in the same way I’d rub over a jacket potatoes ahead of putting it in the oven. 

I’m leaning towards doing our weekly shop tomorrow - I’m planning to do Al’s this week, and it should be a relatively low spend one I hope. Meal plan is now done, and the shopping list, and all is looking good for both removing some stuff from the freezer, and finishing up the stuff in the fridge. 

Tomorrow evening will be burgers and chips - I’ll be buying the burgers themselves but the buns and chips will be from the freezer, and it’ll use up some of a jar of sliced pickled cucumbers that Mum passed to me - my Dad had not long opened them before he went into hospital and it’s a fairly large jar!  I’m going to make soup for Saturday I think - that will involve the two chicken carcasses that are in the freezer and a batch of stock will be made too - some of which will probably have to then go back into the freezer! 

Suffolk_lass

I picked and stewed some rhubarb and we had it with custard, and then I bunged the (intentional) leftovers in the iquidizer and added a splodge of cream for 2 dishes of divine rhubarb fool.

The freezer derived veg curry I made, ended up much bigger than I intended and boiled out of the pan(!) not happy. It's in the slow cooker today so this evening will not be a repeat of last night with a frantic dash to the F&C shop just before it shuts at 9pm

EssexHebridean

Stock was made as planned overnight - as well as the two frozen chicken carcasses I also found a bag of asparagus ends to add to the stockpot, and also used a tub of the duck stock I made the other week too which didn’t turn out as flavoursome as I’d hoped - so temporarily at least there is opts of freezer space cleared. There will be two tubs of chicken stock to go back in there though, and also hopefully  two larger tubs of the soup I just made for lunch - spiced cauliflower and parsnip and very tasty it is too. That used up the last third of a tub of soft cheese too. 

I’m planning a big plate each of salad for tonight - using up the last of a bag of mixed leaves and the final three eggs, plus the veg box cucumber, a pepper, lots of tomatoes and some crumbled feta. I’ll have olives on mine too. 

QueenJess

I stop need to seriously empty out the freezer and then cupboards, but is hard to get anything done with a more than full time job and two kids. 

Anyway, today for lunch we had egg fried rice with sweetcorn, peas, broccoli and butternut squash. Found the latter right at the back of the freezer and had been forgotten (BBE July 2022, so must have been in there ages!). Still got more to use up. Pudding was yogurt and DS ate one of the baby biscuits DD doesn’t really like (only three of them left to go).

Dinner was pasta in tomato sauce with half a garlic bread from the freezer. Pudding was ice cream for the kids and I defrosted the last three slices of orange and rhubarb cake to eat for me and DH over the next few nights. Gets a big box out of the freezer at least.

Suffolk_lass

We had veg curry with brown rice and garlic and coriander pitta breads for supper. Two more portions of the curry going in the freezer in the toolshed (RM meals location).

Feeling slightly smug after removing all the bread and pizza products from my garden produce freezer and relocating them to the garage chest freezer. I need to make sure I use the F&V now or there won't be room for this year's (and I want to defrost it too). I can now open and close doors of freezers more easily! 

Off to make an orange sponge now. I blame @MissRikkiC who put the idea in my head...

MissRikkiC

We’re still eating the one I made earlier this week and it’s quite honestly lovely! I following GCs recipe variation and did 4:4:4:2 and still added the pulp and juice from the orange, before finishing with probably another 25g of flour. I used mixed spice and left out the honey too.

We have friends over today so that will be gone. 

Friday I made a mackerel cream cheese (lactose free) pasta for my LG and used the remaining tub of mackerel to whizz into a page following inspiration from someone above. I added a touch too much mustard though 😰 

Saturday she had the LO pasta and we had freezer ready made curry. 

Plateaway tonight for hubs birthday but I have managed to look and see what needs using in the fridge. 

I too have been struggling to empty the freezer to do a stock take @Queenjess but managed 2 shelves this morning with my LG in tow! She was happy until she ate a frozen strawberry then decided she didn’t like how cold it was 😣🤪

Suffolk_lass

I had a cunning plan with the orange cake. I used a 6663 mix in a 9" square cake tin. Grated the zest in and about a third of the juice then cooked it for 35 minutes on 175c. As it cooled I injected the rest of the juice using a children's medicine syringe. It is lovely!

On Thursday I will be making a lemon version to cover a teaspoon of lemon curd in 40 wine glasses as I make a simplified platinum jubilee trifle in individual portions. I must be bonkers!

QueenJess

I had 20 mins and so used it wisely to save all the fruit in the fruit bowl. The three oranges were zested and juice squeezed out and put in the freezer for another baking day. The apricots and some frozen raspberries were put to good use in a clafoutis to have with some ice cream. Now just 2 apples and 3 bananas left until Thursdays veg and fruit box delivery day.

For dinner we had salmon stir fry with rice (and sweet chilli sauce for the adults). I can’t believe years ago we used to buy the expensive packs of stir fry veg and now I just raid the veg drawer. Today I used asparagus, spinach leaves, the last of the pak choi, carrots, radishes and some frozen sweetcorn. Still got some work to do to empty the veg drawer, but struggling with lack of time and sleep as DD is poorly. Going to have to be a lazy freezer meal tomorrow instead.

joedenise

Decided to swap over tonight's dinner with tomorrow nights as I will need to use the oven tomorrow to cook some pasties to take on holiday with us.  So tonight we had butter chicken and red lentil Dahl from the freezer with some basmati/wild rice mix.  Also found a couple of garlic and coriander naan breads in the freezer.

Tomorrow night will now be the LO roast pork, chips and beans (half tin of beans LO from today's lunch!).

ruby_eskimo

Tonight is kimchi stew for me with some rice.  Tried a different recipe for this batch of kimchi and not quite sure about it so trying to use it up in ways that aren't just eating it as a side dish.  The only thing that I needed to pick up was a pack of tofu which will be enough for 4 portions so not bad value.