Reverse Meal Planning

Suffolk_lass

I got a small pack of mince out of the freezer and made a veg heavy ragu on the hob, but then transferred it to the slow cooker and added red lentils and a splodge (technical measure) of red wine, from a bottle I bought for the event I attended on Saturday. I had a small amount with cooked macaroni stirred through, topped with grated cheese and popped under the grill for 15 minutes. I shall have more tonight and may need to freeze another two portions. DH is due back tonight. I am very pleased he is on a 12 hour earlier ferry than originally booked. A refund of the cabin seems to be due too

MissRikkiC

Hub did the meal plan for this week and took reverse planning to the Nth degree and literally only used ingredients we had in. Needless to say his suggestions were very boring! We conveniently ran out of time for making his potato cakes with onions suggestion so instead we had a burrito bowl. 

Tofu. Leftover pepper and nearly past it red onion. Black eyed beans, avocado (just perfectly ripe today…. The one we have left for Friday probably will have gone over) and a few left over cherry tomatoes. Sprinkling of cheese and it was bloody delicious. 

Lunch was freezer surprise. Turned Out to be a (very light on mince/heavy on veg) bolognaise along with a cheese wrap. 

Dinner last night was 4 bags of odds and ends of frozen bags of onions and peppers, veggie sausages, a teeny bit of smoked bacon from the freezer in a sausage pasta bake type dish. 

If we stick to hubs meal plan, it looks like Mexican lasagna tomorrow which will use the last of a jar of salsa, tomatoes, onion, black beans (providing he remembers to soak them), the other avocado (although I want it for Friday really) plus cheese etc and all the usuals.

The fridge is slowly looking bare except for my daughters things which is good as it needs a good clean, plus we have a veg delivery hopefully coming Friday! 

Suffolk_lass

Actually, that all sounds lovely @MissRikkiC - my DH standby is sausage and mash in winter, or sausage salad in summer! 

With messing about with bees all afternoon (collecting a swarm takes a while!) I ended up microwaving some leftover pasta bolognese and we each had a small portion followed 3 hours later by cold rice pudding and a little cheese.

I suspect it will be the same tonight with the pasta as we are going to a public meeting to defend against pylons being set up across our beautiful countryside

MissRikkiC

His menu wasn’t half of those things @Suffolk_lass they’re only featuring because I stuck my nose in 😂 Mexican lasagna was his choice though….. 

ruby_eskimo

Sundays have turned into "use it up" days round here - made a massive batch of pesto based on Jack Monroe's salad bag pesto recipe with the addition of a bunch of carrot tops from the carrots that DH harvested on Saturday.  Dinner was a salmon tray bake using up the last of the potatoes and carrots from said harvest plus a leek that was in the fridge. 

Lunches for me this week are salad bowls using up random roasted veg (butternut squash and cauliflower feature heavily) and dinner tonight is a classic bolognese.

Suffolk_lass

We've gone a bit quiet on here, surprising really as more people will be looking at what they can shop from home to make.

Our supper was a mix of cauliflower and broccoli cheese last night, followed by the sublime lime jelly with nearly past-it strawberries, suspended in the jelly. Highly recommended way of "preserving" the strawberries for a day or 3 with nothing more than a store-cupboard packet of jelly (65p, now). I had some leftover cream that was splodged over the top for a bit of indulgence (I can't say poured as it had started to thicken!).

I have the rest of the cauliflower and broccoli to make a veg curry with for tonight. My TGTG bag had two swedes and a net of onions so I will be adding some of these to see how it goes, along with carrots that had frozen in the fridge (since turned down to 1 from max!). I also have some pre-cooked brown rice I will add.

Primrose

I echo the usefulness of making soft fruit last an extra couple of days by suspending it in a bowl of made up jelly.     It works a treat.  I've never found a way of ensuring the fruit distributes itself equally throughout the mix though.  It always rises to the top as the jelly sets!   Chopped apple, pears and green grapes work well with a lime jelly.   Rasperries & strawberries work best in raspberry or strawberry jelly. 

Also if Milk is about to go off, mixing it half and half with water to make up a milky type jelly is a good way of avoiding waste as that stores well in the fridge.   

MissRikkiC

A little quiet but still following principles @Suffolk_lass
I’m nearly through the various small onions and shallots in the freezer from a TGTG bag from about a month ago on account of making a dhal yesterday. 

2 salad bags from olio this weekend, 1 has been chucked into everything and the other will go in for a buddah bowl tonight. 

I’ve soaked, boiled and due to roast a 1.3kg ham later today so this will feature heavily this week both in dinner tonight, a carbonara tomorrow, sandwiches for the week, probably a batch for pizza Friday and the rest for the freezer! 

I’ve now used the tofu so no miso stew this week but likely to have that next week thanks Ruby!

QueenJess

I am valiantly using up all the veg in the drawer, mainly before a new veg delivery on Thursday.

Today’s lunch was poached egg on toast with asparagus and the last of the micro greens. Dinner will be tomato pasta to use up all the onions and carrots (may also throw in some frozen spinach) with garlic bread and some salad leaves. I will be making as much tomato sauce as I can as it will reincarnated as various meals throughout the week. Tomorrow’s dinner will be the same sauce made into a stew with added cannelloni beans, frozen broccoli and veggie sausages.

Pudding will be yogurt (or ice cream or cream) and fruit for a while in different guises. Don’t want to make cake as it’ll go off very quickly in this heat and we have tons of strawberries and other fruit in the garden to be eaten anyway.

DawnW

Primrose said:

Also if Milk is about to go off, mixing it half and half with water to make up a milky type jelly is a good way of avoiding waste as that stores well in the fridge.   

'Milk jelly' was a favourite of my children when they were small