Reverse Meal Planning

zafiro1984

I suppose I'm one of those who has gone quiet. It seems to depend on what else I have on the go as to how much time I spend on the computer. We're quite busy at the moment - you want to see the state of the house (no you don't). Retirement is supposed to be a time of taking it easy, time for the Sunday papers - that's a laugh.

I'm still applying the principal of 'reverse planning'   Fridge first, followed by 'shopping' in the freezers so I have 7 main meals stored in the small freezer under the fridge in the kitchen. Lunches are a mix of 'something' to do with eggs, leftovers, or hm soup or hm pate/meat paste. Then it's shopping - just once a week - to get fresh stuff and replace any tins/jars that are empty. Seven days later I repeat the whole process again. 

We very rarely go out for meals, don't have takeaways but I'm still within my budget - just. I've tightened up on watching the electric and water consumption. However I'm glad to see the government have realised we need to be more self-sufficient with food production and less reliant on other countries although I can understand the economics of buying food cheaper elsewhere.

I haven't contributed much to GYO this year - I could kick myself and will be paying handsomely later this year for fruit and veg which I could have grown myself and it probably would have tasted better.

Must go - I'm oiling (wood preserving) the doors on the 'animal houses', also I've an unwelcome nightly visitor who has been digging/tunnelling its way into the very substantial hen pen, it's not a fox but one of those black and white creatures - I lost four hens last night. 

Suffolk_lass

I know how busy you are @zafiro1984, I recall your home-grown exploits over a number of years! I have got a modicum of control in the veg beds but the rest is chaos here, (house, garden, personal admin) - the bees are good though and we have home produced honey. I have tried to really reduce my time in the SM but I still buy too much really.

And milk fruit jelly - I think I remember making that at school (where we did Housecraft from 11-14) - almost 50 years ago now! It was trailed as topping up your calcium levels!

Well I did the vegetable curry, using about a third of a swede, a large carrot, onion, garlic, spices, chilli powder, curry powder, red wine, cauliflower, broccoli, tomato paste, cashew nut pieces, vegetable stock and chopped coriander. We had it with brown rice. Not sure I could repeat it but half left for tonight and it was tasty and filled us up. I may add a few red lentils to thicken the leftovers a little.

We are about half-way through the latest batch of courgette soup - made using last year's frozen produce. I have resolved to compost some or most of the beans as I just feel they are taking up space and I loathe finding a stringy one

EssexHebridean

I'm sporadic here at the best of times and currently is no exception! We are still reverse planning to a large extent though - first port of call with the meal plan is always "what do I need to use up" followed by "what's in the freezer". This week has so far seen the last of a pack of bacon (freezer) with liver (freezer) onions and mushrooms, served with mash (using some slightly soft sprouty tatties). HG redcurrants were turned into ice cream on Sunday - we ate half on the night and the rest is waiting in the freezer. There is also some more redcurrants in there ready for future ice cream! more on the bush still too - quite a lot more!

Tonight is couscous with halloumi and assorted veg - which will include a couple of sweet potatoes that were diced and roasted when the oven was on on Sunday, and a couple of avocados that have been out ripening. I restocked couscous when we did the big shop at the weekend as it is an absolute staple for us - it's rare that we don't have it at least once each week. 

MissRikkiC

Using up the ham I cooked yesterday, for tonight’s buddah bowl (swapped from yesterday) as well as a few HG spuds which I pulled early, lanky spring onions, a bag of salad and butter beans which there was a few left of from what my LG didn’t eat yesterday. 

Tomorrow will be fish cakes using up spuds from in the house and a can of tuna along with probably a bit of red curry paste for taste

Suffolk_lass

I retrieved a big bag of turkey from the toolshed freezer (primarily that seems to be  ready cooked storage, with two or three lots of cooked and prepped seville oranges, ready for marmalade). It's now in the kitchen freezer. It's too much for two of us unless I split it up. I was going to make a pie with some of it, I might do that for our one-course contribution to a fund-raiser dinner (sometimes called a safari supper) in three weeks time. I could just get some out and make a small one for us. I have some very iced up sweetcorn in the freezer (that will need shaking through a sieve!). 

I have made a second batch of elderflower cordial and I need to finish sieving it through kitchen paper and bottling it (thrips in the flowers!) - need to pop and do that before DH comes downstairs as I have all the available counter space atm!

Suffolk_lass

Confession time! Thursday we were off to the Village Green to take our own drinks and sit for an hour passing the time of day with a couple of neighbours in the sun, so F&C from the mobile van were bought from the treats and entertainment budget.

Then last night DS came over and we sorted his US paperwork (visa waiver thing) and messaged an airport taxi company, and sorted some money he owed me for his car insurance - so I went to the mobile grill van in the next village and we had huge burgers with salad and everything, and potato wedges that nobody had room for.

And today we are going to a hog-roast

So absolutely no RMP has taken place - I am making potato salad, coleslaw and fresh pickled red onions (and cake, lots of cake) from stores though!

EssexHebridean

Veg box arrived early evening last night, and farmers market visit yesterday morning. (Plus thr regular supermarket run) This prompted a decision to roast the toms from the box, the two peppers left in the fridge from last week and some of the small red peppers that turned up unexpectedly in the box too - we have an opt out in for one of the regular items that would have been in, and they subbed with two bags of small sweet peppers - lovely, but as I wasn’t expecting them I had bought regular peppers as well so we’re over-run!  The toms are standard large salad toms and are Dutch (I think) so little flavour without doing something like roasting them really. That tray of veg will give us the basis of 2 pasta sauces though, so all good. I also turned half the pack of mince from the farmers market into a pan of keema and sweet potato curry - it made four tubs full, and each of those will do an evening meal for the two of us so I’m delighted with that. One in the fridge (will be eaten in the week) and three in the freezer. Today’s mission is roast lamb for lunch - I wanted a shoulder but could only get leg - which will also then do a couple more meals I hope including one for in the week. Tea tonight will be crumpets (bought YS’d of course!) from the freezer - which is bursting at the seams and I could ideally do with getting another batch cook done, yet! 😆

Meal plan for the week is done : 
Roast lamb, potatoes, veg / crumpets
Tuna salad using up veg box lettuce and lots of other stuff including home grown land cress!
Tuesday - I am out, MrEH will have an omelette. 

Keema & sweet potato curry
Couscous salad with lamb. 

Stuff to plan in for next week:
butternut squash (veg box)
stir fry (cabbage in fridge - need to think about the meat component though)
programme in curry for one day again

Next week will be a low-shop week, probably just fruit and milk. 

EssexHebridean

The lamb didn’t shrink as much as I expected in the cooking which means there is definitely two more meals from it - and I may even get three. One of those needs to be another Sunday lunch allowing for what it cost. I also prepped all the older tatties and one small one has been divided off, chunked and will get added to tomorrow night’s salad.I also suddenly remembered the final few carrots - so they’ve been rescued - I confess some heavy duty trimming was needed, but I did get enough useable to add to my veg with lunch today and another portion for the freezer. I did have to bin two very soft small tatties sadly - just decided they were enough past their best that they weren’t going to be enjoyable to eat - if I’d been doing mash they would have gone in, but cold in salad, nope. 

Crumpets from the freezer this evening, clearing enough space to get the carrots, remaining mince, and the rest of the reduced loaf we got yesterday in there…just. Mum gave us a third of a pack of pate which she wasn’t going to eat, so that will get used for lunch rolls tomorrow rather than needing frozen. I’m good with filling every last corner of the freezer, but I’m not THAT good! 😆

MissRikkiC

@ruby_eskimo I OWE you BIG time. I bought the Doenjang paste at the weekend and made the stew. Holy moly it was absolutely delicious. I couldve left out the pork and it would have tasted equally as good with just tofu. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, it will be a firm staple in our house now. 

ruby_eskimo

MissRikkiC said:

@ruby_eskimo I OWE you BIG time. I bought the Doenjang paste at the weekend and made the stew. Holy moly it was absolutely delicious. I couldve left out the pork and it would have tasted equally as good with just tofu. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, it will be a firm staple in our house now. 

You're very welcome @MissRikkiC 😁