Reverse Meal Planning

Suffolk_lass

I made a beef casserole on Saturday for after our cocktail making session, and there was such a lot we had it Sunday and Monday too. So far behind with Christmas readiness that we will probably finish it off tonight but I also have a cauliflower so that may feature. No soup left after visitors at the weekend (for whom I made the casserole) stayed for a light lunch on Sunday after a short walk in the slippery remnants of the snow. Homemade bread went down well but I will need to make ore in the next day or two. I have just placed an order to click and collect tomorrow from Morries. It will fill up on fruit and veg ahead of the big weekend and save fighting my way round with lots of other people. 

I am collecting from the butcher at 06.15 on 23rd! I must be bonkers!

EssexHebridean

I've got a tub with the remains of a ham hock from a few weeks ago, the final tub of roasted peppers and tomatoes, and some of the homemade pesto (made with sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts for an MSE take on a classic!) which are all now defrosting in the fridge and will suit for tomorrow alongside pasta, and the last of the opened container of soft cheese. Tonight is going to be couscous and I got some frozen pomegranate seeds out to defrost also to go in that. I'll roast some veg (probably a sweet potato, some beetroot and half a red pepper as I used the other half last night but they're gigantic! I have half a tin of chickpeas in the freezer that I've remembered too so I'll just chuck that into the pan with everything else and they'll defrost and then roast OK I should think. More space gained in the freezer!

Thursday will most likely be a stir fry (with cabbage, naturally!). 

ruby_eskimo

Fridge is looking rather bare but that's a good thing since I need to fit a turkey in there at some point 😆  

Dinner tonight for me is carbonara to use up some bacon, mushrooms and parmesan.  Still haven't gotten around to making mince pies - that may be a Christmas eve activity so then I can take some with me to family over the Christmas period if they come out ok (it's been a while since I made any!)

Plan to make a proper inventory of our food over Christmas so we can plan what we need to use up in the cupboards effectively - it will also spur me on to declutter things we don't need in the kitchen, like the mountain of old Gu desert pots that I think everyone has stashed away 😆

Wraithlady

I have a veg drawer of OAP veg from last month's veg box (broccoli, parsnips and a leek) - think a SC vegetable soup is on the cards, probably with a spoonful of curry sauce 

ajmoney

It is not reverse meal planning yet as I have been shopping this morning but I am planning to do as much prep and cooking before Christmas Day as I can so I don't end up having extra food sitting around.  I shouldn't need to go out again for quite a while so there could be some interesting combinations next week

EssexHebridean

That reminds  me - curried parsnip soup. That might be a job for tomorrow evening. 

I HAVE to remember that I need to do a food shop probably on saturday as we're going to need stuff in for the days following christmas - there will probably be a fair amount of "picky stuff" incoming, although I'd quite like to get a gammon joint or maybe just a ham hock, too. I'm kind of tempted by a jaunt to Mozzas - but suspect it might be manic...? Might suggest to MrEH we go as soon as he finishes work on Friday. If so then I'd try there for the gammon. I need to get sausages for pigs in blankets too - and check whether the frozen bacon will stretch to Friday tea and doing the pigs. 

Tonight is pasta with roasted toms and peppers, ham and soft cheese as the sauce. I'll add in some extra veg - possibly some of the frozen mushrooms and some sweetcorn. Tomorrow is still planned as a stir fry but I'm giving consideration to whether that might change if I can work out a better way of using more freezer stuff. Friday is definitely going to be a fry up as that means extracting sausages, bacon, black, white and fruit puddings AND tattie scones form said freezer!  

MrEH did bread again last night so we'll have enough for making bread sauce - bless him he also cut the slices and left them on cooling racks too to help it stale faster. 

zafiro1984

Christmas prep is way behind in this house. The tree is up but that's all. No decorations anywhere else, everything is still in boxes. I usually deck the hall out with fresh greenery swags but I don't think I'll have time this year.

All delivery slots were taken at all the supermarkets I visit when I looked online the other day so I went out today to do Ch shopping minus the last minute fresh stuff.  Queues for the car parks at Sains, Tesco and Morries so I turned around and came home. I'll go out again tomorrow at 8am and do a final shop. I've recently developed the attitude of 'what I haven't got or forgotten' won't matter. 

I'm trying to use up everything in the fridge before Sunday, I hope I'm doing quite well  - puff pastry over veg in a sauce tonight. Tomorrow will probably be a flan to use up some bacon, leeks and mushrooms. Carrot and coriander soup looks possible for lunches which leaves milk - rice pudding? and cheese - no doubt that will be useful for something. Someone on here mentioned making coleslaw  - good idea as I've still got a white cabbage in the fridge so that will take care of the cabbage. I've also got celery, apple and walnuts so Waldorf salad is possible - note to myself (must add mayonnaise to my shopping list)

I always look forward to the few days after Christmas - no cooking 

DawnW

Supermarkets and the town centre here (small town in the SW) are remarkably quiet. I even managed last evening to book a delivery from Iceland, to arrive this morning, for the last few things that I omitted to get during my usual weekly trip to Lidl / Sainsburys earlier in the week. I don't intend to go shopping again this year!

Suffolk_lass

Used up a large wonky potato (baked for 2 hours in the bottom oven) then halved and joined with the slightly black-flower cauliflower cheese.

I must remember I have two leftover dips lurking in the fridge and still two pots of courgette soup made with turkey and ham stock (the stock had been in the freezer since last Christmas). I also removed an ice cream pot of sliced meat, err, turkey and gammon. Sarnies for lunch then, with a cup of soup! Dips and crisps or veg sticks for a light supper, unless I make a pie or curry

EssexHebridean

There's some tasty sounding using up of stuff occurring here!

I raised the freezer last night and dragged out sausages, part of a pack of bacon (not enough for fry up tomorrow and pigs in blankets, annoyingly) tattie scones, black, white and fruit puddings, and I have a note to get the tub of tattie slices out tomorrow to defrost and will see if those will fry up OK to go with, too. Also got out the final tub of chicken - originally intended for risotto but will work well for a stir fry - and we'll have that tonight with the last of the jar of satay sauce and noodles. 

I'm hopeful the stir fry will take care of the rest of a bunch of spring onions, a fair bit of the savoy cabbage, one of the giant red peppers, an onion and a carrot. I'm going to say "s0d it" with the parsnips and will peel the lot and make soup - although I might hold off doing it until saturday in the hope of getting a tub of reduced cream to chuck in. The beetroot will have a couple reserved for coleslaw and then the balance MrEH can pickle. There's a cucumber that needs some thought - there is a limit to how much can go into sandwiches - and I think there are still a couple of avocados too so must consider when those need to come out to ripen.