Reverse Meal Planning

EssexHebridean

OH SL how annoying - and yes, ouch to the electricity too!

I mentioned on my diary that I had to avert a near food waste disaster the other day - I cooked a big pot of black beans, and assumed that they would take roughly the "usual" sort of beany tuime to cook - Oh no, not these. An hour in and I thought they were looking a bit cooked, and sure enough, they were already slightly over. Got them off the heat and drained as quickly as I could, while I contemplated whether they were salvageable - eventually coming to the conclusion that they certainly weren't going to work for freezing as they were. A bit of frantic googling later turned up the idea of a black bean soup which I tweaked to include lots of snoked paprika and some chopped chorizo - and the beans ended up getting turned into a total of 5 portions of soup which will do nicely - not quite their intended us, but tasty! While I was in the mood for batch cooking I also used some more of the mince from the freezer and a couple of sweet potatoes in the keema and sweet potato curry I've made before - that made 3 double portions. I dealt with the issue of finding space in the freezer for the batch cooking by switching the meal plan around to include curry last night and soup this evening…

Other meals over the weekend included more mince in the form of chunky burgers topped with mozarella (the remainder of the mozarella has gone in the freezer to use another time) and a very tasty indeed seafood risotto that prompted us to wonder why we don't make things like that more often?!

I've made a start on a freezer list and meal plans for the next few weeks as we are now embarking on the challenge of getting enough used from the freezers that Freezer 2 can be defrosted and turned off before we head off on holiday…

weenancyinAmerica

@Suffolk_lass - when I took group tours around the United States or to England, my tour members would cook like crazy the first time or two they went on the trips to have food for the family left at home. The food was always still there waiting when they got home. If they went on more trips than that, they just said forget it - the relatives will eat out anyway. So they used the time to get ready for the trip instead. 

zafiro1984

weenancyinAmerica said:

@Suffolk_lass - when I took group tours around the United States or to England, my tour members would cook like crazy the first time or two they went on the trips to have food for the family left at home. The food was always still there waiting when they got home. If they went on more trips than that, they just said forget it - the relatives will eat out anyway. So they used the time to get ready for the trip instead. 

I'm one of those who 'cook like crazy' when I know I'm going to be away for a period of time. I do a mix and match type of cooking all with instructions as my OH has no time for cooking but can use the microwave. It also helps when I arrive back home as I'm usually unable to look after myself for a few days.
Want a laugh:- after my first hip replacement 10yrs ago my DH was very considerate. After he collected me from my second hip op he dropped me off at the front door with the question "What's for tea" - thank goodness for 'crazy cooking'

Yesterday's food was not as planned, I had intended to make a salmon and asparagus flan, however there was some left over casserole in the fridge that needed using up so I made shortcrust pastry, lined the flan dish and froze it (I have heard that to cook a flan base from frozen results in a more crispy base - I'm putting that to the test) so with the pastry scraps, LO casserole and a bit of chilli I managed to make a pie. Quite tasty and it felt like a free meal. Tonight we're back to the quiche so I need to nip outside and pick a few asparagus spears which have only just started to appear.

Suffolk_lass

Asparagus, baby Jersey royal potatoes and two poached eggs each knobs of butter, rough grind of black pepper and a pinch of flake salt - sublime supper! - then I went and followed it with a shared tin of rice pudding topped with bramble and raspberry jelly. Proper filling!

EssexHebridean

Thankfully MrEH is perfectly capable of fending for himself if I'm not about - if I got away for a few days without him then generally speaking I give him an idea of the stuff in the freezer that might work for him, but he definitely wouldn't starve if I didn't! (He might live entirely off cornflakes just through pure laziness, but that's his lookout!) 

SL your supper sounds sublime indeed - talk about eating seasonally too! I might have to grab a bag of Jersey Royals at some stage - T's usually have a small bag on special offer about now don't they. 

The accidental black bean soup was delicious and apparently I have to overcook black beans again so it gets repeated!  Thai style fish stew tonight - which is always a winner and will use up one of the stems of fresh lemongrass, the last pepper and the remaining mushrooms. I'm almost tempted to cook double of the base and freeze half now I come to think of it...I know the pepper I have is a big-ish one I've definitely got enough onions, so it will depend how many mushrooms we have left. I can then make one bottle of passata with herbs extend to two meals by adding a tin of ordinary chopped toms alongside. It will also mean I then use both the remaining lemongrass stems, and will give an even quicker option for another meal in the future. Hmmm. 

MissRikkiC

I’d be keen to have your recipe for that @EssexHebridean as when I did a partial freezer inventory last night (still yet to write this up, must add to my list) I noticed 4 types of fish in there. Equally I want to pick up some lemongrass for another dish so this would utilise the rest of the packet hopefully. 

Quorn chicken fajitas last night, using up a few bits in the fridge Including a mango I don’t remember buying for a salsa. 

Lunch today was the last of a bag of cous cous, the end of a cucumber, 2 spring onions which were reduced when I got them last Monday (so already needed using up then!) and a salmon fillet from the freezer. Delicious. I don’t get to eat salmon that often as my husband doesn’t like it so it really was delicious. 

Your supper sounded VERY good @suf@Suffolk_lass

EssexHebridean

Oh heck - now we've experienced my method of "recipes" on here before I think...no? Here goes...

Slice an onion and fry off in a splash of oil until softened and translucent. Slice a pepper and throw in to join the onion - other veg also works well alongside - think mushroom, courgette or whatever else you have to use. Tonights will get some green beans because I bought them to use in the keema curry and completely forgot them. A very finely sliced stem of lemongrass gets chucked in at the same time - remove the outermost leaf as it can be fibrous, although you can chuck that into the pot for flavour and fish it out later.  Add a tin of chopped toms or a bottle or carton of passata - if you've got one that contains garlic and basil then winner, if not then those things can go in separately. Bring to a simmer and add a good splash of lime juice - the stuff from the bottle is fine but if you have a fresh one then personally I'd grate some of the zest off it to go in as well - and some chilli of some description to your own preferred level of heat - I have the everlasting jar of thai red curry paste that I'm still using at the moment but would probably just use some kashmiri chilli powder otherwise. (It's been so long working through the jarred stuff I honestly can't recall what I did before!). Bring it all to a simmer, add half a spoon of sugar to take the edge off the tinned tomato bitterness, and a pinch of salt, stir and leave the flavours to meld for a few minutes while you dice the fish. I usually like some form of prawns in mine - ideally shelled raw tiger prawns that I cut in half, plus a basic white fish and then something smoked goes nicely. (You can use pre-cooked seafood mix too but that needs to go in just for the final minute or so off the heat otherwise your squid rings will turn into elastic bands.) Throw the fish in on top of the sauce and whack a lid on the pot and leave it for 3 - 4 minutes resisting the temptation to look and see how the fish is doing - the answer to that question is "a lot less well than it was doing before you lifted that lid and let all the steam out!" After about 4 minutes though take the lid off, give it a gentle stir (you don't want to break the fish up too much) and ideally a good handful of chopped coriander if you have it, then pop the lid back on and turn off the heat - the fish should finish cooking through while you serve the rice out (or whatever else you want to serve it with). Dollop the stew on top and viola - or whatever the thai word for "voila" might be!  I don't think that one even started out with a recipe as such although it may originally have been inspired by something Rick Stein did perhaps - it's his sort of cooking I guess. It's been a pretty regular meal contender in our house for well over 20 years though anyway! Quantities are all "the right amount for the relevant number of people you're cooking for" by the way - the single tin of toms does two of us. 

MissRikkiC

That is comprehensive and sounds very delicious! I shall be getting the lemongrass tomorrow so that’s going on the list for Saturday night!

MissRikkiC

That is comprehensive and sounds very delicious! I shall be getting the lemongrass tomorrow so that’s going on the list for Saturday night!

EssexHebridean

It is very tasty indeed, but I think “chaotic and haphazard” might be closer to the truth than comprehensive! 😂😂 In fairness that usually refers to the sorts of dishes I cook often but are only noted down in my head!  I did cook double too - the second half is cooling off and will go into the freezer later on.  I’ll need more prawns before next time I do it though.