Reverse Meal Planning

EssexHebridean

Don't get me wrong, I very much like my dishwasher, but I wouldn't want another one! Our second freezer however might well end up getting pressed into use over christmas I am seriously struggling with creating space in the main one. I know I keep saying it, but I really do HAVE to sort out a full meal list for the next few weeks ahead of christmas now to create some space! 

This week's roast pork fed us on sunday and has also created three tubs of chunks for use for more meals. One will be pressed into use tomorrow to make a sort of middle eastern pilaff type thing, I think, but I need to find freezer space for the other two. 

This evening will be using the remaining eggs in omelettes, along with some bacon and mushrooms, and of course the obligatory cheese. I've got some big flatbreads and I'm considering yanking a couple of those out of the freezer to turn the omelettes into wraps as that is always a bit of a winner in our house, as well as adding some much needing carbs to the meal. 

Thursday is currently up for discussion, but I'm thinking that a pack of the chicken sausages we got from H3ck at the food show might come into play - just not sure what with yet. 

Friday I'm thinking burgers and chips, but that might depend on whether I'm out for the day or not, and what time I get home if I am. 

rtandon27

Another dinner from the stores last night & a fabulously tasty one that that! Ms Lawson's fish finger bhorta - both fish fingers and spinach from the freezer and all other ingredients already in the house, we served it up with Mr S cheapy garlic & coriander Naan - found well away from the bread aisle - in the 'foreign food' section.  A rough estimate is that the entire meal for two cost circa 2gbp - that's a win for a Fish Meal Fakeaway!

On a slightly different note, but still in the MSE spirit, we went into our local Coop to pick up some cream for tomorrow's pasta recipe & scored a load of yellow sticker veg that were on our grocery list anyway!  An extra 15% off to be had on top of the discount as well!  2 packs of mostly green chillies which we deseed, slit lengthwise and freeze to be had for 30p each; a pound of baby brussels for 45p; 2 lovely organic avocados for 1.32.  While not a vegetable, OH also picked up a bargainous advent calendar for me as I'd been moaning since the 1st about not having anything to open this year!  50p to shut me up, is something he considers money well spent 😉 - and I've got 6 days to catch up with so he can share with me for a few days - LOL

joedenise

Just had to look up the fish finger bhorta as had no idea what it was!  DH loves fish fingers but think he'd rather just have a fish finger sandwich!

EssexHebridean

Happy advent calendaring RT!

I had a bit of a grump last night as I used my older frying pan for my omelette and it only went and stuck didn't it! Still tasted alright mind you! You'd think I'd know by now that pan always sticks if I cook the veg off in it before I add the eggs!

Friday is confirmed as lamb burgers and chips as I am not now out, and I still can't decide what to do with my chicken sausages, although some form of traybake seems quite tempting. 

joedenise

Traybake is probably one of the easiest ways of cooking sausages and of course really tasty.  Also uses up quite a lot of veg from the fridge too.

rtandon27

joedenise said:

Just had to look up the fish finger bhorta as had no idea what it was!  DH loves fish fingers but think he'd rather just have a fish finger sandwich!

Haha - my OH would prefer a fish finger butty too, but I can't stand fish fingers plain, but love the spicy veg & naan so it's a compromise of sorts!  [We don't however mash the fish fingers, they get neatly cut into 2 or 3 pieces and gently folded into the vegetable sauce.]  In fact OH would be happy with a chip butty, a ham butty, a cheese butty and even a butter butty, but I'd have to be at work for any of those to exist as his main meal 🤣🤣🤣  With trains the way they are this week, he's stuck with me in the house, asking for 'decent food' for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

EssexHebridean

Well last night's rice was delicious! A sort of cross between paella and a middle eastern style pilaff, I used couscous seasoning as the spicing and that worked excellently, and the protein element  was the pork chunks and some tiger prawns cut into pieces and I went with basmati rice in the end as I couldn't find the paella rice - needless to say it turned up in the wrong cupboard before I'd even finished cooking! 

I am going with the traybake for this evening I think although ironically I don't actually have much in the way of fridge-veg to use, so it will basically be mushrooms, onion and pepper. I'll shove it all in the airfryer though - that's nice and easy - and we can have a sachet of microwave mixed grains with it I think. 

The bhorta does look tasty but I'm another one voting for just a fish finger butty I'm afraid! 

One of our tasks for tomorrow needs to be to drag out the freezer contents and work out what has sunk to the bottom and needs using, I reckon. I've also realised that if we make an effort to use some of the ice cubes in the top, that gives more space for small bits that otherwise end up getting lost in the other sections. Yes, I KNOW we could just put them in the sink and melt, but far nicer to drink something containing them, no? It will regardless be divulging lamb burgers, some of the oven chips and a couple of burger buns tomorrow anyway. 

ruby_eskimo

I've had that fish finger recipe on my list to try for a very long time @rtandon27 and next week might the the chance to do it (would much prefer a fish finger sandwich as well though 😆)

@EssexHebridean the bottom drawer in our freezer is full of icepacks and reusable ice cubes which probably get used once or twice a year.  Need to probably find a better way of storing them so they don't take up so much valuable space!

Freezer surprise of veggie curry was consumed for lunch today.  Dinner tonight is repeat of Tuesday with kimchi fried rice which will get rid of the last of the kimchi out of the fridge (it's in a massive container so that's going to clear a lot of space), the last of the spring onions in the freezer and some smoked bacon lardons I found.  

Have already rescued the next freezer surprise for lunch tomorrow.  It's definitely mince based so either bolognese or chilli, which I'll have with some home made potato wedges as have a couple of potatoes to use up as well.  That just leaves a couple of portions of soup and another vegetable curry (from a different batch) for lunches next week and some left over passatta to throw in something and then I'll have an entire drawer empty to fill with yummy Christmas stuff.  Oh and the frozen fruit and veg to work through as well 🤣

joedenise

@ruby_eskimo - I keep my reusable ice packs in the cool box and just bung them in the freezer a day or two before we're going to need them.  Would you be able to do that with yours?  Never used reusable ice cubes so not sure whether that would work for those too if you don't use them very often.  We use real ice in our drinks so always keep some in the freezer as we use them quite regularly.

EssexHebridean

Ooh that's a point - I bet I find our icepacks are all in the freezer at the moment so that should free some space! 

My reusable ice cubes get used (worryingly? Pleasingly?)  frequently! (Far better than standard ice cubes as it doesn't water your drinks down, but also not so good for the same reason...!)