Reverse Meal Planning

EssexHebridean

I suspect cooking from scratch means different things to different people to be honest. I’m making a turkey curry tonight - the only pre-prepared component will be the spice paste, but a purist might say that I can’t claim “cooked from scratch” because I haven’t made that paste from the individual spices. We don’t buy much “heat it up in the oven” type foods - occasional snacky bits for a picky tea - or pre-prepared veg (salad leaves being an exception), but processed foods definitely feature - I buy tinned chopped tomatoes  (because they’re easier) pre-cooked beans (same) and tinned fish. Occasionally things like breadcrumbed or battered fish too again in the interest of things being made simpler. It comes down to what works for people doesn’t it - and that might look very different depending on whether that person is a time-poor single parent with no car,  living somewhere that their choices are significantly limited, a retired person on a reasonable income with access to lots of fresh produce and the time and skills to deal with that, or (and  I suspect this is most of us here)  somewhere in between. 

Last night’s stir fry ended up as a satay style offering as I used a blob of peanut butter, some dark soy, a splash of hot water and a little Kashmiri chilli powder as the sauce. It was proclaimed delicious too, and two very clean plates found their way into the dishwasher!

Suffolk_lass

I think you are right @EssexHebridean and there are things I am sure we all buy that are processed to varying degrees. I elected to make preserves way back, over thirty years ago, when my then tot son was showing signs of reacting to certain things (it was no surprise, as his birth resulted in some unusual thing (we were told) whereby he inherited some of my reactions to food). Artificial colours and sweeteners were the worst reactions, so I started making my own jams and jellies, so I knew what was in them and that we could all enjoy them. I found it a relaxing thing to do and it just grew; pickles, cordials, meals, all cakes, most biscuits, then bread.

I buy the occasional jar of pasta or curry sauce, although we like paste or homemade, bottles of soy or Worcester sauce, and ready-made brown and ketchup, tins of baked beans or ready-made rice pudding, gravy granules, custard powder or ready-made custard. Not purists but pretty happy with the balance, overall.

Yesterday was soup, a slice of homemade sourdough toast with butter, and homemade chilli. Then a snack of a small dish of corn chips and salsa with a glass of vintage port

joedenise

I think everyone who claims to cook from scratch does indeed use some processed foods - for instance who can be bothered with making their own baked beans?  I tried it once and to be honest although they were OK I certainly wouldn't bother again; tinned tomatoes get used all the time - I did cook some and freeze them but no where near enough not to buy tinned.  So as EH said for most it's a mix.

Today I'd planned to make sweet chilli noodles to use up the bits of veg in the fridge, things like half a red onion; half a pepper etc but discovered I used all the noodles and hadn't bought any more (added to list now!) so got out some cooked rice I'd frozen a while back and defrosted that in the microwave and will now be doing special egg fried rice to use up the bits.

EssexHebridean

I will shortly be sticking a big chunk of pork bought on special offer just before Christmas in the oven to roast - that will do Sunday lunch of course, but then a couple of meals during the week too - if it doesn’t shrink too much, and it’s a Finest one so it had better not, then there should be some for the freezer as well. 

Through the rest of the week we’ll be having
- Spag Bol 
- Couscous, roast pork, roast veggies
- stir fry and noodles
- soup and homebake rolls
Friday is currently undecided.
a nice laid back “past self prepped it to save future self a job” kind of week, which will be very welcome - I just need to remember to get things out of the freezer as needed! 

joedenise

I had some pork mince left over from something earlier in the week so used it mixed with some herbs and apple sauce and made some pork sausages (I have a sausage stuffer on my Kenwood!) which we had for breakfast yesterday.  Today's breakfast will be the last bit of the mix made into sausage patties as part of our fry up.

Really pleased to have got 3 meals for 2 out of one pack of pork mince which was also reduced.

EssexHebridean

That’s excellent work - very thrifty! 

marionmgcars

Love reading posts, I’ve still some veg from Christmas veg wars so might make huge pot of vegetable soup today .  Just ordered a TGTG bag from Aldi to pick up later today.  

Suffolk_lass

DH cooked penne with garlic and herb philly, leftover from last time, slackened off with pasta water, a spoonful of the pesto he swore we did not have, and a very modest amount of grated cheese. He needs to be braver with the olive oil but otherwise, simple, filling and tasty. We had the remains of a tub of GS yogurt and some of our own honey for dessert.

I may need to shop for bowl fruit and yogurt this week, and shopping is my danger issue.

I shopped from home to refill the nearby toolshed freezer from the produce (commercial) freezer in the pig-shed, to save trekking through snow if the forecast is right. Mostly this was soup packs of prepped veg and tomatoes, ready to cook and replenish passata stores.

In doing so I have liberated a pack of beef shin and a pack of sirloin steaks to go with the chicken thighs, for meals this week. I think a curry from storecupboard might also feature, and there was a bag of pre-prepared leeks I can use too. Lots of long slow cooking, except the steaks, and I have some sad salad and planned small potato to have with that

EssexHebridean

Not only did the pork not shrink much at all, the crackling also crisped up wonderfully. (I managed to forget to serve it up with the meal, but it’s making a tasty if unorthodox pudding! ) there will definitely be sufficient for two more meals and I reckon probably 3, so I’m extremely pleased with that. 

rtandon27

Friday night we had a pickety bits dinner centered around the last of our Christmas stash.  An oven baked camembert with crackers, fruit & olives with the last pack of fancy charcuterie - wild boar salamis and loin, we opened up a bottle of blush pinot grigio to go with it & enjoyed an impromtu cheese and wine dinner.

Saturday was a great reverse plan type of day.  Brunch was a use it up frittata - olives, tomatoes, rocket and a good pinch of oregano - very tasty and cleared a few things from the fridge.  Dinner, also from the stores & using up various bits.  Shangai-style noodle stir-fry with pork, prawns and chinese leaf - super simple to prepare and a good warm bowl of winter goodness.

Today, breakfast was another cobbled together from what was left in the fridge, frittata, cheese, ham and toast with butter and jam.  Lunch was a Waitflower recipe for Celariac & Sunchoke soup, topped with tapenade crostini. So very tasty, used up the last of our veg box from before Christmas and made a whopping 6 portions!

OH is claiming dinner as his very own success - not from anything we had in the house, but some lovely casserole chicken & veg and a side of spinach he found in Waitflower on super duper discount (while we were shopping for bits for a friend who is returning tomorrow from time away visiting her son).  We will turn the leftover casserole gravy into the liquid for a rissotto & eat the remaining chicken with it later in the week.

I've not made a formal meal plan for this week, but we have enough in the stores that cooking should be easy & I might cobble together a rough plan for what we've got on hand before turning in for the evening.