Reverse Meal Planning

Mrs_Cheshire

Hi all, I've been absent on the boards for a while, but back now trying to find some time to meal plan and use up the contents of the freezer and store cupboards. Got loads of random bits to use up including some boxes of cake mix (given to me as the boxes were damaged), jelly sachets, tins of condensed milk (going to try making fudge with the kids). I've also got packets of risotto/paella rice (hubbies not keen) so I'll make a batch and freeze the portions for work lunches. Also got some sachets for making a meal like tuna pasta bake and sausage casserole that need using so trying to incorporate that into my meal plan. Aim for March is to clear one freezer so I can defrost it and also to use up a basket of past best before sachets/packets. 

Suffolk_lass

Hello @Mrs_Cheshire, I keep seeing you on boards I frequent - do please update us on your recipes and solutions to stored "stuff". And welcome!

One suggestion from me is to use half the condensed milk to make fudge, and make a caramel sauce with the other half to have with ice-cream or stirred through a semifreddo vanilla ice cream (with flake salt) to make salted caramel icecream

zafiro1984

Condensed milk- another suggestion. make ice cream 600ml double cream and one can of condensed milk. Whip the cream until stiff, add condensed mild and whip again until stiff, add vanilla essence if it is to be plain, or flavourings (baked brown bread  with sugar is our favourite0. Ice cream maker not required and there is no need to break up the ice crystals half way through freezing.

JIL

Condensed milk makes really good slow cooker rice pudding.

joedenise

Had roast pork yesterday so the leftovers will be chopped up and reheated in a home made sweet and sour sauce which we'll have with some plain boiled rice.

rtandon27

JD - what a great idea for left over pork!

Last night's dinner entirely from stores and freezer - thai red chicken curry with jasmine rice - chicken, peppers & paste from the freezer - rice, bamboo shoots, coconut milk and baby potatoes from the stores. We both had filling portions and there is enough for lunch pack ups for two days!

Tonight we have some rolls to use up, so icelandic style hotdogs with crispy onion, crinkle cut gherkins and mustard.  Not at all in keeping with meatless Monday- but then again even an organic free-range meat hotdog does not really classify as meat!

We are going to attempt a 'Miserly March' so am entering the month determined to eat down our freezer stash!

joedenise

Have to admit sweet and sour pork is my go to for left over roast pork.  I had hoped that there would have been enough LOs for cold pork, chips and beans as well but unfortunately the joint wasn't big enough for that!

EssexHebridean

I absolutely love sweet and sour which begs the question why I never make it, for goodness sake? Perhaps I'll earmark the final container of roast pork chunks from the freezer for this! 

My Friday night curry made plenty - I had lovely leftovers on Saturday for lunch, and two further portions got frozen as well - so this Friday will be curry night take 2!  last night's tea was potato wedges (tatties needing used) with venison burgers but served in muffins not buns as that was what we had. It was unanimously (well, as unanimous as just two people can really be) declared very pleasant indeed though. The wedges were seasoned with salt and black pepper, tossed in smoked rapeseed oil and sprinkled with my newly acquired garlic powder. Very tasty - might use more garlic next time. 

This evening's planned spag bol morphed into a stir fry yesterday when I spotted the 69p savoy cabbages in Tesco. Pork mince has been got out to defrost for that, and I'll make a sauce with some of the everlasting jar of thai red curry paste and some peanut butter I think to turn it into a spicy satay. Noodles with that - more of the Aldi 39p bargain straight-to-wok ones. Rather looking forward to that now! 

AnnikaJuarez

I usually make soup from the leftovers in the fridge and in the pantry. When you have one potato and one carrot, and maybe some other veggies, you can make a lot of soup. Recently, I started to make some broccoli soup from the leftover broccoli that I put in another dish. Despite all the stereotypes about broccoli, my family loves it.

zafiro1984

rtandon27 said:

We are going to attempt a 'Miserly March' so am entering the month determined to eat down our freezer stash!

Great name for March:- I don't want to, but I need to do the same, or I will have no space in the freezers for this summers produce.