Reverse Meal Planning

Suffolk_lass

I do that too, although numerous times I have failed to find it in the drawer of the freezer when I actually need it.

I have bitten the bullet and ordered a new chest freezer, ahead of the tall upright one in the workshop failing (it is making a funny noise). They are waiting on a stock delivery so no date for delivery yet but I made a point of paying with a CC so I am covered if anything happens to the retailer before it gets here.

We had another curry last night (!) - it was a venison one I made ages ago - the best I have made I think. Rather than having rice or bread with it, I chopped up some cold potatoes and heated them with the curry. Rather a successful combination we thought. I think because it was a vindaloo-like curry the flavours worked well.

I have a piece of pork tenderloin defrosted so we will either have kebabs or stir-fry with that. Personally I like the immediacy of stir fry. And there are a few asparagus spears and lots of pak choi needing to be cut in the garden. We shall see

rtandon27

We polished off the rest of the monster bok choi last night along with turkey katsu steaks & some steamed rice.  The katsu is a prepared product that I stumbled across while doing the online shop - good but not great - OH would not touch the curry sauce as it was too strong for his taste - but he did have a healthy drizzle of hoisin dipping sauce instead.

Lunch today was fried mushrooms, red onions & asparagus with lardons of cooking bacon & two fried eggs.  Delicious & super cheap per head!  Trying to use up the ends of last week's veg before opening up this week's boxes! (A small regular & a salad box)

Friday night has become fake-away night since lock-down so we cobbled together a loaded pepperoni / mushroom / onion pizza and even had a garlic/chilli dipping sauce for the crusts.  Always amazed that the total cost for our fakeaway comes to about 5pounds! 10 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook - perfect easy meal after a day filled with long zoom meetings!

I'm curious to know how the lock-down has affected everyone else's food budget & (reverse) meal planning... 

I'm hoping that this month we can reduce are grocery budget back down to our pre-crisis spends as we've found that our current grocery budget totals are what we would have spent on grocery + workday lunches + occasional take-away😱.  We are however eating much healthier food at very regular meal times, have added the occasional dessert, removed all snacking and have managed to restock the pantry back up to 2/3 weeks of reserves that we ate through in March/April when there were no grocery deliveries to be had!

Anyone else noticed shifts in their eating habits & spends???

Suffolk_lass

We have - mostly because DH shops instead of me and he does not have the confidence to go off-plan in a sensible way - so I say look for a fillet tail (great use for stir fry) as a treat - he comes back with one full price fillet steak. And because of not going to the pub once or twice a month for a meal and beer, we have had more alcohol and snacks at home. Then some of the basics range is non-existent (thin bleach for example - 38p for 2 litres now replaced with 3x1L for £2). Our meals plans are being driven by the garden produce but we always get a bit overwhelmed by it as suddenly everything is ready at the same time. On the other hand we had egg and chips with tinned beans after both having minor DIY accidents yesterday

Rowan9

Hope you’re both ok Suffolk_lass. 

Yes, our grocery spends have gone up, partly due to using the small Sains (me) although DH will still happily go to Lidl and sticks to a list. I don’t like him to be in there for long so it’s a smaller list than it used to be. We are buying meat at a good butcher’s now though, also going to a farm shop. I went into M&S the other day and found the experience good. It all adds up but I’m happy with that just now. 

greenbee

My grocery spends are up massively because I’m actually here and making meals rather than being at work and eating hotel food. But I’m eating much better and more healthily, and my food waste is almost non-existent. 

ailz95

Our grocery spends are up too.  We are doing all our shopping in a local farm shop and, of course, that's more expensive than a supermarket - although we are able to buy a lot more 'local' produce.  That's one nice thing about living in Kent - local produce - we didn't have any in Oldham (Manchester).

rtandon27

Thanks for all your responses ladies - it's comforting to know that we are not the only ones who's food habits have shifted. Takes away some of the unease I feel for 'over-spending'!

Our (reverse) meal plan for yesterday & today went a bit off the plan but still making full use of our stores!

Saturday brunch - a use it up omlette to finish off last week's vegetables - dinner a lazy made in the microwave uncle b's fried rice from the store cupboard and roasted chicken from the freezer (no veg for some strange reason).

Today for brunch we had veg-heavy noodle stir-fry - pork mince and boiled eggs for protein.  Planning on nachos with the works & melty cheese for dinner - comfort food from my teenage years across the pond 🤣🤣 Hopefully OH does not ask for burgers instead...

Suffolk_lass

I had defrosted a pork tenderloin before our respective accidents [(mine was a gimp-pin thumb thing - don't ask, his was the corner of a cupboard that caused a V-shaped deep cut that bled everywhere) I managed to stick bits back together with steri-strips that stopped the bleeding - thank goodness I replenished supplies after the dishwasher repair-man-gate!] - anyway the tenderloin - I cut just over half into medallion disks that we had with garden veg (pak choi and asparagus steamed) and new potatoes - the rest I stir-fried last night - no stir-fry sauce because he forgot so I used sweet chilli dipping sauce, soy sauce and lots of chopped up garlic and birds eye chillies (from the freezer - a good tip to keep all your chillies there - they defrost in minutes and stop the oil impregnating your fingers if you chop them while frozen).

I made chocolate brownies when it was raining on Saturday so we had that with the last of the ice-cream. I have varied the recipe I had for basic brownies and they are rather good, if I do say so myself

PipneyJane

@rtandon27 - good question about food budgets.  There’s only the two of (me and DH) in our household.  We have three “food” budgets:  Groceries (£120), Meat Fund (£40) and Bulk Fund (£40). The latter two usually accumulate for months, until we go to the butcher or have a blow out at Costco or WingYip.  Pre-Lockdown, most of our meals were homemade and we’d routinely take leftovers to work.  Now, we’re both working from home.

I do the Grocery Challenge, so I can tell you that prior to March we usually had a small surplus each month to roll forward from our £120.  In March, we spent £115.34, April £127.36 and May £136.56.  So, yes, on the face of it, we are spending a little bit more.  Our shopping habits have changed a bit, too.  Pre-Lockdown, I’d go to L!dl for their big blocks of cheddar (£3.99 for 800g), cooking bacon and some toiletries.  Now, we’re walking there once every couple of weeks to buy fresh veg, most dairy products and the odd chicken.  (I am impressed by L!dl’s veg, much better than the comparable products from MrT’s.  I used to buy my veg from a farm shop on a National Trust property - they closed in March.)  

Today or tomorrow, we may walk 2 miles in the other direction to go to A$da, to buy yoghurts. (Big tubs of Yeo Valley for £1.  We will buy a month’s supply.)  Or we may bite the bullet and drive there, then drive on to MrT’s for a “big shop”.  (Our A$da doesn’t carry a wide range of goods.). The shopping list for MrT’s isn’t that extensive, though, and can probably wait.  Last time I went - start of May - they still didn’t have all the basics back in stock.

We’ve visited the butcher more frequently during Lockdown, once in April (£66.85) and once in May (£48.88).  They’re only opening on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at present, but we can get there more easily while working from home, whereas before Saturday was the only option.  (They used to open 9-5, even though they’re near a station so you’d think later closing might get them more trade.)

- Pip

rtandon27

Thanks Pip for such a detailed answer!  Gives me lots to think about!  

I've been wondering if a butcher's box would be a better way for us to buy meat - they also do bulk free range eggs which we eat a lot of!  We currently get our vegetables & some dairy from a delivery service, but their meat & eggs are prohibitively expensive!!!