Reverse Meal Planning

EssexHebridean

Welcome to low-cost July SL! You really do seem to be going through it at the moment though, so don't add too much pressure to yourself on that as well though will you - there is a limit to the amount of balls even you can keep in the air at once! 

I have an almost fail to confess. Last night's Ragu was in fact lamb curry. Very tasty lamb curry, but nonetheless curry it was, and not an entirely natural partner for the spaghetti I had already popped on to cook by the time I discovered the issue. I can now as a result of this however confirm that in fact spaghetti curryaise is surprisingly nice! Allowing that I know full well I labelled the curries originally when they went in, I assume that somewhere in the bottom of the freezer I will find its detached label! Oh well - it could have been worse! 

This evening is going to be our usual tuesday evening buddha bowl type thing - MrEH's will be using couscous, mine may well use brown rice, something I love, and he doesn't! 

joedenise

There's some pork left from the weekend joint so I'm going to make a sweet and sour sauce and warm it through in that.  We'll have it with some plain boiled rice.

EssexHebridean

Thanks Joedenise - you've reminded me that I have a couple of lots of saved meat from assorted sunday roasts in the freezer to be factored in to meal planning! 

Soup and rolls last night as we had to stop at Mums to help her sort something out on our way home. Not a problem, but did demand a straightforward tea when we got back!  Tonights delays to getting home will be a trip to the pub and then stopping off to vote - and so I have planned pasta with sort cheese and wild garlic pesto sauce, the remaining posh tomatoes and some mushrooms, and tiger prawns (which I will divide in half so it feels as though we have more than in fact we do!)

Not sur about tomorrow yet, but as I am out al day I'd best start getting something planned!

Suffolk_lass

Thanks EH, I have let some things slide (my diary, for instance  - you can't do everything, all the time).

We delivered the community lunch for 20 yesterday, including one take-away. Two packs of chicken thighs from Sainsbugs £4.60 for 2kg pre-cooked in stock, and cold, with homemade coleslaw, leaves (some homegrown), tomatoes and warm, buttered, minted, new potatoes. The other lady made a peaches and cream trifle, brownies and hm chocolate ice cream. With tea and coffee included, good value for lunch out for a fiver!

We have the leftover savouries for lunch (picked chicken in with the stock for soup with a leek, I think) and DH can snack the cold potatoes (as he does). So a "free" meal. 

We have lots to get ready ahead of our motorhome trip from Thursday (might be Friday). I will take food and drink from home. If I can stop taking the morphine I might risk a glass of wine too!

sammy_kaye18

Love this thread. 
I have been lurking and reading but not really posted much. 
I plan to do an inventory today of cupboards and freezer to see what I can start using up. We are going away on the 19th of July and so I want to leave minimal things in the fridge and freezer incase there is any sort of problem etc.
Sp I have nearly 2 weeks to work my way through things that could go off or ruin if there was a power cut etc

Suffolk_lass

Welcome @sammy_kaye18, everyone is welcome here. You can report in, ask questions, make suggestions, whatever.

We are currently mildly obsessed with cooked lettuce as it is coming out of our ears the raised bed in the garden in plentiful supply! It was @joedenise that started it. I think my latest soup is loosely based around peas a la Franćais!

rtandon27

This week has been staycation, first time I've taken a whole week off for Canada Day!  A combination of eating out (vacation budget) and reverse planning from the stores made up our meals.  We've spent under 100GBP this week from that budget so a small win as the non-spent amount will be rolled into next month's time off!  We've also used up various bits and pieces from the fridge, freezer and stores!  The downside is that I've put on 4 lbs, so next week will be a return to my usual healthy eating!

This morning we had planned to eat breakfast from our local Turkish place - it's just lush, a breakfast mezze.  Upon sorting through the fridge to make a grocery list, I discovered we had most of the things we like best from the restaurant so we cobbled together a delicious hearty and infinitely cheaper breakfast!  Spicy sausages, courgette fritters, fried eggs formed the bulk of the meal, rounded off with cucumber, tomatoes, houmous & flatbread.  We forgot the olives and pickles on the kitchen counter and only found them after clearing the table, but they will live to see another day!

OH has suggested that we try a new Gurkha place tomorrow for lunch which has rave reviews, and as it is mostly oven cooked, I should be able to avoid the richer sauced calorie laden fare!

ETA - welcome @sammy_kaye18!  This is a lovely place to check in and keep on track - all the ladies are a lovely bunch!

zafiro1984

Yesterday I thought I'd make a start on defrosting my a long overdue freezers, I thought I was reasonably well organised so it shouldn't take too long for the first one. It started well, I managed to distribute its contents into the other freezers, turned it off, defrosted and cleaned it. My mind must have been on holiday because I had a barmy idea of it just being for fruit. Three hours later I finally finished and all 400L is occupied with some form of fruit, the theory being I should know where everything is. (there goes another flying pink pig).  I haven't even thought about what to do with this years crop, maybe the neighbours could be tempted!!   

Yesterday:-  Lunch:-HM chicken soup from the freezer. Tea:- Some cooked chicken to which I quickly added a bread crumb layer and salad from the fridge

Today:- Lunch:- egg on toast, then choc chip buns with eggs from my chooks, Tea:- soup for me, pork chop, apple crumble and custard for him and no doubt a glass of the red stuff.

The realisation is 'I needn't do any shopping for ages'. I must be addicted to going to bargain hunting in supermarkets - a sad state of affairs, I really must get a life......

wumph

That pig flies over here regularly.  The top drawer in my freezer always seems to develop an icy bottom but when I think I must defrost it I end up thinking I should do all.  No.  I will just do the top one then I can feel good about it,  the rest are usually Ok  for a long time.

Primrose

Our weakness in the freezer is frozen tomato suce or ourree.. we've,finally finished using up 2022 supplies and are now trying to reduce last year,s supplies.  It,s such a versatile product we  probably tend  to overgrow our tomato crop.  Think with this year,s bad weather we have little danger of over-producing this summer.  Freezing fruit, if you grow your own can produce the same difficulties.  Shame it doesn't happen for expensive frozen products like meat thiugh!