Reverse Meal Planning

Suffolk_lass

I need to empty the bee freezer (we freeze all the frames that had honey in so that wax moth eggs and larvae are killed). I have one more lot to swap in, then I can start swapping in the chest freezer contents while I defrost it, followed by the big upright commercial freezer that is full of garden produce again. Then that freezer can come out and the commercial one can replace it as I am determined to get the permanent shed rebuilt. It needs a new base. 

What's the relationship to the reverse meal planning thread? knowing what is where, getting the list up to date and using stuff we are paying to store! I may not shop except for fresh veg and dairy stuff. I have soo much food!

rtandon27

👋 Hello @Suffolk_lass - we've been keeping the tread warm for you while you've been off bee-keeping!  Looking forward to 'hearing your voice' a bit more now that the colder weather is here!!! xxx

Suffolk_lass

Thanks @rtandon27. I have just read through. The more the merrier on here, I say. I'm studying for an exam but I will try and post more.

In the self catering cottage, although we had several delicious meals out, I cooked a few. My classic reverse meal was at the end of the week. A pack of smoked back bacon, cut into strips and fried, while the pasta water was heating. Half a pack of "philli" with garlic and herbs (soft cheese), a teaspoon of ready-made pesto, a ladle of pasta water, mixed, then tipped into the pan with the bacon. Meanwhile the half broccoli head was pulled apart into small trees and added to the tagliatelle for the last 3 minutes - it made the tag a bit al dente but a yummy mix when all combined. I may have added some leftover buttered steamed leeks and a sprinkle of pre-grated cheese to use them up too. I might have to try and replicate that one, it was better than normal - a sort of broccoli-pasta-carbonara mash up! I would defy Mr @zafiro1984 to say it was tasteless!

EssexHebridean

That sort of pasta dish is an absolute favourite of ours SL! 

We have been reversing-away like mad - and the meal plan is STILL working!

Friday evening saw me grab the last tub of daal and the remainder of the diced lamb from the freezer - I pretty much replicated the curry I made with the first half of the pack, and it was delicious - and gave us a double portion for freezing as well. Next time I want a curry type meal I'll make a new batch of daal and the cycle will begin again!
I also baked a chocolate banana loaf cake using a couple of squishy nanas from the Lil's green box I managed to nab - not as good as the one I had the other week, but still lots of useable stuff. 
Saturday we defaulted to easy stuff as I was out at Duxford all day.
Yesterday was liver, onions and bacon (liver from freezer, red onions from the green box) with HG tatties and frozen peas. Perfect for a distinctly autumn-ey sort of day!
This evening was back to the freezer again - the green bean macaroni cheese I made the other week and froze half of, plus the last two salmon fillets - thoroughly looking forward to that - it will get a bit of salad added to use what may be the final HG cucumber. 

Suffolk_lass

Last night I made a pie out of the piece of chicken I got with the F&C supper at our quiz night on Saturday, with frozen peas and frozen sweetcorn, and half a tin of Campbell's soup. On Saturday, DH gave me the end of his piece of fish and I had that with most of my chips  (HUGE supper). I added the other half tin of soup to a mix of chicken noodle and leek & potato I had combined, just to rationalise the leftover pots really. It worked well.

We are out of soup now. I shall make a courgette soup at some point. We can have for the rest of the week, two early evening things where soup rather than anything more substantial are likely to be needed.

I was going to do it this morning but every surface is covered by things needing to be done (11 Spring honey jars needing labels, six jars of apples to go in the larder (that involves re-jigging) and another ten random jars for the people at the Hall that want honey from the hives in their grounds (ours), needing to be weighed, jarred, weighed again, lidded and labelled as they want this before the weekend. She has no idea what is involved and expects it to be my priority in the way that some people have an air of entitlement while being terribly nice about it all

EssexHebridean

Oh I know exactly that sort of sense of entitlement SL - that air of "it's entirely reasonable for me to demand these things simply because I am who I am" - very annoying, and always makes me absolutely determined to set proper boundaries - while being equally "nice"!

That macaroni cheese last night was delicious - I heated it by shoving it in the micro on combi for 10 minutes having topped it off with grated cheese and breadcrumbs. A piece of salmon each, plus a big pile of salad - yum. 

This evening is going to stray slightly from the normal as I'm going to use a sachet of mixed grains each rather than the more usual couscous. Assorted veggies to cook off to go with it, and we have eggs to use so those will be the protein element to top it off I think... Easy, simple for MrEH to sort his when he gets in from rugby, and filling too. 

zafiro1984

I'm quite enjoying cooking and making things stretch out at the moment. Usually, I don't have time to turn around but no doubt reality will return soon and I'll find I should have done xyz yesterday. 

I've had a session at making biscuits lately, just one recipe used but with different flavouring, a bit of lateral thought has meant I've used up various odds and sods lurking in the cupboard, like rosewater, orange extract, and butter essence - goodness knows why I bought them in the first place.  

lunch was squash and parsnip soup with a pinch of curry powder, an old favourite and tea tonight is cottage pie with a topping using veg from the fridge but not potatoes, I've used carrots, parsnips and a sweet potato. I'm just waiting for it to brown before tucking in.

rtandon27

Reverse planning this week is going well...

Monday - leek, mushroom with spinach gnocchi - no clue where I picked up the shelf-stable gnocchi, but it was fast approaching it's best before date (leftovers in the fridge)

Tuesday - a very British fish pie - it was so very tasty! - we discovered by accident that real whole milk is what makes it moreish - i'd taken some home from a work function and while neither of us drink the stuff or use it in coffee we do use it up in cooking rather than let it go to waste (leftovers in the fridge)

Wednesday - we were going to make a Thai green chicken curry, but had to chop and change and instead had breakfast for dinner - chicken sausage rashers and fried egg in baps with crumbled feta for the cheese element (leftover rashers and feta in the fridge)

Thursday - this evening we will have perogies with cabbage and onions and if I remember to open it, will try a new jar of sauerkraut.

Friday - we had planned pizza, which is now tucked safely in the freezer, and will use up the leftovers from earlier in the week.

Saturday - Bao & Gyoza & Noodles - nice and easy - minimal effort - all from the freezer and store cupboard - if we don't fancy it on the day, it will store for another time

Sunday - roast chicken with root veg and potatoes - or oriental veg & rice!

Monday - Canadian Thanksgiving - I have turkey breast in the freezer but really don't care for it much, instead I managed to score a duck on sale so that will most probably be the non-traditional bird of choice - traditional sides will be gravy, green bean casserole, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, roasted root veg and for dessert a pumpkin pie - the OH humors me once a year,  as tbh he does not care for most orange veg and most certainly not made into a dessert!

Next week is a week off from work to tackle lingering house-keeping, indoors and out.  Also a week to feel thoroughly homesick for glorious fall colours, the sound of crunchy leaves underfoot and a cup of hot boozed up coffee after a long autumnal hike. (I'm sure in my head I've glorified the season but it's nice to cling to something from home!)

EssexHebridean

Ahh RT absolutely sounds fair to glorify things a bit when the things sound so glorious!

Also glorious is the food - both yours and Zafiro's!

Black bean chilli tonight for us with rice - batch cooking and the freezer providing again. 
Last night was sausage and mushroom risotto - using up the last of this week's mushies and a couple of cooked sausages from the freezer, plus a tub of turkey stock which will be from last Christmas - I need to investigate whether there is any more of that lurking about too as it will be the season for making more of it before we know it - in fact I suspect the Turkey man will be making his first appearance at this month's farmer's market so we must look out for him and get the thing ordered. 

I can't recall what is currently planned for tomorrow although I suspect I'm leaning slightly towards some form of takeaway at the moment, we will see. I have been reminded that we too have a couple of packs of ambient gnocchi kicking about at the moment those those should probably get added to the meal plan for over the next few weeks. Them were purchased at a good price during one of Lil's "Italian fortnights" IIRC.

rtandon27

@EssexHebridean - hmmm - I think you might be correct - the gnocchi was sourced from Lidl's - once upon a time, but as we no longer shop there regularly, I'd completely forgotten about the lovely & tempting themed weeks!