Reverse Meal Planning

Mrs_Cheshire

Thanks for all the ideas - luckily I had freezer space and with 5 of us it doesn't take long to use a packet of bread rolls or hot cross buns. I love bread pudding but hubby doesn't. Not sure if the kids would eat it. Will have to try some time. 

Hoping to sort through the freezer and make a rough plan for December over the weekend as we have a few bits in there that can be the basis of the meal plan. I know we have a beef joint, gammon joint, 2 tubs of pulled pork and some small gammon leftovers (ideal for carbonara). 

MissRikkiC

Prawns from the freezer, chorizo from the back of the fridge along with some bendy celery and soft peppers will make a jambalaya for tonights dinner. I just hope my OH remembers the squeeze of lemon juice that he so often forgets when making this dish!

Off to catch up now

weenancyinAmerica

@Mrs_Cheshire - Instead of calling it Bread Pudding, rename it as French Toast Casserole or something. Include a lot of cinnamon. Can even add sausage to it.

EssexHebridean

Haha - weenancy, casserole means something entirely different over here, and might well create a raised eyebrow or two! 

My meal plan got turned upside down with the availability of picky tea leftovers from our friends visiting on Sunday, so that sorted us for Monday evening. 
Tuesday was the usual couscous, with veg & halloumi
Last night I did salmon with sweetcorn fritters and sweet potatoes
Tonight is going to be pasta with sausagemeat balls and mushrooms, with the sauce being the final blob of last spring's wild garlic pesto, and some of the remaining creme fraiche from the pot I bought at the weekend  to add to my big pot of soup. 

We're discussing a chippy tea for tomorrow which is very much sounding like a plan, right now! 

purplevamp

Mrs_Cheshire said:

Need to work our way through the mound of bread products we received via Ol!o last weekend that I froze as it almost filled 3 drawers. 

When I get some spare bread I make croutons.  I used to use the oven but now use the air fryer.  I cut them into small cubes, toss in oil and add salt.  (You can add garlic salt if that's your thing). Then they go in the air fryer at around 160C for about 15 minutes but you may want to experiment with temps and times.  They are then shelf stable for weeks, but they never last long enough in my house!!.  You could also make breadcrumbs

Primrose

We're crouton fans too. Our local supermsrket often  sells stale crusty bread at very cheap  prices which h we convert into croutons .  Have found sprinkling with oil and garlic powder rsther than chopped garlic stops the garlic from getting burnt.  Like your household they don't last long unless we discipline ourselves but probably cheaper than buying jumbo bags of crisps if you want a savoury treat

Suffolk_lass

I used stale bread in the mini-food processor yesterday - I chopped a very strong onion, then the remains (literally 1cm thick) piece of brisket, followed by a 3cm thick bit of said stale bread, cubed. Mixed the lot with half a 500g jar of tomatoes, added an oxo cube, Worcester' sauce, herbs, and water and cooked it long and slow. DH made mash, and we had it with baked beans and cabbage. It's another of my Mum's recipes and it brought back memories. SO nice, and so cheap. All cooked from scratch (except the baked beans) - an excess of bread here because DH fed the sourdough a day late (clashing with something I was doing, so then had to feed it a second time. Extra bread is very unusual here, so I took advantage and made the economy mince.

rtandon27

@Suffolk_lass - your economy mince sounds very much like something my Gran used to make - long and slow cooking always graced her stove on the cold dark days of winter.  Brings back memories of coming in from the snow-covered walk home from school to a house full of nice comforting smells.  We always had mince stews on a bed of egg-pasta noodles or a bowl of white rice, rather than with bread or mash - I think that must have been a bit of fusion cooking before it was even a thing!

zafiro1984

Just been catching up on pages I've missed, Love the bread and pudding recipe from Suffolk Lass. I sometimes add mincemeat to B&B pud just to ring the changes. I'm a fan of croutons as well and like the idea of adding garlic - I'll try that idea.

We've been ill for the last fortnight and it's taken us all our time to do just the basics needed every day. Thank goodness for the freezer and all the frozen batched cooked meals. Hubby used to laugh and and make fun of the meals, biscuits, and cakes I used to tuck away - but not any more.
I just need to use up all the bits and bobs in the fridge and then I'll be back on track

Lunch HM chicken soup from freezer - plus garlic croutons. Then some HM biscuits, dough from the freezer
Tea:- not sure, I've run out of potatoes. (rice and pasta not an option) I've some LO pate and LO cooked braising steak, so I'm thinking of a 'wellington' style meal, with puff pastry from the freezer - no need for any potatoes 

Suffolk_lass

I am glad to see you back @zafiro1984, and I hope you are both fully recovered. Yes, our freezers stand us in good stead when something unexpected knocks us off course. Over here I always keep a tin of H-brand tomato soup in the cupboard too. Yes, I know it is ultra processed but just occasionally, only that will do (with Worcester' and tabasco and grated cheese), piping hot when we are shivery and miserable. Maybe it's a taste of childhood thing.

Over here I fried off 6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon and put the first half in the fridge to make an egg and bacon pie either today or tomorrow. The rest was crisped up and stirred through penne and broccoli, with EV olive oil and grated cheese. Mnnn! 

I bought a cake from one of the local ladies who had rather poor sales at our Christmas Coffee and Shopping event yesterday morning. I have always made cake but I felt sad that she had six left, so bought one from her, along with a jar of her pickled onions. I have only made one jar so far and mine are a bit more like summer fresh pickled onions. A red onion (well, two) sliced long ways, and sprinkled with sugar and white vinegar. I plan to shop for shallots today to top up the storecupboard with a few more jars.

I did not do too badly but some of my things, people showed no interest in at all - sustainable firelighters and my candles for example, sold badly. My honey sold well, both the naturally granulated and clear, runny honey from our garden - and especially the ones in gift boxes, with a jar of each. Also all but one twist-bag of fudge.  

I must shop and order for Friday's community lunch today, with over 40 expected, it should be fun!