Reverse Meal Planning

Suffolk_lass

I love the condensed chicken which I regularly mix with cold, cooked chicken and frozen veg and use as a pie filling, when I want the chicken stock for soup. I also love the condensed celery but my local store seems to have stopped doing it.

We have roast chicken today so I might try that bake with some of the leftovers @fionaandphil. I know DH would prefer a curry though, and I have 3 large squashes stored on a windowsill, and really I should just use one. I am planning Parmentier potatoes instead of regular roast potatoes today, I could add some chopped butternut to that to add a little variation.

Lunch today might be that chicken but it might be soup and a sandwich as I defrosted the last of the turkey and ham slices from Christmas for yesterday's late lunch (3.45pm!). As a result of that we just had soup last night, hence the roast today.

I have a fridge full of veg after shopping yesterday. I just clicked and collected and did not go in the store to look for the things they lopped off my order when I placed it last week! Does anyone else experience my GOW (grumpy old woman) reaction when the system does this, days before the stock levels are of any relevance?

rtandon27

@Suffolk_lass - I've never done a click and collect, but with the delivery ordering system on 0cad0, I often find that the day I place my order (which is usually Sat or Sun) they suddenly tell me regular items such as cucumbers, butter and tomatoes are not in stock and remove from my basket.  I then log in on a Monday only to find everything back in stock so have to manually add them back in to the order for the Tuesday delivery!  Super annoying given that they know full well these items will be back in stock by the time my groceries are due to be delivered.  I can totally accept on the day, being told item X is out of stock, but days in advance is a bit ridiculous!  I too say no to upsell substitutions, but am rather irked when they don't bother to try and substitute when a quick look online tells me there are 3 or 4 perfectly acceptable options. (Case in point was gyoza the other day - no chicken available, but there were the same brand and size, beef, pork and veggie, all at exactly the same price point!)

EssexHebridean

This is one of the many reasons I don't do online grocery orders SL! That and knowing full well that the person picking absolutely won't choose the fruit and veg to my standard - or indeed possibly with ANY view to the fact that the stuff I'm buying needs to last a full week! 

I finally got round to putting together a meal plan yesterday morning - so as I shopped on Friday this is a true reverse planned week! Pasta tonight anyway, with what I think might be the last tub of homegrown roasted tomatoes plus some chunks of ham left over from christmas - two more spaces in the freezer! When I do the veg for couscous tomorrow I will roast double as half will be used in wraps with falafels later in the week, and I should then just be able to reheat the lot in the airfryer. I've also got eggs to use up so that is another day sorted - I cooked extra potatoes yesterday so will be turning those into a tortilla style omelette. Nothing on the plan for Friday yet but it might just end up being pizza and wedges. 

fionaandphil

Lots more ideas to try there @JIL I haven't heard of any of those so will give them a try. Thanks

MissRikkiC

I’ve never really thought of it like that re the online grocery shopping but it’s happened to me a number of times actually. 

We’ve been doing lots of reverse planning and using stuff from the freezer. In the last week, there has been salmon, turkey meat, pizza, chips, beyond crushed potatoes, sausages, 2 portions of chicken and 2 portions of pork mince removed, along with 4 bread rolls and the dregs of some frozen fruit. However added has been 6 portions of beef mince, 6 tuna fish cakes 4 portions of lasagna and 4 slices of turkey and cranberry pie!! 

After tonight there will also be 3 portions of an aubergine curry (baingan bharta) which was made with 4x 75% off aubergines from Aldi last week. 

There will be some more cooking going on this week using all sorts that are in. We did a big shop of fresh fruit, veg and dairy so have lots to chose from. I’ve always loved that, when you look in the fridge and it’s full! So much inspiration. 

JingsMyBucket

@rtandon27 and @fionaandphil glad to give you some inspiration. 🙂 I grew up with the flat round West Indian dumplings but the Jamaican spinners are a bit easier to make. 

Tonight I made a massive salad for dinner in a huge IKEA mixing bowl. Orzo, chicken breast from yesterday’s roast chicken, carrots, arugula, apple, cheddar, onion, Dijon garlic vinaigrette, parsley, extra salt and freshly ground pepper. Mr. Jings was practically singing in happiness, he so loved our dinner. 😂 Picture of it below. We have some left for tomorrow. 

I also stripped the bird and made stock tonight with the carcass and other bones in the freezer. Soup will be tomorrow’s dinner. 

zafiro1984

Great ideas posted recently, I'm going to give JMB's idea with spinnner dumpling a go this lunchtime as I've just taken some venison soup out of the freezer for lunch today, now defrosting on top of the woodburner. 
Also I often do a crustless quiche for myself, DH has one with a crust but I bought a small silicon mould so mine could be without crust, it works well. Meal planning has not gone well this week, need to have a rethink and stay away from the SM

Update;- I'm a bit grumpy!!
Spinner dumplings done and bubbling away nicely as DH comes in. Plates, dishes and cutlery on the table ready. Then an urgent message from Ben (staff) - I'm needed, explain to DH to turn hotplate off, pour soup into bowls, make a drink etc. I'll be back asap.... Arrive back to a very smoky kitchen, soup still on the hob and burnt, pan needing some serious TLC,  DH wanders into kitchen     "Is lunch ready?"   I'll say no more.

rtandon27

So the crazy busy week has come to an end along with the haphazard meal plan! TBH we didn't do too badly on it but I do like a good plan to start off the week!

This week's reverse plan is to use up some of the languishing veg as well as eat from the restock after 8-ish weeks of avoiding doing a 'big shop'.  Amazingly nothing was missing or substituted in the order, and everything in really good condition! 

First things first, we dealt with the last pumpkin, it has been chopped, roasted and put into the fridge to add to lunches.  While the oven was on last night, we also baked two of the orange sweet potatoes, all of the purple sweet potatoes and the two largest regular potatoes from the stores.  This was done as a bit of meal prep, but OH immediately pounced on the two two baked potatoes and declared them dinner!

So this week's meal plan...

• Monday - Veggie Day
  Brunch was poached eggs & crumpets with a side salad.
  For dinner - we had planned to have rainbow fried rice & baked tofu, but sadly the marinated tofu was undeniably past best so OH requisitioned the two freshly baked potatoes & we had them with pigs in blankets which magically appeared in the freezer - neither of us remembers purchasing these from Waitflower yellow stickered!...but there they were, hidden in the veg drawer under a bag of frozen kale!
• Tuesday - Fish Day or maybe veggie day to compensate for yesterday's strange dinner!
  Brunch for me was a Buddha bowl including a bit of each type of sweet potato and some squash along with eggs and salad.  OH had a mushroom and spring onion stuffed omelet in a wrap.
  For dinner we won't be having fish, but instead will have yesterday's planned dinner with some newly purchased smoked tofu and steamed Chinese green (Tat Soi) on the side.
• Wednesday - Chicken Day
  Fakeaway Shake & Bake Chicken Thighs with the roasted colourful root veg and some greens.
• Thursday - Swaping Meat Day with Pizza Day
  Pizza & Wedges - we have potatoes that need using up and I've restocked our pepperoni supply.
• Friday - Meat Day instead of Pizza Day (It's V day so a bit of themed food to be had.)
  We will be having heart shaped Pasta with Bolognese & mini meat-balls - what can I say, I gave in - the pasta was so cute and on sale! - Probably with spinach on the side - we also have several types of cheese and leftover xmas crackers which could do with being used up.  We also have chocolate pots and raspberries for a bit of sweet.
• Saturday - bao & gyoza & noodles for lunch - food truck dinner (poutine & wings) and a beer for the OH at the brewery - kinda date night - we'll probably just bring the food home and watch a movie and fall asleep on the sofa! - conversation can be overrated
• Sunday - Roast Day - Pork Leg roast & cauli cheese

On the radar for next week is leftover cauli cheese, box fish & oven fries, pork & risotto and thai chicken curry and rice.

EssexHebridean

Oh Zafiro what a nightmare - honestly, why can't they just listen, rather than saying "yes" when actually, they don't have a clue what you said?! 

Jings that salad looks amazing - not surprised you were both delighted with it!

RT as always your food plan really does sound so nice!

Last night's pasta, ham & home grown roasted toms was delicious - it was meant to have a blob of soft cheese in it to creamify the sauce but as soon as I grabbed the what-I-thought-was-a-full container of soft cheese from the back of the fridge I realised my error - and it's been there absolutely AGES... I declined to even open it and just transported it directly to the wheelie bin... Really cross with myself though! 

Couscous night tonight - I'm going to roast double the amount of veg I want to go with it as well and then I'll be prepped for the veg to go with falafels and wraps tomorrow as well. I'm going for the cop-out option of just doing halloumi with it again I think - it's easy, tasty and we enjoy it. 

Suffolk_lass

We keep falling into the trap of really late lunch (between 3 and 4) and then not being hungry enough for the planned supper. Yesterday we had really big chicken sandwiches and soup for supper. I want to use most of the cold chicken with the half butternut in the fridge so it could be curry. 

I really feel for you @zafiro1984 - DH wrecked my largest Polaris pan by putting something on and coming to collect me from the station, without first checking the train was on time. An hour later it had started to go blue as well as threatening to burn the house down. We also have aga whistling kettles, that he has forgotten (and obviously not added the whistle to) - I think we have four (one red, three cream) where the paint went black after boiling dry. The heavy gauge stainless is still OK but they look so bad and he has yet to find a refurb option, so they lurk on the inside of the roof of his workshop, awaiting attention because I am too stingy to bin them. We use a stainless one with no paint now