Reverse Meal Planning

Suffolk_lass

We had some of the chicken, cold with small jacket potatoes and salad last night and then had some strawberries with homemade strawberry ice-cream - I know! no wonder I have put on weight. At least all the emergency chocolate stash has gone so no more being tempted by that!

Thanks for sharing recipe ideas and variations on recipes - Anzac_Biscuit I have heard of people doing very similar with granola too.

Baileys_Babe

On Saturday we had a roast chicken. Whilst preparing the meal we put the clean peel for the carrots, swede, onions, parsnips etc in the slow cooker. After dinner, we took the remaining meat off the carcass. We added the carcass to the slow cooker along with enough water to cover everything. We put it on low and ignored it for over 12 hours. We then drained the stock into a pan heated the stock to greatly reduce it. Once cool we poured the concentrated stock into an ice cube tray and then froze. I have now transferred the cubes to a labelled plastic container which will happily live in the freezer.

 When we need stock for a recipe I grab a cube or 2 add to the dish and then add the amount of hot water required for the recipe. Cheap, easy, tasty

Suffolk_lass

Top tip for free stock Baileys_Babe - I also have chicken stock but from the method I use to roast the chicken so still got the carcass to deal with after the other portion of chicken is used to make pie or curry. Mine usually goes into soup as it is our staple lunchtime option

Baileys_Babe

We use the stock in a variety of dishes, including chicken pie, soup, risotto.

Suffolk_lass

Last night we had pasta with a spoonful of arrabiata pesto that was a jar in a Christmas hamper at least two ago, and I topped it up with some leftover bolognaise and some grated cheese. A ten minute dinner!

It was just what was needed after a day shifting compost as we are digging out the old (rotten pallet) bins and sorting it into the new bins, the burning bag or spreading around the borders and topping up the veg beds as a soil improver.

Baileys_Babe

Tonight we are having chana masala served with HM naan, well 3 of us are. Dd really does not like it, if we only ate meals that everyone would eat we wouldn't have much variety. Tonight dd is going to have a ready meal of her choice aka leftovers from a previous meal which are frozen (in single portions) for such an occasion or the days when you can't be bothered to cook.

rtandon27

Our dinner last night was an unplanned broccoli & beef stir-fry with rice.  Used up the last of the oyster sauce & mirin, both ingredients that hang around in our stores for months on end & no rush to replace, so have added them to the list for the next shop (whenever that may be ).  We suddenly noticed the broccoli had mysteriously turned slightly less green than it had been, so postponed the planned tortellini with mushrooms & spinach until tonight!  A rummage round the freezer yielded some yellow stickered frying steak beef that we picked up in the after xmas clearance sales.

Suffolk_lass

Mnn broccoli - I feel a vegetable curry is needed now you have said that. It will be tomorrow as I made up a mix of the rest of the cold chicken with sweetcorn (tinned), a tin of condensed soup and a big handful of peas and made a pie for last night. Enough left for tonight too and I will break into the frozen veg to pad it out more. We eat just in time to get out in the street and clap (last night we took out a pan and spoon to bash it as hands already sore from gardening).

pamsdish

I also have afore mentioned broccoli, will check the condition, I have spinach, 2 courgettes 1/2 a red pepper, and some celery, with a few bits of other stuff from freezer, could probably do a stir fry too, will roast my chicken leg, defrosted yesterday, and shred over.

greent

Loving the toasted wrap for breadcrumbs! We've also used crumbly flapjack for 'crumble' topping - and I've been known to sprinkle it over carrot cake before now, too

I feel today's meals will be of the use-up/ everyone eating various bits variety - there's some dodgy veg, some been-around-too-long ham, 1/2 tin spaghetti hoops (from the 10yo) and the remains of a 3 day-old loaf. I'm thinking stirfried veg (I know there's a frozen piece of cooked chicken about the size of a small matchbox in the freezer to throw in it) with some noodles (the 20p sort left from DS1's uni stash), ham/ cheese/ veg omelettes and toast and hoops (for the 10yo!) That will clear the fridge down nicely - tomorrow is roast leg of lamb with lots of veg (mainly YS from Weds) - which will then get tumbled down into other meals over the following few days - lamb, veg and stuffing in fresh hm rolls, probably another roast for a couple of people, crispy lamb pieces with ras el hanout served with couscous, veg and chick peas - the latter being very good for using all the teeny tiny 'crumbs' of meat leftover and  then maybe a curry bulked out with veg and more chick peas. 

We still have some rhubarb (last year's!), bramleys and pears from the garden prepped and frozen, so will make a crumble in the week (and maybe some individual pies) - have some tinned custard (from the uni stash) as well as fresh cream/ greek yogurt to go with them if required - although - like others! - lockdown is seeing me eat too much/ too many carbs..... (says she who has a fresh seeded wholemeal loaf proving, along with a batch of 22 sweet buns ready for icing...… ooops!) (am getting fresh yeast from instore bakery counter at supermarket - always worth a try (I don't like using the dried stuff anyway, so always do this)) Perhaps I should consider greek yog and stewed fruit instead.... sigh.... not *quite* as tasty, though!!