Reverse Meal Planning

joedenise

Suffolk_lass said:

itsthelittlethings said:

I cook for a family but am a single person, that’s my problem.

sounds complicated - as a housekeeper, do you mean?

I read that as cooking family sized meals but then having to eat themselves!

Suffolk_lass

Doh! yes! Sorry, I was on planet zog this morning!

I portion things down when I buy them so I don't cook too much. I think @joedenise does that too. It's a good way of getting some portion control. Except the chilli we have left from Saturday!

rtandon27

We often cook family size recipes and view it as meal prep - the extra gets portioned and frozen for low effort meals for busy days. So a chicken and mushroom pie for 6 does us three meals.

EssexHebridean

Yep - we do similar particularly with things like curry, daal, stews etc. Works a treat and there are some days when a home made "ready meal" is just what's needed! 

Last night's frittata style omelette used up 5/7 remining eggs, some of the mushrooms, a couple of rashers of delicious but OH MY GOODNESS SALTY bacon and a bit of cheddar, and we had a portion of home grown runner beans alongside mainly because I would prefer not to put any more in the freezer now. 

This evening will be the usual tuesday couscous - halloumi for protein, and then the veg part will be peppers and mushrooms, plus a tin of some sort of beans I think. That bit is up for debate as I'm undecided whether to simply take it the "cold salad" route.

Tomorrow will indeed be a HM ready meal kinda night - and that will see a nice large tub of stew departing from the frozen annals of freezer 2... 

Primrose

What a benefit freezers are for allowing us to freeze these surplus leftovers and how our grandparents would have bitten our hands off to have this facility.  And washing machines!

EssexHebridean

I'll add an off topic vote for vacuum cleaners to that list! 

Suffolk_lass

Speaking of vacuum cleaners, I just ordered a stick cord free one. It's meant to be good for pet hair (plenty of that and human hair here)

We shall have more of the chilli I made this evening, perhaps in baked potatoes, although I will need to collect some when I go for my click and collect at 4pm

fionaandphil

I've got a chicken and chorizo stew cooking using bits in the freezer and fridge that need using up, herby dumplings to go on top.

I love my stick vacuum, it does run out of charge though which is frustrating when you're only half way round.  Really easy to use and lightweight though, my mum liked it so much that she bought one too.

EssexHebridean

If your cordless vacuum is a "Jaws" variant I think you'll be very pleased with it - I'm still most impressed with ours although not so much for pet hair, and more for the human variant! 

Stew is out for this evening, and I'm switching the meal plan around to go with daal & rice for tomorrow I think - as an easy "shove them in the microwave when we get home" option for a Thursday night. Just need to remember to get them out of the freezer tonight! 

joedenise

Love my stick vacuum, it's not a big name one but a cheapie from Argos.  I actually gave my DD1 the robot one I had as hated it, it didn't do a particularly good job.

I'm out late afternoon/early evening so have got a curry from the freezer so will reheat that and have with some plain boiled rice and a bit of mango chutney (love the stuff!).