The all new using what you have from your Freezer, Cupboard or Shed (Barn)

joedenise

I find it helps to keep a list of my meal plan on the fridge door so I can see what I need to get out for the next day.  I'd never remember otherwise!

suzybloo

Happy_Sloth said:

im trying to do better,  i did an inventory of my freezers this morning i have a big list of things that need eating. 



Other Items... please help. 

• I inherited some kippers from my father in law when he past away last year, i hate wasting food and none of the rest of the family would take any (I think they honestly thought it was weird taking a dead mans food,  but I'm pretty sure he'd have approved as he was from war time waste not want not era)  i like kippers... my husband hates the smell and won't normally allow me to cook smoked fish in the house?  Any ideas of what to do with them without stinking the place out.  
• 
  

  My husbands grandmother loved kippers and a way that she taught us to cook them/heat them was to make jugged kippers - you stand them in a jug then pour boiling water over them and allow them to stand for around 7-8 minutes, (I covered the jug a plate to keep the smell and heat in) then when they are ready pour the water out and serve - this is the way she used to make them when she was in service in the 1920's. They are really nice done this way! 

dander

I've used kippers instead of smoked haddock in kedgeree before - it's definitely a stronger taste but if you like kippers anyway it's a good way to go. Hopefully the smell of curry powder would make the kippers less noticable :-) 

Tashja

Win and lose day already 

Got up this morning and put the chicken kebabs in the slow cooker and then realising tomorrow is a big workday I got the chili stuff out and put in the other slow cooker so that when I get home from work it just needs reheating and it's ready! No excuses tomorrow for not cooking.  So 2 days tea prepared and cooking

So out of the freezer was one portion of mince, 2 garlic and coriander nan breads (for Thursday tea) and a piece of cornish cheese that I froze for Christmas and forgot about. 

The lose - I popped into Iceland for a stir fry sauce and seen they had Mr Brains Fa**ots at £1 for a pack of 6 so bought 2 packs for the freezer We love these with mash, peas and gravy so they will be added to the meal plan for week after next as just done a meal plan for up to a week on Friday.  Still it's a cheap meal for the future and the freezer is looking a little more empty than it was. 

Also today is community fridge day so will be going there in a bit to see if I can get some bits for the week. 

I have dug out the pepper seeds too so will make a start on planting those this week.  Need to up our salad game this year as we have said we are going to try and have salad most days in the summer to help save some money and we have now acquired a pet tortoise who lives off salad so we want to be able to feed him for free. 

Hope everyone else has a great day 

T x 

Happy_Sloth

While i was sorting out my cupboards yesterday i found 2 butternut squashes i had completely forgotten one was "Gone"  so it had to be binned but the other is ok.  I also found 2 little bags of chicken breast,  neither enough for a full meal.  

The plan is to roast the butternut in the air fryer with some onions and add to the chicken to make a "korma like" curry... with some cream i got in a To good to go bag yesterday and coconut cream.    

Just trying to figure out if i can stretch this to 2 portions (Each for 3 people)  when you go to the Indian we always have a lot of sauce and not much meat,  wondering if i can beef up the sauce in some way so people don't miss the meat and just enjoy the sauce with the rice.   

I have a bit of a philosophy when it comes to cooking... if i make the effort to cook you better believe I'm doubling the portion so i have another day i don't need to cook but there really isn't much chicken, the squash should add abit of bulk but still worried i won't get 2 meals from it.  

CCW007

Can I join in?  I regularly post in the reverse meal planning thread which is great for using up ingredients but I have a lot of stores to organise and use up so I think this thread would be great for getting on track (and I recognise other forumites from the RMP thread as well!)

I collect for Olio and regularly end up with LO bread and gluts of one type of food (today's is 40 bunches of spring onions).  I also collect from other Olioers who end up with gluts (collected 30 peppers recently - all sliced, frozen and shared with my sister).

Out today - three frozen jacket potatoes for lunch (small - to be shared with OH), small portion of salad soup I'll probably have mid afternoon, half a pack of cod fingers for me and three sausages for OH, will cook homemade chips as I've got a glut of potatoes LO from post Christmas Olio collection.

In will be weekly Mr M's shop which is mostly cat and dog food but I'm sure I ordered us some food as well!

[Deleted User]

So today was a bit of a quick change of plans day as DD tested positive on a routine Covid test this morning so she's now off school. She has no symptoms at all. However, DS tested negative but had a horrific migraine style headache so unexpectedly had them both off and needed to change lunch plans round etc.

So lunch for the kids was a frozen pizza out of the freezer with salad. Leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

I made a thai spinach soup for mine. Another portion in fridge for tomorrow and 2x portions went in to the freezer.

Dinner was sausage wraps for the boys and we had veggie noodles with satay sauce using up a small amount of peanut butter I had left with some wilting pak choi, red pepper, a few nuts and some blanched broccoli that came out of the freezer.

Nothing else needed to take out for tomorrow.
Tomorrow's meal plan:

Porridge with banana, sultanas & cinnamon
Spinach soup + small portion of leftover noodles
Chorizo jambalaya sort of style rice (using leftover sweetcorn and mixed beans from stuffed sweet potatoes last night)

Wraithlady

Happy_Sloth said:

While i was sorting out my cupboards yesterday i found 2 butternut squashes i had completely forgotten one was "Gone"  so it had to be binned but the other is ok.  I also found 2 little bags of chicken breast,  neither enough for a full meal.  

The plan is to roast the butternut in the air fryer with some onions and add to the chicken to make a "korma like" curry... with some cream i got in a To good to go bag yesterday and coconut cream.    

Just trying to figure out if i can stretch this to 2 portions (Each for 3 people)  when you go to the Indian we always have a lot of sauce and not much meat,  wondering if i can beef up the sauce in some way so people don't miss the meat and just enjoy the sauce with the rice.   

I have a bit of a philosophy when it comes to cooking... if i make the effort to cook you better believe I'm doubling the portion so i have another day i don't need to cook but there really isn't much chicken, the squash should add abit of bulk but still worried i won't get 2 meals from it.  

Well, personally I would add mushrooms and a can of chickpeas - I have a go-to recipe of Squash and chickpea curry which I have tweaked rather a lot from the original but to which I add a little bit of chicken. It makes industrial quantities (usually about 6-8 meals depending on how big the squash is).

More of a guideline than a recipe but - 1 butternut squash peeled & diced, 1 onion, curry paste (about a tbsp but I tend to use thai red or yellow curry paste which is quite fierce), garlic,  mushrooms, chopped chicken, tin chickpeas (or other beans) drained & rinsed, ground cardamom (optional), grated lemon zest (or juice) and creamed coconut (about 50-75 g), hot water.

Fry up onion, squash, garlic, chicken and mushrooms and add garlic and curry paste. Cook for a couple of minutes and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook for about 10 minutes (until squash is tender), adjust seasoning - sometimes benefits from a pinch of sugar -and serve with rice. The leftovers freeze very well and the 2 of us can usually get another 2-3 meals out of it.

London_1

Last Saturday night I came home from my DDs with a hefty portion of left over shepards pie.She had divided up three portions from her left overs.One for her freezer which would do her and her OH,One for her ma-in-law to take home, and one for me.

When I got home I decided to split the portion in half and freeze the two portions as it was just a bit to much for me to eat in one go,  by time I had added veg.

So yesterday I dug out a portion and as I had a green pepper in the fridge I stuffed the pepper with the portion and roasted it in my Remoska , grated some parmesan on top, and had it for dinner last night and it was delicious.

Probably tomorrow I will dig out the other portion, and as its slightly bigger will have it with some steamed broccoli, cauliflower and peas all from the freezer for dinner. Really pleased at the one portion will have streeetched to two meals.

I try to extend meals as much as I can, and as I am running down my freezer to defrost its been handy as I haven't yet been shopping this month. Tonight out from the freezer I will take a couple of lamb chops and will grill them and have with some mash and veg all from the freezer, and the last of my plain greek yogurt mixed with some honey and a litttle grated chocolate for dessert.So far nothing has gone into the freezer this month apart from the left over shepards pie win-win I think  

JackieO x

Tashja

Full working day for me today so shouldn't be anything added to the freezer! 

When I get home I will take out a pack of Brioche Buns (added yesterday!) for tea tomorrow along with a reduced (75p) pack of donner burgers which we will have with salad and will feed all 4 of us.  I have ordered a huge box of fruit, veg, and salad to be delivered tomorrow as well - this should see us through nearly 2 weeks of fresh stuff if I am careful - I hate the time I have to buy this, unlike the Summer when the allotment is in full swing. 

Yesterday at the community food place I got a loaf of bread and 4 Brioche Burger Buns (froze for Friday as were right on date) along with a big swede, a couple of carrots, a bag of pears, and 2x bags of organic potatoes. They also gave me a bag of other bits and a box of Weetabix.  I gave the Weetabix, bag of potatoes, and a long life milk to my daughter to help her out but they are a bit fussy so wouldn't take anything else!

Was lovely to get home from a late work session and have tea ready.  Tonight is the same - chili is cooked so DD will pop on the slow cooker when she gets home so it is hot for when we get there then I'm going to use the potatoes for chips as none of us really like rice. 

Hope everyone has a lovely and productive day today   

T x