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

C_J

We're having more of the chicken curry I made yesterday, plus there will be at least two more portions of it for the freezer - which is great for the budget, but not so great for my futile attempts at running the freezer down so I can defrost it!

Cairnpapple

In: beef mince, pork mince,  casserole pork, stir fry pork,  various sausages, chicken breasts and half a leg of lamb.  That will keep us going!

Spouse is making pork chops in cider today which will use up the end of a jar of dijon mustard which has been hanging around, and the end of a pack of fresh parsley (I'd ordered a plant so it would last longer but got the packet substituted).

London_1

Out : one of my cottage pies I made the other day for dinner tonight along with some veg all from freezer. 

In:  Zero 

Cherryfudge

Little progress made on stores this past week as we still have lots of chicken and gammon which have made a few meals already. I'll portion them up and freeze today, and get sausages out of the freezer for a casserole tomorrow when we are feeding our son and his family.

I still haven't used my double Clubcard points vouchers though I did the research and planning when they arrived, so that may happen soon: I used the app to see what they recommended as my 'favourites' and found I buy more from there than I'd realised! Obviously, anything I've bought from them is a 'favourite' as far as they're concerned, they want to make sales. However, it's a useful reference when I want to optimise a shop without stocking up on things I'm unlikely to use.

Cairnpapple

In: pittas, mini naan breads, spare loaf, filled pasta, spare milk, 3 portions pork in cider. Freezers are groaning!

Out: not much today, just some frozen rasps and frozen peas. 

Some old pasta getting used tonight with some mascarpone that needs using up.

Finished the tin of apple strudel tea, there wasn't enough left for a full pot today so I added a teabag of my usual berry tea. 

MrsStepford

We are trying to eat up stuff in the freezer, as we change to a Mediterranean diet.

 Lunch today was a couple of COOK salmon stacks, which were appetizers for Christmas, which we didn't eat. Lots of salty spinach, about a teaspoon of salmon and a sprinkling of soft cheese. Won't buy them again. 

Nothing went into the freezer today, but yesterday we had Mansion Farm and Iceland deliveries, resulting in sweet potato fries, pork belly strips, rare breed pork chops and free range chicken thighs going in.

oceandreamer

Used up raisins and flour in a tealoaf.  Good job the raisins got soaked in tea as they were looking a bit dried up!

Cherryfudge

Spent about £55 on store cupboard ingredients to try to benefit from various offers: I think we are both reasonably confident we've not bought things we won't use. Most of it was dry goods as we don't have storage for more vegetables yet awhile. We did get garlic, grapefruit, oranges and bananas though. I couldn't find the own-brand dried milk but I've got a few longer life dairy free alternatives as we can both use those. The emergency cupboard is nearly full and if there's an emergency, our diet will be quite tasty.

There's another double points voucher still to use so I'm giving it some thought. We can't get DH's tea there, I have plenty of coffee, cereal is always useful but takes a lot of space... ideas include peanut butter, mayonnaise, nice biscuits (safe till opened), more dairy-free custard (current BB date is November), heavy-duty hand cream and a couple of toiletries DH likes (got two today. We suddenly realise he's run out and we have to resort to buying something he will use about twice), toothpaste... There's a limit though!

Things we eat frequently are often cheaper at L!dl so there's no point stocking up on tinned pulses or lentils from Mr T when L!dl is nearer and cheaper.

The chicken is stripped and frozen and the sausages are thawing. My treat to myself was redcurrant jelly (£!.85 ) - delicious on a dinner-sized chicken and stuffing sandwich tonight. And I don't know what's happened to the price of sultanas - I think they were under £1 a bag when I last looked, and now the 500g bags are £1.85.   A pleasant surprise was a tub of custard powder for £2. I don't know what the last one cost but the BB date was 2015!!! And while it's lost the edge of its flavour, it's still otherwise exactly as I'd expect from new: loose-flowing powder that turns yellow when made up.

What all that comes down to is a larger than normal shop for mostly dry goods, tins and similar, and a lack of freezer space despite eating up the oven chips at lunch.

Cairnpapple

Today's muffins used up the end of the frozen raspberries, some frozen cherries, some spelt flour, an out of date egg, some flaked almonds dated August 2023, and some almond essence dated 2018 (which embarrassingly means we've had it since before we moved house in 2019). I don't think almond essence really goes off but I do think all baked goods that are just for us are going to be almond flavoured now until we finish it!

Also out: 2 tubs of homemade chicken stock to make Thai chicken soup, which will also use up some of the out of date red curry paste that is still on the go (it was a big tub) and some frozen herbs.

In: half of the muffins.

LotsOfTea

I'm back home after a week away staying with relatives and focussed on using up the stores. I'm doing roast dinner today using a half chicken from the freezer for my two meat eaters and a veggie pie from the freezer for me. 

Cairnpapple - you've inspired me to use up some of my Thai green curry paste and make some soup as well. I'm going to add sweetcorn, cabbage, edamame and smoked tofu so it'll be big and chunky. When does soup become stew? Maybe it's soup if you eat it with a spoon no matter how chunky it gets. 😀