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

Cherryfudge

@Watty1 I love sardines, but if you don't, and they're in date, I'd second LotsofTea's vote for the food bank. 

@cornishchick, how about crumpets? They are nice with savoury toppings (cheese, bacon, butter and marmite etc.) as well as the traditional jam.

We had guests today so we cooked up a batch of chick pea tikka and have enough left to take with us next week (self catering). I have one portion left of the porridge I made the other day. It's going down well with some of the jam I otherwise keep forgetting to use up. We have a piece of salmon and some soup to use up tomorrow, as well as custard and a chunk of pudding. I think I will be taking veg with me at this rate but we bought fresh ginger for the curry today so I could make another carrot and ginger soup. This time I will have to reduce the amount of ginger as last time it was more like ginger soup with carrots for bulk!

LotsOfTea

I've done some good using up of old stuff today so I'm feeling very pleased with myself, even a little bit smug! 

Firstly I made pizza for myself and DS for lunch (inset day) using some of a huge catering bag of pizza dough mix I bought ages ago. It is really convenient because you can make pizzas really quickly but there's loads and it does need using up. I made extra pizza while I had the oven on so now I've got leftovers in the fridge for another day.

Then I made a batch of DS's favourite curry which used up some of the old tinned tomatoes from the ZA stores and some ancient frozen spinach (nearly at the end of the bag now).

Finally I've made a big pot of veggie chilli which I managed to chuck the last of a really old bag of frozen fine green beans into as well as some more tinned toms and kidney beans. 

Oh I nearly forgot that I brought out half a loaf of banana & chocolate cake to defrost from the freezer too (from May, that one was after I started labelling stuff) ready to use for DS's packed lunch tomorrow. 

Keep on plugging away at it everyone, we're getting there! 

Watty1

The tins of sardines went to the food bank along with some packets of pre-cooked rice and a bag of protein powder with greens and berries mixed in.   The later sounded disgusting and I was sent it at work to review and knew i wouldn't like it (or maybe I actually bought it on a whim, lets hope not!).   The pre-cooked rice thingies I have no idea where they came from, one had a mixture of peas and mango in!  I always have frozen rice in the freezer and so I released the packets with joy.

Tonight the boyfriend cooked a m/chef meal that was bought before I started this budget / use up malarky.

Nelliegrace

I defrosted a pack of four turkey sausages for dinner yesterday which we had with new potatoes and a variety of steamed vegetables and gravy.

Today it was an unidentified pack which when defrosted in the fridge, turned out to be two small pork leg steaks. I used the pressure cooker for a pork and butter bean stew with onion, celery, potato, sweet potato, carrots and a dried bay leaf. I served that with greens leftover from yesterday, and I shall add some tinned tomatoes to the leftover stew for tomorrow.

Then there will be some leftover tomatoes for soup. 

Lunch was marmite on toast to use up some rather dense homemade bread, which DH forgot to take out of the breadmaker. I remember a radio talk on avoiding food waste. Someone had Marmite. Her husband had bought several very large jars doing the shopping when she had the baby. The baby was a teenager and they still had some jars left. The expert said that, so long as the knife used in the jar was clean, it should be fine. We are testing the limits of Marmite viability. When was the original England Cricket edition?

Has anyone tried porridge with peanut butter? It is surprisingly good.

Cherryfudge

You are all doing a great job! We are away and self catering so h/m soups have come with us (not enough freezer space) but I’ve already shopped at the local supermarket here for fresh stuff… makes me realise our local cost of living isn’t too bad at all compared to some.

YorksLass

Hooray, the freezer has finally been defrosted!  I managed to run down the contents until I could put what was left into the fridge compartment and only lost one choc ice.  I left out two pork shoulder steaks that we're having tonight in a BBQ sauce with jacket potatoes and butter beans.  It wasn't as bad as I feared it would be, probably because I caught it in time.  I know exactly what's in there now and it looks so tidy - if only it would stay that way!      

knitandsew

I got brave and went freezer diving!
I grabbed three bags of mystery meat/stock bones and put them all in the slowcooker overnight.
So today will be pir from the meat that's fallen off the bones , I'll also harvest the fat that's risen to the surface and keep it for yorkshire puddings etc and I'll waterbath the stock

Nelliegrace

I got a portion of cooking bacon out of the freezer. A 500g pack costs £1 at Sainsbury’s, I look for a pack with thin slices and use some and freeze 4 portions. 
I am freezing lightly beaten eggs in individual pots, wherever there is a space in the freezer. Three of the hens are still laying though they will start the autumn moult soon. It is four days to the Autumn equinox. 

YorksLass

Out today - half a loaf of wholemeal bread for toast and sausages for tomorrow's tea.  Will also be using some scampi for tonight but that will be cooked from frozen.
In - nothing.

LotsOfTea

Congrats on getting your freezer defrosted @YorksLass 🎉 I'm very much still working towards emptying mine enough for the rest of it to fit in the coolbox while I defrost it. 

I did take out a pack of chorizo style veggie sausages today which I used two of for lunch fried up with a few leftover cooked spuds, some onion and cabbage. I had a portion of my veggie chilli last night for tea and honestly I should remember just how hot the extra hot chili powder is when I'm cooking! It was really spicy and I love spicy food but I did have to blow my nose a few times. I might freeze a few portions as a decongestant in case I get a cold!