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

LotsOfTea

Well I did my bit for reducing food waste by using the flesh of our Halloween pumpkin to make soup for today's lunch. I added the juice and zest of a couple of oranges too and that really perked it up as pumpkin can be a bit bland. DS thought it was a bit too "tangy" but DH & I both really liked it which is good as there's loads left! 

I made a start on using up the many cashew nuts I have as well by adding them to some sauteed leeks and mushrooms to make some packet noodles into a proper meal. The packet noodles were from the ZA stores so that's another win! 

Oh I also found a tub of quality street in the cupboard from last Xmas! We've tried them and they're still fine. Not sure how I managed to forget about those.

Nelliegrace

The unappetising portion of liver in the freezer made a tasty dinner of liver in onion gravy with new potatoes and steamed vegetables. 
The long-frozen butter beans were not so good. 
I froze another 6 of our hens’ eggs. Enough for a bara brith a week at least. The egg ration of one per week would have been difficult, no wonder powdered eggs were welcomed.

YorksLass

@Nelliegrace - My late DM and DH both loved scrambled eggs using powdered eggs and neither of them was ever very keen on fresh eggs, no matter how they were cooked!

My new fridge/freezer arrived yesterday - hooray! - and it's great.  Smaller than my last one but it's an ideal size for one/two people households.  It's extremely quiet and I don't have to stand on tiptoe to reach stuff at the back of the top shelf.  Having used up the contents of the old one, I now have to re-stock of course, but I have a plan - I shall be using some loyalty points rather than spending cash.

I did spend some cash today though by buying a freezer offer at the Co-Op which was: Carte D'or vanilla ice cream 900ml, a bag of garden peas, a box of x2 breaded fish, a bag of McCain oven chips and a bag of scampi.  The full retail price was £13.25, freezer offer price £6 less £1 membership so I actually only paid £5.  That's 4 meals for me with chips, peas and ice cream to spare.  

Cherryfudge

I obviously need to look at my Coop app! Thanks for that @YorksLass. Enjoy the new fridge/freezer.

YorksLass

You're welcome @Cherryfudge.

LotsOfTea

We're on a mission to empty the fridge-freezer as quickly as possible now as although the freezer is supposed to be frost free there's been ice building up under the bottom drawer so we're going to have to do a proper defrost. It's the second time it's happened this year and I'm starting to think it's on its way out which is annoying. We've had it 10 years but I feel like things should last longer than that and we spent a bit more at the time to get a "good" brand in the hope that would make it more reliable. 

With that in mind DH and I had veg Thai green curry last night and for lunch we had things from the freezer with hm chips and veg (DH & I had some mushroom sausages and DS had a lone chicken thigh). 

I'm pretty sure there's one portion of DS's favourite curry in the freezer and definitely some veggie "keema" curry that I can have so I'll make some naan and we'll have those for lunch followed by ice cream. I've taken it a packet of seitan to defrost as well and will use some of that in a stir fry for tea. 

DH has had to go away for work for a few days so he's not here to help with the eating up which is a shame although it's going to take more than a few days so he'll be drafted in as soon as he gets back!

Right, off to do important Sunday stuff like drinking tea and putting off ironing the school uniforms 😁

Cherryfudge

I've not made any real progress on long term stuff recently, but did a shop to use some coupons and now have a ridiculous amount of cappuccino sachets. They were on offer and I know I'll use them, though.

I was also proud of finishing a box or so fruit teas but I treated myself to more which I'm determinedly not starting till I've finished another.

Tea tonight is chick pea tikka which uses 7 tins and feeds us for a few days: perfect on a week when DH and I are rarely both eating at the same time.

YorksLass

@LotsOfTea - Welcome to my world!  Believe me, it's going to take longer to empty than you think (sorry, that's probably not what you want to hear).  Ours was just over 11 years old and I can't tell you how happy I was to get my new one last week.

Cherryfudge

I followed @EssexHebridean's soup idea this lunchtime which meant a butternut squash (I typed 'squeash': somehow that's a very satisfying word) that's been around so long I no longer saw it, has been eaten! It also means I need to get more coconut milk, but that's okay. Next time I make it, I'll use a third of a chorizo as a quarter wasn't enough (EH doesn't specify). I also need a younger squash! This one was okay but a bit rubbery!

The afternoon was spent on Bonfire Night baking: sticky gingerbread and parkin. I used a recipe Mum gave me exactly 30 years ago for parkin: it tastes right but I'm sure parkin was never meant to turn into small biscuits. Perhaps I need to put in a search for other recipes and see where this one varies!

I've used up the dark brown sugar, the butternut squash and some blanched almonds, none of which needs urgent replacement, and made inroads into various other ingredients. No foodstuffs bought but I checked the supermarket apps and DH's favourite crispbreads are on offer, as well as other things, so I'll be stocking up, probably tomorrow.

Watty1

Dinner last night was lentil soup using some of the many red lentils in the cupboard with celery onion and carrots from the fridge and served with bread from the bread-maker.    The pot made 7 servings so a fair bit in the freezer and one portion in the fridge for lunch. 

Homemade baked beans with sausages tonight to use up another tin of haricot beans. 

Decided to make some energy balls using up the nuts but discovered they had all gone.  The boyfriend has been eating his way through them so I have two bags of dried apricots to think of something to do with. Ideas welcomed.