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

greent

Out of the freezer this week - 4 ready meals (high protein/ lower calories ones bought for pence and taken for work lunches), 1/2 pack lamb meatballs (eaten with pasta), 2 kyivs, and a pack of Gf wraps (eaten by DS1 gf) - Ooh, and a couple of chicken breasts and 3 falafels. In (bought and cooked before, so had them in fridge until room - 8 chicken legs, 3 chicken thighs, 1 dinner plate sized Yorkshire pudding)

Still no room, and there are a couple of bags of veggies I could do with prepping and freezing...

JingsMyBucket

LotsOfTea said:

That's a good idea @Cherryfudge. I didn't think of that but I'm sure it'll help. Thanks!

I'm not going to take too much credit for the empty freezer drawer - the freezer itself forced it upon us. Still, I guess it's progress whatever the reason.

@LotsOfTea take the freezer win however which way you can get it! 😂

Cherryfudge

Some successes here!

I finished the parsnip soup and remembered what was different that made it so good: real butter rather than oil or margarine. No matter that the butter was OOD and I was trying to use it up, it was still good!

I finally made the spiced carrot hummus and now have a cereal bowl full of it even after having some for tea. If I make it again I think I'll find a different recipe as it needed a bit of zing and there's a variation that includes ginger.

We finished up a pack of plaice for lunch, and the last of the Christmas carrots (yippee!) along with a potato and a sweet potato from stores and some peas. Afterwards I had the last of the shop-bought muffins, which leaves cake supplies as a few small cakes that I made the other day, a couple of Eccles cakes that were being marked down, DH's Chelsea buns and about a quarter of the Christmas cake. I'm going to pace myself!

DH remembered he is going to a lunch tomorrow and was asked to bring a tray bake, but we can't find the tray bake tray and I may have given it to DD as we never use it, so he made muffins. I'm throwing out the last three of 10 eggs as they're too far gone, so DH started a new box - bought when I checked Olio and found a lot of discounts at Ice1and. So once again I've filled the fridge and freezer: more sausage meat, ham, chicken, bacon and easy peelers. We finished the muffin cases and almost finished the icing sugar.

oceandreamer

Another sliced bun out of the freezer for lunch and at the same time unearthed (well that's not entirely true - some items fell out and I saw them lurking behind) some rump steaks -reduced of course - so got them out and had steak and chips for tea.  I made some pepper sauce and had no cream so used the last of the baileys cream - and very nice it was too.  Oh also some frozen peas out.  And for once, nothing in! 
Also took a (cheap from before xmas) half leg of lamb out for a roast tomorrow.

DigForVictory

Cherryfudge said:

I was going to ask what this thing is - an empty freezer shelf - but I seem to remember it's a theoretical possibility not often seen on this thread.

Would it help to put bubble wrap or similar in the empty space so warmer air doesn't circulate when you open the door?

Bizarrely, yes. T'interweb suggests bread loaves or even bottles of water so the air can circulate as "this reduces energy use as the freezer doesn't work as hard to cool empty air"
Shocking, but there's science for you.

greent

Used most of a bag of 5p potatoes and the same of carrots and a bag of 5p shallots with some YS diced beef and DH made a vat of stew - I'll top it with dumplings tomorrow.

Gave a choc bombe pudding to DD with a full tub of choc orange cream and a full can of Baileys squirty cream (2 unwell people with heavy colds over Xmas equals less cream eaten)

Had pate and cheese and crackers for lunch - opened a mini jar or rhubarb and blackberry pickle to go with it - yum! 😋

Failed this morning, though - parked at Asda for parkrun as carpark was full so nipped in and everything I bought was reduced but even so.... 3 x 12 pack beef meatballs, 2 x 700g pack diced beef (1 used), 2 x chkn tikka and rice for DS1, a pack of coleslaw mix (eaten for dinner tonight), a pack of tenderstem broccoli- so now have all of that to add to the mountain...

2 pieces of chkn from freezer eaten for dinner with the coleslaw mix and some baby potatoes from the fridge (bought possibly in Oct,)

I need to stay away from shops!!!

Cherryfudge

I like your use of the Bailey's cream, @oceandreamer - a great example of fridge/freezer diving turning up a  treat you wouldn't otherwise have discovered.

@greent, are you my alter ego or something? Still chipping away at the Christmas veg and buying freezer-stuffers at the slightest excuse (sounds like a good haul). At least you went to the parkrun so you will have earned the calories which Is more than I can say.

oceandreamer

Tub of cauliflower cheese taken out of the freezer to have with roast tonight.  Does anyone know a way of re-crisping crackers that have gone a bit soft?

rtandon27

@oceandreamer - recrisping can be done in a microwave for a few at a time or in the oven, one layer, for a box.  Remember to let them cool for them to crisp up.

greent

So I stayed away from the shops today - whoop!! DH, however, didn't... I sent him with a list (some fresh fruit was required, along with both SR and plain flour) and he also bought reduced chicken breasts.... I literally have no room in any of the 3 freezers and I are chicken breasts, diced beef and meatballs to try and squeeze in - alongside 4 onion bhaji and a tub of red cabbage from the fridge..... argh!!! 

Lunch was pate on toast to use up some more of the Xmas pate (last lot left now!) and some going over white bread (I baked a seeded wholemeal yesterday) Dinner is the stew, so no progress with the freezer there (in fact it will create an issue, as he made a vat of it...)

Looks like tomorrow's lunch will be another high protein RM bought NYE for pence, just so I can squeeze something else into the space it will create! 🤣

Eta: tomorrow's lunch is now lettuce and potato soup after DH got rid of a 3/4 still left Iceberg lettuce, as he bought a new one. I softened it with a bunch of very dried out spring onions, 1 shallot and added in a jacket potato that had been cooked but not eaten and was sat in the fridge. Chicken stock and seasoning added and blitzed until smooth and thick and there you are 😊I may add a small spoon of (plain!) cream tomorrow.
Meatballs have been baked, so they can live in the fridge another day, rather than having to find space tonight (plus they will now take up less space when they do go in the freezer)