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

oceandreamer

Thanks @rtandon27 I'll give that a go while the oven is on for tea. Have eaten the next to last mince pie.

Cherryfudge

I think this is the first time I've not had a single mince pie, even by accident. That's only because I know I have several jars of mincemeat so I won't be deprived.

I had more of the hummus for lunch but it still looks like about ten days' worth. Perhaps I need to make freezer space for some.

Dinner was the rest of the liver and bacon with onions, tinned tomatoes and baked potato or sweet potato, which we ate while watching the program on 'What not to eat'. I think everything except the bacon passed muster, and the presenter couldn't see the snacks I had at other times. I also used up the oil from some sundried tomatoes to cook the onions, which was nice as well as not wasteful. Then I discovered two more jars of sundried tomatoes. What on earth did I used to use them for? It would be handy if I could remember.

I finished up a fruit tea (cranberry and raspberry) yesterday. It's one I might buy again once there's more cupboard space. I've also tidied a small shelf in the food cupboard and threw out a manky Refresher. Space saved.  

DH had his bring and share meal and brought home the last two of the cakes he made. He said they were heavy, but we don't know why: normally he bakes well. There's just one left now. The cake mountain is getting a bit smaller.

oceandreamer

Thanks @rtandon27 for the tip about the crackers.  They are now perfectly crisp and I am gong to have them for lunch with the last of the Christmas cheese and some home made chutney.  Tea is sausage (from the freezer) and mash with red onion gravy, peas (from the freezer) and carrots.  Am beginning to be able to see a few more things in the freezer now so as things turn up I am thinking what to do with them and adding them to the meal plan.

LotsOfTea

The new fridge freezer will be arriving today - hooray! We had to empty the old one out this morning and stuff as much as we could into the coolbox. The rest is just in big bags and hopefully will be fine. I did chuck out quite a few odd slices of bread from the freezer that looked very unappealing and freezer-burned but I think that's for the best. I've been eating some nice seeded sourdough from the freezer today, with peanut butter and banana for breakfast and with fried egg and chilli oil for lunch. I shall definitely have some vegetables for tea! Although we have got a lot of bread products to get through so it might be veggie fajitas.

oceandreamer

Tea tonight was a risotto using up one chicken breast and a piece of chorizo from the freezer.  I did but some mushrooms to put in and some broccoli to have with it but otherwise everything from stores. 

Cherryfudge

Today we used up a couple of pieces of breaded fish and some broccoli from the freezer, and I discovered frozen blueberries so some of those are defrosting to go on cereal tomorrow.

Lunch was overnight oats and a pastry so that used one soft banana and some yogurt but there's another banana and lots more yogurt to use.

LotsOfTea

Well the new fridge/freezer arrived yesterday and although that works fine the ice and chilled water it's supposed to produce is not working. We're now waiting to see when someone can come and fix that. 

On the plus side, we're busy using up the stuff that defrosted from the old freezer and doing pretty well. Last night we had some mini feta & red pepper rolls (like sausage rolls but veggie) with mushroom risotto and the previous night we had a selection of odd pizza slices and garlic bread. I'll be honest some of pizza had been in the freezer too long and was very dry but it's a lesson learned I hope.

oceandreamer

@LotsOfTea that's so annoying but well done for taking action straight away it's so easy to let things like that sip until it's too late to get anything done really.
Using the leftover lamb from last weekend's roast to make a hotpot in the slow cooker today. All veg from stores, including a 5p xmas swede which looks a bit wrinkly but is ok. 

rtandon27

We've been making in-roads into the home-prepared meals in the freezer.  The latest successful find was a veg heavy mousakka which somehow tasted better than when it was fresh!  Also discovered some 'turkey ham'  we had cooked, sliced and frozen so removed sandwich meat from this week's shopping list and will be defrosting that find and turning it into BLT's for lunch today.  The goal for this month is to empty the freezer of all pre-prepared items & empty an entire drawer of food to make room for a bulk buy of dim sum to coincide with the lunar new year sales.

oceandreamer

Today I used up some (reduced) smoked salmon with broccoli and pasta.  I made a sauce using some double cream that had previously been frozen and it split and looked dreadful.  As a last resort I thickened it with some cornflour and blitzed it in the liquidiser.  No-one was any the wiser and it turned out fine thankfully as I am pretty sure there are more cartons of cream lurking deep in the freezer.