Tighten Your Belt with SW?Tighten Your Belt with SW.

joedenise

Morning all, the weather has certainly changed today!  It's colder and wet so not very nice at all.  Have to go shopping as didn't go earlier in the week other than to the farm shop for stew veg which have mostly been chopped and made into a huge stew!  I also added half a can of chickpeas which were in the freezer, some pearl barley and soup and broth mix which is why there is so much more than usual.   I couldn't get it all in my normal 6 litre pressure cooker and had to get the 7 litre one out to fit it in!  Don't really like that one as I find it difficult to get stuff out of once it's cooked because it's that bit taller than the smaller one.  But there is plenty there for dinners for a couple of nights and I'll also portion up the rest for the freezer.

@Coxy11 - those Greggs bhaji and rice sound nice and not too synful at 4 syns.  May try one of those if DH decides he's getting a sausage roll or pie from there rather than going without like I usually do!

It sounds as though your thinking about what you're eating now @SingleSue and deciding before going out what to have.  Steak is a great choice when you go out to eat.  Carvery is also a good choice.  Is it one of those where you could get extra meat as that could fill your plate up a bit more!  Don't you like veg other than carrots?  Usually there are other veg like peas and cabbage.

Today's plan:

B - porridge, strawberries, blueberries, cherries (frozen) - HEB; S; F
L - stuffed peppers - HEA2; S; F
D - beef stew, mash - P; S; F

HEA1 - milk
HEA2 - cheese
HEB - porridge
Syns - none planned (DH opened wine last night so went over syns so no syns today!)

Have a good day everyone.

SingleSue

joedenise said:

Morning all, the weather has certainly changed today!  It's colder and wet so not very nice at all.  Have to go shopping as didn't go earlier in the week other than to the farm shop for stew veg which have mostly been chopped and made into a huge stew!  I also added half a can of chickpeas which were in the freezer, some pearl barley and soup and broth mix which is why there is so much more than usual.   I couldn't get it all in my normal 6 litre pressure cooker and had to get the 7 litre one out to fit it in!  Don't really like that one as I find it difficult to get stuff out of once it's cooked because it's that bit taller than the smaller one.  But there is plenty there for dinners for a couple of nights and I'll also portion up the rest for the freezer.

@Coxy11 - those Greggs bhaji and rice sound nice and not too synful at 4 syns.  May try one of those if DH decides he's getting a sausage roll or pie from there rather than going without like I usually do!

It sounds as though your thinking about what you're eating now @SingleSue and deciding before going out what to have.  Steak is a great choice when you go out to eat.  Carvery is also a good choice.  Is it one of those where you could get extra meat as that could fill your plate up a bit more!  Don't you like veg other than carrots?  Usually there are other veg like peas and cabbage.

Today's plan:

B - porridge, strawberries, blueberries, cherries (frozen) - HEB; S; F
L - stuffed peppers - HEA2; S; F
D - beef stew, mash - P; S; F

HEA1 - milk
HEA2 - cheese
HEB - porridge
Syns - none planned (DH opened wine last night so went over syns so no syns today!)

Have a good day everyone.

Unfortunately, I cannot stand peas or cabbage, nor broccoli or cauliflower and I am likely to do someone an injury if they come near me with a sprout. I do like carrots, sweetcorn, parsnips and onions...oh and potatoes (normal and sweet). That does mean however that for meals out, the choice is very limited.

When the boys were small, the health visitor voiced her concern about the lack of green veg and their meals because of my dislike of them, my boys were the only ones at a wedding who asked for vegetables with their chicken nuggets (the only option on the menu for children attending). They absolutely love their veg and eat the full range.

joedenise

That's a shame that you don't like veg.  The Cauvery I sometimes go to often had roasted parsnips and onions as well as the usual veg.  Have to admit it's been a while since I've been there so don't know if they have cut back on what they serve.  It's good that your boys love veg.  That's annoying about only having chicken nuggets for the children at a wedding.  It's a bit like a lot of restaurants where there's only things like nuggets and sausages and always with chips.

Just an update on the stew - there was even more than I thought!  I've got 4 portions in the fridge - 2 for tonight, 2 for tomorrow night and 5 bags of 2 portions in the freezer.  It's amazing how much extra there is with adding the soup mix and pearl barley.  Think we will be having stew quite regularly for the next few weeks!

ruby_eskimo

All this talk of carvery's is making me really want one now!  Might have to make a trip out on Sunday 😆

Vegastare

Hi All

So the good news my blood test were all fine, so a relief.  My numbness and cold and tingling and burn still effect my feet sometimes it drives me mad...so will make an appt when I can. 

Bad news = WL stayed the same, will have to blast away after hols

We are away for a week so it is a relief to go without anything hanging over me.

@joedenise shall not be counting syns for the wine - glug glug, but will do everything in moderation - I promise🤞

B 1 weetbix mixed fruits and l f yog
L   open prawn salad sandwich with celery and sliced tom lf mayo.
D   SW beef stew broc and grilled toms.

Syn 0.5 mayo lf hi fi 3
HEB bread cereal HEA milk

Catch up soon

Coxy11

Glad the blood results were fine @Vegastare and hope you can relax for your week away. Don't worry about the STS - I'd take that any day of the week!

Disaster in Greggs - no sweet potato bhaji(!) so I got their Smoky Cajun Rice with BBQ Chicken and Sweetcorn Fritters. No barcode on the pack to scan but all green on the traffic light system. It's 5 syns. Went to the Post Office to send a recorded letter to HMRC - bloody strike on! Honestly, what is it with me and posting items this week?!

Got some plaice and sweet potato fries for dinner, will have with green beans.

maman

Good news about the blood tests @Vegastare. 😊 It would have been nice to get a loss but STS is OK. Have a really great holiday and then have a plan ready for when you get back. 

I prefer to have steak when I'm out too. I don't think it ever tastes the same fried or with a domestic grill. You might like to try Hairy Bikers' braised steak @SingleSue. I use the beef medallions from Aldi for it but any braising steak would do. You could add carrots as well as the onions to get your Speed. I think the gravy with it is delicious and I count it as syn free as a tsp of cornflour shared is hardly worth bothering about. 

You're well stocked with stew @joedenise. Ideal as the weather turns colder. I'm not a fan of pearl barley but often use lentils.

Shame you couldn't get what you wanted in Greggs @Coxy11 but let us know what the chicken and rice was like. We used to buy cheese slices and pasties in there on the way to football but I just couldn't bring myself to have 20+ syns on something like that now. 

I'm seriously considering an air fryer as using the oven seems to eat up electricity. I know a number of you have them so would you give me pros and cons? I use my oven a lot. As well as for the obvious roasts and casseroles, I'll use it for things like chips, baked fish, mushrooms and tomatoes and then just do some greens on the hob at the last minute. 

Today I prepped the veg for dinner early and did a bit extra to have with my lunch. I need to do my meal plan carefully for next week as I've quite a lot of veg left that needs using up.

Today's EE plan-
B- HEB toast, HEA1 milk for drinks, bacon, fried eggs (P), tomatoes (S) 
L- ham (P), vegetable hash (F, S), beetroot (S)
D- corned beef hash (P, F, S, HEA2 cheese topping), broccoli and cauliflower (S)
Syns- corned beef 4? horseradish 1

beanielou

Another much one here coxy feeling much more achey & stiff.
I loathe the cold.
Not helped by having to ration my heating 

beanielou

maman~~I have a small Ninja.
Use it instead of oven.

Question~~has anyone tried soup in the slow cooker.

maman

Thanks @beanielou. Sorry to hear you're full of aches and pains. Fortunately it's not too cold down here yet. 

I have made soup in the SC but not often, usually just when I've done a piece of gammon. It works fine though.