May 2022 Grocery Challenge

ragz_2

I've got just over £100 left of the budget, having made the mistake of taking DH shopping the other day and letting him buy treats in B&M (tinned crab and cockles!) and Tesco (gluten free jaffa cakes). We did get a few essentials as well though.
I popped to MrL in my lunch break on Friday and stocked up on more of my favourite coffee (their version of the fancy Alzeera stuff, actually nicer) as I keep some at work as well as using it at home because the instant they provide at work is vile. 

I need to have a proper look in the freezer shortly before I do the final online shop of the month, as my meal planning hasn't been brilliant recently. DH does most of the cooking at the moment and doesn't do well with not having a plan! I need to have plenty of easy meals for him as he's decorating this week.

@Greying_Pilgrim I've got a bag of dried black beans in the pantry, you appear to be the pulses guru around these parts... Any suggestions? I have a pressure cooker (instant pot). I've never bought them before so absolutely no idea what to do with them, but I saw them in the Asian supermarket and fancied a challenge (regretting it now, they weren't that cheap either!). 

K9sandFelines

pamsdish said:

Thanks @PipneyJane and you too @elsiepac belatedly, she came with "Cracker"   I tried "Ebony"  reverted to "Maddie"   my last dog as I kept calling her that, she is starting to respond to that.

@pamsdish One of my cats is called Cracker 😁. He came to us on the first day of Advent, so it was Cracker or Frostie 🎄. He suits Cracker.
I'm sure she will grow into the name Maddie ❤️

Greying_Pilgrim

ragz_2 said:

@Greying_Pilgrim I've got a bag of dried black beans in the pantry, you appear to be the pulses guru around these parts... Any suggestions? I have a pressure cooker (instant pot). I've never bought them before so absolutely no idea what to do with them, but I saw them in the Asian supermarket and fancied a challenge (regretting it now, they weren't that cheap either!). 

Lawks hun!  No pressure! 🤣

Well, I'm sure it's JO who pointed out that black beans have the most protein gram for gram of all the pulses - it was a 'factoid' when he was doing that series where he went all around the world and looked at the diets of people who lived the longest. 

Looking at my recipe card index, I've the following recipes that use black beans; Spicy hubby-approved black bean burgers, I have 3 versions of black bean chilli - one from Dean & DeLuca (with aubergine), one from the vegetarian student cookbook (with mushrooms), and one from Marlena Spieler (with lime cream), but none of them have online links.  But substitute black beans for red in any chilli dish you might otherwise make. I also have a recipe from Jack Monroe's 'Tin Can Cook' book for black bean daal - but can't find it on her website 🙁Also, I make 'Three Sisters Stew' and whilst I have never used black beans, I have used HG 'Cherokee Trail of Tears' beans which are black when dried, so bought beans would work just fine.  There are lots of different recipes for 'Three Sisters Stew' on the net.  

The burger recipe I've linked to is good - but i never put eggs in my burgers to bind, so I don't follow that recipe to the letter.  

Those are what I can suggest at the mo.  Any help?  I'm sure there are other GC'rs with plenty of other suggestions.  And I must admit, I have just seen a recipe by A&C for black beans, roast carrots and avocado which looks worthy of another peek........

Just to add, I tend to soak my dried beans overnight, and then cook at full power for approx 8 minutes in the PC.

Greying X

Bluegreen143

Black beans are yummy in chilli, I like them in a vegetarian chilli with sweet potato.

@Greying_Pilgrim given how healthy and unprocessed your diet is - I know the little one doesn’t always eat the same but still a very healthy diet for a wee one - I doubt the nutrition police could find fault with LG having some sweeties! 

I’ve given up on my principles and am now using sweets to bribe my two to try new things and eat vegetables. Always swore I wouldn’t do it, but it does work and I was getting desperate 😅

K9sandFelines

ragz_2 said:

@Greying_Pilgrim I've got a bag of dried black beans in the pantry, you appear to be the pulses guru around these parts... Any suggestions? I have a pressure cooker (instant pot). I've never bought them before so absolutely no idea what to do with them, but I saw them in the Asian supermarket and fancied a challenge (regretting it now, they weren't that cheap either!). 

@ragz_2 Hope you don't mind me butting in!? I have a recipe for Pineapple and Black bean stew. You could also do brownies. My favourite thing is to put them in wraps with pepper, onion, corn, lettuce, salsa or jalapeno, a little bit of "cheese" (I'm vegan) and put them in a panini press *chef's kiss*

K9sandFelines

K9sandFelines said:

Went to A1di yesterday and spent £19.69, H*meB*rgains £5.06; and got Tesc* coming today, with a projected spend of £39.09. I hope I don't need any major spends now, as got a lot more month than money left.
A lot of the things today and yesterday will last. I got a massive bag of brown lentils and a massive bag of chickpeas are on the shopping later. So will stretch to well over this month. Obviously not everything will though. 

The shopping came from Tesc*, and although it was meticulously planned I was shocked at how little it looked for £39 😒. There were a few more obscure things which will last me longer as mentioned above, also Tofu, sriracha, dried goods etc. I did get some fake cheeses which I like now and again; but these are for specific recipes. Nothing fancy, but more catered to the warmer weather. Just seems like such a long stretch ahead to the end of the month. Can't help but let out a bit of a yelp 😳

FrugalHedonist

@Greying Pilgrim, I'm intrigued by recipe index cards - how do you keep track of the recipes you use and do you do any specific meal planning?
  I'm afraid I have an array of book marked web pages on my phone( most that never made) as I rely on old favourites and I would like to be a bit more imaginative  😅  I do quite a bit of 'what can I make with what I have in', which isn't a bad thing but I do feel I need a better system that allows me to broaden my horizons recipe wise whilst not getting too spendy. Any tips gratefully received 

DawnW

K9sandFelines said:

ragz_2 said:

@Greying_Pilgrim I've got a bag of dried black beans in the pantry, you appear to be the pulses guru around these parts... Any suggestions? I have a pressure cooker (instant pot). I've never bought them before so absolutely no idea what to do with them, but I saw them in the Asian supermarket and fancied a challenge (regretting it now, they weren't that cheap either!). 

@ragz_2 Hope you don't mind me butting in!? I have a recipe for Pineapple and Black bean stew. You could also do brownies. My favourite thing is to put them in wraps with pepper, onion, corn, lettuce, salsa or jalapeno, a little bit of "cheese" (I'm vegan) and put them in a panini press *chef's kiss*

I love the sound of the wraps @K9sandFelines. I will definitely be having those. Not a vegan (we eat some meat and fish), but I do sometimes make vegan food, and (more often) vegetarian.

Greying_Pilgrim

FrugalHedonist said:

@Greying Pilgrim, I'm intrigued by recipe index cards - how do you keep track of the recipes you use and do you do any specific meal planning?
  I'm afraid I have an array of book marked web pages on my phone( most that never made) as I rely on old favourites and I would like to be a bit more imaginative  😅  I do quite a bit of 'what can I make with what I have in', which isn't a bad thing but I do feel I need a better system that allows me to broaden my horizons recipe wise whilst not getting too spendy. Any tips gratefully received 

Hun, I have recipes that I've used/like written out on 6"x4" Index/record cards - white for mains, yellow for curry, blue for baking etc, and they sit in an index card box.  They are notionally in alphabetical order in each section, so I stand some chance of finding a recipe - or sometimes I can find an option of what to do with an ingredient - ie 'black beans' would bring up 3 chilli choices.......  I now try to make sure that I have the originator of the recipe (or at least where i got that version from), especially if it was online - as I can double check ingredients, or look at how it 'should' look when prepped.....  Only 'keepers' get into the index box.  That way I have a selection of recipes old and new to select from (I add to it all the time).  I found when I just copied recipes into notebooks they were difficult to find - especially if I knew they used a specific ingredient that I had.  I know I'm old school, and people have recipes/cooking shows in hand on tablets etc, but this works for me.  I meal plan from knowing what I have in stock, what needs using/I've got hold of, plus a healthy dollop of looking through the cards for ideas and 'we've not had this for a while-isms'........

HTH.

FrugalHedonist

Greying_Pilgrim that's genius, thankyou - I prefer them written down and my current shambolic process isn't working. I think I will get myself some index cards, the nerd in me will find such joy in it 🤣