January 2008 Grocery Challenge

arbroath_lass

nykmedia wrote: »

Can anyone tell me how to freeze potatoes?

I've never tried it but am going to have a go. I am going to try freezing mash and boiled potatoes. I thought the mash would reheat ok and I could spray the boiled potatoes with oil for roasties in the oven. I suppose frying them would be ok too but I don't have a deep fat fryer or even a chip pan.

nopot2pin

Sunnyday wrote: »

Tattycath did you mean soda crystals?
If you did i`m going to try mixing them half and half with bio soap powder for my washing.

There was a thread in OS a while back, that was about making soap powder go futher.
Basically, you mixed the following
one third of your normal branded soap powder that you like the smell of
one third of value soap powder
one third of soda crystals.
I have not tried it yet, as I have the washing tablets at the moment. But looked interesting

scotrae wrote: »

Firstly, thanks to the person who thanked my DH for his meatball recipe. He was glowing with pride when I read your post out to him and suggested that ishould tell you all about his homemade veggie burger and chips that he made to use everything up last night. Another time perhaps!

Were the veggie burgers not any good ?? I would be quite interesed of the recipe if they were
Thanks

nykmedia wrote: »

Can anyone tell me how to freeze potatoes? I'd love to be able to freeze them in as many different ways as possible, even as oven style chips (I don't have a fryer). I know it's possible to buy frozen mash and the cottage pies always freeze OK but can I freeze just mash, for example? Or baked or boiled potatoes? Or roast potatoes? If this has already been asked, accept my apologies and please point me in the right direction of the answers, thank you

I have started freezing mash recently.
When I am making mash, I purposely make a bit extra. Then I get scoop/tablespoon fulls of mash, put it on greaseproof paper and freeze it. When its frozen, I put it into a freezer bag. That way, you kinda know how much each person will have for a portion... 2/3/4/17 scoops of mash :eek:
To use, I just defrost and heat in the microwave.

I have not tried to freeze other types of spuds:o ... yet:D

positivelypurple

I'm doing much better than I thought I would this month - only 10 days to go and I'm only half way through my budget. I'll bring it down quite a bit next month, I obviously spent way too much over November and December.

I've still got a freezer and a cupboard full of food and I didn't bother with a big 'weekly' shop this week, just popped into the shops yesterday for milk and fruit and bits for DS's lunch box. :j

scotrae

nopot2pin wrote: »

Were the veggie burgers not any good ?? I would be quite interesed of the recipe if they were

... and to Sunnyday, who was also asking.

Blimey! Perhaps I should get DH to write a frugal cookbook! I'm sure he'd be happy to oblige and I'll get him to recite his recipe to me later. I'm off out with a friend today, looking at beads and jewellery for her new business so it will be later this evening before i post it. But they were good - particularly as he'd shaped them with heart-shaped cutters (ah) and the farm shop spuds chipped wonderfully.

Have a good day y'all!

Sunnyday

nopot2pin wrote: »

There was a thread in OS a while back, that was about making soap powder go futher.
Basically, you mixed the following
one third of your normal branded soap powder that you like the smell of
one third of value soap powder
one third of soda crystals.
I have not tried it yet, as I have the washing tablets at the moment. But looked interesting


I have started freezing mash recently.
When I am making mash, I purposely make a bit extra. Then I get scoop/tablespoon fulls of mash, put it on greaseproof paper and freeze it. When its frozen, I put it into a freezer bag. That way, you kinda know how much each person will have for a portion

Thankyou so much for that, i was just going to try Daz and the crystals but
will now get some value powder too, the bad news is that when DH went to Morrisons yesterday and asked for the crystals the assistant looked at him as if he had grown 2 heads i know that they have them in asda so i`ll wait until we go there.

I love your idea to freeze the mash in portions and i will definitely be trying this soon, it will defrost quicker and then i know exactly how much to take out of the freezer, this will save all the spuds i have stored from going manky, i`m sure i read somewhere that reheated potatoes are especially good for you but i can`t remember why or where i read it
Catch up later.
SD

cheerfulness4

I must come back on tonight for that veggieburger recipe.

Another £3.14 spent on veg and fruit. Can't wait for the summer when we can eat from the garden again.
Picked the last of my beetroot last weekend.... the smell of summer as I simmered it was lovely on a winters day.

I'm envious of you lot that have sacks of potatoes so cheap. My local farmer no longer sells them and the other farm shop wants £7.50 a sack. :eek: Must hunt around.

MRSMCAWBER

Morning everyone

Jacket potatoes freeze well if you take the middles out and bash them with fried onions and a bit of grated cheese, stuff them again and then freeze (you could use leftover bits of ham, bacon or anything else in need of using;) ).
Cheese, onion and potato flans are another way of using up potatoes -and they freeze brilliantly -i make 12 x 4.5" individual ones at a time -lovely with baked beans

well confession time :sad: I ended up picking up 12 cartons of milk €8.76 and 2x2kg organic potatoes €1.50 on Friday evening total €10.26 which leaves 31c if i am to come in under my super tight fisted goal of €50 :rotfl:.. although I do have the reat of my official budget €150 left :shhh: . I got a case of 12 milk whilst we were in the car -as i generally walk to do all of my shopping and sometimes the only reason i have to go out is for milk -so now i have a safety net

I think we have everything we need for the rest of the week anyway... no doubt i will think of something :rolleyes:

The milk hasn't been touched yet -so that will go into February too :T

I have figured that in february i have enough:-

washpowder/fabric softener
toilet rolls
toiletries
cleaning stuff
coffee
tea bags
milk
cereal
bread flour
dilute
cheese
gammon joints

to see us right through the month (and beyond in some cases)and various other items to give us a good start -fingers crossed

So it will be pretty much just be fruit, veg and chicken that i need to buy for most of February :j

I have to also confess to buying some more seeds in LIDL (different budget mind:A )... 2 lots of spring onions, a torpedo reetboot, chard and a spinach -19c a packet :j and a sugar snap pea for 49c .... just wish this weather would let up and let me out in the garden :mad:

well i had better get of and catch up with what is happening evrywhere else -of to the OS weightloss thread 1st me thinks ..

have a good day everyone -and keep up with the good work :T

FunBrum

I went over budget by 8p last week but have been under previously, so on budget for the month;)

I've had such a lot of DD and yearly bills to pay out but that normally calms down about feb. So I'm hoping to pay down my loan with whats saved as my c/card is at 0% and I will have paid that off by the time the 0% expires.:T

I know this week will be a really frugal one so...bring it on!:beer:

Everyone seems to be doing well...great stuff!:T

Jacks_xxx

annie123 wrote: »

Opps! stopped into sainsburys on the way back from work for what should have cost £10.

£23 later I have chocolate biscuits, cakes, crisps and other snack stuff :eek:

I have learnt a lesson this month

don't go shopping at that time of the month!

Am I the only one girls???

I'm quite glad I'm not the only one!

When I was going through my wardrobe a while ago looking for things to sell on eBay I was really cross with myself about the things that were in there that I had never (or hardly) worn and all of a sudden it hit me like a ton of bricks...

I'd bought every single ugly unflattering one of them when in the grip of my TOTM.

And a worrying number of garments were bright turquoise which isn't a colour I wear very much...

It's like all my inhibitions ( and any pretensions to class and taste) vanish and I buy clothes for some other woman who likes to ahem... stand out more than I do. :rolleyes:

And heaven forbid that I should go near a chocolate, biscuit or cake aisle at the TOTM! :eek:

Love Jacks xxx

annie123

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

And annie123 not sure if you're joking but I can tell you it's no joke for me It's the same as shopping drunk AND on an empty stomach. In fact I'm best staying out of shops altogether at that time...

No joke. I couldn't believe it when I started unpacking at home.:o

I must have always been like that, but because I am doing the challenge I have started to meal plans etc so I know what I should be buying.

I have discovered that I am able to exercise no self control whatsoever when it comes to choc at TOTM, the thought of a nice jucy tomato just didn't do it for me:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Nice to know that I am not the only one.