Vegan Storecupboard Challenge Winter 25 - Winter 26

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Having the same meal as last night today (minus the spaghetti squash) to use up leftovers 😋 

Menu plan for the week is; 

Okara loaf with horseradish mash, mushy peas and cauliflower 

Bbq banana blossom in quinoa wraps with sweetcorn and pineapple salsa

Burmese tofu with spaghetti squash, grains, broccoli and dijon carrots and parsnips 

Harissa roasted cauliflower, butter beans in a cashew cream herb sauce, grains and salad 

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Made okara burgers and mushy peas yesterday and had them with mash, carrots and gravy - didn't take a piccie as had the kids coming round so limited on time but we're having the same again tonight so I'll post a piccie then 😉 

Making the burgers was a useful exercise in using up bits from the freezer as I popped the quarter bag of cannellini beans,  a bit of leftover tofu and the bag of almonds into the mixture 😁 I made 3 different types - one with 'chicken' stock powder and herbs; one with chilli sauce, smoked paprika and liquid smoke and one with nutritional yeast, miso and a glug of sweet and sour sauce that was lurking in the bottom of a bottle in the fridge 🙌 

I haven't added up what I've spent some far this winter but I will do so today (I've kept receipts) - I'm fairly sure that it's less than £150 so far and that's included some household stuff and lots of oat milk (I'm giving up the lattes after today - I'm having far too many calories and too much sugar from them!🤦‍♀️) so I'm happy with that! 😁

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Okay - shopping: 

17/11
Oat milk £6
Black grapes £1.90
Blueberries £2
Strawberries £2.30
Rocket £0.84

Total: £13.04

23/11
Tinned tomatoes £0.47
Jam £3
Marmalade £2.70
Peanut butter £1.10
Glue £4
Laundry liquid (emergency bottle) £2.95
Oranges £1.19
Cauliflower £2
Apples £1.80
Rice cakes £2
Marmite rice cakes £1.75
Crackers £2.20
Strawberries £2.30
Blueberries £2
Bananas £0.70
Bread £0.75
Rocket £1.68

Total: £32.59

24/11
Loo roll £13
Bubble bath £1.98
Toothpaste £2.49
Coffee bags £3.80
Chamomile tea bags £1.60
Mandarins £3.60

Total: £26.47


Overall total: £72.10

Plus the £41.46 spent earlier in the month on calpol, rice, fruit, cereal, bread, oat milk, deodorant, fizzy orange and flowers - 

Grand total: £113.56

I'm pleased with that as it includes cupboard stuff I don't buy often, stuff for dh at work, household stuff and bits for dh as he's trying to wean himself off his crisp addiction!! 😂 

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Yummy dinner last night - quinoa wraps with banana blossom chilli, pineapple and sweetcorn salsa, greek yoghurt and a rocket, strawberry, blueberry, black grape and pomegranate salad with blood orange balsamic 😋😁

Brie

Made a nice chilli last evening (sorry, not vegan) that was greatly enhanced by the addition of some relatively finely chopped red pepper.  It added such a nice sweetness that it was difficult to "heat up" the spiciness until I remembered there was a jar of jalapenos in the cupboard.  That did it nicely.   

The pepper's sweetness might be due to it being locally grown, last of the season from a local farm shop.  It was small by comparison to what you get in normal stores (size of a tennis ball) but as a result had little in the way of seeds so was mostly flesh.  Very tasty indeed.

I've only recently discovered this farm shop which is an assisted employment site.  So far everything I've had from there has been excellent.  It's an easy drive from where I live and a lovely place to visit.  

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A bit more shopping to add: 

Fizzy orange £0.80

Kidney beans £1.25 (forgot to soak some so needed a tin!🤦‍♀️)

Lemon stuffed olives £1.40

Oat milk £3

Tinned tomatoes £2.70

Laundry liquid £7.01

Washing up liquid £1.58

Body wash £3.28

Total: £21.02

Running total - £134.58

I will have a bit to add today as my kaffir lime tree has shed quite a bit over the past couple of days so I'm getting some lemongrass, galangal and coriander to make a thai curry paste at the weekend 🙄

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I'm having burmese tofu, broccoli and grains for dinner tonight (plus my usual salad 😉) and Thai green cauliflower and chickpea curry tomorrow - I'll post piccies when they done 😉 

One of my butternut squashes has a bit of damage so I'll need to use that up this week - not sure what I'm going to do with it yet and not awake enough to think of next weeks menu but will post it in the next couple of days 😉😁

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More shopping to add (bought at the weekend so the last from the November budget);

lemongrass and galangal -£4.98

4x10 coffee bags - £12

Oat milk x2 - £3

Hommous x2 - £2.20 (didn't have time to make any!)

Bananas- £0.69

Oranges- £1

Apples - £1.80

Vegan sausages- £2.50 (dh likes to have these in the freezer and they were on offer)

Coconut milk - £2.85

Mushrooms- £1.15

Green pepper - £0.65

Finishing November on £167.40/£350

I made the burmese tofu and broccoli dish but didn't take piccies but it was very tasty 😋 

Tonight we're having thai cauliflower and chickpea curry with mixed grains and I'll have my salad as usual. Hopefully I'll remember to take pics! 🙄🤦‍♀️😂

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Cauliflower and chickpea thai curry tonight with mixed grains, the remaining pineapple and sweetcorn salsa and salad - lovely but I may have overdone the chillis!! 🥵🤦‍♀️😂