March 2008 Grocery Challenge

WelshWoofer

Just a quick hello from Berlin where I'm working for a few days:j
The only good thing sometimes about working away from home is that the company pays for your food and therefore you spend less!
Being a veggie is nigh on impossible in German restaurants too - they actually offered me veal last night!
Bonkers......

Never mind - home tomorrow and back to the safety of Quorn!

mama67

I went shopping yesterday!!!

Not too bad in that freezer is stocked to the hilt.

Anyhoo spends:
Milkman 4.26
Asda 12.92
Tesco 23.32
Sains 28.20

Did a search on my supermarket and used it to work out who had the best deals on the stuff we needed were going to need (cereal for boys) that would run out before next shopping trip. Then I got the other bits in Tesco as had a double points coupon to use, plus some money off freebie coupons as well.

Have updated sig so that is me pretty well set until end of month, will get my veg box weekly and milk from milkman weekly but other than that may just need a few packup bits for that last week.

getting-sorted-sarah

TheBees wrote: »

Hello GettingSortedSarah - we're about 25 miles east of Exeter and we were excited to find someone near us on MSE! Hope you get your fence sorted soon.

TheBees

:hello: Hello Bees!

I got drinks bottles from Ikea, if you're ever up that way, plastic and in bright colours, for 75p each. (Join the free Ikea Family club online before you go, if you do, as it gives you discounts on Family stuff.)

Still a bit wild here weatherwise, fence still down but a friend will come to help with it once the wind settles down. My bread last night was fantastic (if I do say so myself!) and DS loved it, he wouldn't eat the breadmaker stuff. It has inspired me!
Had homemade parsnip soup at work for lunch - still waiting to defrost the freezer - anyone got a recipe for frozen brocoli, mango sorbet and garlic naan?
(Joking... before I get inundated!!)

bails

RedSpecs wrote: »

Strange thing has happened to me over this. The buzz I used to get for spending money has been replaced by a buzz for NOT spending money! Every time I think I need something, I think of how I can obtain it for free or make it from what I already have. Then when I achieve that, then comes the buzz! :A Guess I'm just a junkie at the end of the day but its what's feeding my cravings!!

Ha ha, I feel EXACTLY like this - in fact, there's a whole lot of this going on over on the 4k thread

could you post the recipe for your bread without sugar and butter please?

Weezl, thanks for your earlier post. It was me asking about the meat as we're veggie and still spend loads more than you! It's great to know that what seems impossible now can be done so thanks again!
Does anyone have a healthy version of mushroom stroganof please? Also, anyone on here eat low-GL and have any good recipes/ advice on good recipe books please? I've got one which is wonderful but I'm looking for a bit more variety now. Thanks a lot.

redsquirrel80

weezl74 wrote: »

(blushes) ok, will do, a few peeps have asked this, so here goes:

DH is keen that I point out that I'm a bit extreme at everything I do, and he'd like to come and live at your houses!

3 bags SP onions @78p each
SP smoked bacon pieces 94p
Long life cream 2xdouble 1xsingle £1.98
SP grated cheese £1.71
sugar £1.53
Enormous bag of green lentils £1.73
Enormous bag of cumin seed £1.78
2 cans SP beans 40p
2 lg cans spinach puree £1.26
15 cartons LL milk reduced to 20p each-£3
can coconut milk 64p
2 large bags frozen broad beans £1.50
MaMade £1.15
fresh milk 78p
SP plain flour 48p
wholemeal bread flour 55p
ground coffee £1.59
Rajah grd black pepper 78p
halal chicken £2.22
willow butter x2 £1.28
1 ltr veg oil 78p
20frozen SP sausages 85p
2 bags SP mince £2.10
15 SP eggs £1.25
6 bags SP long grain rice £2.58
1 lemon 7p
1.5 kg oven chips 41p

Just over 35 quid - made 10 portions meat pie, 8 portions green lentil and bacon casserole, 8 portions chicken curry with coconut, 7 portions Saag and beans, Paneer for sandwiches from the LL milk, 6 loaves HM bread, 4 meals worth of sausage casserole, 6 lbs marmalade.:o

As marmalade is more pricey, still got storecupboard ingredients for tomato Dahl from last month, see previous post! The cream makes 5 tubs of HM ice cream chocolate and coffee flavours this month.:j

Dh has sultanas or HM cinnamon syrup on his porridge for breakfast, then we have HM sarnies for lunch, dinner is rice, a veg side dish and a curry, or somesuch thing.

I make HM biscuits (cinnamon shortbread this month) etc.

I shop at Asda.:D

In answer to a previous post, sorry can't scroll up and find you, yes we do eat meat! This gives £10 spare for more fresh milk, fruit from the market and emergency items.:eek:

We have more variety than it looks, cos there's alsorts of other things made in large batches as above in the freezer, so I'll eat quiche from last moth, and 'carry over' some curries, meat pie, sausage casserole etc to another month.;)

HTH

Weezl x

Hi Weezl,

Thanks for this and your previous post about how you cut down on your spending, some great tips there! I'm determined to sit down with my list of what I've bought this month and see if there's anywhere I can make cutbacks - can definitely do more bulk-buying I think. You've just reminded me I've got some lentils that have been in the cupboard for ages so going to make something with them tonight - found a recipe for lentil pate so might give that a go.

Still trying not to spend any more until the weekend, need to have a look through cupboards tonight and see what I can eat for the next few days!

angelnikki

icandream wrote: »

I just don't understand what you all do with pre-cooking. do you cook up a whole big batch of, say bolognaise, and freeze it in small portions, then use it for different things? Or do you cook different things, and then freeze those. I'm just not sure how to make the mince go as far as I can. I don't really want to use it up in one go.

How I do it is whenever I make anything using mince I just make enough for a few meals at the same time, so I would cook 2 or 3 batches of the same meal(chilli/ bolognaise/ meatballs) at once and then freeze in two person portions.
If you wanted to cook a batch of different meals at once you could make a batch of meatballs, bolognaise & chilli at the same time.
Use a third of the mince to make meatballs (add breadcrumbs soaked in a little milk, some chopped onions and some herbs) Then use the other two thirds to make Bolognaise & Chilli.
Brown the mince adding a couple of grated carrots to bulk it out. You could also add sliced peppers/ mushrooms/any other veg you like. Then add a couple of beef oxo cubes, two or three tins of chopped tomatoes, some tomato puree and herbs (eg oregano/ basil/ Italian seasoning). This would make a pan full of bolognaise, then split this in two pans and in the second pan add a (drained) tin of kidney beans, a tin of baked beans and some chilli powder to make a pan full of chilli. This should probably make enough for two bolognaise meals and two chilli meals (but this depends on your portion sizes & how many youre cooking for). You can then freeze these in family sized portions.
HTH
Nikki
x

funkyfunkymonkey

Hope this is not a 'silly' question - but what is malt extract? Marmite is yeast extract and horlicks is a malt drink - but I can't find anything on supermarket shelves that is 'malt extract' - I would like to try a recipe for malt loaf that is in my breadmaker recipe book.

TIA

FFM

funkyfunkymonkey

bails wrote: »

Does anyone have a healthy version of mushroom stroganof please? Also, anyone on here eat low-GL and have any good recipes/ advice on good recipe books please? I've got one which is wonderful but I'm looking for a bit more variety now. Thanks a lot.

Our local library has a great section for recipe books, great for browsing through and very mse 'cos it's free :j

This week I have borrowed "Bars and Squares", "Complete Cookies" and "The Omega 3 Cookbook" - I must admit I haven't got round to the Omega 3 one, as I've been busy making cookies - not good for the waistline

I did borrow an Antony Worral Thompson GI Diet book a few weeks back but didn't find anything I fancied cooking. Rosemary Conley has quite a few low GI recipes in her book Gi Hip & Thigh Diet - I haven't tried any yet but a few look interesting.

The Rosemary Conley website also has recipes you can try, there is one for wild mushroom strogonoff - this link might work http://www.rosemaryconley.com/apps/content/page.asp?itemID=1604

FFM

redsquirrel80

In fact.. I've just sat down and looked at the list of what I've bought this month, and apart from the meat which was mostly reduced, the stand out items which cost most are cheese and wine.. cheese is my real weakness, can take or leave chocolate but give me a big block of mature cheddar.. yummmm As I'm supposed to be on a healthy eating kick I think I should cut down on both of them, and that'll save me a few quid! I've also bought a couple of boxes of crunchy type cereal this month, may try and find a healthier and cheaper alternative to that - I do tend to bulk them out with porridge oats so I might try and go for more oats and less cereal.

Anyone any idea how to wean yourself off cheese? :rotfl:

Angelraesunshine

Went to tescos yesterday needed some dishwasher salt and rinse aid for my new dishwasher, saw the fairy tabs for DW on offer so picked up 4 bags of those ( 2 months worth) stocked up on a few offers ready for pack lunches or the easter hols. and the rest was just eggs and fresh fruit and veg oh and 24 creme eggs ready for my DH for easter as they were on offer and so much cheaper its his one weakness so i give in for him lol.

Total came to £53.42 but i feel i got quite a lot for it.