April 2008 Grocery Challenge

SAVVYMUMMY_2

Hi everyone,
WOW! such a long thread already. Been looking up some of the plans and if it`s alright would like to pinch some of the ideas. I`d already made my weekly plan for next week, so will make plans for the rest of the month later today. we`re having Sun: Roast chicken
Mon: left over chicken(not sure yet what to make)
Tue: lasagne
Wed: cottage pie
Thur: pasta
Fri: fish pie
Sat:Bangers and mash
Not very inspiring I know, but all HM and hopefully will be more adventurous as the weeks go on.
Spent a total of £4.46 yesterday at the butchers and we all went out as a family during the evening and spent £8.50(this will come off my budget as it was a family outing), so will change sig in a mo.
Yesterday lunchtime we had sausage, bacon, beans and egg with HM rolls.
Last night we had HM mince mixture(mince,toms,onions bulked out with oats, carrots and mushrooms) and HM bread. I was busy making brownies, large mince pies(trying to use up from xmas) and jam tarts and bread. So today might have a rest and just do bread. Anyway got to go now, but speak later.

mummygems

Hello can I be added please? £300 for April (which runs from 20 March - 20 April).

I failed in Feb and March so hopefully I will have learnt a bit more about my spending habits and can keep it under budget this month.

Fi27

Morning all

The quiches that i made yesterday weren't inedible just not great! Filling was fine but the pastry yuk ! The HM coleslaw got the thumbs up though :T

However, all was not lost as the jam & coconut tarts were fab :j and i'm going to make more today. They were sooooooooo easy and seeing as i made them with the pastry 'scraps' very MSE i think :T I remember everyone asking for dessicated coconut recipies on the last thread so here you go

For the tarts;

shortcrust Pasty (but i will have to buy some ready made i think )

1 egg
jam of choice
50g sugar
1 cup of dessicated coconut

Pre heat oven to 190 or gas 5.

I rolled out pastry quite thinly, cut into circles and pressed them into the little holes in a fairy cake tray. (makes about 8 tarts but guess you could double up if you wanted more)

Spread jam onto the pastry bases. Beat egg in a small bowl, fold in the sugar & coconut. Cover the jam bases with the coconut mixture.

Place in oven for 5-10 mins then lower temp to 180 gas 4 and continue cooking until filling is set and pastry cooked, prob another 10mins or so.

We had them for our pudding last night but they would be great in packed lunches. I also found an easy chicken korma curry recipe on the back of the packet of coconut which i immediately pounced upon! Funny what makes you happy these days :rotfl: :rotfl:

Fi x

patentgirl

Morning all just spent the best part of an hour catching up with thread my it grows quickly
will update signature in a mo but got quite a few bargains and bulk buys for the month spent over half but have plenty of meals sorted my downfall has always been snacks and packed lunch stuff for DS and DDs so I am having a baking day today as work full time during week I am planning to do
twinks hobknobs, quiches, banana loaf, no bake choc slices, chese scones, Mrs Ms tortilla wraps for packed lunches and freeze extra for wraps on Thurs night, raspberry and white choc muffins and lasagne and shephers pie out of a pack of mince so for first time am going to add porridge oats and grated carrot to bulk it out, thanks everyone for ideas having roast chicken later so will be putting aside enough for curry and making soup will pop back later to let you know how it all went.
Yesterday brought a sack of spuds from farmshop for £3.50 12 an half kilos was that a bargain or notI am not sure seemed ok 2 caulis for a £1 as well.

ifonlyitwaseasier

well i'm feeling very Os today, had to go and buy a few bits of veg and some butter (have to have kerrygold!:eek: )
and i stopped at my mum's to get her breadmaker!!!!!!! and after baking brownies and cookies yesterday i feel all happy and content.

weemissy

Morning (just) everyone
Not in a great mood, firstly forgot the clocks went forward, was looking forward to going to garden centre and starting my veg planting - poundland had plastic tubs for .....well £1:rotfl:, they also had colgate 2 for £1, but it's absolutely p**ing down and the garden is like a mud bath again:mad: - thinking of getting synthetic grass only got a small garden but I digress, going to edit my meal plan because I was looking at everyone elses and remembered I had 1/2 pack of roast ham left - used the other 1/2 in h&c muffins yesterday, found 1/2 pack of risotto rice in cupboard so going to make risotto:j

Chimp well done with your padding out - can't wait to do that, :j chimp for pm :j

Thebees - thanks for your recipe for S&S - def will try

wendy - "i can probably manage on what dog food i've already got, so i shouldn't need to buy anymore till next week" and my mum thinks I've taken things too far :rotfl:, sorry wendy it was just the way I read it, thanks - made me laugh

Angel - Like the sound of your cheesy chicken and rice - any chance of the recipe:T

having broc later - what do you all do with the stalks, I have always thrown them in the compost bin - but goes against all my new mse principles - might throw them into my sausage casserole because that will be getting blitzed for pasta sauce next day

bye for now
X

angchris

i try not to buy the broccoli stalks in the first place, its amazing how the stalks accidently fall off the broccoli before it gets placed in my basket :rotfl: i refuse to pay for things im not gonna use so i slyly break off the inedible parts which all add to the weight/price. mr t`s must hate people like me

WorkingHardDFW

Hi Can I join the Grocery challenge for April?

My budget for food is £300 which I think is too high but I think I need a focus to keep under budget - which we've not for the last few months - and hopefully reduce it.

Our circumstances - Family of 5 - 2 adults, 3 kids (2 on nearly adult sized portions) and one dog (budget is seperate for the dog at present).

I did used to shop exclusively at Tesco but on my DFW journey have seen the light and now shop around for deals using local farm shop and Lidl and Aldi.

My aim this month is to come in on or under budget. I need to do an online food shop today. So I need to menu plan and get myself organised.

Here goes.......

MRSMCAWBER

Afternoon all

I can't be the only one who prefers the broccoli n cauli stalk to the floret bit can i?....I just put them in the steamer a minute or so before the florets...just trim off any woody bits
Just lately though i save them though and make them into soup

Went for a walk round the golf course with hubby....2.5 hrs later and on the way home hubbies face was a treat when he asked if i wanted to stop at the naffi for a "whoopsie check" and i said NO :eek: ..... 1 - i have no freezer space 2- the fridge n cupboards are full too and finally i was so hungry i was desperate to get home for my lunch :rotfl: . Don't think he could quite believe his luck ....
I ony had a yoghurt (in the car) for brekkie so was ready for chewing the leg off a scabby donkey.. luckily i had taken the lamb, veg n potato pie i made from leftover last week out of the freezer and had a dish of the broccoli, leek n carrots gratin in the fridge from yesterday :T 20 mins in the oven and it was done..and Oh my word....it was stunning -if i say so myself

I think im going to spend the afternoon sat on the sofa looking through recipes again..until the motor GP comes on
Aprils budget remains un touched so far ....think hubby gave it me on Tues :j which would make 6 NSDs .... determined to spend as little as possible of my itty bitty budget this month.... the only thing im going to need in a few days is lettuce..hmm unless i figure a way round it for a few days longer;)
Right i will get of and add some more names to the list..have a good afternoon all

lil_me

There is a meal plan thread posted weekly http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=822201

Just a thought as new members may be put off joining because of how long the thread is getting.

Oh and if anyone has any mozzarella recipes, please feel free to pass them on http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=464272

Posted my final total for March can't go anywhere as DP is away and the boys are both poorly, so won't be spending any more, savings gone into pot now.