April 2008 Grocery Challenge

MRSMCAWBER

Saving for travel

I brown my mince off add any veggies and cook for a couple of minutes then add the oats, crumbled stock cube and stir well to combine..i find this way the soak up any meat juices...then i will add the liquid etc...

findingmyfeet

hi there,
well i agee with you lot this morning/afternoon( sorry dont know what time of day im on !!) not many bargains to be had at the moment. i was in Mr M this week and reduced meat was knocked down by 5-10p per item and it was the last day on the labels(the use by date). or they getting mean or what ?

welcome starlett- enjoy, save money and learn to cook/bake, thats whats happened to me. Try the recipes they are always very good taste and value wise. good luck

lainz

Good to see you are all doing well, I'm still off work - so less temptation - although when I do get out and about I 'fall' into a supermarket:rotfl: .

I'm trying not too stockpile (too much - old habits die hard). I have a stuffed freezer, cupboards and enough f & v, will that stop me buying more next week - will it heck :rolleyes: . I'm sure I'm related to MrsM! I love a good whoopsie hunt :rotfl:

Girl_least_likely_to

miss_saver wrote: »

That's great thanks very much. May I be a bit cheekier and ask what your recipes are for risotto and chilli (I have never cooked those before). I have done spag bol and shepherds pie. What is the best thing to freeze them in? Also how long do they keep for? And 1 last question - (promise for now at least ) can I use forzen mince, cook it all up and the refreeze and reheat? Thank you very much in advance!

I freeze portions in old takeaway tubs and tesco value tuppaware style containers. I have used pre-frozen mince before and then frozen again. I believe it's ok to freeze things twice just as long as the status is changed from raw to cooked. I think it's ok to keep stuff frozen for about 3 months . I've never had any problems anyway. Does some boffin who knows more about freezing stuff want to commit themselves ?

OK, recipes are below........

Veg Risotto - Serves 4

I think I got this from a weight watchers magazine, my meat loving hubby loves it, either on it's own or with some sausages or chops.

2 large onions
4 garlic cloves
2 diced courgettes
2 red peppers
450g mushrooms
250 brown rice
500ml passata or chopped tinned toms
600ml veg stock

Fry onions & garlic in a little oil until golden.
Add other veg and cook for 5 mins
Add stock, rice and passata/tinned toms and bring to boil
Simmer for abour 30 mins until rice is cooked.

Chilli - makes 6 portions for 2 adults & 1 toddler

2 diced onions
2 diced peppers
4 garlice cloves
200g diced bacon or pancetta
1 tbsp ground cumin
4 tbsp tom puree
1/2 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp sugar
1kg beef mince
2 grated carrots
1 large or 2 small grated courgettes
200g diced mushrooms
750ml beef stock (I use 2 oxo cubes)
250ml red wine
3 tins chopped toms
2 tins red kidney beans

Fry the onions, peppers and garlic in a little oil until golden.
Add bacon or pancetta and cook for few mins.
Add cumin, tom puree, chilli powder, oregano, sugar.
Add the beef and cook for 5 mins until browned.
Add the everything else and bring to the boil, then simmer for at least 2 1/2 hours. Stir now and again. Serve with rice, baked spuds or pitta bread.

I know this makes a huge quantity so you could half it to try it out first. I have a huge stock pot I cook it in. I think because it has to cook for so long I may as well cook a larger quantity and shove it in the freezer . I do my spag bol like this too.
The recipe came from a combination of one in Delicious magazine and a Tana Ramsey one. I had about 6 attempts before I finally stuck to the one above. I'm sure if anyone tries it they will change it to their own taste buds. Any questions give me shout

Girl_least_likely_to

clair2305 wrote: »

does anyone know if i can freeze mushrooms and tomatoes? Or is there something I have to do to them first?

Don't think anyone has answered this yet........

I had a huge haul of cheap mushrooms a few weeks ago. I diced them up, put them into freezer bags and shoved them in the freezer in their raw state. I'll be chucking them into spag bols, chillis and veg risottos in the future. They get frozen again after I cooked them in whatever I'm making. I always do this with mushrooms as I always seem to get a massive box now and again from one particular greengrocers I go to.

alli_baba2

I pretty much ate out of the freezer last month and had washing powder and loo rolls, etc. Been shopping today and spent £67 in one little trip OMG!!! I've got so used to my little shops that this was a big shock - didn't help that I gave up calculating it in my head half way round. I know that I shan't have to buy wp for the rest of this month or probably next but.... I just need to remember how far I've come though because in the "old days" the shopping used to be in its £100's each and every week - I totalled my sister's monthly shopping bills up last weekend and it came to £769 for a family of four - I really told her off. Sorry for the bitty posting but I haven't posted for ages and I need to go and have a lie down I think. Thanks for listening.

MrDT

Hi Starlett, good luck with the challenge, I'm in a fairly similar position (I live alone and am used to spending ~£100 a month too). My target for April is £60

Have had no spend days on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and yesterday. Spent £3.39 today though. £2.39 at tesco, had to (lol, just had to ) get some bits to make the giant jaffa cake cake and pastry for my cheese and onion pasties, didn't buy any 'extra' stuff though

Also popped to the cash and carry to get some bits for the office 'tuck shop', got a box of 32 50g packs of thai sweet chicken mccoys crisps for £1, about 3p per pack Ok, they weren't on my 'need' list, but no way was I gonna leave em behind!

I'm gonna be getting rather chunky I think lol!

Starlett

alli_baba2 wrote: »

I pretty much ate out of the freezer last month and had washing powder and loo rolls, etc. Been shopping today and spent £67 in one little trip OMG!!! I've got so used to my little shops that this was a big shock - didn't help that I gave up calculating it in my head half way round. I know that I shan't have to buy wp for the rest of this month or probably next but.... I just need to remember how far I've come though because in the "old days" the shopping used to be in its £100's each and every week - I totalled my sister's monthly shopping bills up last weekend and it came to £769 for a family of four - I really told her off. Sorry for the bitty posting but I haven't posted for ages and I need to go and have a lie down I think. Thanks for listening.

It's really funny... you had a big shock at £67... that's what I've been spending every 3 weeks or so for just myself!!!

I'm looking forward to the day when I get shocked at 'big' spends!!

cupid_s

Hi all
How do I go about joining this challenge? I know I'm a couple of days late but I'm hoping something like this will help me keep on track - at least whilst I don't have a job.

I was actively trying to avoid doing any work the other day and so did a freezer inventory and meal plan involving using up everything so I now have about 34 meals planned for which I only have to buy veg/potatoes.

However I'm sure that I could still spend as much as any month if I'm not careful.

So I'd like to try to spend only £80 as all the main meals are covered. That is for DH and I and a cat.

madmittens

Afternoon all

Well, my meal plan is sorted for the month (a first, usually just plan weekly), shopping list for the next week is written, cash has been withdrawn from the bank...

so I'm all ready for a date with MrT tonight

Will update my spend tomorrow, but am (fairly) hopeful that the items on my list will come to very slightly less than one quarter of my four-week budget!

madmittens