May 2008 Grocery Challenge

angelatgraceland

Well you dont need all of the herbs mentioned. Jusst one will do. Most people have something like italian seasoning or oregano or mixed herbs.
Re snack foods and quick things to pick up, the herb bread is good-made into muffins which you can fill with cheese or something like a roll(herbs again)
Im making pizzas for tomorrow-just a tub of passata, cheese,onion and mushroom. Unless I open a pack of ham and a can of pineapple-not sure yet!
Oh and a few herbs again!

Thinking on lines of salads I often make egg mayo-cover in clingfilm and leave in the fridge. Cook a pack of sausages if you have lots and leave them in fridge as a quick snack.
home made pasties-if you feel adventurous-I keep promising myself!
A good thing I came across on holiday was when I ordered a steak and ale pie in a pub meal the pastry was just a square on top of the meat and gravy etc. Now thats nice and easy! Far easier than making a proper pie. could easily use a pack of puff pastry cut into portion sized squares for that. Instant pie on top of a nice thick casserole.
The muffins I made today are in lunchboxes for tomorrow and worked out really cheap.

300 SR flour
70g hard margarine(I use stork)
150g of caster sugar(or any granulated sugar)
200 ml milk
1 egg

variations:
50g cocoa powder
choc chips
apricots
raisins/sultanas/mixed fruit
mixed spice
1 apple or banana

I made a double batch with loads of mixed spice and half a pack of sultanas.
otal cost approx: £2.40
Makes 20 muffins approx. about 12p each

**cheapest place for herbs is Lidl Ive found. Otherwise co-op or tesco or asda own label ones in a plastic tub.
It is nice to grow your own and convenient-Ive got both. We dry our oregano leaves and crush them but it is fiddly.
Also dry hot peppers and keep those too. Cant move in my kitchen. Id like to do an inventory but not for a couple of weeks-there just too much!
Next week we are collecting our bees so hopefully we will get some honey this year. Had bad luck with bees the last 2 years. Lots of recipes including hony coming up if we are in luck this year.

Savvy_sewing

frankerooney wrote: »

Sorry this is a late reply, I was a few days behind the thread. Just in case you haven't already found a recipe, Mooloo, here is the 750g white loaf recipe from my Breville Breadmaster booklet (doesn't quote a model number though ):

260 ml water
22 g butter
1.5 tsp salt
1 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar
500 g strong plain flour
1 tbsp + 1 tsp milk powder
1.25 tsp dried yeast

Let me know if you need a different recipe or loaf size.

Thanks for that frankerooney.! As I read it, it reminds me, so I know that at last I have got the right recipe for my machine. :T
I had sent a letter to breville asking for the recipies but they sent me a book to a different machine, Anthony Wharall Thompsons one, and it has a lot of different settings that my basic machine doesnt have. :rolleyes:
I havent been on to the computer since last Sunday I dont think, so It was lucky I had done a search for mooloo links or I may have missed this one!.:rotfl: :rotfl:

ifonlyitwaseasier

morning

angelnikki - thanks, i have to knuckle down and get losing as my first dress fitting is less than a month away now and i want to be at target, only another 8-10 lbs to go!! :eek:

planning on an nsd today, have lunch (carrot and lentil soup) and some snacks (twinks hobnobs) and have some lovely chicken at home for dinner

victory

angelnikki was saying yesterday how she counted her tins, that made me do mine and sort it out now they are lovely and stacked and all in a line with each other:D found a jar of anchovies in a glass jar other than pizza which I don't want to make what else can I USE them for, spag bog? Pasta dish? they would have to be hidden because if the kids saw them they would flip:rotfl: :rotfl:

Had a load of bananas yesterday so everytime they asked for food it was have a banana:D we made smoothies, had bananas for dessert, the last few are in their lunch boxes:D can't abide waste, you will eat it:D I did have to throw out my green bread:rotfl: :rotfl: I tried to take the sides off and get a few slices out of the loaf that should have been eaten a few days ago, managed to get a couple of sandwiches out of picking it off but even i couldn't save the rest:rotfl:

Pip-squeak_3

pink_princess wrote: »

hi cat in the hat glad you found us on here but i will keep up with your other thread and thanx angel for your help i mainly need some of the herbs i haven t got im wondering if you grow them how much you can save i would only have boxes and tubs as our garden is all lawn and trampoline lol we waste our money on snax more than any thing but i ve only made flapjacks and fairy cakes so far so any other rewally easy grab foods would be appreciated

Hi
I find the herbs and spices sold in Asian/Turkish food shops are much cheaper that the supermarkets. Growing your own is good fun basil grows quickly and oregano is easy but some take a year to be big enough to pick.
Hope that helps, good luck

pink_princess

thanx angel at grace land and good luck with the bee s i ll give the muffins a try today i have a couple of hours this afternoon think i ll spend it baking snax and making an inventory of my kitchen help me meal plan better cant wait til my new budget starts on friday its a bit demoralising been over budget ah well thats enough whinging from me
good luck to everyone else

pink_princess

thanx for that pip squeak but i ve even killed a cactus before which has become a running joke in the family but i really need to make big savings in our budgets and the shoppings been the most successful starting to grow my own would be a scary step but i am considering it (pray for me lol)

gunsandbanjos

victory wrote: »

found a jar of anchovies in a glass jar other than pizza which I don't want to make what else can I USE them for, spag bog? Pasta dish? they would have to be hidden because if the kids saw them they would flip:rotfl: :rotfl:

How about a nice caesar salad?? Maybe not one for the kids though

pink_princess

hi victory about the anchovies anthony worral thompson cuts slits in the top of pork and pushes them inside he says you cant taste or see them after cooking but that they give it a lovely salted taste i keep meaning to try this but haven t yet hope it helps

ifonlyitwaseasier

Victory - you can use anchovies in a puttanesca pasta sauce, i'll have a look later if no-one else posts one up beforehand