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April 2009 Grocery Challenge

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Comments

  • debt_cruncher
    debt_cruncher Posts: 339 Forumite
    Spent £4.70 today on bread and meat.
    Mortgage: £59709.77 (26/08/17) Now £58683.93 MFD Nov 2033
    Current OP Savings £3952.68.
    Milestone no 1 reached 07 Dec 17. Working towards milestone no 2 net debt £50000.
  • tessie_bear
    tessie_bear Posts: 4,898 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post Mortgage-free Glee!
    hi....i agree with peeps saying about prices going up...it makes stretching the budget really hard....i have been stretching a chicken to last 3 meals for 4 people...the curry iv got cooking smells nice

    i went to the market today and got a mixed bowl of veg for £1 and salad for £1 i intend to use the market more...all the stuff i have had has been very fresh but it doesnt seem to last...so i need to get organised and use it up

    i need to update sig....not too much of april left
    take care
    tess
    onwards and upwards
  • kezlou
    kezlou Posts: 3,283 Forumite
    Very naughty today went and spent £8 needlessly on food so bumped my total up again.

    Heres some more recipes as promised.

    Spicy bean and lentil loaf

    1 onion finely chopped and sliced up small
    2 garlic cloves crushed
    2 celery sticks very finely chopped (optional) or 1 large leek
    400g can kidney beans
    400g can lentils
    1 egg
    a carrot grated
    50g cheese grated
    50g breadcrumbs
    2 tbsp tomato puree
    1 tsp ground cumin
    1 tsp ground coriander
    1/2 tsp chilli powder
    salt, pepper

    1)grease a loaf tin and set oven to gas mark 5
    2) fry onions, garlic, celery / leeks till soft, remove from heat
    3) blend kidney beans, lentils, then onion mix and egg together until smoothish
    4) tip into another bowl and mix with tomato puree, breadcrumbs and spices
    5) Put the mixture into the loaf tin, level the surface with a knife
    6) Bake in oven for about an hour.
    7) remove from tin and serve

    This loaf can be served hot or cold.
    Any kind of beans can be used and spices are optional.
    I normally serve this with veg, mash and gravy


    Courgette Fritters
    450g grated courgette
    50g grated cheese
    2 eggs beaten
    4 tbsp plain flour
    salt and pepper to season

    1)Squish courgettes in a clean dish towel to remove excess water,
    2) combine squished courgettes with cheese, eggs, flour and seasoning and shape into pattie shapes
    3) Fry in a little oil till each side is golden brown
    4) drain and serve
  • queen_of_string
    queen_of_string Posts: 507 Forumite
    Those courgette fritters sound nom. I'll be using my £1 bag of courgettes from Asda for those methinks.
    Eat food, not edible food-like items. Mostly plants.
  • mooomin
    mooomin Posts: 13,703 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    queen_of_string wrote: »
    Those courgette fritters sound nom. I'll be using my £1 bag of courgettes from Asda for those methinks.
    This is probably the worlds dumbest question, but that has never stopped me before :D

    How do you prep a courgette for cooking?

    I have a recipe for carrot and courgette soup, which I know will be tasty, but do you skin the things or just chop them as is?

    I have never made a single thing in my life with courgette in it and I do like it, I just haven't got a flipping clue where to start. I have only started really learning to cook in the last couple of months, so anything you could tell me would be ace.

    To keep this OT - NSD from the Grocery budget for me, my May Challenge starts tomorrow as it's paaaaydaaaay :j
  • kezlou
    kezlou Posts: 3,283 Forumite
    To prep a courgette:-

    Leave the skin on and slice / chop/grate as any recipes states.
    No a daft question at all i just forgot to write to leave the skin oops sorry about that.

    Carrot and courgette soup, haven't had that for ages.
  • Ninno820
    Ninno820 Posts: 765 Forumite
    My month starts today - and I have just got back from Tesco's (couldn't sleep - don't ask)/ Follwoing all the guidance on these boards - meal plans, using freezer / storecupboard ingrediants etc - my monthly shop (including dog food) is a massive £24.48! There will be fresh veg to buy weekly but I am amzed - my Tesco bill is rarely below £100. I do have a weel stocked freezer this month - but i am over the moon.

    Have a good day everyone

    Ninno
    44 day challenge


    1. Pay £650 off overdraft (£ 288/ £650)
    2. Lose 12 lbs (4.5/ 12)
    3. Use YNAB everyday (6/44)
  • sunshine_girl_2
    sunshine_girl_2 Posts: 64 Forumite
    Hi all

    Thanks to all the inspiration and great MS ideas on here, so far I'm within budget!! :TI'm sure I can do it as I still have £78 to last till the end of the month - only a week to go so may even be under budget. Really shocked as this is my first attempt and I must have saved over a £100 compared to my usual extravagant and wasteful food shopping habits! Great to see that some people on here have been using the money saved from the challenge to pay of debts. Unfortunately I can't do that as don't actually have the money coming in in the first place :eek: if you see what I mean - anyway any reduction in spending helps to keep the overdraft away from its limit for a bit longer!

    Good luck to all and thanks again for the inspiration.
  • jintyb
    jintyb Posts: 1,758 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post Photogenic First Anniversary
    kezlou wrote: »
    Very naughty today went and spent £8 needlessly on food so bumped my total up again.

    Heres some more recipes as promised.

    Spicy bean and lentil loaf


    Kezlou: thanks a lot for the recipes, I'm not a veggie but the loaf sounds delish: I might have it cold with salad for packed lunch!:T
    Can you freeze it?

    Have a good one all!

    you will always be rich enough to be generous.
  • eveie189
    eveie189 Posts: 301 Forumite
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Hi all

    I don't post very much but I love this thread. As you can see from my sig this month I have gone over by a HUGE amount. I feel that as I go on it is getting more out of control. So I have decided to end my month early and make the next month a bit longer. I have also decided to seperate household cleaning/laundry and toiletries from my food budget so that if I do go over again I can see where. Advice from any of you experienced MSE'ers would be greatly appreciated.

    Mrs M could I declare at £446.64 for April and set May at £300 please?

    Thanks
    Eveie
    April GC 9th-7th may £0/£320
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