January 2013 Grocery Challenge

Hello everyone :snow_grin from a very snowy North East!

Sorry I've been MIA lately. Having trouble with my shoulder and arm, so I've been banned from the 'pooter.

I've kept track of my spends though, and I've updated my sig. Think I'm going to be ok this month, but it's a bit unreal as I'm using up a lot of the stuff in the freezer and the cupboard.

Can't get the car out with all the snow, so it's a good excuse to make do with what we've got and do a bit more knitting :T

Stay safe all.

No spends here since Saturday - the bad weather is good for one thing at least.

Been using some things up today before they needed throwing out - everything in GREEN would have ended up being chucked Wednesday night:money:

So today made creamy CAULIFLOWER soup which will get eaten tomorrow for lunch by DH and Mum (will take some down to her tomorrow) and some for the freezer and also did some French onion soup which we had today with some cheese on toast and was delicious. There is just one portion of this left for my lunch tomorrow.

Took two chicken breast out of freezer last night and am attempting to make my own KFC, never done it before so fingers crossed its ok. Have the chicken soaking in the buttermilk substitute (milk with LEMON added) at the moment and have mixed the flour and spices etc up ready. Having it with WATERCRESS and tomato salad and a couple of roasted new potatoes. The breasts were huge so have cut them into pieces and saved enough to make either chicken and MUSHROOMlasagne or chicken and MUSHROOM tagliatelli tomorrow - (only me and DH tonight and tomorrow so should be plenty)

Had about a dozen SPROUTS that need using but seen as for the next two days at least they wont get used, have just peeled them and popped them into the freezer for another day.

After reading and watching a few things about food wastage and how much is just thrown away and trying to redouble my efforts to not throw food away. There is a thread on here I believe where you list what you have wasted and cost it out so will read through it later tonight. Its shocking when so many people don’t have enough to eat even people in this country.:mad:

Back again Went to Asda today and spent 17.42, bought some down brand stuff which I hope tastes ok! Wombled a receipt but when I got home it only had 6 items on it, will keep an eye out from now on though. Have to do APG on DH computer and he has asked me to do it once a week for some random reason so can't check my receipt until Saturday.

Have a recipe to share from the letter in my Able and Cole Box.

Tomato and Soy Soup

Punnet Tomatoes halved
1 Onion quartered
2 Garlic Cloves (I added this, not on original recipe)
tsp grated ginger
drizzle of olive or sesame oil for roasting
tsp soy sauce
500 ml stock

Season and roast tomatoes,onion and garlic cloves at 200 for 30 minutes. Put in food processor (remove garlic from skin) add tsp grated ginger and blitz. Sieve, if wished, and add tsp soy sauce.

Josslette wrote: »

Don't really know what to make next weekend, I'm fed up of cooking the same things. Has anyone got any ideas for something really tasty and a bit different that feels like 'weekend food'(a treat)?

I have loads of chicken breasts, pasta, rice, most herbs and spices, passata, tinned sweetcorn etc if that helps

Going shopping on friday though so I can buy some stuff

But looking at the meals I've chosen so far, I'd only need to buy salad stuff!

We always have something a bit different on a Saturday night, its a sit in front of the TV and slob night. So I always try and do something a bit different but make it a bit like takeaway if that makes sense.

I love Tapas, really easy to do and makes a nice change. I tend to do a paella dish (cheap from Lidl freezers) a spanish omlette, chicken stew. patas brava. corn fritters.

Or a chinese, i tend to make a chow mein, an egg fried rice, sweet and sour dish, and serve pancake rolls and prawn crackers. I often fry a bit of kale or spring green to make crispy seaweed.

Mexican : fajitas, wraps, with corn cobs or corn salsa, spicy wedges, rice, etc.

Indian ; i just make a curry or a tandori chicken, and a couple of side dishes or biriani, and have made pakoras which were also very easy.


On a Sunday, i like to make simple chuck in the oven things

this is amazing http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/lorraine-pascale/really-slow-roast-pork-shoulder-with-crispy-crispy-crackling-and-garlic-roast-potatoes-recipe/index.html

But I often just put a beef joint in red wine and cook it slowly and at the same time cook some dauphinois potatoes.

Or i cook a pork shoulder in a small bottle of cider, with Delias red cabbage.

It depends on what meat has been on offer in Ocad0 as to what gets cooked.

No groceries or other things purchased today so i think i am now on nsd number 14.

Needed some washing up liquid as ours is all gone, decided to make some. I already make our laundry liquid so basically added a lot of the same ingredients but added a few other things.

Used the slow cooker to brew up a batch. Didnt measure quantities but grated a bar or two of soap, into about 4 litres of hot water in the slow cooker, then added about 1/2 cup glycerine, a glug of vinegar, maybe 1/4 cup...about 20 drops of essential oil, 1 cup of soda crystals and waited till the soap dissolved then add another litre or so of cold water and poured it into empty plastic bottles.

It seemed to work ok, but it may solidify over night, so will have to wait till tomorrow when it is cool, to see if it is any use.

Added some mixed herbs and a couple of eggs to some veggie burger packet mix, shaped mixture in to meatballs, fried them briefly and then baked them in oven for 20 minutes. We shall have what is left of them tomorrow with salad and couscous....unless i forget!