Eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge - part two

Sue14 · 14 January 2017 at 1:27AM

All I've bought this year is:-

A snack pack of grapes (which were YS in Mr A's), potatoes, red onions, cheese, 2 small packs of ham slices, 8 pints of milk, a pack of 4 rolls, a loaf of bread, carrots, passata, and 2 tins of tomatoes.

I've used a few things that I've had in the freezer for a while, including the last 3 cocktail sausage rolls from Christmas 2015, that were BB October 2016, which I had with chips and beans. I used some of the minced beef to make a cottage pie last week, made enough for 4 portions, like I always did before I lost OH, with the intention of freezing the other 3 portions, however as I was pouring off the excess fat, the saucepan slipped in my hand and about half of the beef and onion mixture fell onto the top of the cooker, so I ended up with enough for only 2 portions :mad:.

I may make my first HM pizza tomorrow, using some passata from the freezer (which I only realized I had after I'd bought some more), and might also use some of the chopped peppers from the freezer too.

Suffolk_lass · 14 January 2017 at 9:39AM

I mixed a mystery soup from the freezer with the leftovers of my chicken casserole so we have a really hearty thick soup for lunch today. Probably just mac cheese tonight.

I did buy frozen chips and frozen broccoli to fill a big space in mine. My big intention to use more meat this week sort of gets postponed as a giant chicken was reduced to £2.59 in the SM so it has come home with me for tomorrow.

Incidentally I had a bit of a chat with some of the staff in the SM about supplies as no fresh broccoli or lettuce (due to the weather in Spain and the impact of the weather on supply chains across the mainland) and also a lack of some store cupboard things like canned tomatoes - and butter was down last week and up again this week - prices are really variable and increasing quite dramatically as the pound drops - all depending on the buyers' approach (purchasing horizon (how far ahead) and whether currency-related price fixing was part of the orders)

The sign of things to come I suspect. I'm going to sit and plan what we will grow this year with DH today

SL

snowfox · 14 January 2017 at 11:04AM

Out of the freezer this week:
- HM chicken and bacon stew x2
- 6 sausages
- Salmon fillets
- HM soup x2

I finally have some space again

determined_new_ms · 14 January 2017 at 11:44AM

I've been eating out of the freezer/cupboards this month and have so far spent £32 on groceries for 2 adults & 1 3 1/2 yo - and a tenner of that was for a load of ys items that were too good to pass up! Just done meal plan for the next week and all I need to get is 2 loaves of bread, 2 tins of noodles, a tin of beans and milk, so sub £5. Freezer still going strong so still have at least another couple of weeks that will be easily achieved although I'm having to be quite inventive for lunches & snacks now

caronc · 14 January 2017 at 12:04PM

Last night in the freezer went 4 x 4 rashers of bacon and a potion of chilli and out came a haddock portion, a handful of oven chips, 2 chicken thighs and a small lamb roast. Also used up some plum tomatoes which I roasted and had with the fish. Still need to find space for some stilton scones and garlic butter. Tonight I plan to have jerk chicken thighs with 1/2 a lurking red pepper, some mushrooms and use up a sweet potato either wedges or baked will see what I fancy later. Need to do something with some grapes and some apples and kiwis so might make some fruit salad up as a fridge "go to" for snacks/pudding

FurryBeastOz · 14 January 2017 at 12:49PM

Well, my menu plan didn't even survive first contact. Half way through breakfast DH informed me he was leaving at 12 to go and study with colleagues. So lunch is now dinner. Dinner, for which the ingredients are already defrosted will either be pushed back to tomorrow if it's just us, or frozen if his colleagues come round for a Sunday afternoon study session when I will feed them all. Turkey chilli in the Slow cooker as we speak.

So nothing will be wasted, just different things will end up in the freeezer depending on how things work out.

Next week DH working from home will mean I can use some things up, but will also mean that odd things may disappear without warning.

Just done a fridge/ cupboard audit and I have no baked beans, no peppers and am down to 2 tins tomatoes. Panic. Definitely have to pop to Lidl this afternoon which is annoying as I was only there yesterday. But the other ingredients are already defrosted so I need them today.

Hope everyone is having a less stressful morning

Welsh_Poppy · 14 January 2017 at 1:25PM

Out of Freezer
ice cream x1
sausage x1
chicken breasts x2
mince pies x2
Birthday cake x 1
cooked dinner x 2

the above is all Hubbies!

in freezer
1 portion sweet and sour chicken
2 portions chicken curry

out of freezer for me
sprouts
carrots
parsnips
stuffing ball x 1
roast potato x 2
Quorn mince(to make chilli)
Quorn gammon steak x1

I am off to menu plan for next week but all i should need is fruit, veg,milk,bread,eggs and water

dannie · 14 January 2017 at 4:46PM

Hi,

I've been following this thread and keep thinking about joining. I last did its original version in 2011! The only time I managed to reduce the fridge freezer and cupboard supplies was during a period of ill health. This had caused me to be indoors for quite some time and I was not then an online grocery shopper.

I continue to try and use up rather than buy more groceries; have been doing so all month. Not doing so bad so far, although this has been "assisted" by not going out much all year. This is due to having nasty cold/flu and weather conditions. Also, have only ordered the bare minimum groceries to last two weeks and have not spotted any food reductions locally. However, still plenty to use up so will give this thread/challenge another attempt if that's okay?

Primrose · 14 January 2017 at 6:07PM

There is one problem with a very full freezer, and I have two of them (fridge/freezer in kitchen and a big upright ancient freezer in garage as I grow my own vegs) and that is they can get so full that you can never find anything. By the time you've rummaged through everything you've either lost the will to live or have forgotten what you were looking for in the first place!
We try to keep an inventory of freezer contents and cross stuff off as we use it up, but occasionally you forget, and then find yourself looking for that beef casserole that you used up three weeks ago !
I also have so much home grown soft fruit that I've run out of ideas for using it up. We're not huge eaters of pudding desserts and eat mainly fresh fruit. I think I need to dispose of some of my soft fruit bushes or starting giving more of it away. We do make marmalade but eat very little jam.

caronc · 14 January 2017 at 6:30PM

Primrose wrote: »

There is one problem with a very full freezer, and I have two of them (fridge/freezer in kitchen and a big upright ancient freezer in garage as I grow my own vegs) and that is they can get so full that you can never find anything. By the time you've rummaged through everything you've either lost the will to live or have forgotten what you were looking for in the first place!
We try to keep an inventory of freezer contents and cross stuff off as we use it up, but occasionally you forget, and then find yourself looking for that beef casserole that you used up three weeks ago !
I also have so much home grown soft fruit that I've run out of ideas for using it up. We're not huge eaters of pudding desserts and eat mainly fresh fruit. I think I need to dispose of some of my soft fruit bushes or starting giving more of it away. We do make marmalade but eat very little jam.

I have list for my larger freezer the smaller one is a "work in progress" and get most annoyed if my son comes home and either moves stuff about so it's on a different shelf or takes something out and doesn't mark up the list. He just laughs but I still love him LOL:)

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Eating out of the freezer and cupboards challenge - part two

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free