Love food hate Waste Part two for 2018 :)

Hopeless_Case · 29 May 2018 at 7:09AM

I'm starting the day well, made OH's lunch with some baguette left over from a BBQ and frozen, and I managed to find enough good stuff left on a sad piece of iceberg lettuce to use, and used up a bit of Greek yoghurt DD left, mixed with mustard, instead of mayo - and a bit of spring onion left where I'd used most of the white bit.

Mixed up with some finely grated cheese and the last tiny bit of chorizo diced up, I tried a bit and it tastes expensive, very cheap and waste free - in a food saver box too so no plastic waste

:T

[Deleted User] · 29 May 2018 at 4:50PM

Welcome Hopeless Case, you sound as though your 'light-bulb' moment had arrived

Its really great fun making food streeetch out a wee bit and you will soon be surprised at how much you not only save, but how easy it is.

I love extending meals to get a bit more for my cash.My sis-in-law whom I had staying for the weekend made us a chilli last Saturday night and the left over bits became two portions for the freezer

the larger one I will have with some rice and the smaller one will fill a jacket spud so two meals spare for me

:):)

YorksLass · 29 May 2018 at 6:48PM

MartagonLilies wrote: »

Hello, I hope it's OK if I join in?
I was sent here, on a thread I started! I'm trying to save a lot of money in the kitchen, as my shopping bill is out of control, and my food waste is terrible.

Hopeless_Case wrote: »

I just came here via a recommendation on the grocery challenge thread - love this thread already !! :)

:hello: You're both very welcome to join us. You might find it hard at first but stick with it and you'll get the hang of it all. I agree with JackieO, it can be fun and easy to make food and pennies stretch. And just think of how much time you could save on NOT shopping!

Tonight we're having hm spag bol using a bolognaise sauce that was from a batch cook made a few weeks ago. I'll be adding half a red pepper and some sliced mushrooms to pad it out a bit, along with a sprinkling of grated cheese and a couple of small crusty rolls.

marns · 30 May 2018 at 6:38AM

Hi, I'm anewbie here!

My top tips is making my 'cream of green' soup. I have ziplock bag in the freezer where I put broccoli stalks, caulie leves and green stuff left over from stirfrys etc and make a big batch of soup when its full usualy when I have some left over or reduced cream/sour cream etc but you can just ad some milk for the cream of element. Even nicer if you have some leftover peas in the freezer and frozen spinach for extra green soup.

I have a huge soup pan so I make at least 8 portions of soups and stews so I can freeze them and I only have the hob on once.

I try to plan tea/dinner that can become packed tasty lunches. I work in a supermarket so great for getting reduced deals but soooo easy to grab a £2.50 sarnie

I got some mega reduced chicken mini fillets the other day...split them into 3 packs with enough for 2 lunches and popped them in the freezer with different marinades from my store cupboard. (to be fair I'm a keen and confident cook so I have a pretty impressive store cupboard) So the plan is

If I have rice at tea time..next day honey/soy/sesame chicken salad
If I have cous cous/quinoa...Spicy Harrisa
If I have pasta....garlic lemon and herb

protein for 6 meals out of a 30p pack of meat.

Not very environmentally conscious I know but I used plastic freezer bags to make the marinade and freeze the chicken...always make the marinade 1st so you can taste before you add raw meat.

If I find a reduced bargain for the freezer, i often take it out its tray and transfer to cling film/bags just cut out the pack instructions or date label and put it in with the bag so my freezer is full of food rather than plastic trays of air.

Been enjoying this thread so thanks peeps!:)

Moorhen · 30 May 2018 at 8:26AM

Morning everyone,
I don't post very often but I follow this thread every day.
I saved some very sad looking fruit from the fruit bowl this weekend, 3 soggy bananas became banana bread which proved very useful as a snack on a day out, and the soft apples were stewed and put in the freezer for using in a crumble.
We also now have a list of what is in the freezer and we look there first before going out shopping for food, tonight's tea requires no shopping at all!
I always imagine Jackie nodding wisely at me when I am taking these small steps, thank you Jackie for starting this thread, it has helped enormously.
Have a lovely day everyone.:)

[Deleted User] · 30 May 2018 at 11:55AM

Moorhen I don't know about wisely but I am nodding quite vigorously

I really enjoy turning something that looks quite past its best into something new and tasty.

Apples that get a wee bit wrinkly definitely get stewed and frozen . its just getting into the habit of looking in your stores first before buying more in.

I know ,like others that its so easy to think 'Oh I CBA, I'll just buy something for quickness, but its costing you cold hard cash, and if I look in my cupboards and see how much actual cash is sitting there unused then its a great incentive to try to make something out of what's there.

Stuck for an idea for a spread for a sandwich (or in my case something to go onto a cracker as I don't eat bread) ? easy,

1 hardboiled egg cost about 5p mashed up with some mayo from the jar, about a few pennies and maybe either some herbs or a sprinkle of curry powder makes a tasty spread

If its in a sandwich add a few thin slices of cucumber and perhaps a bit of shredded lettuce and you will have a filling tasty sandwich for lunch thats cost very little
Or bung it into a wrap and bulk out with extra salad bits

Marns you are right on the button, well done and what a great idea for cream of green soups. My broccoli stalks get sliced and frozen as well After all why would I throw them away I have bought and paid for them and they get chucked into all sorts of things

I too am an avid soup maker and make lots of different ones and freeze. I bought some soup saver bags from the pound shop and use them over and over after washing out after using.

The kick you get when you have extended something to make another meal is really great

and not only have you save money, you have saved something even more valuable and that is time .After all when ready meals came on the market they were sold as time saving, but a bit of DIY in your cooking and its win-win.

I am really pleased that what originally started over a year ago (the previous thread got so big it had to be replaced ) I thought would perhps last for a couple of weeks, has now got so many people following and having a go themselves .
I wonder how much food has been saved from the bin in the past year. Good for the environment and even better for your pocket

Onwards and upwards fellow LFHW'ers

JackieO xx

VJsmum · 30 May 2018 at 4:49PM

Also glad you started the thread, JackieO - though i have been somewhat intermittent of late.

Did a small shop today and spent £20, that will do us (three of us here at the moment, though the MiL is coming for the weekend) for a week or so, with what i've got in. Though I did forget rice cakes, which i've somewhat taken to, so will have to get a pack. Otherwise, i am in using up mode. Last night we had a frittata to use up some veg, with some salad to use up that.

tonight, OH and I are having bacon and egg to use up some bacon that will be getting a bit old soon and DD (who is (mostly) veggie) will have some left over saag paneer curry.

I am at my sister's tomorrow (I am down in your neck of the woods JackieO, we have to have a family discussion about Dad's will and the disposal of his and mum's ashes

) but OH and DD will have freezer leftovers. OH will have lasagne and DD, again, something veggie. To call them leftovers is a bit of a misnomer though as we deliberately make more to have some 'ready meals'.

marns · 31 May 2018 at 8:19AM

I love a fritatta too great way to use up slightly wrinkly veg and stale cheese.

If you like rice cakes, have you tried popping your own corn? Similar calorie count but soooo much fun and cheaper and no one is is more jealous of your rice cakes than your tub of popcorn! Smells great too.

Best done with a glass lidded pan though.

YorksLass · 1 June 2018 at 4:27PM

marns wrote: »

Hi, I'm anewbie here!

If I find a reduced bargain for the freezer, i often take it out its tray and transfer to cling film/bags just cut out the pack instructions or date label and put it in with the bag so my freezer is full of food rather than plastic trays of air.

:hello: Welcome, marns. I do this too; as you say, freezer full of food rather than plastic trays. Some of them are enormous! I also do it with frozen goods that come in boxes - they too can take up a lot of room.

Last night for dinner we had hm chips, egg & beans. We shared a ys naan bread to serve the egg on and used up the last of the loaf too. A quick, easy, cheap, meat-free meal that we haven't had for ages and we really enjoyed it.

:)

[Deleted User] · 1 June 2018 at 5:17PM

Nut burgers for tea for us. Left overs from the freezer from a nut roast last week. I am a vegi (well about 99% vegan) and husband is a meat eater so we usually eat vegi / vegan meals.

We will have the nut burger with onion and mozzarella on a barm cake (bread cake) with a side salad and hm chips made from potatoes and sweet potatoes. We always have a 'treat' tea on a Friday to eat while we play board games.

I will save some of the mozzarella for a sandwich for husband tomorrow (and peanut butter for me) and the rest of the onion will go in a vegan shepherd's pie I will cook for tomorrow's evening meal.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Love food hate Waste Part two for 2018 :)

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