Brexit Meal Plan

[FlamingoMingo]

Does anyone have a meal plan for a few days they would be happy to share? Whilst I've got a pretty comprehensive list of items to stock up on, I've realised that I'm not sure how to necessarily turn a random selection of tins, pulses, pasta etc into a series of sensible meals. It would be for me DH and our young DTD's. DTD's will also need packed lunches so any ideas for those would be good. I'm working on the assumption of limited fresh bread and dairy being available in April and would rather not rely on the freezer just in case. Thanks

[Snugglepumpkin]

Boring but we go something like this if eating from stores...
Not exactly detailed but this is how I decide what to can & how much by assigning one main ingredient (e.g. can of mince) deciding what we will make with it then making sure I have the things to turn it into a meal.


Breakfast - usually porridge/instant oats & yoghurt.
Eggs if available.
Have muesli & Weetabix but they are milk dependant so less of those than porridge.
I do have dried milk & quite a bit in the freezer.



Lunch - soup or sandwich or both on hungry days. Often salad as I grow it year round in the kitchen.
I have sandwich spreads, cheese, bacon, pates, corned beef, tinned fish etc... which we can choose for sandwiches.
Or stuff like beans/spaghetti to go on toast.
Omelettes if have eggs/ maybe pancakes if have milk.

Jarred fruit if we feel like it

Main meal: (when I say jar I'm talking about home canned, very different to tinned bought in shop)
Day 1: Jar of minced beef or lamb turned into either stew/burgers/bolognaise/chilli/meatballs/taco/cottage pie whatever so plus appropriate extra ingredients depending which recipe we feel like.

Day 2: Jar of chicken turned into either curry/stew/pie/salad if warm weather with rice or potatoes depending.

Day 3: Meat free meal, if it's a Sunday, might have a meat free roast which is roast potatoes, mash, veggies, stuffing, Yorkshires & gravy - so everything but the meat (son doesn't like roast meat)
Another day might be jacket potatoes or stuffed roasted peppers & rice

Day 4: Jar of sausage, turned into either toad in the hole/sausage casserole/sausage inna bun ;-)/sausage & mash

Day 5: Jar of mince, turned into another option from other mince day or jarred gammon perhaps.

Day 6: Jar of diced pork or diced beef turned into curry/pie/sweet & sour pork by using jar mix/casseroles with dumplings - adding jarred veg

Day 7: Random other tinned stuff in the cupboard bought from shops e.g. I have tinned haggis which we might have for a change, or tinned duck, irish stew, pasta sauce & pasta. Got other stuff but can't remember it all off the top of my head. I have less of each of these items stocked than I have my own home canned stuff.

Snacks:
We have popcorn, biscuits, fruit, dehydrated stuff like cucumber or banana which is very snackable & I have a few jars of pie fillings so can make those or cakes if we're in the mood.

I do also have 2 freezers full of other things you can't really can like joints to roast for instance or boiling bacon & I prefer frozen fish to tinned as I aim for 21 different meals so nothing gets too boring, but this is 7 days from the shelves.

I make my own bread, bacon, ham, yoghurt etc... & have considerable stores to be able to continue to do so.

[user1981287]

Wow snugglepumpkin I’m in awe! I’m assuming you’re not in the UK though with all that canned meat?

[bellinisurge]

Nice idea. I'm generally "planning" porridge for breakfast with dehydrated fruit or jam. For tea (supper if you aren't from round here), I have meat in either my freezer or canned the American way - I have a pressure canner- in whatever sauce I can muster. Plus rice or spuds.
Or lentil soup with dehydrated veg added - as many on here have chuckled before, I have a dehydrator.
Dinner (or lunch etc etc) is actually more adhoc. I can make sour dough bread and I have plenty of spinach growing to add to whatever sandwiches I can make but, it's a good point that I need to think about. Dd hates tuna (at the mo!).
I will cheerfully pinch from others' ideas!

[bellinisurge]

I also bought the Bosh! Vegan cookbook second hand to look for ideas.

[user1981287]

I have lots of chicken noodles put aside (mainly because they last for years) and could use these and soups as the basis for lunches.

This weekend is dedicated to getting the kitchen garden sorted out. It needs a good clear up and the stuff that will be overwintered needs protecting.

[Snugglepumpkin]

Yes I am in the uk, I imported a pressure canner a few years back.
It's not a cheap thing to do here, but I've ordered some reusable lids which will bring down the cost per can considerably.
Just have to wait for them to arrive from the US.

[bellinisurge]

Me too @Snugglepumpkin - they are brilliant if a bit pricey. And a bit scary.

[user1981287]

Could you use an instant pot or are they completely different?

[Snugglepumpkin]

I don't think you can use an instant pot as a pressure canner.
You could use it as a hot water canner for high acid foods, but meat & most veg need a pressure canner.
Never take risks (like using the wrong equipment) canning meat or potatoes etc... you risk severe food poisoning.

@bellinisurge
It cost me about £90 for 100 regular mouth Tattler reusable lids which I ordered this week (and honestly half of that is the shipping cost) so if they work out, I'll order more because the one shot lids are now working out about 50p a jar to replace which suddenly makes 90p for one you can use for a decade seem good value!

[bellinisurge]

Good point @Snugglepumpkin - I've been wrestling with the idea.

[Snugglepumpkin]

My Tattler lids arrived last week (didn't expect them so fast) & I've canned up another batch of minced beef.
I used 8 jars with Tattler lids & 7 sealed so I'm really happy with that as a first attempt as I keep reading there is a bit of a learning curve.
You definitely must simmer the rings & lids before you put them on.
I think the eighth was a bit cool.

I'm definitely going to order more of the Tattler lids as soon as I can & test them with my vacuum sealer to see if I can use those instead of the metal ones for dehydrated stuff too.

[Snugglepumpkin]

this week, not last week!

[bellinisurge]

Good luck- sounds great!