Frugal Foodies, thread 2! Favourite leftover dishes, avoiding waste, menu ideas.

[Ninkanink]

Hey everyone!

1st thread is here

Hope that link worked! I’ve never done it that way before...

💐 and 🍰 and ☕️ to all!

Tart looks great Graphista, don't worry about the blind bake too much. Prick the base with a fork and it shouldn't bubble up too much

Got a Tesco click and collect order today. Ordered 1kg lamb leg and they've given me (and charged me for 😭) 2.5kg. There's only two of us 🤦‍♀️ so ideas for using up leftover roast lamb most welcome! I'm thinking a biryani and maybe a tagine.

@PurpleDaisies glad you're feeling better hope you continue to recover

Thanks @Weedsnseeds1 I saw delia doesn't bother with baking beans etc and pricks the bottom so will try that and that will hopefully work.

Thinking I may use rest of pastry (not sure how much there is) to make vegetable pasties. Off to google recipes

Lamb saag, the king of curries.

Should have said, thanks for all the well wishes. Not coronavirus, just a bit of a cold that’s gone straight to my sinuses. Headachey and miserable. Nice food is helping though!

Good it's not cv but it's still no fun being poorly is it?

The pastry I got isn't that much as it turns out only 275g so I think I'll only manage the tart out of it.

Need to think of other uses for the veggies.

Tonight's is going to be Mac cheese pie, chips & corn on the cob so very yellow! Maybe add some peppers in for colour?

Stir fry is what I normally do with veggies like I've got.

Thinking of making mushroom stroganoff while tonight's cooking in oven or maybe tomorrow, just the mushroom/sauce part and I'll make cous or noodles to serve with when I'm actually eating it.

Sausage casserole being made tomorrow or Sunday, I normally use baked beans as the veg part but want to use up fresh veg first so thinking carrots, peppers, maybe broccoli or courgettes too.

Need a meal plan but don't know how to do it!

Ok breathe

Friday - Mac cheese pie, chips & veg

Sat - same manybe different veg as
pie needs used & already past date!

Sun - stroganoff

Mon - sausage casserole

Tuesday - stir fry

Wednesday - ???

So glad I've found you all again - the last thread dropped off my list (not quite sure what's happening with watch lists at the moment). I had a veg box delivered on Wednesday so we are eating our way through it. Last night was a chard and broccoli risotto. It also had a fennel bulb and some chinese leaves so for lunch today I made them into a salad with orange slices and some micro shoot watercress - even DC2 who is a greens refuser gobbled both dishes down.

I've still got quite a lot of chinese leaves left plus 2 sweetheart cabbages - any ideas?

@Spam88 I had some left over lamb in the week. I shredded it and heated in the microwave and served it in a wrap with hummus, salad leaves and a blob of natural yoghurt. It was really nice and DC hoovered theirs up. You can also use it as a topping for a pitta bread pide - spread with onion marmalade, put on shredded lamb and top with crumbled feta - pop in oven for 10 minutes or so.

@Spam88 the save with Jamie book has some lovely ideas for lamb leftovers that I’ve always wanted to make. I’ve misplaced my book but I’ll try and find it later and if I do I’ll photo some of the recipes!

DH braved the supermarket today, it was a three hour round trip with queueing but he said that it was all extremely calm, civil and well managed and plenty of stock. I sent him with a list that should easily last us three weeks if I am creative. My freezer is packed to the rafters and I have a chicken to roast for Easter so very happy with that! I also have a coriander plant, simple pleasures!

We’re having homemade pizza for dinner tonight with carrot salad and a tomato and avocado salad as mine have all spontaneously decided that they will be mush imminently. Looking forward to it!

@PurpleDaisies Glad to hear you’re feeling much better! Take it easy.
@Graphista your meal plan sounds lovely and @Londonmummy66 all of those dishes sound divine and very creative.

@Londonmummy66 I'm having to hunt for threads too not always showing on my "I'm on" or "watching" options bit annoying.

I'm trying to be more organised. I'm used to not having as much fresh in and so not under as much pressure to use before they go off/out of date.

But when this all kicked off it was impossible to get tinned food and my freezer wasn't ready to use.

Freezer now sorted (and full!).

The difficulty I'm having is I need to order deliveries to get non food items which are proving hard to get at the moment but which I urgently need due to ocd and other health issues but that would leave me under the minimum order amount. Been trying to order food with long shelf life initially, I forgot the "tricks" to online ordering as I've not needed to use them for so long. Eg ordering alcohol to bump price of order up (but I'm not a big drinker so that's of Ltd use)

I'm now thinking more of ordering household items and actually thanks to you guys there are some things I am now noticing my lack of. Mainly baking equipment.

But also my wee saucepan was wrecked making the jam so I've only a big one and 2 frying pans now.

So I'm thinking to try and order baking equipment, new pans, sieve etc and they'll bring the cost up.

It's getting very hard to book deliveries which I'm desperately trying not to let panic me, I'm hoping in next couple weeks things will calm down and get sort of back to normal. Not sure how realistic that is.

So grateful to you all especially @Weedsnseeds1 and op who originally posted on my thread where I was trying to assess whether certain products I already had in were safe to eat and led me here.

It's been so good to get the reassurance plus loads of ideas!

If it weren't for you guys that mad lot of fruit would have went completely to waste!

Argh! Pies are mouldy so no go there kicking myself for not eating them in time - MUST DO BETTER

So think I'm doing the tart and a stir fry

Yummy salads to use up avocado and carrots. Carrot salad is just carrot, spring onion, salt, sugar, olive oil and a squeeze of lemon and I love it.

Avocado mozzarella and tomato is my favourite.....

Tonight is pizza night for DC so I'm supporting the nice local restaurants that are keeping themselves going on deliveroo.

Oooh, that mozzarella salad looks so fresh and tasty Furble
Graphista I put some info on measuring without scales on the prepping thread, I'm afraid I don't know how to link.

@Weedsnseeds1 thanks I'll have a look in a bit.

Tart cooking I've basically just thrown it together!

Greased Pyrex lid and lined with pastry, pricked pastry with fork and baked 20 mins. Then used kitchen paper to dry off raspberrries a bit before filling pastry case with them, squeeze of lemon, sprinkled sugar over and now baking another 10-15 mins will keep an eye on it.

Cooks privilege - made a rum cocktail with what was left in the raspberry bag - raspberry juice & bits, heavy dash of rum coke and squeeze of lemon - tis delicious! Should have been doing that all week!

Note for others blind baking pastry - prick the "walls" of the case too I didn't and I have a tiny hole as a result but I'm not going to be attempting to serve the tart whole so not a disaster for me.

@Weedsnseeds1 saw your notes on measurements that makes sense. I'm thinking possibly also convert from British to cups to measuring spoons as that's the only thing I have intended for dry ingredients.

16 tablespoons is a cup so if I remember that I can work it out from there.

Can't believe I didn't replace my scales! Although I used to bake more when dd was younger as we'd do It together, soon as she left school and started working that kinda thing went by the wayside (she works shifts) and now she has her own place so I don't normally see point of baking just for me...

Maybe I'll get back into it properly when grandchildren come along.

Note to self buy frozen raspberries and rum....

"cup" recipes work by ratios, so as long as you use the same thing to measure, you should be OK

Hey Everyone! Just popping in quickly to show off my burritos which were SO TASTY. It’s one of our favourite ways to use up leftover chilli and bits and bobs like pork, beef etc. Just tortilla wraps, chilli, rice, and the leftover cheese sauce from the other night. The fresh salad with it was so nice - just iceberg lettuce, cucumber and lime to dress it, but such a welcome change after having to do without much fresh and salad veg recently. It’s been 3 weeks+ since we went to the shops and we’re definitely feeling it when it comes to vegetables and fruits.

Mine is a minimal cook dinner. New potatoes coated in olive oil and piri piri spice mix and roasted. Homemade guacamole (thanks dh!) and freezer burger. Hooray for fake away!

Didn't cook tonight as we are full of hot Cross buns!
There is bread, cheese and salad if we get hungry later

"Note to self buy frozen raspberries and rum...." must admit pleasantly tipsy right now! Oh well it is good Friday

Not super pretty but here's my stir fry - just a medley of veg really:

Spring onion (that I thought was lemongrass )
Sweet pepper
Baby corn
Mange tout
Tenderstem broccoli

Went for sweet n sour sauce, blue dragon but too sweet for my taste not enough sour, and not even a hint of spice which though I like it mild I like a bit of spice served over cous cous

I think maybe all I've done with the tart is make a massive jam tart? oh well, long as it's edible! (If it's not I'll add rum )

Op burritos look yummy!

As does your burger dish purpledaisies

weedsnseeds1 before all this I'd regularly have crackers and cheese, with some pickles & crudités for dinner. Very hard to motivate oneself to cook for 30 mins - 1 hour when you're only cooking for yourself and not in great health.

I am eating better but I am knackered! And my legs playing up so I'm gonna have to try and take it a little easier next few days.

Burritos look fabulous. I have a half can of refried beans to use up...

Cheese and bread is more a case of having eaten too much already.
I enjoy cooking and find it relaxing. It's my go to activity, so usually cook, even if it's something like an omelette.
I'm impressed you are finding the energy to cook, when we are in a situation that is stressful and you already have health problems Graphista.
Maybe the enforced better nutrition will boost your overall health a bit in the long run?
My next door neighbour has a very disabled child ( sorry if that's not the correct terminology, no intention of offending anyone) and she is sobbing in the garden every other day. Her husband is still working, so she's on her own with this child and her younger one. We talk over the fence. I feel so sorry for her. There is a gate between our gardens so we have a " hand over table" to leave tbe odd treat ( sanitised containers) or ingredient as necessary.
The mental and physical knock ons from this are going to be awful, but the result of mixing is worse.
Not food related, I know, but there is so little hands on help you can give at the moment.
Stream of cociousness, sorry!

"Maybe the enforced better nutrition will boost your overall health a bit in the long run?"

Maybe, all the standing isn't doing me any good though my limps worse than usual!

"Stream of cociousness, sorry!" No need for apology

While my health isn't great I'm aware others are much worse off. I can at least still see to myself mostly.

Prescription of more steroids delivered today and ordered more antidepressants, it's frustrating that so many meds now they only issue 28 days at a time.

I'm sore today so I'm really going to have to try and take it a bit easier as I struggled to stand earlier.

I can't even begin to imagine how hard it is for folk like your neighbour, I can't express how sad and angry I am that the one part of the nhs that has to all intents and purposes has been shut down is community mental health support - needed more than ever now.

Not a commentary on your situation at all, Graphista, it was more that your situation, my neighbours situation, and so many other people that have additional stresses on top of the lickdown and pandemic were on my mind.