Would I July to you August Frugaleers

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Follow on from the last one

@Wolfcub

So, in the spirit of getting me and a few others on the thread who have fallen off the frugal cooking bandwagon give us your fastest tasty dinners - rough timings would be helpful.

For context 6 evenings out of 7 we have something on from September so speed is now even more important. I'll share a few of my own when I get my brain in gear and look at my recipe lists

Pea pasta

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/mini-shell-pasta-with-a-creamy-smoked-bacon-and-pea-sauce/

Sausage meat balls - squeeze balls of sausage out into the pan cook as meatballs

Fried rice - use leftover rice or cook a load one night you can and store it. Wok fry onion garlic ginger chilli but of turmeric prawns/leftover meat/veggies and add soy sauce. Make hole in the rice while in wok and scramble eggs in the middle then mix. Drizzle with sesame oil and honey. 25 mins maybe if you’re cooking rice same day

Er changing rooms anyone?

Wolf DH also makes “dump” dinners. As in preps chicken in marinade with onions etc then freezes while still raw. Take bag/box out of freezer then dump in slow cooker. Pinterest have loads.

I saw changing rooms yesterday. My word is all I can say.

Ah we’re doing the nick knowles show. Changing rooms broke out internets

Will catch up swfl as watching inappropriate movies with ds

Prawns stir fried with peppers & onions and add ready to wok noodles. Fast & delicious

Katsu curry. Find a recipe and make loads of the sauce. Then freeze it. I use pre breaded chicken and serve with rice. Super easy. Yes it’s nice to have freshly home made panko crumbed chicken breast. But we don’t all have time for that.

So freeze sauce. Then pour over chicken. Chop spring onions to throw on top.

I have a tin can cook type of recipe that's very quick and vegan. I also make it properly with fresh veg, but this is the fast way: 1 tin ratatouille, 1 tin brown lentils (you could use precooked mince), mix together in a big pot with fusilli pasta, and enough hot water, passata or tin of chopped tomatoes to just cover all of the pasta. For a nicer flavour I add extra herbs (Italian or herbes de Provence) and a scoop or two of Sundried tomato paste, sometimes a wee sprinkle of hot red chilli flakes if we're in the mood. Heat to boil, then stir every so often so the pasta cooks evenly over a medium heat. Takes 20 minutes ish, nice comfort food. 😁

Need to get back on the savings bandwagon. Having the house deposit saved, but no imminent plans to move, I keep wanting to spend too much. Mostly on upcoming birthdays, but I also need a new pair of boots.

I should get the cheaper vegan M&S ones rather than the fancy version from Will's Vegan Store. I walk so much (no car) and am hard on shoes, so there is no point in buying and totally wearing out a spendy pair. Right? Once teaching starts again I'll be too busy to agonise over such things, haha.

Quick frugal recipes:
Jamie Oliver does a 7 veg sauce that makes loads so we freeze it in different sized portions:
Enough for all of us on pasta
Enough for just dcs to have on pasta for nights when we get a takeaway or something
Small portions to use as pizza topping

It can be made into other things too with addition of a few more ingredients e.g. a base for Bolognese.

I've also got into making pesto using up stuff from the fridge e.g. leftover herbs or spinach. Even a very small amount will make some boiled potatoes or a basic pizza seem quite tasty and more of a treat.

Lots of soup especially in winter.

Frozen veg risotto. I cheat and do it in the oven: finely chop and soften an onion in a casserole, add garlic and fry, add a mug of risotto rice and stir to coat in oil the 500mls hot stock. Bring to boil then place in oven (200 degrees) to cook, it take about 25 to 30 mins and then add frozen peas and broad beans for the last 5 mins of cooking time. Dcs love it. If you want to add veg that takes longer to cook chop and add with the onion, I often use up an odd pepper or courgette this way.

Frozen veg. All the veg.

Joe Wickes has a couple of recipes where you use a pouch of micro-rice, a chicken breast and a bit of veg, stir-fried. One has curry spices and is aptly named 'curry in a hurry fried rice'! Another has sweet and sour spices. We've adapted the recipe loads as it's such a quick dinner. I think it's fairly frugal as well as one pouch and one chicken breast with any veg hanging around easily feeds two

I make loads of quick recipes (as in 30 mins all in or less) in fact probably most my cooking is like that . I have Jack Monroe's Tim Can Cook recipe book, a Hamlyn Quick Cook Budget Meals recipe book and I also use the Quorn website and BBC Good Food a lot. Make a lot of pasta dishes, fajitas/tacos/enchiladas, quick mild curries, stir frys, stews...planning to do a speedy veggie bolognaise tonight although DD had that for lunch yesterday at nursery but she loves it so am sure she won't mind.

Spends: £2.30 bus to hospital - DD had a blood test. £8.30 in the hospital shop on sweets for me and also a balloon for DD because I said she could get something from the shop for being brave and that and she picked a small balloon character that was FOUR POUNDS Christ. She didn't even look at it once we'd got home, as expected...frugal win was a free bus ride home as my contactless card just wasn't working against the sensor so the driver just gave up in the end and told me to hop on. It took ages to work on the outbound trip too I wonder why that might be?

Defo frozen garlic, onion, ginger, peppers, spinach, and peas obviously. Make tea with bugger all chopping.

£40 national trust day out

Meadow I think I read some of the banks had internet trouble today, maybe that's why?!

V spendy day today - got Foo Fighters tickets. V excited!

Finishing watching. CHanging rooms. Why are they putting a sex swing in the living room?!?!

It’s a party room em
Wahoo humbug

Woo Humbug fantastic
Yy to frozen onion, garlic etc
Spent a lot of time today with the puppy. Also ridiculous amounts of time ferrying foul ds around. Not too sad that he's at his dad's for a week

Right, so I dropped DCats off at the cattery. Trying not to think about them being unsettled and missing home, especially DCat2 who is a rather anxious little thing. I cleaned out all their litter trays and paid my car tax (due to be paid by the end of the month). I'll clean out the fridge early tomorrow. There isn't a huge amount in it anyway 'cos I've been letting my food supplies run low. Anything else I need to do before my holiday tomorrow? Empty bin I guess. And hang up last washload which includes all my face masks. They'll dry overnight on an airer. I'm kind of packed - I mainly need to throw in the last minute stuff like washbag and toothbrush/toothpaste.

em I caught the last few minutes of Changing Rooms. The wall of human hair in the bedroom .

Did anyone else watch 'Shop Well for Less' last night? The family were lovely and I hope they manage to buy their own home. They seemed comfortably off in terms of their income, so I hope they can prioritize saving instead of spending.

Frozen garlic are ginger are a must - really frugal version buy a large bag from the Chinese supermarket. Chop in the mini chopper thing that came with the cheap stick mixer. Freeze in ice cube trays. I do herbs as well.

I have escaped.... TV on my own sofa

@lifelongfrugaleer

It’s a party room em Wahoo humbug

Well clearly I’m doing party rooms wrong…. 😂

Oh god the serial killer trophy wall in the bedroom. 😮 the fuck was up with that?!?!

I’ve escaped. And am in the bath. Door is locked. 🙂

Spend spend spendy day
€189 on a pair of runners each for dc and school bag for dd, dd's wearing same size as me now so €90 I don't spend that on my own. She was shocked at price of school bag and didn't want to get it but I made her a deal it's to do her last two years of primary school. And they don't ask for much.
€88 dealz
€115 Dunnes
That's most of back to school done though. I got a lovely 3 picture set in Dunnes reduced to €10 think positive work hard & I can't remember the third.

Tayto freeze anything from fridge or take stuff with you. I brought fruit bowl my dm wanted me to take my flowers as they would bloom while I was gone but too long a drive for that, purple lillies hopefully I haven't missed the best of them

Third one is make it happen

Make sure the house is reasonably tidy. Left over milk in ice cube tray and freeze. Defrosts quicker when you get home and want a cuppa.

God yea the hair wall. She hated that

Ooof uniform is £££