This is my plan - will it work?

[NAB3wishesfor2008]

I now have 2 freezers so hopefully will be able to be more organised. My plan is to run down the freezer and cupboards of food and then start afresh. I want to be able to meal plan properly for the week and buy what I need. I have stuff in the cupboard that has been there ages and not been eaten yet. I am winging it that there will be something for our meal tonight and so far I know the kids are having orange mash and peas but not what is with it yet.

When ever I try and meal plan I end up having to buy so much food and can't always use all if what is already in. I spend a lot on food already but I want to be able to still spend enough but actually have stuff in for us to eat and a few treats too (nice cheeses/salads/etc.) I am always looking for things for the kids but never remember for us or remember to buy enough for 5.

I find a lot of packages are only enough for 1-2 people and buying 2-3 of those is dear. I am fussy when it comes to meat though and want organic or free range.

I see the bags of frozen meat in the freezer but wonder about the quality.

Hi Nab

I always meal plan properly and only buy what I need - its acutally cheaper now than when I just mooched around teh supermarket. I don't use a lot of meat, soi can't really comment on that - if you were making something with (good quality) mince, could you pad it out with lentils? Very tasty and filling IMO

MamaG

I sometimes use the bags of frozen beef chunks as I'm fed up of going to the fridge to make a stew only to find the beef went out of date yesterday.

But, you need to shop around. Asdas beef chunks are very fatty, despite it saying lean on the packaging.

Didn't even twig that was you MamaG with your clue! at myself.

I don't think I would get away with serving lentils with a lamb steak or pork chop but maybe in a casserole? Can you really taste them as DH would not eat them.

This is what I do.
My approach is to freeze everything I can from my shop.
Obviously the fruit is fresh but I buy what veg I can from the frozen section. This way I only have to stress about what veg is looking a bit sad and juggle my meal-planner accordingly.
I actually take the meat out of all it's packaging, put it in freezer bags and then freeze it. (I buy fresh because I think the quality is better.)
I then have a second drawer with frozen veg in.
The third has some breadcrumbs I made in it and stuff like burger buns, ice cream, flans, a sausage plait etc. If I only use half a tin of beans, for example, they also go in here.
I hardly ever chuck any food any more and it has saved us a lot of money.
It's also made dh much more willing to cook since he doesn't have to waste any energy planning and shopping for what he's going to do that night.
Wish I had space for spare bread and milk since this is the stuff we're always popping out for. (Do have bread flour though.)
It's also a bit of a squeeze for getting spare meals in (when we make lasagne we increase the quantities to make 2 for example).
Combined with meal planning it's been a pretty efficient way of keeping us fed a variety of food (used to feel stuck in a rut). I used to stockpile on the basis that we'd always have something to eat, but some stuff hung around for ages.

Panic if stuff is a bit out of date,it doesn't matter.What would yuo do with meat that was a day out of date?

If it's a use by date then I'd throw it away, but if it was a best before I'd use it.

I'm really careful about meat/fish and stick to the dates.

What do you do?

Have just turned the second freezer on. Will it be ready for use today or tomorrow.

I have 3 lots of lovely fresh meat in the freezer but none I can cook from frozen so the kids are having orange mash, vol au vents and veg!

I am using my freezer a lot more than I used to as I got fed up of too much food needing use by the same date, but I am not always organised enough to get stuff out in the morning to defrost in time for the evening.

Ooh never bothered about stuff a bit over.I don't throw anything out.

I had some pork chops in the fridge that needed using that day but we were going out to eat that night, so i put them in the freezer, do you reckon they will be ok if i just take them out, defrost and then cook them this week? Didn't like to chuck them out.

Yes, I always figure you could have bought them that day and they wouldn't know they had been in your fridge for however long and not the supermarkets one.

I bought a pizza yesterday and just realised it is use by today so I have put it in the freezer. It has only been in my fridge overnight.

My main problem is not knowing the date when I go shopping and not always remembering to check on the labels.

blossom - they will be fine. as long as you defrost them quickly and use them straight away. Loads of people buy supermarket reduced meat with one day left then freeze it for later use. In fact, if you freeze something that is three days in date for example, you can defrost it and it will be fine as long as you use it within three days.

Another thing I do if I cannot remember the date when I am shopping (just to annoy the supermarket staff) is to take yoghurts etc from the back of the stash - they should have the longest shelf life of all the stock on display if correct stock rotation has occurred!

NAB - If I forget to take something out to defrost in the morning I just defrost in the microwave just before I need it - it's pretty much the only use the microwave gets these days.

I am a bit wary of defrosting meat in the microwave as I worry it will start cooking it. I did some fish the other day as I had no choice really but it was okay.

If you don't know the date when shopping, check the calendar on your mobile phone.

If you buy meat to freeze, that you will use chopped (casserole, curry etc), then chop it before you freeze it. Then freeze in a resealable type freezer bag, in as flat a layer as you can get it. Then when you take it out to defrost, it does so much more quickly, you can also give the bag a bang, to break all the bits up, which speeds it up even more. I usually leave the bag in a dish of cold water for half an hour if I'm late sorting things out. No idea if that's 'safe' but I'm still here!

Great ideas, thanks!