I am back to work so back to writing in the evening. Don't much feel like it at 5am.
Two new followers to my blog are Simply Vintage and Andrea.Rey. Thank you for reading about my new life, it's always nice for any blogger to have new followers.
For those who follow me, I have joined everyone of your blogs and love reading about you. I have learnt so much in the short time I have found blog land and it has given me a huge boost of motivation to change some of the negative things in my life. For that, I am so very grateful.
I really am into the meal planning this week which also saw us start the enveloping system of shopping within a budget. We took out our £50 and into the envelope it went, with the shopping list written on it. Big man was not at work today and was duly sent off to Lidl to hunt and gather.
He forgot the list and I had to direct him via my mobile. He only forgot eggs, washing up liquid and shower gel. I've told him we will have to be dirty this week but I think he's got it all wrong!
He spent £16 on fruit and veg, he also had to dip into it to get the chainsaw sharpened. We have managed to get a load of free wood and needs to cut it into smaller pieces. Another £15.
We have £19 left to last us this week.
I tried three loaves yesterday and managed to get two that were edible. The first one went to the birds and some I froze for breadcrumbs for my faggots.
I have stuck to our menu plan so far and last night we had the gammon, which I did for 5 hours in the slow cooker with frozen veg and Mark Spensive mash that I got for 50p. I had some homemade parsley sauce in the freezer that I loosened up with some milk. I like this on ham as it counteracts any saltiness. I often use frozen veg as because of work I find it difficult to have time to get fresh in and use it. I find the frozen quicker but we also have fresh when we can. Is there still that snobbery with frozen veg?
Anyway reader, as my menu plan says, we are having fish, veg and have done tiny roast potatoes.
Have cooked some chicken breasts for big mans lunch tomorrow, I will have some too with a salad.
How is your menu planning this week?
It's great to have fresh veg, but when you're working its fantastic to be able to have a choice in the freezer too. I'm definitely with you there, snobbery pah! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Tracy,
DeleteSame here, it just saves me peeling and I usually forget some sad old cabbage in the fridge anyway. So easy with the frozen stuff.
Thanks for dropping by.
X
Depends what the veg is but I much prefer fresh carrots, dont know why ??
ReplyDeleteYou are so right! They are sort of stiff yet soggy when frozen.
DeleteIf you get the timing right frozen veg is fine. I still prefer fresh but I probably use fifty fifty. Keep practising with the bread !
ReplyDeleteHi Emma,
ReplyDeleteYes, I do use fresh sometimes and I ha e to agree with lovely Miss PB above about the carrots.
How's the blog coming along?
I use both too. At the beginning of the month when I do a big shop I buy 6 or 7 bags of various frozen veg to fall back on. Its just so convenient when time is an issue and you cant get the shops.
ReplyDeleteI tried using frozen carrots in a stew once and it wasn't nice.
Still use lots of fresh veg Aldi super six are usually a good buy and I try and buy spuds bu the half sack pointless buying small bags in my house to many mouths to feed.
I wonder what it is with the carrots? Definately not nice frozen.
DeleteI get the massive sack of spuds at Lidl. Cheaper than a small bag elsewhere. Lasts us all month and nice potatoes.
Do you know what happened to thrifty livings blog? It seems to have vanished. I hope she comes back soon.
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm not sure if I was following that blog. I have done a search, there is a blog called thrifty living by Ashley? Is that it?
DeleteI always wonder what happens when blogs go. I worry about the person. I used to really enjoy frugal up north but haven't heard from her for ages.
its the one from you blog list am not sure of the name of the person who wrote it.
DeleteI use both fresh and frozen. I agree with Miss PB about carrots though - for me they have to be the ' fresh' kind, but I buy the mis-shapen, cheaper, budget ones. I'm taking my Mum to S'bury's tomorrow so will be stocking up on them there as I have plans for carrot and coriander soup this week, aswell as tomato and red lentil, and cauliflower and leek. A lot of it will go into the freezer to use for lunches. Tonight we've had sausageless rolls with roasted veg and tomorrow it's vegetable stew with fat free herb dumplings.
ReplyDeleteI im intrigued by sausage less rolls? I love soups but big man not so keen. We also like roasted veg, with a drizzle of garlic oil. Mmmmm.
ReplyDeleteX
Well in the winter most of our veg is frozen - it may well be our home grown and from our freezer but it is STILL frozen!
ReplyDeleteI seen to remember from Home Ec lessons that frozen veg can actually have more of the vitamins preserved in them than old "fresh" veg?
Anyway yes we buy frozen veg and eat our own, as well as what little we managed to grow at this time of year, so I really wouldn't worry about it :-)
Keep trying on the bread front as it is SO worth it when it goes right! And two out of three aint bad ( to quote Meatloaf)
Hi CW,
DeleteYou are right with the veg, it saves me time. I will keep trying with the bread, the gods, the bad and the ugly I called them but they did taste nice.
FIB. X
I use fresh veg most of the time, only because freezer space is limited, I am buying frozen peas ans sweetcorn though. Compost Woman is right about the nutrient levels, modern methods mean that most veg is frozen within a few hours of harvest, if you buy your fresh veg it can be 3 days old, some root veg will have been in chill store for weeks.
ReplyDeleteI make all our bread, we are on a no bread regime till the end of Lent, and "failures" are either bird food, crumbs, or bread pudding.
Hi Pam,
DeleteMmmm, bread pudding. I think I might have a lot of failures!
We seem to eat a lot of bread here, I think I may cut down a bit.
FIB. X
I buy frozen chips and mash - that makes cooking a shepherds pie so much easier and I keep a bag of frozen peas in but after that I tend to buy fresh each week - I've tried with the bread but I'm not very good - hubby retires next year so he says he's going to master the bread making for us then! Xxx
ReplyDeleteThe breadmaker and the dishwasher were the two things my hubby took over when he retired. He puts them on timer for during the night so we have fresh bread and clean pots for breakfast.. easy peasy!! Bless him lol xx
DeleteHi Trudie,
DeleteThere is always that bag of peas in everyone's freezer. The bag that opens up and spills peas everywhere or is that just me?
What a good hubby Karen. I love the smell of the bread in the morning.
DeleteBread looks delicious, yummy. LOL about the shower gel, my hubby would have been on the same planet as yours!! We use frozen veg usually peas and green beans and Auntie B's roasting parsnips. My dad has a thing about stocking me up with these and to be honest we are a bit fed up of them, I keep dropping hints that fillet steak would be a better alternative LOL. We use packet mash too sometimes :-)
ReplyDeleteI don't know whats happened to Thrifty Living, her blog has been removed, I do hope she is ok after her little dogs death. I wonder if she has been spammed or someone has been unkind.
Karen x
Bread was nice if a little cake like. I suppose we are used to the shop stuff so it does taste different. Big man loves parsnips but we don't seem to have them much. I will get some of the AB ones.
DeleteFIB. X