Batch Cooking

 

I try to find recipes that I like in order to batch cook and freeze. This saves me so much time and money, especially when I am in work full-time. I go back in full-time next week so I am trying to get prepared ready for the onslaught that September brings to teaching. It has also provided me with an opportunity to use up odds and ends in the fridge. I still have plenty to use up but I am determined not to waste the food we have. Some is being used for snacking- for example Teengirl has just came down and asked for the corn on the cob we needed to use, she has sat quite happily munching on that. I had a left over bit of chicken from last night's tea as my lunch with some of the wilting salad. 

My freezer is now stocked with 21 ready meals. I will use these either as quick after work dinners, or lunches. I shall be adding to these as the week progresses. So far I have made;

Lentil curry- there are 9 portions of this leftover in the freezer.

Lentil bolognese- I have 8 pots of this in the freezer.

Veggie chilli- I have 4 portions of this in the freezer.

I also found some mushrooms languishing at the back of the fridge so I made creamy mushroom turnovers- I have eaten 2 of these and have a further 2 in the freezer for a quick lunch at some point.

I love that I have so much prepped already. I have planned out my menu for the week, and will prepare next week's menu over the weekend. 

This was created with the food I needed to use in mind, so the fish fingers and chicken wraps are served with salads to use up the lettuces etc in the fridge.

The pesto will use up the bargain packet of fresh basil I got in the supermarket at the end of the day- recued to 5p! I bought 3, 2 went in the freezer for later in the term as I recently discovered how quick and easy it is to make your own pesto. I had been buying the free-from jars for around £1.50 a pot. I can make it for pennies!

What are your favourite batch cook meals? Bonus points if they are meat-free/ use store cupboard foods. We aren't veggie (see the plan above!) but I am reducing our meat consumption in an effort to save on food costs. Post your favourite meals below.

What is going on?

The world feels a very sad place right now. I think with my job being in the most rural part of the area I live in I have been a little sheltered. I very rarely go into town, I don't like shopping and prefer to stay in the village I live. So I was a little shocked when I went to the supermarket early on Saturday morning. Of course, I had seen social media posts about the state of the shops, the lack of food, but I honestly thought it was an exaggeration. Hence standing in a supermarket at 7am holding back the tears. I'ma monthly shopper usually so as it's heading towards the end of the month and knowing the virus is getting worse in my area I transferred some of my savings to get some shopping in. Not hoarding/panic shop. Just food we need kind of a shop. So to get to the shop that early and see aisles and aisles of bare shelves just made me realise just what a situation we are in. It's real. Basic, cupboard foods are gone. I have food intolerances so what was there, I can't eat.

This is the shopping from the first supermarket. As you can see most of what I have there contains milk. I can't eat it but my children can. So had a very small amount of food for them. I started to panic when I realised this was all I could buy, and nearly cried, a lady saw me and just stood chatting to me for a little about anythign and nothing and I managed to calm down. If she had realised how upset/ concerned I was feeling at that point then it was lovely of her to take time out of her day to help me. If she didn't still very lovely to see some human kindness in the midst of the madness.

I then went across the road to the other supermarket:

A few more bits, more that I can eat and bits to make some meals with using the ingredients I have in the cupboards at home (tin toms etc). This really made me think, and worry, though about others. I am fairly young, I am fit and able, I have a car and more importantly right now a stable job.This shopping, tiny amount though it is, cost more than I would usually spend on a weekly amount of food. How on earth are others who are not in my position able to get food. The bits I have bought are of a higher price than I would usually buy (apart from those cheap, gross noodles in the first picture. My children love them. That's the teens lunch on the two days a week I am in work!)

People get a grip- stop the panic buying and think of others. There is plenty of food in the country, if you stop being selfish about it. I saw a man when out walking the dog, he drives the big trucks for the supermarkets. he said there is loads of food in the warehouse types places (I forget the real word!) but they can't get it to the supermarkets quick enough due to the way people are shopping. Even at Christmas, or when it snows I have never seen the shops look as crazy as they do right now. I get it, you're scared, we are all scared. But the actions of a few are being really detrimental to many. 

Stay home, wash your hands loads, and only buy what you are truly going to use. Then we can all get through this.

Muscle food

I keep seeing on facebook foodie groups that people use muscle foods and that the meat is cheap and good value. Then Elaine posted on mortgage free in three that she had ordered a selectioin of meat. So I popped over to the muscle foods here to be nosey and found that they have an offer for new customers. £75.00 for all of this (and free delivery!)

New Customer Lean Selection:

• 2 x 2.5kg Premium Chicken Breast Fillets 
• 2 x 6-7oz Irish Grass Fed Rump Steaks 
• 4 x 6-7oz British Beef Hache Steaks 
• 2 x 400g British Extra Lean Steak Mince 
• 1 x 1.2kg Whole Corn-Fed Chicken 
• 2 x 400g Premium Diced Turkey Breast 
• 2 x 454g Lean Chicken Breast Sausages 
• 2 x 4oz Lite Beef Burgers

...& Fresh Vegetables:

• 1 x 500g Fresh Skinny Sweet Potato Fries
• 1 x 500g Fresh Slow Cooker Mix 
• 1 x 500g Shredded Red Cabbage 
• 1 x 500g Peeled Chunky Sweet Potato Chips

...& These FREE!!

• 1 x 454g Meaty Pork Sausages
• 1 x 340g Giant British Lean Meatballs
• 1 x 350g Low Fat Bacon Medallions
• Free Super Chilled Delivery
• Your Choice of Delivery Date
• Expertly Cut on Day of Despatch

…& These for NEW Customers ONLY:

• 1 x £5 Muscle Food Vouchers
• 1 x 500g Fresh Salmon Fillet Voucher

Looked good so I decided to order. Today my delivery arrived. I have had emails to tell me it would be coming today and then I got a text message nice an early to tell me it was on it's way. I chose the savers delivery option (free!) as I knew there would be someone here all day so Iddin't mind not having a specific time slot. 

My boxes ready for unpacking. When I opened the box, everything was vacuum packed so looks really small. This is what Igot for my money

Bacon medallions 350g

 2 packs of sweet potato chips 2 packs of turkey breast
 
  2 packs stuffed full of chicken breasts (24 in total)
 
  2 packs of hache steaks
  2 packs mince 3 packs of sausages

There was also some rump steaks although I seem to have forgotten those!


There is enough meat here to last us for over a month, probably more like 2 months. Brilliant. Even less need to go to the supermarket now.

Do you want to give muscle foods a go? Then click here the link will take you to the muscle foods website where you will get 4 free chicken breasts on any order over £25.

I have not been paid to write this post. I just wanted to share what I believe to be a fantastic bargain with others.

Weekly round up of goals

I have been shopping today for the bits and pieces we need for the next week. I have bought what was on the list, although I shopped at 3 different stores today- normally I don't do this.

It came about because Stephanie had a one off (free!) diving lesson at the sports centre where my gym is. As they have a whole weekend of different water based activities there is no charge for parking. Although if you park and use the leisure centre parking is refunded usually anyway. I digress.

After Stephanie's lesson she went to her dad's for the weekend, I took the opportunity of the free parking space to walk to the town and pay in a cheque at the bank. The lesson had been an hour long, I thought it was only half hour so was very peckish walking up to the high street so I decided to go into Wilkinsons and buy the cheapest sandwich/lunch snack I could as I was popping in there for some toothpaste. There were no sandwiches there which I like so I bought a drink as they were on offer, as was the toothpaste. So I popped in the coop and get my sandwich., £1.10 I didn't buy anything else in here. I ate it as I went back to the leisure  centre. Then I went in and spent an hour in the gym making myself hot and sweaty.

Then headed to my supermarket of choice. I was very good walking around only buying from the list. My shopping in there only came to £7.21 as I had these

yup that's £4.15 in price match vouchers. Thank you to my sister shopping, deciding its too expensive and donating the voucher to me (she brand shops, I don't so have no issue with the pricing). I really needed some cooking oil and their shelves were almost empty, except for the expensive £4 a bottle ones. Sorry I'd rather do without than pay that.
So I popped into the little aldi on the way home. I don't usually shop in there as it's a mess in there and I hate the tiny awkward carpark. However I need to get over this looking at some of the prices as I wandered around! I think I may need to build in a visit in there for bits and then decide if I need to go to the other supermarket afterwards!

So this weeks total shop came to £16.80, including lunch 'out'. So £3.20 to add to the savings account. Taking my emergency funds to 15% of its target total.

I also filled the car, last Sunday's outing ate into my petrol reserve so the full budgeted for £30 went in this week.

My no spend days currently stand at 12/240 so far. I am finding this easier as the month goes on, I even went to the shop at lunchtime with a colleague and didn't buy anything for myself. That is a big step for me, I usually can't resist getting a little chocolate bar/bag of crisps. I think that we still have so much of that left at home from Christmas I have been putting it in my lunch so I don't feel the need to buy. I don't eat it most days, just get comfort from knowing if want to I can! LOL

So far so good with the aims for this year. I hope yours are going well too.

luck?!

My washing machine broke back in November when it was still in its 5 year guarantee. It was a fairly big replacement apparently and other problems being flagged. Since new year the machine has been making some very dodgy noises including a very loud spin cycle, knocking/ rasping sounds. This evening it is no longer spinning. Oh-oh!

I could panic about this but I don't need to. Not because I'm suddenly flushed with a massively larger income, but because I have savings!
Nothing massive but enough to cover the cost of a new machine. I also have the means to replace those savings already sat in my purse. what a stroke of luck, it couldn't have worked out better.

Several years ago I privately rented a house for me and the children. My dad had been guarantor for me on this home. It turns out after I moved out a cheque had been sent to me which I never received/knew anything about. A fortnight ago my Dad phoned me to say the letting agent had phoned him to ask if he had contact details for me, as they had found a cheque they had sent to me after I moved out was never cashed. So they sent cheque to Dad, who has forwarded it onto me. That's £197.41 I didn't have. What amazing timing! I can't believe my luck.

I have just ordered a new washing machine using some of my savings. It will go straight back as soon as the cheque clears. I have ordered my machine from appliances online. I am very impressed as I will have my machine delivered on Sunday for no extra charge- a company that can deliver around my work and for free BONUS. They were recommended to me by a friend when I said my machine is sounding ropey. Let's hope I am as impressed as my friend was. I am after a new freezer later in the year.



Oh and an added extra- I get cash back from quidco for this purchase too.

FOOD!!!

I have some great savings I made this weekend. I popped into Morrison's on the way past to get some bread. I spent the grand total of £8.61. Look what I got for that:

 

2 Mackerel

1 fillet of plaice

24 plain bread rolls

2 chocolate twists

2 large fruit tea cakes

2 rustic bread rolls

2 paninis

half a melon (9p!)

bunch of bananas

1 multipack of kitkats

cheese straws (for Grandad)

3 pots of ready made fruit- only bought as reduced 15p each.

All was reduced except the bananas and kitkats. The kitkats are worth the money though, they have 1/2 price vouchers for up to 4 people to go Chessington which is on the children's summer wish list.

 

Using items I had in the cupboard/fridge I canned a batch of tomato sauce we use for pasta etc.

A few cloves of garlic, 1 onion and 1/2 a bunch of fresh basil I bought reduced for 9p

A salad pepper delivered with my veg box in a sorry state, and the stalk off of the broccoli we had for dinner were chopped and added too.

This all went in, along with 3 cans of tin toms.

Here it is all cooking down.

And in the jars. With the tinned tomatoes and vegetables I estimate these cost me around £1 to make. That is for all 3 jars so 33p a jar roughly. As opposed to £1 a jar when on offer of the supermarket stuff, and I know what is in them.

2 out of the 3 jars sealed and "popped", the third didn't but as we have a tomato based dinner planned for Wednesday it is sitting in the fridge ready to be used. I will definitely follow Elaine's advice and make these again.

 

Oh and in case you are wondering, I didn't waste the water from the boiling the jars stage either, I put that in my metal watering can. I left it to cool over night, now I am off to water my plants with it. Waste not want not!

Monthly spending

I forgot to total up our spending during May- TUT TUT! I know I could have saved more than I did. So onto June, fresh month fresh start.

When I remembered to count I know that I managed 7 no spend days in May. so target for June is to have 10 no spend days. Not having a half term in June will help with this :-)

I also sold some old toys and mobile phones in May meaning I have earnt an extra £33. I plan on selling some more bits and pieces, and hopefully doing a car boot fair this month as the weather is finally looking brighter. So watch this space, see if I can beat May's total.

Last night Stephanie and I popped into Morrison's on our way home, not my usual choice of supermarket, but it was closest to where we were. We bagged this little lot

For the grand total of £18.95;
2 pepperoni pizzas £2 (£1 each)
2 Morrison's houmous £1.50 for both (on offer)
3 x4 yoghurt's at £0.33 per pack- 99p
1 Brussels pate £0.58
1 Morrison's 'buttery' spread £1.00
1 pouting fillet reduced 99p down to 75p
1 mackerel reduced £1.55 down to  £1.19
1 coley fillet £2.45 down to £1.99
1 dab fillet was 60p down to 45p
1 chocolate cheesecake dessert (2 slices) was £2.20 down to 55p
1 honey dew melon quarter was 55p down to 39p
1 punnet of raspberries reduced to £1.49
1 nectarine punnet (4 fruits) £1
1 dairy milk creations £1.24
5 fresh bread rolls with poppy seeds reduced to 25p for all
1 cucumber 79p
1 loaf of bread 79p
bananas £1.37
potato baker 8p
3x fresh French stick 15p each (reduced from 50p each)
total
£18.95

My cupboards are looking full thanks to an approved foods order I received last week- £20 for £60+ pounds worth of food and goods. The freezer is full- lots of meat from our butchers haul earlier in the year, plus all the fish bought last night, the French sticks were cut up into individual sized portions and popped in freezer to be used throughout the month. So this month I am setting the challenge to use it up! I have done this several times before and I only buy fresh foods which I can't buy to last the month, fruit/veg as I won't compromise on having these in the house. I am certain I have enough to eek out to at least the next payday, although I'm sure I can stretch it further.

Bargain hunting!

I have been intending to go to supermarkets less and use local farm shops etc more. I haven't managed yet this month to do that mostly because I drive past the farm shop on the way to and from work however the times I am driving past the shop is not open. Then at the weekends the farm shop is in the opposite direction to anything else and so I end up driving past the supermarket and popping in.
 I have however been considering my spending in the supermarket, so that where possible I am buying local produce. So yesterdays little excursion meant that I bought Kentish (what do you mean is that a real word?!) apples and potatoes. On items that I can't get locally I consider my intention of saving and buy as cheap as possible so smart price pasta, reduced sticker bread etc etc.
As I was wandering round I saw a coat for Stephanie on the sale rail for £5, I am intending to make more of our clothes ourselves however there is no way I could make a coat for £5 myself so I bought it in a larger size ready for next winter.

And the top for myself was also very reduced. I have lots of summer tops and lots of jumpers but not much for the in between weather I am hopeful of getting soon.

These are the reduced bread items I got, some of them only I will eat, some Stephanie will share, others Dylan will eat. I just freeze them in 2's and remove what we need from the freezer each day. The plates and napkins you can see were reduced to 38p because they were apparently Christmas stock. They are not Christmassy (of course that is a word!) at all. Stephanie's birthday is 3 months away and she wants a crafty princess/castle type theme ( we are working out the details currently). So I thought the gold plates and napkins were perfect for this theme. Those are squirrelled away ready for April.

I love shopping for bargains, I am sussing out the best times to go to the supermarket to get the bargains that I need. In my local one evening time is best for bread. Early morning if you want meats/fish.
I also found that the butchers in the town by the library has good offers on with different meats. I went last week to get something for a Sunday roast and got a large pork joint for £10, the supermarket sell half the size joints for the same price. This large joint was far too big for the 3 of us so I cut it into 4 pieces; cooked one and froze the others.
On the subject of frozen foods we are nearing the ends of our leftover turkey ready meals I made at Christmas. I have found it so much easier to manage dinner times on work days since I had such a large bake-off at Christmas I am planning on doing the same thing in a fortnight when half term arrives. One of the half term days will be devoted to making enough meals for the next term.

I am planning on working out my budget for the coming month today, I will then be able to reveal the total I have saved this month through shopping this way. All savings are going towards the much needed new car!