Mix up and go

Helooooooooo

Been a while since I posted anything, life here has stepped up a notch and it takes all my time at the mo to keep on going. Think I have said I am a full time carer and toast coupled with re skilling decorating and making Christmas prezzies has made this frugal minded girl a tad tuckered out lol

Found in the reduced section 250g of minced lamb on offer £1.39 and as I am a lambaholic i decided it needed to come home with me.

 What I try and do of a Friday/ weekend is to see what I have in the freezer, fridge and cupboards and use it up. Was very proud of me this week managed to do the following

 Leftovers quiche

Lamb mix up

 Courgette bakes veggie mix for rice or pasta fab on its own too.

Banana cake 

Veggies sorted for a roast

Sweet potato mash

Blanched some veggies for the freezer.

 

Lamb mix up

 Take some onion and/or leftover leek sweat in the pan till soft and slightly caramelised

Add the lamb

Chop up some carrots finely and add a lamb sock cube if you have one

One dessertspoon of whole grain mustard (sounds a lot but you get flavour not fire)

About a 3^rd of a small jar of baby beetroot drained and chopped into small pieces

Good squirt of tomato puree

Tin of tomatoes

Season well and as you go also add some herbs I used mixed and a couple of bay leaves. REMEBER you need half of dried to fresh as a rule.

Make sure the mince is cooked off before adding any of the wet ingredients mix well and when combined leave it on a low heat.

Take 2 fat courgettes and peal them slice them at an angle or not your choice J  pop them in the bottom of a baking dish and poor on the mince mix.

 You could cook it straight away but wonderful if you can leave it over night flavours mingle and pack a punch.

You could serve this with rice or if you have oodles of courgettes you could layer it and top off with some of the meat sauce finally adding a bread crumb and cheese mix to bubble and brown all tostie in the oven! J

What I also did with this mix and the courgettes in trimmed tie top and bottom off one left on the skin and scooped out the middle (adding it to the mix I would poor over the canoe shaped courgettes sprinkled some crumb and cheese topping on it and popped it in the oven, was lush had a bit of nana cake and a cuppa for desert!

 

Sweet potato mash

 

 Pealed and boiled about a kilo of spuds (saved back the water for soup)

Sweated off the spuds in some butter and onion in a frying pan. Used butter as it was for flavour as well, seasoned well and mashed it till they screamed lol. Popped it in the freezer for later

As the skins were ok from the veggies I used I retained them all apart from the sweet potato ones

Added some ordinary spuds and parsnip, Swede anything like that chop it up smallish and pop it in the pan add the onion and some seasoning sweat it off a little and add the retained water and a couple of stock cubes simmer for about 20 mins and blitz. This is great serves with either some leftover bits of bacon chicken or both added to it. If you have any bread over make croutons and fry it off in the pan you have used for other bits of cooking it will soak up the flavours and add to the mix.

 

 I also had some cauliflower so i chunked that up and added it as well mead for a good hearty and warming meal.

How’s things is your world what do you cook bake craft sew anything that makes you buzz?

Drop me aline and let me know would be wonderful toi hear from you 

take care for now 

Rachel

Am I poor if I do not spend?

Money, get away
Get a good job with more pay
And your O.K.

Money, it's a gas
Grab that cash with both hands
And make a stash

New car, caviar, four star daydream
Think I'll buy me a football team


I have pledged to join all on frogs blog with a Stoptober spend free month and well today it stared. I have money in my wallet for our usual spends transport and fresh veggies but apart from that I ant spending bupkiss to so there! Lol.
Activities that needed budgeting fro have had the pennies allocated and all good to go there too. As for extras e.g. fabric, buttons, car boot bits (am beginning to sweat now)! Are not happening. I truly truly don’t need it I have a comfortable life food in the cupboard roof over my head friends who I like and furry freeloaders who will eat me out of house and home. So richer than some, poorer than others.

stock picture from the net

 

 

 

 

Money get back
I'm all right Jack
Keep your hands off my stack

Money, it's a hit
Don't give me that
Do goody good bullshit

I'm in the hi-fidelity
First class traveling set


And I think I need a Lear jet  


Talking of getting lucky i really did yesterday. My local co op has been a real godsend of late, well since we moved in really. The reductions I get are as a rule fair sometimes I get lucky and they are ASTOUNDING. yesterday was one of those days 250g of cheese down to 83p was £3.79 a block there were 8 and like the milk down to 89p was £1.19 a litre even got 2 lots of stewing steak was £2.05 for 80p x2, field mushrooms 30p was £1 lettuce 25p was £1 the list goes on and on ended up spending £23. ish and that coupled with the bits I have in the freezer excess milk bread and the usual odds and ends we shall dine like lords for a good couple of weeks if not longer.

stock picture from the net

Money, it's a crime
Share it fairly
But don't take a slice of my pie 
Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil
Today

But if you ask for a rise
It's no surprise that they're
Giving none away
Away
Away
Away
Away...






 Had a rummage in the fridge and found half a leek some carrots some leftover mushroom soup popped in the slow cooker along with a found pepper lurking of all places in the bottom of the fruit bowl, well it hat to live somewhere veg from Sunday lunch, we will eat for approx 80p a head including a rhubarb crumble and homemade custard. I will feel very smug about that.
 Had a wonderful surprise from a mate of mine she was sorting out her linen cupboard and found a whole heap of single quilt covers and sheets she didn’t want and 3 thick novels that she thought I would be able to do something with. Already I can see a couple of aprons, some pillow slips and a thin quilted throw for dads’ bed and possibly a summer weight dressing gown. Then with the scrap leftover bits some cloth shopping bags and the beginnings of some drought excluders.

image

Courtesy

  of happy mothering.com

 As you know I am also trying to save pennies on loo roll, this week I will be sourcing some old tea shirts and making a heap of family wipes for me with a cloth bag to pop them in. What I am hoping to do during the week is prep bits as and when I can then on Sunday morning when my loved ones are either sleeping or at church I can just crack on until lunch with sewing them. Might shorten the shower curtain and use some of the waste from re usable bin lines for the bathrooms and to line my cloth bag. Just been sat here thinking and a now acquaintance was once friend said to me there is no value in being a house wife I beg to differ, I feel there is no value in not being appreciated weather you work at home or else where.
 So wonderous people what  have you been planning/ hoping to do of late.
 All the best
Rachel

[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/pink+floyd/money_20108700.html ]