Cheaper than chips: 8-5-13

I fought off an incredibly strong impulse to go and spend money today after school.  It was a hard battle but I won - and by that I mean I didn't spend!  Phew!

B:  Toast, butter and strawberry jam.  The toast and butter are out of the week's allowance and the jam was home made last year and only a little bit left in the bottom of the jar anyway.  (by the way, I checked my jam and chutney shelf and there's plenty there to keep me going, so that's good.)
L:  Cheg, salad, mayo (all leftovers from the party and very nice it was too!), 2 satsumas (free)
D:  The other butter bean burger from last week, chips (a few in a bag in the corner of the freezer, celery and carrot sticks (leftovers),

I'm not even going to attempt to cost it out, I wouldn't have a clue, but it's all frugal in that it's leftovers or freebies mainly.  So I think it's going to be OK, even though the actual costings are not possible this week.

(and I'm making some more butter beans - they've been soaking all day, I've boiled them for 20 mins (because of any toxins) and now they're in the slow cooker to simmer away overnight!)

Cheaper than chips: 7-5-13

I was totally wiped out last night after Alex's party and didn't even think about updating.  So I'm here now!

B  Nothing but a coffee.  i just wasn't hungry.  I know this is not a Good Thing as by playtime I was peckish and succumbed to two choccy biscuits that were on the staffroom table (with others, of course .  They were free, of course, but not in calorific terms!
L  leftovers from Monday's dinner, tomato and bacon pasta.
D  No comment!

So now I'm in a peculiar situation.  Beth took most of the party food home with her but she left some ham, some salad, some cheg and a few other bits and bobs.  I cannot possibly even start to cost it all out so I won't try, just be grateful that meals are there for the next few days and start afresh on Saturday.  I doubt I will need to do any food shopping at all next week.

Cheaper than chips: 6-5-13

We will draw a veil over breakfast which was still at my parents'.  It wasn't so lavish really but it did include an apple and they are dear!

L  Cream of broccoli soup
D:  bacon and tomato pasta and I allowed myself 10g of grated cheese.  Very nice too!

That's it today.  The total is 78p but some of that is tomorrow's school lunch, some of the bacon and tomato pasta.  It wasn't worth splitting the cost so tomorrow it won't count.

Cream (sort of) of broccoli (stem) soup: Cheaper than chips

This is a Thermione recipe but can be done the usual way just as easily.  I would just add the rice whole and zizz it up at the end.

And because it is a cheaper than chips recipe, given that the butter came from the week's allowance and the broccoli didn't cost anything because I'd already worked out the cost based on the florets, this thick, creamy textured, very tasty soup cost me all of 10p!  I could have afforded the Stilton cheese crumbled over the top, should I have had some in the house.

Broccoli stem soup

Ingredients to serve 1 (jolly good portion)

(amounts vary, depending on size of veg, all veg weights are for unprepared veg)

10g	long grain rice
18g	onion
28g	carrot
12g	celery
1	broccoli stem, left after all the florets have been removed
20g-ish	butter
400mls	water
	small squidge garlic puree (or equivalent)
1 tsp	vegetable stock paste

Method:

long grain rice

Weigh into the bowl and grind on 9/10 for about 1 minute until a flour consistency.  remove from pan and set aside

onion

carrot

celery

broccoli

Peel the onion and cut into chunks.  Top and tail carrot as necessary and chunk, ditto with celery.  Cut off the dried end of the broccoli stalk and slice the remaining stem into ‘coins!

Place all veg in the Tmx and grate to very small bits – speed 6 for about 10 secs.

about 20g of butter

Add the butter briefly zizz for 2 seconds.  Push the mixture down from the sides.  Saute at 100/ 5 mins/ speed 1.  Add squidge garlic and continue to sauté for 1 more minute.  Push mixture down the sides again

400mls water

good tsp vegetable stock paste

ground rice

Add the water, the ground rice and the stock paste.  Cook on Varoma, 12 mins/ speed 4

Check all is cooked, then zizz on speed 9 for about 1 minute.  Check seasonings and adjust if necessary.  Reheat to piping hot and serve with stilton crumbled over.  Very tasty!

(the vegetable stock paste was the only seasoning I wanted, but one could us ones imagination

Cheaper than chips: weekend

Well, I'm back home after a very pleasant weekend and immediately it's back onto frugal eating.  On the way home I did what I had planned and took trips to both Aldi and Lidl to compare and contrast.  In both places the chopped tomatoes were exactly the same price as Morrison's value so it's now a case of quality.  I got a tin from both and will see what I think.  Tomato puree was also exactly the same and I now seem to have enough tomato puree to last me for weeks and weeks!

Having looked around, unless I am prepared to go to both shops, write down prices and then go back to buy the cheapest, then it's really a matter of swings and roundabouts for most things.  Aldi only had Allinson's bread flour which, disappointingly, was no cheaper that getting a 3k bag from Morrison's   However, Lidl had bread flour for 79p for 1.5k which is better, so I'm trying that.  It was on special though.
I bought stuff from both places which will hopefully see me through several weeks to come.

I've invented a soup made with broccoli stem - the bit that I always have thrown away after I've cut off the florets but which, I am assured, is full of flavour.  It was very delicious, so I'm posting it as a separate entry.

And finally - of course, I have made the most of this weekend.  Mum is an excellent cook and I've enjoyed the results.  Dad had ordered some Wensleydale cheese from the Wensleydale Creamery and I have come back with seven wedges plus one of their blue.  Some will be for the party tomorrow but other than that - I HAVE FREE CHEESE!!!!!  For now the rest that I won't be using is going in the freezer but wow - I've missed cheese!!

Cheaper than chips: 4-5-13

No menus today - family stuff has intervened (and very welcome it is too).  We will be lunching out and having something lavish for dinner tonight.  However, the break is giving me some thinking time and I reckon I ought to take a trip to Lidl or Aldi at some point.  We have both around here, both the other side of town, unfortunately.  I might try things like their bread flour and see how much basics like chopped tomatoes are.  I rather like Morrison's value chopped toms but ought to be aware if comparative stuff can be bought elsewhere, cheaper!  Anyway, Lidl and Aldi, here I come!

Cheaper than chips: end of week 1

If I was aiming to spend £1.25 a day, the total would be £8.75
If I was aiming to spend £1.50 a day the total would be £10-50
As it is, I spent a grand total of £9

However - very big however - I was getting bananas and tomatoes for free (they would have been thrown away if I hadn't grabbed them) and I had playtime fruit at school all week.  Also yesterday's lunch was free.

I'm counting breakfast and lunch, then I'm off the project until Monday lunch time.  Next week's results will be 'odd' as a result.

Still, I am well pleased with this week.
I haven't gone hungry, I've been creative in my own very simple way, I've eaten well and I've enjoyed it.  That is, of course, because it's a choice, because I love cooking, because I have all sorts of gadgets and tools to support my cooking skills, I have a good range of pulses, seasonings and spices in my cupboards  to use (I costed them in) and it's first week in so has novelty value.

And it's just for me - no family to consider!  Still - I'm ridiculously pleased.