I always find that preparing for a Challenge is the most difficult part once I get going I'm fine, but knowing what I'm doing and when I'm doing it is important to me if I want things to run smoothly, so I always try to make sure I set up the basics properly. After all I would hate to use up all the food too quickly and leave myself eating really poorly for the last couple of days.
And with only 24p left in the kitty there's not much money for dashing out to the shops for a top up shop!!
This is the slightly revised weekly menu plan.
Sorry if it's a bit hard to read but my other clearer menu pad is obviously at home in Wales as I can't find it in my 'office bag' here at the Van. I might even find the time to colour in my heading and borders this week if the weather stays so cold. You can click on any photos on this blog to make them enlarge and then scroll through them for a closer look.
First thing this morning after writing out the revised menu, I photographed all the food that I have for the week.
In the fridge:
dairy free spread
mayo
lemon
tomatoes
pepper
celery
lettuce
cucumber
11 onions
orange juice
and
almond milk
In the freezer:
Loaf of bread (14 slices and 2 crusts)
6 Linda McCartney Lincolnshire Sausages
Out on the worktop and shelf for easy access all week, and so that I can see what I have left available to use:
1kg porridge oats
22 Weetabix
500g brown penne pasta
1 tin baked beans
2 tins chickpeas
1 tin peach slices
3 tins tomatoes
1 box Ryvita thin crackers
2 bananas
The 5 Item Store Cupboard items:
coffee
olive oil
salt and pepper
mixed herbs
chilli flakes
In the cupboard are 7 potatoes ...
… and 10 cloves of garlic.
The first day of any Challenge should always be spent working out exactly what you have to use.
So after counting out my garlic cloves and putting them back into the dark, cool cupboard with the potatoes, I sliced up and open froze the lemon.
So now I have seven slices of lemon ready to be used for my hot lemon water drink each morning. Once used with hot water the slice of lemon is then put into a jug of fresh water to flavour my drinks throughout the day.
That's it, now I'm all ready to start with the three meals a day and snacks if I need them, although there's not a lot of snacky type food really, a couple of spare slices of toast, the bananas and there will be the crackers and hummus ... once it's made.
Day one meals, recipes and chat coming tomorrow.
Sue xx
I must try freezing my fresh lemons like you do, I think it would make them last much longer. This morning I had lemon juice with my water, as I forgot to buy lemons whilst shopping last night. I am going to try the chickpea tuna when I get home. I am just having my first coffee of the day, whilst watching a brilliant sun rise over the roof of the caravans. You can't match the colours of nature! Helen S.
ReplyDeleteYes, lemons last forever this way. I freeze them in slices as that's how I use them, but you can also freeze them in wedges. The sunrise here is gorgeous, but we have a red sky ... 'shepherds warning' and all that 😲
DeleteI can buy 10 lemons for £1 at the local Wednesday market, so I slice some up and open freeze them as you do for drinks and some I just cut into halves for when a recipe requires juice of half a lemon.
ReplyDeleteHow about a little treat with the 24p?
I think you mentioned this before, that is a REALLY good price 😃. Mine was 25p from Sainsbury's, which is the cheapest round here. Even on the Thursday market they are 30p each but they are humungous. I am thinking possibly another potato with my 24p but I'll hang on to it for as long as possible, so that might change 🙂
DeleteYour challenges are really inspiring, Sue. I think it's a great idea to have all the food (well, the non perishables) for the week collected together and in view, so you can see at a glance what you have to use. I'm looking forward to following your meals each day.
ReplyDeleteYes, I thought if everything was right under my nose nothing would get missed off ... but I'm just making the pasta sauce and I forgot the garlic until just now, I'll have to put that on the shelf too 😄
DeleteSue or your readers, can you help me with something please? I tried making hummus once and it was a disaster, far too oily and garlicky. I have several tins of chickpeas and would like to give it another go. Please could anyone share a recipe with me? Many thanks x
ReplyDeleteThe trick is simply to make it to your own taste. So mix one tin of chickpeas with one or two garlic cloves, some seasoning, a dash of olive oil, a dash of sunflower or other thinner tasteless oil and some water. Blitz it until it's as fine as you like it, then taste. You can add more of any of the flavourings to suit yourself. If you don't like it oily you can even use just water. You can also add other flavours such as a cooked beetroot, some cooked onions or peppers.
DeleteThank you, will definitely try again. We had followed a recipe but there was too much oil and garlic in it for my liking. I have some cooked beetroot in the fridge so could add that too. It's a day for making soup up here in the north of Scotland. We've had ice for the past two days and nights. I keep having to break the ice on the pond for the birds to have a drink.
DeleteYes, it's down to -5 at the Van at the moment. Beetroot makes a lovely mild hummus that's a glorious shade of pink 😃
DeleteLooking forward to seeing your meals. I also think it is a great idea to have those non-perishables out where you can see what is still available for use.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
First days meals coming up tomorrow, I'm just getting the post ready now :-)
DeleteGood luck, I know you're meticulous with your planning so it should all go splendidly. Snacking would be my biggest problem, I'm a grazer and I need to get out of the habit.
ReplyDeleteI'm really going to try not to snack this week, I've been eating too much junk recently 🤣
DeleteI have cut out snacks this week too,just a flat white coffee for morning tea and a cup of tea in afternoon . I am 5ft 3 and 62 kls and I have fatty liver ( no alcohol) ?? Vegetarian for 15 years and walk 20,min most days and 5klm bushwalk most weekends But...I sit and knit or read a lot.
DeleteSo advice is now less sitting ! ! , minimum grains, no snacking, up walking to fast 30 minutes. Apparently new figures in Australia 3 out of 5 have some form of fatty liver results in blood tests...frightening.