At the start of day five I thought that it was time for me to assess what food I had left. My main worry was that if I had not done my calculations right I might end the week with a day of toast and marmalade, which wouldn't have been the end of the world but would have been pretty boring.
This was what I had in the fridge, I had cut a couple of my potatoes into chips and had them ready for action, there was one pot of spaghetti rings left, the breadcrumbs, the carrots, my remaining onion and the now opened peaches and marmalade.
Over breakfast I had a little ponder ... as you do!!
Please note the snazzy shapes I am now cutting my toast into, just so you can see it's not the same two slices that I'm showing every day. 😄
The only things left at room temperature, as the bread is in the freezer, were the potatoes, and as you can see from this photo they were starting to look slightly sad. So I decided that I would process them all and save myself some time over the last couple of days of the challenge. I do find that the last couple of days of a food challenge are always the hardest, there's only so much thinking, making and washing up that I can do and I tend to fizzle out.
I picked the best potato to be a baked potato and washed that, and then peeled all the others. The skin did not feel as good now and to be honest I wasn't that fussed at losing a bit of peel. Usually I would save them for soup, but you have all seen me do that so many times before during various challenges so I decided against it.
Some were boiled up as they were and then mashed, and the others had a couple of the carrots added in to make a mixed mash. I actually used the same pan and water for both lots of cooking, it seemed crazy to warm another pan up when the first one was already hot and full of hot water, and as you can see I saved the cooking water and will use it to make another pot of carrot soup.
Lunch was delicious, sometimes a chip butty or two just hits the spot.
I livened up the mayo in the dish with some of the garlic powder and a little sprinkle of mixed dried herbs. The bread is 'buttered' with plain mayonnaise, something that I always do in preference to spread.
My tea was four rissoles made with my mixed carrot/potato mash and half of the remaining spaghetti rings, I was going to use them all but half looked enough.
How to make Mixed Mash Rissoles.
Yes, it's that easy!!
Another day successfully completed and now I have some prepped mash in the fridge for my next couple of meals.
I'll be back tomorrow with days Six and Seven, and thank you for all the interest and the comments so far, it's nice to read your opinions and things that you have been working out that you could buy with similar amounts of money.
Sue xx
I have always kept potatoes in a cool place - and when the family were growing up, we got through a lot. But back in February, the FSA said it was OK to use the fridge (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/potatoes-food-standards-agency-fridge-b2290226.html) Your creative toast slicing is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI don't usually keep potatoes in my fridge as it is just too cold in there, but after reading something I did put these in for a few days before I started the challenge, and to be honest they have aged far quicker than when I keep them in a cool dark place. So I have decided to go back to my usual method.
DeleteI keep my spuds in a spud bag (Lakeland!) in the fridge. Doesn't stop them, sprouting but maybe not as quickly as if they were out.
ReplyDeleteHow are you feeling in yourself now you're getting close to the end of the week? xx
I used to always use my spud bag (Poundland) in a cool dark place and that worked just fine, now I just have a mini bag that came with something I bought online, as I usually only have a few potatoes in at a time ... and to be honest I ruined my spud bag by spilling something horribly sticky on it. :-(
DeleteI have actually already just finished the week and I feel great, thanks. :-)
I'm amazed at how much variety of presentation you've achieved with just 7 types of food. It all looks very tasty. Are you finding your energy levels dropping Sue? Or are the carbs enough to keep you going?
ReplyDeleteVery well done. Not long to go now 👍
My energy levels if anything have been better than ever, possibly due to sleeping so well. I guess there's a lot to be said for eating simply. :-)
DeleteIs Alan ever tempted to do the challenges with you? I know my husband wouldn't - he just wouldn't like the absence of any meat, the lack of variety and small meals.
ReplyDeleteWhen I did the month long Wartime Rationing challenge for the first time back when we lived in Wales he really enjoyed joining in with me, and it was him that initiated the 'Lose 14lbs in 7 Days' challenge, as the doctor said it would be good for his diabetes. Of course he could have meat on the rationing one, and LOVED the SPAM and he caved in first on the diet one as he couldn't stand drinking his tea or coffee without milk. Men eh!! I can get stuck into as many challenges as I want now that we don't live together. :-)
DeleteI am forever frustrated by my potatoes ,the only time they seem to last a while is when we buy a 7.5 kilo bag with the soil still on them and keep them in the shed ,gone are the days when we had them with every meal in some form or another as we did when I was a child ,( many potatoes ago ) ,we have rice and pasta quite often instead . We have tried tinned potatoes -- not impressed !!!
ReplyDeleteYour meals have been more interesting than those I ate yesterday having had one of those can't be bothered days , ooooh ---- chip butties , the ultimate comfort food alongside creamy mash covered in gravy :)
I wouldn't blame yourself, it's just the way that they are harvested these days, and then stored in HUGE chilled warehouses for up to a year before they even travel to the shops. As soon as they leave the storage barns they start to come back to life and start deteriorating. Years ago farmer were able to grow seasonally and send each crop of potatoes to markets and shops and sell by the sack full to their own customers. These were the ones that tended to store better and for longer at home, and as you say they weren't washed.
DeleteTinned potatoes are best for curries or roasted, they have quite a distinctive flavour if you try to eat them as boiled potatoes don't they. I've always loved a chip butty, of course I live in the capital of the 'chip barm' and all chip shops in Lancashire sell them .... drool. ;-)