Bit of grub stuff

Well we're having a lovely sunny day here in Yorkshire. Been out with Sherlock for our second walk of the day and I was actually too hot in my jacket but just as I was returning back home we had a short shower so was glad I took my jacket in the end.

Had a morning of quick bakes and soup making. I made a batch of fruit scones and a batch of cheese scones for the girls to nibble on and to take to school in pack up.

I used the Be-Ro cookbook recipe. I don't know why, but I can never make lovely deep scones no matter what recipe I use. Anyway, they taste lovely as I tried a small  one made with the remains of the mixture. Tried to resist because I'm on a diet and it's weigh-in tomorrow but I could hear it calling me from the kitchen. I was good  though and had it plain. I resisted the cheese scones though far too many calories with the cheese. Scones are so cheap and quick to make.

I made a large pan of soup for my lunches. No recipe really. It's one I make often and mainly consists of chopping carrots, onion, 2 cloves of garlic, usually a green pepper that's floating around the fridge but didn't have one this week. A tin of tomatoes, veg stock and a good dollop of tomato puree then I add 2-3 tbsp of paprika. Boil until cooked then blend until smooth.

I've set myself a challenge to use up bits and pieces in packets floating around my cupboards that never seem to get used. Today I finished a packet of oatbran that I have been having each morning for my breakfast over the last 4 days. I can't even remember what I bought it for but the use by date was July 2012. It tasted lovely made with water and drizzled with a little syrup.

The next packets to use up are a packet of pumpkin seeds and a packet of sunflower seeds. Think I shall lightly toast them in a frying pan then store them in a little pot and have a tablespoon on my salads for a bit of crunch. Shouldn't take me long to use them up because I'm eating a lot of salads lately.

Might tackle a tin of anchovies I've got lurking at the back of the cupboard that have been sat there for the last two years. I know they are not a packet but I'm sick of seeing them every time I open the cupboard door. Haven't a clue what to do with then. I don't even like anchovies. Mother-in-law gave them to me one year in a food hamper. Come to think of it, I think she bought them along with other stuff to do one of the Jamie Oliver recipes in a cookbook she included in the hamper. Shall go and have a rummage through my book collection and dig it out. Watch this space...for a Jamie anchovies recipe

Menu Plan Monday 29/04/2013

MONDAY - Hairy Bikers easy crispy chicken, sauteed potatoes, salad and homemade coleslaw

TUESDAY - Stuffed pork, sage & onion stuffing, yorkshire puds, mash and veg

WEDNESDAY -Parmesan & parsley crusted salmon, new potatoes, hollandaise sauce, green beans,
                            roasted carrots & peas

THURSDAY - Homemade fishcakes, wedges and mushy peas

FRIDAY - Creamy beef & potato layer, broccoli, carrots & peas

SATURDAY - Steak, peppercorn sauce, chips, sauteed mushrooms & roasted tomatoes

SUNDAY - Sausages, mash and beans

I started the day off by tackling our bookcase. my cookery books were two deep in some sections so thought it time to have a tidy.

really messy

 The sections that still look really messy are Hubby's and DaughterNo3's. They need to sort their sections out when they return from work/school.

Bit tidier

 I did manage to clear out a bout 15 books I no longer want or use and these are in a charity bag to be collected in the morning. I also cleared a few pairs of Hubby's jeans and some clothes my daughter sorted through last week.

We had some slices of homemade baguette leftover from yesterdays tea. I was going to give them to the birds but remembered I would need some dried breadcrumbs for a recipe I was making for tea today so the birds lost out on a snack. I popped them on a tray in the oven until they had dried out then whizzed them up in the food processor.

We're not eating as much bread as normal with trying to loose weight so my bread goes a bit stale after a couple of days. I decided to slice the rest of the loaf and bag it to go in the freezer to be used for toast. I stuck a label on the bag saying, 'bread for toast'. Not a scrap of food wasted today. Every last morsel of food was eaten at tea tonight much to the dogs disappointment.

Just made a batch of tomato pasta sauce to portion up for Daughter No3 to have on pasta for her lunch at school over the coming weeks. Mixed a portion of it with some cooked bacon and some grated cheese. This was mixed through some pasta an put in a plastic container for lunch tomorrow.

Right, time for me to catch up on last weekends, The Voice.
Enjoy your evening x

My bargains & not such a bargain

Just a quick post as I've so much to do before me and Hubby go out for the evening. Yesterday I did my voluntary job and got a couple of bargains. I love little jugs and couldn't resist this little one. I like to pour milk into a small jug from the great big cartons we buy because we always seem to pour too much milk into our drinks when handling the big cartons. I then just leave the jug in the fridge to use for cups of tea throughout the day.

 My little jug cost me £1.20. I also go a watch for myself at a cost of £1.50. I just fell in love with it as soon as I saw it because of the colour. Purple/plum is my favourite colour so I had to have it.

Today I went to pick up my months meat order from the local butcher. This was not such a bargain at £90 !! This is the 3rd order I've had and the quality is superb. I would rather pay more for good quality, locally sourced meat

This has been all portioned up and frozen for the coming month.
I'll be back soon. Must dash, just seen the time x

Totally fed up

Driven to my works office in Leeds this morning which is about 36 miles from where I live. I had to take in my completed form  for a DBS check before Friday to my manager. Manager was checking the documentation I had supplied and then asked, "where's your proof of address? A utility bill or bank statement?"  Noooooo! I had forgotten it. I was livid with myself. How stupid of me to not double check I had everything before I left home. So now I will have to make a detour tonight on my way to my patient to call into the office again and leave said document on managers desk.

Then....yesterday I went to get the dog his usual monthly sack of dog food from the pet store. They had his brand on offer at £25.00 a sack instead of the usual £33.00 but the shelves had been cleared. So on the way back from Leeds I thought I'd call back in the store and see if they had stocked up on food again. No. So off I went to a second pet store just up the road. They had his brand of food but it cost £37.99 and me being tight and all that thought sod that I'll try another store I have heard of but it's about 10 miles away. Went to this place I have never visited before and they do not do branded dog food only their own mix.

By now I'm getting hungry, tired from driving and very annoyed. I did not know of any other places to go so off I went back to the second shop I visited earlier!!! I would have left it for the day had I had anymore dog food to get me through the day but I used every last bit this morning so had to get it today. I must have wasted so much petrol today I'm annoyed with myself.

Sorry, rant over. Just had to clear my head of how stupid I've been today. Let's hope the rest of the day goes better.

Menu Plan Monday 22/04/2013

MONDAY - Souffled jacket potatoes, baked beans, roasted tomatoes and fried mushrooms

TUESDAY - Homemade beef & mushroom pie, mashed potatoes, broccoli, carrot and green beans

WEDNESDAY - Homemade cheese and onion flan, salad, homemade coleslaw, jacket potatoes

THURSDAY - Lamb steaks, roast potatoes, yorkshire puddings and steamed veg

FRIDAY - Kids, freezer surprise. Me & Hubby, out for evening

SATURDAY - Homemade lamb burgers, chips and homemade coleslaw

SUNDAY - Tomato & ham pasta bake with homemade garlic bread


So here I am again. Sneaking in and pretending I've not been away for a month. I was ill for two weeks which left me with no get up and go in me so that's when I stopped blogging then it did not enter my mind to blog as I was quite busy. Did not even read blogs much as I didn't have time to go on my lap top. Anyway, things have settled down a lot now so thought I'd make an appearance.

So glad the weather is on the turn. I think I can safely say spring is finally here. A little sun and a bit of warmth can really lift your spirits. My mind is focused on eating healthily and I am eating a heck of a lot of salads at the moment which I eat when the rest of the family are tucking into yummy high calorie meals. Made a variation of these for tea. I added softened onions instead of the spring onion and added a bit of cream and some milk instead of the soured cream. I also added a generous handful of cheese. The verdict was they needed more onion and more cheese but were nice. A bit of tweaking me thinks to get the perfect souffled potato.