Saturday, 25-02-23: low spend February

 Morning, everyone!

It was a maintain yesterday.  Oh, well, onward and downward!
No-one had entered a recipe for the competition and there wasn't much in the way of tasters either -  about five of us brought something and I think Jen was a bit disappointed because it's a big group but it's hard times and maybe people are pushing it to afford the fees, let along bring some food along.   I wouldn't be surprised.

Yesterday's meals:

There were some nice things at taster yesterday morning.  I ended up having two thirds* of a pink and white (one and a half syns) and a bit of weetabix loaf (around two syns) so that wasn't so bad.  I also had some of my fruit salad and yogurt and brought the rest home where I had some more and took the photo.

* Each pink and white had been cut into thirds

The chicken thing was really rather nice although they weren't fritters which is what the recipe calls them.  To me, fritters start with a thick batter to which you add other stuff.
They were, in fact, rather like the chicken meatballs I made the other week which just goes to show there isn't such a thing as a really original recipe!

I had some more of the leftover fruit for afters.

I lost the plot in the evening and didn't make the Greek style chicken so that will have to wait for another time.

Today's plans

B:   fruit

I have a whole load of fruit to use up enjoy so it is fruit, fruit and more fruit today!

SW:  speed and free

L:   soup mix soup, bread for dunking; fruit

When I was clearing out my food stores, I found a pack of soup mix - that mixture of pearl barley and dried pulses.  It was past Best Before but it said on the pack that if it was older, soak it overnight before cooking with it.  So I soaked some soup mix overnight and I have shoved it into the slow cooker with a nice mix of hearty veg - onion, carrot, sweet potatoes, squash, leek, edamame beans, swede and parsnip and some of the turkey stock I made last week from the carcass bits of a turkey thigh.  It's on high so should be nicely done by two when I usually have my lunch.

SW:  the soup should be speed and free and the bread will be my healthy extra B

D:  cheesy potato topped corned beef and roasted veg pie, assorted veg; yogurt

Just a concoction really.  I will pre-cook and mash the potato, adding lashings of grated cheese and, maybe, an egg yolk too for added texture.  The underneath is roasted onion, squash and sweet potato with some pepper, mushroom and cubes of corned beef and I must remember to ladle off some of the soup liquid to moisten the mix.
I'll make it up and finish it off in Nellie and I'm expecting that there will be enough for two good portions, one for today and one for Monday lunch (as Sunday is all sorted).

SW:  I will use all my healthy extra As but one will be for another day so that is one A.  The whole can of lean corned beef is four syns so that's two syns, the veg, etc, should be all free/speed and the yogurt is half a syn

Ex:  a walk and a shimmy snippet class, C25K

Summary:

one healthy extra A (because the pie is for two portions)

one healthy extra B

two and a half syns

What do I mean by low spend?

February is a low spend month.

Through January, I spent very little on non essential food and other items.  The idea was to spend nothing on non food things and I didn't quite achieve that but I was happy with how it went, all the same.
I was so pleased to be able to make some charitable donations as a result; it's so nice to see positive outcomes.

'Essential' means  food such as fresh fruit, veg and dairy/eggs and other essentials including things like cleaning products and toiletries although I think I am fine for the latter, plus anything necessary that comes up through the month

As for all other spending, there are a few items I need but not an awful lot so I'm really hoping it will also be low spend.

(Of course, all regular bills, direct debits, etc, will still be paid as usual)