It’s Friday Guys – time for No Waste Tastes Great
Click here to find out more about my Friday routine
Simply Being Mum’s Friday Fridge
Top Shelf – Spreads, Cheese and Garlic (all in date)
Top Middle Shelf – Grapes (to be eaten over the weekend)
Bottom Middle Shelf – 1kg (2lb) of Carrots and 3 Onions
Bottom Shelf – A head of Cauliflower
Door – Milk, Eggs and OJ
Firstly a confession. This is my Thursday fridge. I did my Friday routine a day early again this week. This was because a) I had an Aldi voucher to use up by close of play yesterday and b) I’m heading off to a charity coffee morning in a few minutes in support of Macmillan.
But none of that changes the fact it’s Friday and No Waste Tastes Great.
Secondly an admission. I conceded in my post on Tuesday that the soup e-book is a non-starter this year. Instead I will be posting a weekly soup recipe right here, on the blog. I’m hoping that you Guys will feedback and that by the time I put the e-book together it’ll be a much better collection of recipes.
So, all that said, the carrots, cauliflower and onion are headed for my slow-cookers. I’ll be making Cauliflower Cheese and Spicy Carrot and Ginger this weekend. I’ve already posted both recipes. However I’ll be reposting the carrot one next week with improvements.
That’s the fridge done and dusted. Looking good? No waste?
Confession time once more.
I’m struggling with fresh produce at the moment. This will be the 3rd week I have had produce waste. I really need to pull my socks up!
I’m off to drown my sorrows with a nice cup of coffee and a piece of cake.
There are 3 options to choose from this morning.
I’ve made The Frugal Girls Chocolate Zucchini Bread (affectionately known as Nom-Nom Bread here), my new recipe no added sugar/oil Banana and Ginger loaf and also some cupcakes (not shown as waiting for them to cool so I can decorate!).
How’s your Fridge looking this Friday? Anything to declare? Or is it nice and bare? Please share…
No Waste Tastes Great is bought to you (as always) with thanks to The Frugal Girl for the original inspiration.
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You know, I realize in all the times I’ve seen pictures of your refrigerator, I’ve never noticed any pictures of leftovers of something you’ve cooked. Do you only make exactly enough for one meal? How does that work?
Hi…Hmmm there have been some leftovers shown I think. Soup or spag bol that kind of thing. But no I don’t have a lot of leftovers by Friday as a rule. Any soup usually gets frozen as soon as it’s cooled if I batch cook. The Hubby takes any evening meal leftovers to work the next day. A lot of my meals I slow cook, and it makes I’d say 4 adult sized servings based on my recipes. This would cover 2 adult meals (Hubby normally has a little more than I) and then 3 smaller servings for the 2x kids and 1x lunch the following day. A couple of weeks ago I did post leftover pasta and pizza which had been in there for 5 days, and this is very unusual, as I’d normally eat it up for lunch prior to that.
However in thinking about it without a doubt portion sizes have reduced here over the last year or so. This has happened organically as my food spend has reduced and also my mindset has changed. After an evening meal, should we be hungry later on we have crackers, cheese and nuts.
With reduced portion sizes, are you losing weight? They say that our portions sizes have gotten larger and larger and that’s one reason we are becoming overweight.
My weight stays the same pretty much all of the time (between 140-144llbs – I’m 5’8″ tall and a UK 10-12, so a US 6-8?). I consciously lost some excess weight (20lbs) which was hanging around for a few months after my Son was born, and this coincides with the reduction in the family-meal portion sizes, so it’s hard to say whether if I ate larger portions I would put weight on, maybe?
That said, I don’t have to count calories anymore or follow a ‘diet’ plan and there isn’t anything I cut out of my normal diet (I tried going vegetarian, didn’t last). I’ve always been quite aware of what I am eating as heart disease is prevalent in my family. My motto generally is ‘everything in moderation’. I eat healthily probably 80% of the time, I don’t have a sedentary job, eat little and often and exercise regularly (run/walk over 30 miles a week usually) – it’s not very exciting or innovative, but it seems to keep me at the correct weight for my height/build etc…
You know, I realize in all the times I’ve seen pictures of your refrigerator, I’ve never noticed any pictures of leftovers of something you’ve cooked. Do you only make exactly enough for one meal? How does that work?
Hi…Hmmm there have been some leftovers shown I think. Soup or spag bol that kind of thing. But no I don’t have a lot of leftovers by Friday as a rule. Any soup usually gets frozen as soon as it’s cooled if I batch cook. The Hubby takes any evening meal leftovers to work the next day. A lot of my meals I slow cook, and it makes I’d say 4 adult sized servings based on my recipes. This would cover 2 adult meals (Hubby normally has a little more than I) and then 3 smaller servings for the 2x kids and 1x lunch the following day. A couple of weeks ago I did post leftover pasta and pizza which had been in there for 5 days, and this is very unusual, as I’d normally eat it up for lunch prior to that.
However in thinking about it without a doubt portion sizes have reduced here over the last year or so. This has happened organically as my food spend has reduced and also my mindset has changed. After an evening meal, should we be hungry later on we have crackers, cheese and nuts.
With reduced portion sizes, are you losing weight? They say that our portions sizes have gotten larger and larger and that’s one reason we are becoming overweight.
My weight stays the same pretty much all of the time (between 140-144llbs – I’m 5’8″ tall and a UK 10-12, so a US 6-8?). I consciously lost some excess weight (20lbs) which was hanging around for a few months after my Son was born, and this coincides with the reduction in the family-meal portion sizes, so it’s hard to say whether if I ate larger portions I would put weight on, maybe?
That said, I don’t have to count calories anymore or follow a ‘diet’ plan and there isn’t anything I cut out of my normal diet (I tried going vegetarian, didn’t last). I’ve always been quite aware of what I am eating as heart disease is prevalent in my family. My motto generally is ‘everything in moderation’. I eat healthily probably 80% of the time, I don’t have a sedentary job, eat little and often and exercise regularly (run/walk over 30 miles a week usually) – it’s not very exciting or innovative, but it seems to keep me at the correct weight for my height/build etc…
All that cake looks yum, do you have a recipe for the banana ginger cake? I’m liking the sound of cauliflower cheese soup too, might have to give that a go 🙂
I also had some sad-looking apples this week, but I’m hoping to stew them before they go bad, otherwise they’ll end up in next week’s photo.
Hi yes the recipe has been requested over on Facebook also, it’ll go up Sunday. I did photograph it all the first time I made it and did mean to post the recipe before now! I too have some apples that have been gifted by my Mom – a slow-cooked apple sauce maybe for me? May go sweet and savoury and jar it up for Christmas gifts also!
I’ve been over to yours and had a peek! That Rhubarb pie sounds good – great save although you did have some waste I know…) on not pouring yay!
All that cake looks yum, do you have a recipe for the banana ginger cake? I’m liking the sound of cauliflower cheese soup too, might have to give that a go 🙂
I also had some sad-looking apples this week, but I’m hoping to stew them before they go bad, otherwise they’ll end up in next week’s photo.
Hi yes the recipe has been requested over on Facebook also, it’ll go up Sunday. I did photograph it all the first time I made it and did mean to post the recipe before now! I too have some apples that have been gifted by my Mom – a slow-cooked apple sauce maybe for me? May go sweet and savoury and jar it up for Christmas gifts also!
I’ve been over to yours and had a peek! That Rhubarb pie sounds good – great save although you did have some waste I know…) on not pouring yay!
Those cakes look delicious! I’m in the midst of a novel where they keep mentioning cakes. I think I’ll need to do some baking this morning after getting the kids to school!
I harvested about half of the apples left on our trees this week. Many were blemished. But I trimmed off the blemishes and did a large batch of applesauce.
I know you shouldn’t ever blow your own trumpet…but…it was a good bit of cake. I can’t take credit for the ‘Nom-Nom’ Bread as it’s Kristen’s recipe, but the banana and ginger (despite being made up!) has had great reviews from friends and family. Get baking! 🙂
My apples are also blemished, but they’ll be okay. have you a recipe for the apple sauce? Drop a link if on your blog or please do let me have instructions – it’d be appreciated!
I just did a very simple applesauce. I trimmed off the blemishes, halved and quartered the apples, but left the stems, peels and cores on. Then put it all in a heavy-bottomed stock pot, added water till I could see the water was about 1/2 to 2/3 the way up the apples. I simmered for about 1 hour. Added sugar to taste, and about 1 teaspoon cinnamon for a yield of 5 pints of finished sauce (I had about 2 quarts of unstrained cooked apples when I added the sugar and cinnamon, so not a whole lot of cinnamon, just a tad). I used a vintage food mill to strain and puree the apples. This was so quick and easy. And much nicer than peeling and coring all the apples. The food mill I picked up in a vintage shop on our summer vacation. A souvenir and something I can use!
I think the key is to cook the apples in either a heavy-bottomed stock pot or slow cooker, so as not to scorch. And I add the sugar and cinnamon at the end of cooking, so I
can taste it.
Good luck with yours! Now off to bake a cake.
Well one thing I’ve got is a slow cooker! I reckon it’ll be busy tomorrow! Thanks so much for that 🙂
Those cakes look delicious! I’m in the midst of a novel where they keep mentioning cakes. I think I’ll need to do some baking this morning after getting the kids to school!
I harvested about half of the apples left on our trees this week. Many were blemished. But I trimmed off the blemishes and did a large batch of applesauce.
I know you shouldn’t ever blow your own trumpet…but…it was a good bit of cake. I can’t take credit for the ‘Nom-Nom’ Bread as it’s Kristen’s recipe, but the banana and ginger (despite being made up!) has had great reviews from friends and family. Get baking! 🙂
My apples are also blemished, but they’ll be okay. have you a recipe for the apple sauce? Drop a link if on your blog or please do let me have instructions – it’d be appreciated!
I just did a very simple applesauce. I trimmed off the blemishes, halved and quartered the apples, but left the stems, peels and cores on. Then put it all in a heavy-bottomed stock pot, added water till I could see the water was about 1/2 to 2/3 the way up the apples. I simmered for about 1 hour. Added sugar to taste, and about 1 teaspoon cinnamon for a yield of 5 pints of finished sauce (I had about 2 quarts of unstrained cooked apples when I added the sugar and cinnamon, so not a whole lot of cinnamon, just a tad). I used a vintage food mill to strain and puree the apples. This was so quick and easy. And much nicer than peeling and coring all the apples. The food mill I picked up in a vintage shop on our summer vacation. A souvenir and something I can use!
I think the key is to cook the apples in either a heavy-bottomed stock pot or slow cooker, so as not to scorch. And I add the sugar and cinnamon at the end of cooking, so I
can taste it.
Good luck with yours! Now off to bake a cake.
Well one thing I’ve got is a slow cooker! I reckon it’ll be busy tomorrow! Thanks so much for that 🙂
I’m inspired by your cauliflower cheese soup as I’m resolving to put our slow cooker to more good use than I have till now. Do you think broccoli could be substituted for the cauliflower? We have lots and I don’t know what to do with it since the hubby bought it on a whim and I’m not keen on it as is!
Hi Sarah – yes you can make this with Broccoli and I do. However you would need to add a large white potato also to get the consistency in my opinion. You need to dice it quite small when popped in cooker – else it doesn’t cook quickly enough and can make the soup lumpy/bitty as it doesn’t blend that well. And I would recommend you need the onion also (which you can omit with the cauliflower version).
There will be a Broccoli and stilton cheese soup recipe posted soon as this is one of my favourites!
I’m inspired by your cauliflower cheese soup as I’m resolving to put our slow cooker to more good use than I have till now. Do you think broccoli could be substituted for the cauliflower? We have lots and I don’t know what to do with it since the hubby bought it on a whim and I’m not keen on it as is!
Hi Sarah – yes you can make this with Broccoli and I do. However you would need to add a large white potato also to get the consistency in my opinion. You need to dice it quite small when popped in cooker – else it doesn’t cook quickly enough and can make the soup lumpy/bitty as it doesn’t blend that well. And I would recommend you need the onion also (which you can omit with the cauliflower version).
There will be a Broccoli and stilton cheese soup recipe posted soon as this is one of my favourites!
Look, I haven’t completely dropped off the face of the earth! 😉 Our house was damaged (not to the point of being unlivable, but still not nice) in those storms a few weeks ago, so keeping up with blogs or even my fridge contents fell off the priority list.
Glad to see in the comments that you are going to use the apples up, I was thinking they look perfectly fine (at least for cooking) to me! Did I ever link you up to the apple cake on Smitten Kitchen? It is the BEST, particularly in the colder months as it’s lovely warm with custard. And it’s a massive cake that uses up 6 apples, so perfect when you have a bunch of them to use up. http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/09/moms-apple-cake/
My fridge is doing OK, my flatmate is moving out this weekend so I will be sending him off with any of the random bits and pieces (e.g. cheese) that he’s accumulated. Other than that, I think we just have a bit of salad and veg to use up over the weekend, which should be fine to do.
Fresh start Monday morning! 🙂
Oh dear Lauren – I didn’t realise. Hope all sorted now? And it’s good to have you back! I think however I may get my knuckles rapped. The apples I’m going to use are freshly harvested ones of my Mom’s tree, not the ones shown here. They are pretty grim – the photo doesn’t really do the damage justice.
(gonna check out the apple cake…sounds good!)
Please pass on my very best to flatmate. He may not know me, but I feel as though he’s part of our NWTG family over here!
Have a fab weekend 🙂
Look, I haven’t completely dropped off the face of the earth! 😉 Our house was damaged (not to the point of being unlivable, but still not nice) in those storms a few weeks ago, so keeping up with blogs or even my fridge contents fell off the priority list.
Glad to see in the comments that you are going to use the apples up, I was thinking they look perfectly fine (at least for cooking) to me! Did I ever link you up to the apple cake on Smitten Kitchen? It is the BEST, particularly in the colder months as it’s lovely warm with custard. And it’s a massive cake that uses up 6 apples, so perfect when you have a bunch of them to use up. http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/09/moms-apple-cake/
My fridge is doing OK, my flatmate is moving out this weekend so I will be sending him off with any of the random bits and pieces (e.g. cheese) that he’s accumulated. Other than that, I think we just have a bit of salad and veg to use up over the weekend, which should be fine to do.
Fresh start Monday morning! 🙂
Oh dear Lauren – I didn’t realise. Hope all sorted now? And it’s good to have you back! I think however I may get my knuckles rapped. The apples I’m going to use are freshly harvested ones of my Mom’s tree, not the ones shown here. They are pretty grim – the photo doesn’t really do the damage justice.
(gonna check out the apple cake…sounds good!)
Please pass on my very best to flatmate. He may not know me, but I feel as though he’s part of our NWTG family over here!
Have a fab weekend 🙂