Cookathons, Meal Prep and a Blank Canvas

 

Last weeks meal prep of Mediterranean vegetables has now well and truly ran out.  They were tasty while they lasted and I got many different meals from them.  

The rhubarb crumble lasted me for three portions, two suppers and one lovely breakfast.

Mediterranean veggies and a breaded haddock fillet.

Mediterranean veggies with rice and salmon.  There are more veggies than you can see from this photo, as I heated them up in the microwave in this dish and then tipped the rice and fish on top.

There were also two pasta meals consumed using the roasted vegetables, one with penne pasta and one with spaghetti.  I didn't take a photo on either occasion as they were late in the evenings.

The final portion of veggies went on top of one of the rosemary focaccias, this was absolutely delicious.

I had the other focaccia the next night as garlic bread along with a glass of wine ... it was a good foodie week. 😄

This weeks little cookathon was a simple batch cook of all the vegetables left in the fridge drawer.  I managed to get seven portions of soup altogether, there are two in the large container on the right.  It's very tasty and velvety smooth, just the way I like it.  Now it's Thursday and I have three portions left, so it's worked out perfectly.

It also means that I now have a blank canvas in the vegetable drawer of the fridge, with a nice clean tea towel awaiting my next purchases.

This month has simply flown by, I really don't know where the time has gone.  Now it's time to think of November and what lies ahead for a new month, hopefully it will be a slightly less stressful month for all of us.

Sue xx

My Final Shop of October and End of Month Figures

 

As I didn't need much food this week my last shopping photo has just three items.

  I have just about finished the Mediterranean vegetables that I cooked up at the start of the week, indeed the last meal using them will be with one of the focaccia breads you see in this photo, and will no doubt be eaten alongside a glass of this wine.  It's a celebratory Sunday meal as Mum is now safely out of hospital and ensconced in a very nice nursing home in Sale, Manchester.

  It's been a hectic few weeks getting all this set up, not helped in the slightest by Mum's hospital ward going into total lockdown for two weeks due to a sickness and diarrhoea bug doing the rounds. This meant that we could not get the LPA signed and witnessed, and the three of us have been working to get the finances in place through the access to Mum's bank accounts that we already have.  Gosh nursing homes need to know the ins and outs of your finances, and be promised the world before they will let anyone live there.  You can understand why though, it's just hard to cope with when you are busy jumping through their hoops and tired out after seven months of sorting things.

Anyway enough of that, back to my shopping finances ... which are so much simpler.  😁

Shopping in October

Week 1 - £49.83

Week 2 - £29.87

Week 3 - £36.53

Week 4 - £36.73

TOTAL - £152.96

This is the most over my £100 monthly budget that I have ever gone.  Even having the leftover money from the previous months means that I am now £23.54 in the red.  I would love to end the year in the black and keep eating nice and healthy with lots of vegetables in my diet alongside good quality fish and eggs.

So for the last few days of October I will be eating the foods that I already have in the house, and this weeks Sunday cookathon will be a simple one, turning any remaining vegetables in the fridge into a nice panful of soup.  The homegrown harvested potatoes will also be popped in there to make it a lovely substantial soup and provide as many portions as possible for my lunches.  You can't beat a nice bowl of homemade soup on these chilly days can you. 🍲

Here's to a fresh new week of eating well ... and a week of not spending any money.

Sue xx