Here are the few things we've managed to do -
* Baked a big batch of peanut butter choc chip biscuits with dough from the freezer.
* Used less water with the washing machine. I haven't done as many loads but we have still saved the rinse water for each next load.
* Gratefully received turkish breads from a friend at church. For tea on Sunday night we used some of them to make pizza with chicken Jessica bought home from work and cheese we also received from a friend. The meal was very yummy and almost free. The rest of the turkish breads were frozen for future use.
* Megan made chicken noodle soup from scratch using homemade chicken stock from the freezer. She only used a recipe to get ideas from then made it her own way. It was so yummy and for about an hour I felt a little better.
* Picked more beans and strawberries.
* Dried the washing on the line and clothes horses ( when it rained ).
* We purchased our first ever Christmas ham. We've never been able to afford one before but this year I had a little extra money in the food slush fund. Tasman Meats have Bertocci hams for $6.99 kg. I picked half a ham with no bone. We'll be slicing it thinly and freezing as much as we can. Darren spoke to the butcher and found out that they last five days in the fridge once opened but can be frozen.
* Cooked all meals from scratch. It can be tempting to get takeaway when the cook is sick. So far we've avoided the temptation. We have plenty of food in the house so we may as well use it.
* Continued to collect eggs each day. Four out of five chickens are moulting to some degree so we feel blessed to still get between 2 - 4 eggs each day.
* Purchased beef ribs for $3.99 kg from Tasman Meats. This is a great price and Darren will enjoy them when we have bbqs.
* Bought legs of lamb for $6.99 kg from Tasman Meats. They have all been frozen and we now have enough to ration them out for special occasions over the next twelve months.
* Megan picked five small bunches of flowers from the garden to cheer me up.
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| My gingerbread people in the kitchen |
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| Megan's chicken noodle soup meal. |
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| Flowers for me |
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| Christmas decos in the loungerom |
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| Our girly Christmas tree |
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| Christmas present decorations |
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| All lit up. |
Your Megan sounds like a real gem, gorgeous girl! I do hope you kick that cold and throat business quickly, I hate summer colds. You need more of that yumy soup!
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Joolz xx
Oh Wendy, so sorry to hear you have been sick all week. I do hope you are on the mend. Sounds like you were very well looked after, those girls of yours are such a blessing to you :)
ReplyDeleteThis week
*I menu planned, and cooked from scratch.
*I stewed some apples that needed using and froze them.
*Made some more yoghurt and froze some for next batch.
*Picked apricots as they are starting to ripen on the tree. I will be stewing and making jam with them.
*I am picking zucchinis from my garden and will make pickles with the excess, and grate and freeze some for later use in stews etc.
*Picked kale and celery to make green juices.
*I bought lots of organic shampoo and conditioner (7 of each) while it was on special at Woollies.
*Picked up some mince that was reduced down at Coles.
*Chicken breasts were on special at Foodland so I bought three x 1 kilo packs. I cut them into cubes and strips and put into 500gm meal servings and popped in the freezer.
*I baked a chocolate cake for hubby to take to work using my new mixer. Boy does that do a great job!
*I had a couple of no spend days earlier in the week.
xTania
Hi Wendy
ReplyDeleteI hope you're feeling better soon. I hadn't had a cold for about 3 years and had one recently that was terrible. i still cannot smell or taste anything which is starting to bother me.
Do you think Megan would mind sharing her recipe. I love chicken noodle soup.
I got some good marked down meats today from woolworths - 2 butterfly marinated chickens for $3 each - 2 trays chicken burger paddies for $2 for 4 about 2 kilos of breast fillets for $12 and some steak which wasn't as cheap as the chicken but my hubbie loves his steak and he is a very good provider to our little family and never complains so I bought him a treat :)
I made cranberry and white choc chip cookies this week and took my lunch every day to work.
I just need to make sure I eat at night, I've only been having a couple of bites of my dinner and am full staright away. Great that I've lost weight but I'm waking up with raging headaches and i know its because I'm not eating enough but my tummy says enough :)
Have a great week.
Deb
I'll ask Megan. I hope she wrote down her recipe.
DeleteMake sure you drink lots of water too.
Thankyou for your comments ladies.
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling a little better today. My head is finally clearing and my throat is on the mend. I have to rest my voice for the next few days so I can film the tv story. It's very hard to communicate to the family with notes..
I'm also drinking lots and lots of icy cold water.
Hi Wendy. Glad to hear that you are feeling a bit better. It's never soon enough when we're sick but it will come soon enough. This week we were blessed with a bag of cherries and a cherry tree. Can't wait to plant it and pick cherries from it. We were able to bless neighbours with veges from my garden as well. Found and bought another bag of really cheap mushrooms. Cooked all meals at home except today's lunch. Hubby wanted to treat the kids with takeaway but I refused to have any and ate leftovers from the fridge. I made ginger biscuits and chocolate self saucing pudding. I didn't do a huge amount to save but every little bit contributes to the bigger picture. Hope you feel even better tomorrow Wendy. Regards, Liz.
ReplyDeleteA bag of cherries and a cherry tree is certainly a blessing.
DeleteI hope you are feeling better Wendy. The chicken soup would have been good and knowing how to make chicken soup is a very good skill to have.
ReplyDeleteI find ham so handy. I watch and get them around $6 a kilo or under sometimes. Once opened I keep it in a clean pillowcase as a ham bag. They last at least a week wrapped this way. The bone at the end makes great soup. We will have ham as cold meat but work our way down to chopped bits for quiche, friend rice etc. so in the end it is a lot of meals. I also will bake one so it is a hot dinner first, I only just learned to do that and after baking I think it tastes even better and lasts longer. This is a new thing for me.
I hope you tell tasman meats you are advertising for them so well! They are good prices! We have a place here called Specialty Foods that also has amazing specials like lambs shanks for $1 each.
I know this is going to be a busy week. Today I am planning my attack and present wrapping. Have a lovely week.xxx
Hope you are feeling better today Wendy, lots of lemon drinks!
ReplyDeleteRegards
Tania
Hi Wendy, sorry to hear you haven't been well and not the best time of the year either, but hopefully now your on the mend. Your very blessed to have your "Florence Nightingale's" helping you. I also had laryngitis a few years ago and the doctor suggested not to whisper as this takes as much strain on the throat as talking does.
ReplyDeleteI did alot of the usual things but they have become so normal now i just do them ie: save water from the sink and the rinse water. We purchased another water tank as the other was full so i have been using it to fill the washing machine and water the garden (can't wait for the water bill). We have been doing lots of gardening this week and i needed a netting for some of the vegies, so i used an old curtain. Purchased 2nd uniforms for DS1 from the Sustainable Schools shop website (thanks Wendy for this tip). Monday DS2 school is having a 2nd hand uniform sale, so i'll be getting in early.
My food challenge is going well, only spending $24.00 this week, milk, bread, fruit and frozen vegies as i couldn't fit them last week in my freezer. Problem solved, my Father In Law, for xmas, bought us a 410 Ltr freezer. Now i have done an inventory of everything in the freezer so as not to waste a thing.
Made: Yogurt, Gravy powder and Meat pie (thanks Wendy). Used some of the freezer meals tonight and made Rocky road for Xmas presents.
Wendy, i love your Christmas deco's (present boxes especially). I have never seen these before, beautiful. With your ham, it will keep for longer (12 -16 days) if you keep it in a ham bag or pilow case and rinse it out everyday with water or water and vinegar mix. Alternate pillowcases every few days and make sure you have wrung it out tightly.
Did your butcher say how long you can freeze the ham for as I'm unsure whether it's one month or two months?
How many Legs of lamb would you buy for a years worth?
Your in my prayers for a speedy and talkative recovery, Blessings and thanks, Maureen
Oppppsss, I've been whispering - but not too much. It's the coughing I can't help.
DeleteThe butcher didn't say how long the ham will freeze. I think the Prudent Homemaker freezes it for many, many months.
About 4 - 5 legs of lamb do us the year. We have it for our birthdays and Christmas.
The present boxes ( decos ) came from Christmas Kingdom on Nepean Highway a couple of years ago. They are still selling them this year.