Hello Dear Reader,
It’s the end of the month and we’re all stretching the pennies until they scream for mercy. Here’s what’s going in our ‘leftovers’ lunch boxes this week.
I started by making the pastry. 1lbs of plain flour, 1tsp of salt, 4oz lard, 4oz marg - I make my pastry in the food processor. In fact, I’m a busy woman and I make most things in the food processor. I had some cold sliced gammon, which I cut into pieces, I chopped and fried 2 small onions and a small red pepper. I peeled and chopped 2 potatoes and had half a tin of baked beans. I combined the lot with a tablespoon of smoked paprika and made them into pasties. (I’m no purist, not everyone can afford beef for a pasty so put what you like in it) One of these each will be enough for an adult for lunch. They have a smoky bbq flavour because of the smoked paprika, but you could add a sprinkle of chilli and anything can go into this sort of left overs pasty. You could tell your children they are bbq bacon and bean pasties! DB likes the idea of cowboy pasties!
We had cauliflower and broccoli in a cheese sauce for our supper last night. I had some cold left overs. This is what I made. I put the veggies and cheese sauce into a bowl and cut up the pieces with a knife until they were bite size, I added three beaten eggs, 4oz of grated cheddar. I fried two small chopped onions. I then combined the lot together and poured it into the pastry and baked it all.
I also made a Bakewell tart. I make my quiches and tarts in a loose bottomed Victoria sandwich sponge tins. I get a deeper tart or quiche that way and I can lift it out easily. I got mine from a jumble sale. I rolled out the pastry, put in half a jar of last year’s damson jelly. I made the sponge mix with 4oz of SR flour, marg, sugar and two eggs all beaten together. I added a tablespoon of almond extract. (I bought 12 bottles recently from AP for £1 - the flavour of most cakes for the next six - twelve months will be almond) I poured that over the jam and baked everything at the same time. It will all require about 30-45 minutes. The quiche will be divided by six and the Bakewell tart will be divided by 10.
Here’s our lunch menus for the week -
Quiche, salad - Bakewell tart (we both have a coffee break in the morning and a small slice would be nice) - Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Pasty, Banana - Bakewell tart - Tuesday and Thursday.
When everything is cool, I shall portion everything and wrap it and leave it stored in individual portions in the freezer, ready to take out and put in our lunch boxes this week. We take our own coffee and milk to work and are therefore able to go the entire week without taking any money to work.
Over to you Dear Reader - does any one have any handy lunch box ideas that can be made in advance to make our working week easier?
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx
I make several things for my husband's lunches that I keep in the freezer. In fact, I just made up two stuffed peppers for him. Inexpensive and healthy, plus a great way to use leftovers up in the filling.
I'm glad you shared this post because I just asked him yesterday if he had ever had a pastie. (I found a recipe online that sounds yummy to me, but I like your idea of using what's on hand best.) I have made “calzones” like this.
Most days he just takes leftovers from the night before.
In no particular order he likes the following things:
soups (which I send in a glass jar so he can heat the jar and eat right out of it)
quiche (like you I use whatever is on hand)
pasta salads (I add some meat, more veggies and a little less pasta. 1 lb of pasta, a big bag of frozen veggies, chicken, etc. can make a lot of food)
leftovers of almost any sort
and the list goes on. I've found that he'd even rather have a fried egg sandwich than have to eat junk.
Love that you found the almond flavoring on sale and will use it up. I do the same thing. The “flavoring” is whatever I have on hand or is best price and I've never had my family turn down a sweet yet.
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I too indulged in the AF bulk buy Almond Essence [well, I felt I had too as it IS my surname!] Now many of my desserts have a splash of the stuff in it!
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Love the look of your food.
Do you never have to spend any money in work ?I know it used to cost me a small fortune at end of term when people were leaving/having babies etc.
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Hi Steve - I donate to leaving presents ect and take money in for that, but don't spend any money other than that. I usually limit to a few pounds.
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Just realised from reading your menu, the reason why the quiche and tart were portioned up differently. Very good idea.
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Thanks for the fab recipes - such great ideas! I'm going to try making the falafels tonight and the pasties sometime this week when I get a spare minute or two.
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Hi, I love your blog and I'm now a new follower. I have resolved to be more frugal too, and I set myself a make do and mend challenge. I look forward to seeing more of your posts
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They look yummy! I will have to try the pasties as I am a definite savoury tooth, not keen on sweet things very often. x
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Your kitchen must smell devine!
I regularly cook up Minestrone in my slow cooker. Makes one night of dinner for the family and then a week of soup for lunch at work for me. I throw in whatever vegies I have to hand (and are looking a little sad so they get used up), handfuls of cannellini and red kidney beans, chick peas, tin of tomatoes, maybe some red lentils, real beef stock, herbs and away she goes. Always better the next day or the day after that.
I have found the easiest banana cake recipe and that gives a sweet relief without being too rich. And I get to use up too-ripe bananas that my family turn up their nose at eating - me included.
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I have left over cauliflower and cheese sauce from tonight, so I too can see a quiche being made for tomorrow nights supper with some salad.
Gill
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My latest thing to make is burritos. I make them with the wraps, refried beans, cheese, taco meat and guacamole. I just pack small ctrs of sour cream and salsa to have with it after they are rewarmed…..
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We just mostly use leftovers from the supper the night before.
However, I just saw a new idea that I'm going to do: pizza biscuits. Pat biscuit dough in muffin ins to make little cups. Put in pizza sauce, cheese, pizza toppings. Bake. Freeze. Drop in lunch! I'll blog about it when I do it.
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Perfect crimping on those pasties!!!
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Hi Mrs Froogs,
May I ask, do you defrost the food portions before putting in your lunchboxes, or do you put them straight into your lunchboxes from the freezer. If so, does the food ever go soggy?
Also, what do you wrap the portions in. Foil? Cling film? Or something re-usable?
Thank you x
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My mouth is watering! Love th ideas- I'm afraid my pastry wouldn't be a patch on yours though!
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I can smell those pasties from here Froogs. Very well made. Your tart and quiche look really good too. Its obvious that you bake very regularly by the standard of your results. Your lunch box is never boring thats for certain.
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YUM, YUM, YUM your food looks delicious!
I am always looking for ideas for lunch, so thank you for sharing yours…
x
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Hi Frooogs,
It's not leftovers but had to tell you I made apple sauce yesterday from apples from my own tree. I have experimented and tried bottling it was so easy! Cost tome £0. I feel a new addiction coming on.
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Hmmm, I need to learn some more cooking. I love cooking, but haven't mastered pastry and it looks like it would save me a lot of time and money. x
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Hi Froogs, its not leftovers but had to tell you I made apple sauce yesterday from apples from my own tree. I experimented with bottling it was so easy. Cost to me £0. I feel a new addiction coming on.
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The art of quiche has alluded me. Back when we were a family of 2, I would buy the frozen ones.
Question: No liquid in the quiche? I thought they included some kind of milk/cream.
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I used to make soup and freeze it in something microwaveable. That way it didn't spill on the train, and if it hadn't quite defrosted by lunchtime it could just go straight in the microwave. Same thing with any left over pasta in tomato sauce.
Also, in an attempt to copy the very expensive but tasty (and handy pots they come in too) innocent lunch pots, I made batches of lentil mousakka type stuff: make lentil mock-mince with fried onion, passata, lentils and any other veg and herbs you might have spare. Using passata and as little water as possible makes a nice rich mix. (A few chopped walnuts will make it a tasty mix to be used anywhere you might otherwise use mince.) In a freezer and microwave proof tub cover a serving of the lentil mix with a slice of grilled aubergine, a small handful of fresh spinach, and a blob of creme fraiche. Grate in a bit of cheese for extra decadence. Freeze the lot and then zap at work.
I'm not at work anymore, but still find myself eating microwaved leftovers for lunch! I try to put a pot full of whatever we're eating to one side for the freezer - it limits our portion sizes a little and means there's usually something in the freezer to eat. Although I really should label things - we never quite know what we're going to get!
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hi froogs your pasties are so professional!wish i could crimp like that!keep up the good work!have a great time at the blog awards!
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lovely i love it and want to eat this thanks for sharing keep the good work
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