UK Money Bloggers Reverse Advent Calendar
This year, I again took part in a Reverse Advent where I put one item for each day of November in a box, for the local food bank, initiated by the UKMB Join our Foodbank Advent campaign with a reverse advent calendar – UK Money Bloggers
On Wednesday this week, I went to the foodbank to deliver it. It's best done in the first week of December, so they have time to distribute any seasonal goodies. I felt ridiculous smiling behind a mask, but you can see I am!
Here's a better angle of what's in the box, you can see a bit more what's in there, although there's still a lot you can't see.
I also took them a cash donation. Well it was actually a CAF 'cheque' (Charities Aid Foundation). I donate a set amount every month via direct debit, and they collect gift aid for me, so I have more to give away. I can then choose when and which charity to donate to. It could be via online banking, or, as today, I can use a 'cheque'. I soon got used to that set amount leaving the bank account each month, and it's more than I would consider putting into a collecting tin and soon builds up. I acknowledge that I'm fortunate enough to be able to do this.
I also took with me a stick blender, which left the foodbank with a couple of delighted ladies who said it was perfect for making soup - before I had finished chatting to the helpers there! And a slow cooker, which they've just said went home the next day with a family excited to start using it to save electricity.
I was delighted to see some fresh produce there too, which is a new thing. They are setting up a community fridge and the local supermarkets are contributing to it, which is fab on many levels. Not least that it is much nicer to use fresh vegetables. And there was bread available, and other things that foodbanks don't usually take.
If you'd like to donate, you might like this link to Bankuet, where you can donate to any foodbank
The Big Lunch
I love looking through recipes and cookbooks and at this time of year, there is an abundance of ideas and lovely recipes in every newspaper, magazine and supermarket magazine.
Although I shall read them all, and doubtless tear out quite few to keep, we always have pretty much the same thing at Christmas, just varying the quantity depending on how many are round the table.
We all have seasonal rituals and one of ours is covering the turkey in foil, just over the top, and putting it on low as we go to bed on Christmas Eve. The house HAS to smell of turkey as we get up on Christmas morning.
Then there are mountains of roasties, sprouts with chestnuts, pigs in blankets, roast parsnips and proper home made gravy, made with the turkey juices.
I no longer make a starter, or pudding. Nobody wants them. And they don't want very much for tea either. I make sure there is some nice bread, celery sticks, good ham, mince pies and trifle, and they get picked at, along with the remaining turkey.
Then the use it up leftovers marathon begins. Turkey stock soup is something I look forward to all year!
If you'd like some ideas for super frugal seasonal eating, have a look at the Christmas menus
or here
What's The Best Part Of Christmas?
Are you maybe wondering how you are going to give the kids a good Christmas with empty pockets?
Who decides how much Christmas costs in your house?
Christmas Veg And What To Do With Them
For the last few years, supermarkets have priced seasonal veg very very low and we think this will be repeated this year as well.
Veg like parsnips, sprouts, swede, potatoes and cabbages of all kinds will keep for months if kept cold and dry. It's worth getting quite a few of any that you like - don't buy sprouts or cabbage if you don't like them! - and store them somewhere suitable.
Winter veg make beautiful dishes and we'll be exploring some of them over the next few weeks.
The Meal Plan 2 e-book
I've been busy re-cooking various recipes from the blog as I work on producing the e-book for Meal Plan 2. Still got a few to go, 6 I think. I'm hoping to have it all done in the next few weeks. It takes ages, but of course then it's done. Although I will have to reprice every now and then.
These are some of the recent re-makes.
Olive, Soft Cheese and Cucumber Sandwich
Barely a recipe at all, but a favourite lunch time sandwich. In the meal plan, there is no cucumber and the soft cheese and olives are served in a pitta.
I had to re-write the post for this as it was first written in 2013 and all the early ones are awful! I still need to make the version in the pitta so I can photograph it.
Pasta with Olives, Tomato & Soft Cheese
Super quick and simple to make. Mix the sauce ingredients together while the pasta is cooking, drain and combine and you're done!
I had this for tea this week and it was delicious.
Caramelised Onions
These are very handy to have on standby in the larder. Good in a sandwich, with toasted cheese, on a jacket potato or spooned on the side of many things. And they last for ages in the cupboard too. My sister is vegan and they can be made vegan by using a vegan fat. Any will do.
Spiced Raisin Biscuits
Made these again this week too so I could get a decent picture. I really like them with a bit of mixed spice in.
They're very variable. You can change the fat to oil or butter which give different textures; add dried fruit; or nuts; cinnamon, mixed spice or ginger; or cocoa or chocolate chips; smarties; crystalized ginger etc etc
An e-book
I published an ebook for meal plan 1 in August and am delighted that many people have thought it was worth getting.
I've managed to get my head around WooCommerce so I can feature it on the blog and you can find it here. It's also on Amazon, but I'm not allowed to include links to there in a newsletter. No idea why!
I'm busy recooking, photographing and updating the recipes for Meal Plan 2 and putting them into an ebook. It was written in 2013 and still prices up, which is fabulous. But the posts are embarrassingly bad and need a lot of updating! I'm getting on well with them again, having taken a break to do other things.
Do come and say hello on the Fantastically Frugal Food Facebook group, or the Sensational Slimming Sustenance group. I'd love to see you. Lots of useful tips, recipes and ideas. The nearly 17,000 membership are brilliant, brimming with talent.
And don't forget Thrifty Lesley, where there are 800+ recipes of fantastically frugal food and many weekly meal plans. And Cheap Family Recipes where you can find all kinds of delicious things that don't cost much, with two family monthly meal plans.
I've also got a few YouTube videos up, not many yet, but I'm planning to do more. I've done a couple more, need to edit them now. So much to do, so little time!
With all best wishes, until next time
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