Menu Planning and Yellow Sticker Items

Menu planning is crucial in keeping the cost of our food shopping down and it also helps with our family organisation. At the moment, I'm not working, Tim works from home and we have 2 adult sons living at home (1 working and 1 a recent graduate looking for work). We all like to cook and we all eat a vegan diet. When Sam was on furlough he chose to cook 3 or 4 times a week but now he's back at work he just cooks on one of his days off. Marcus has become a really good cook since he came home from uni last March and is also a much tidier cook than he was. As Sam works some evenings, I've gone back to writing up the week's meals on our blackboard painted kitchen wall to help with communication. We nearly always all eat the same evening meal but Tim and I have smaller portions especially of carbs! Sometimes the meals get swapped around or even changed. And sometimes we'll have something easy like Linda McCartney country pies, oven chips and peas!

I've kept a good food stockpile since the first lockdown of 2020 and I've found this really helps though at times the cupboards have been too full. I'm learning that doing a thorough weekly stock check in the fridge, freezer and cupboards is vital because otherwise I can't keep track of what's been used up with 4 different people cooking. The menu plan on the wall dates back to when we used to plan our meals Thursday to Wednesday which is why I've added dates. We have 2 online orders a week which I try to keep as close to £40 as I can. At the weekend I usually go to Waitrose to pick up a few favourite items and recently I've been using cash as Waitrose is expensive and it's very easy to get spendy in there. 

This weekend I went to Waitrose just before closing time on Sunday afternoon and spotted some yellow sticker items. There were some reduced vegan items so I was very happy. The veggie balls will be eaten with pasta, the Italian whirls used in paella and the apples cooked with cinnamon and sultanas for our morning porridge. So the paella will be Spanish inspired but with a twist.

Less Spending, More Home Cooking

Hello. I feel I need to say hello as I've posted lots of weekend links recently and not updated you on A Year of Less Spending for at least a month. I feel the need for a bloggy chat too. From me to you. Not an essay. Just a chat. A thank you for your comments and reading behind the scenes. An autumn catch up before Christmas blog posts arrive here at Just a little less but rest assured they'll be no panicking about that around here. 

Three months into A Year of Less Spending and I'm still recording my spending every day (or every few days if I'm honest). I've relaxed a little with my weekly grocery budget of £92 but I rarely go over £100 a week and if I do it's just a smidgen over. Careful menu planning, eating from the freezer and cupboards and frugal meal choices are keeping me on the straight and narrow.

Since September our food cupboard, fridge and freezer are emptier than ever but our diet is healthier and our tummies never happier. 'No more chocolate biscuits' is my current mantra as I try to keep my weight steady and avoid the temptations of home cooked food and leftovers. No Nigella snacking from the fridge for me, for now.

I've been spending more time cooking (and less time cleaning) as providing good food on a budget is a domestic priority right now. I've tried cooking pasties for the first time and have made a sourdough loaf every week since being given a sourdough starter and recipe in Cornwall last month. It's great for keeping a hungry teenager happy at meals (and between meals) and went down a storm at book club on Monday night this week. I love it toasted for breakfast and daubed with butter and marmalade. Majestic peasant food. 

Red cabbage is cheap and colourful and we've braised it with apples and stashed it away in the freezer for Christmas feasts. There was enough to make a pretty and hearty coleslaw too. We've had roasts, gravy and soup, of course, to use up every last bit of veg. 

My teaching schedule has been typically two or three days a week so when I have the time and energy I've been batch cooking simple meals like chilli for the freezer. Some eating from the freezer days will be a treat over the Christmas holidays. We're pencilling in some easy days.

My motivation for A Year of Less Spending remains high. I haven't bought a single piece of clothing since starting this challenge. This wasn't a rule of my challenge but it'll be interesting to see if I buy any new clothes over the year.

Instead of shopping trips with mum we've been going to the cinema and treating ourselves to a chippy tea afterwards. We loved Suffragette and The Lady in the Van is booked too. Daily walks are a simple pleasure. Followed by the odd hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows feeds any extravagant urges.

My appetite for books is renewed and I'm enjoying reading in the evenings and early morning. The library service is wonderful and a weekly trip to the library to pick up reserved books is now part of my routine. I'm thinking of keeping some kind of reading log here on the blog next year as it's so easy to forget what you've read and enjoyed. I'm currently reading A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale. It's gentle and interesting.

So there you have it. Spending under reasonable control, minimalist wardrobe intact, trying new recipes and reading and walking in between. Less spending is a good place to be. It hasn't been an easy journey getting here but it's amazing how quickly you adapt to spending less. Like downsizing, living on a tighter budget is possible and can have advantages. 

So, how's your spending going? Please tell.

Is My Resolve to Spend Less Weakening?

This week's grocery spend came in at £76.10. I'm pleased with this and the consistency I've achieved over the last few weeks but I still think I could do better. Several meals were from the freezer; meals cooked from scratch were lasagne, sausages and lentils and a yummy pasta dish. We also had cider baked apples which were wonderful. The leftovers topped our porridge the next day. How versatile is porridge. 

For the first time since I started A Year of Less Spending there have been a few temptations this week. 

Magazines have been beaming their glossy smiles at me from the supermarket shelves. One day I felt really tempted to buy a magazine and I would quite happily have bought any magazine, on any subject (well maybe not fishing). Just to buy something new and to add something to my day. But I didn't, and it's an achievement that I can walk away from a temptation that in the past I would have given in to. 

Anyway, I have far too much reading on the go at the moment and magazine reading often leaves me feeling empty. This week I've borrowed A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler from the library. I'm finding it captivating, real and a gentle form of escapism too. A good book is sustaining. The Leopard (my book club read) has been returned to the library after its Prince failed to captivate any of our group. I'm so glad I didn't buy it. Our next book is The Children Act by Ian McEwan and I've reserved it at the library already. I'm looking forward to reading it.

On Monday I went to town to buy acrylic paint for my son's self-portrait work (he's taking A Level Art and Design). Two shop window displays caught my eye – both charity shops. The small city I live in has a very high standard of charity shops which means I try and keep away from them unless I'm donating (always at the back entrance of course). 

One shop had a pair of tan brogues in its window, another had a Jack Monroe cookery book. Somehow, my blinkers were off and I veered towards each shop. Despite owning a lovely pair of black brogues and having the book out on loan from the library I was still tempted for a few minutes. Just a few minutes, mind you. Stoically, I walked away without entering either shop and continued to the little art shop to buy a tube of paint, slightly annoyed with my teetering feet. My size 6 feet. Would the brogues have been in my size? I'll never know. 

Treats this week were a family cinema visit to see Macbeth (Mum, Marcus and us two) and we dropped in on our local folk festival. Both Macbeth and the folk music were great experiences which, if I keep out of the charity shops, we can enjoy more of.

So, my motivation to spend less continues but my resolve is weakening. I knew A Year of Less Spending wasn't going to be easy.

How's your spending been this week?

Spending Report Week 6

I'm into week 7 of A Year of Less Spending. I'm very happy to give you a report of week 6 as it was a good week :)

Grocery shopping: £73.95 (budget £92 per week/£400 per month for three/four of us which includes food, household items and toiletries). This is my lowest spend to date. £75 is where my grocery spending is hovering when it's just the three of us (our eldest is away at uni) but I'm sure I can reduce this further. 

Spending diary: There were two no spend days (day 6 and 7). I was determined to not go over £75 on groceries and having two no spending days definitely helped. My spending diary makes dull reading this week as all I spent money on (other than regular outgoings) was food and petrol. Other spending included a Saturday paper, church collection money and a donation for a gift for a colleague going on maternity leave at school. We had a buffet this lunchtime to send her on her way – pizza and cupcakes. 

Motivation: I'm still very motivated and trying to get each week's spending a little lower than the last. I feel motivated to get more organised and disciplined with my menu planning and grocery shopping as I know spending less on this will leave more room for manoeuvre in our budget in future months.

Clothes shopping: My spick and span wardrobe is quite happy as it is thank you. I'm still getting pesky clothes brochures through the post though which I recycle immediately. 

Treats: The weekend was spent quietly tidying the garden, decluttering our tiny shed and walking in the woods. This was enough to give us a break from the working week. There were no cafe visits just homemade fruit cake to come home to which was too dry if I'm honest but was still eaten with glee.

Temptations: Staying away from virtual and actual shops is keeping my spending urges at bay. I've never browsed clothes online very much but now I know there's no point or joy in it for me right now.

Menu: The week started with scrambled eggs for tea for two as our youngest was out. This was good for both weight control and budget control. Friday tea was from the freezer as I'd worked that day and it was supplemented by curry side dishes from the reduced section of our nearest (deluxe) supermarket. We had curry whilst Marcus had shepherd's pie. Other meals included homemade pizza, chicken tray bake (with loads of veg) and jacket potatoes with fillings from the freezer. As well as chilli I also found a tub of veg tagine lurking in the freezer which went well with the jacket potatoes. I think I made it early in the summer (it was unlabelled, tut, tut) and I wish I could remember where the recipe was from as it was delicious. Tonight we ate Jamie's broccoli and pesto tagliatelle (Jamie's Ministry of Food) for the second time. A squeeze of lemon improved it for us but Marcus said he thought it needed chicken. He would eat meat at every meal whereas we prefer most meals without it. Saying that, he had two very large helpings!

I'll leave you with some glimpses into week 6. Week 7 is busier for us and it could potentially be more of a challenge to stay on track with the budget. I'll let you know!

Spending Report Week 5

This week has felt easier. It's beginning to feel more normal to be spending quite a long time planning my menu and shopping. I'm falling into the habit of planning next week's menu and shopping list well in advance. I'm also giving myself plenty of time to check the fridge, freezer and cupboards. I think I'm getting a bit quicker at the whole process. I hope so, I've got many more weeks to go during A Year of Less Spending. Here's what happened in week 5.

Grocery shopping: £75.41 (budget £92 per week/£400 per month for three to four of us which includes food, household items and toiletries). My lowest week so far probably because some of the meals were from the freezer.

Spending diary: There's only been one no spend day but the other days were very low. My only extraordinary spend was £10 spent on plants and bulbs for a tub (picture below). It's very purple and very cheery at the front of our house.

Motivation: I'm finding I'm enjoying searching for new recipes. Spending less on groceries is motivating me to be more adventurous with our meals. I've borrowed Jack Monroe's A Year in 120 Recipes from the library and I'm looking forward to testing some of her dishes.

Clothes shopping: I've tidied my wardrobe and edited out a few pieces. I wished I'd done it weeks ago as having space around my clothes looks good and makes me feel better. No new clothes needed * breathes deeply*

Treats: The autumn planter was a treat but I kept the cost as low as I could. As you can see from the menu last night we were treated to a meal out with family. However, Tuesday is the start of my spending week so that's technically week 6's spending. My menu runs Thursday to Wednesday just to add to the confusion. I should, I suppose, try to synchronise my spending week with my menu.

Temptations: I was tempted to visit a hairdressers but I decided to have a go myself and just trimmed my fringe. My last salon visit was in August so I can hopefully last longer without a professional cut. In 2015 I've spent £88 so far on my hair (three visits in February, May and August). This is much lower than in other years due to the fact that I'm cutting my own hair in between salon visits and no longer colouring my hair.

Menu: We've eaten well this week but maybe having roast beef and then steak wasn't the healthiest option. I tried Rachel Khoo's harissa minestrone soup for the first time which was as warming as I'd imagined. It made six generous portions (two are in the freezer). I also varied our usual shepherd's pie recipe by substituting half of the lamb with red lentils (as seen on BBC One's Eat Well For Less). This also tasted good. The beef was a brisket cut and cost just under £7. It gave us enough for second helpings (youngest son) and we also had it as leftovers on Monday instead of our staple feel good Monday meal (egg 'n' chips). I also made Eton mess trifles with frozen berries, cream, meringues, strawberry jam and custard. I've got a mess of meringue nests in my cupboard and I'm trying to whittle them down. Four gone this week, six to go. 

I'll leave you with my week 5 photos. How's your spending and motivation going?

Spending Report Week 4

Just a quick spending report tonight as I have other blog posts planned for the week. As you may know I'm tracking my spending for a year starting from 1st September 2015. My aims are to spend less on groceries and clothes and to save money for medium term plans. I hope to be a more mindful consumer by the end of the year. Keeping a daily spending diary is crucial to staying on track.

Grocery shopping: £85.15 (budget £92 per week/£400 per month for three to four of us which includes food, household items and toiletries). I'm pleased it was under budget but as there's only been three of us to feed it could have been less. However, there's been more batch cooking this week with plenty of portions going into the freezer which should make future weeks cheaper. My total for this month is £359.24 including a bottle of wine bought tonight for a celebratory glass. I'm quite pleased.

Spending diary: There's been one no spend day which is better than last week. The only unexpected cost this week was a new printer ink cartridge (bought at 10pm due to art homework panic, bless him). 

Motivation: Recording every spend is becoming a habit, I think.

Clothes shopping: The wardrobe edit is looming. I don't need or want any new clothes just tidier rails. It won't take me long to get my small wardrobe sorted so what's stopping me?

Treats: Our menu was a treat this week and we enjoyed trying some new recipes. Mum bought me some flowers too.

Temptations: I'm planning to plant some bulbs in layers in a tub I've just emptied so spring flowers are this week's obsession. With such lovely autumn weather I'm looking forward to doing some planting in the sunshine.

Menu: After last week's dreary menu I endeavoured to put some effort in. The sausages with green lentils from Delia's Frugal Food were delicious. I was surprised that you had to put the drained lentil water back into the pan but it tasted good. I picked this cookbook up in Shrewsbury for £1 from a charity shop. I think it's going to be useful during this challenge and might warrant a blog post of its own at some stage.The coconut chicken curry was a paleo recipe found online. It wasn't spicy enough for us but it was still enjoyable. We also tried Jack Monroe's veggie burgers which were very easy to make and tasty. I need more burger recipes as this is a favourite choice on Saturday nights. Tomorrow we're eating a huge pizza I found heavily reduced from £4.99 (lux supermarket) to just over £1. 

I'll leave you with some random week 4 photos. How's your spending been? 

A Year of Less Spending

September is here with its shiny new satchel of optimism so what better day to start something new: A Year of Less Spending. From today September 1st 2015 until 31st August 2016, I hope to track all my spending and spend far less money than I have in the last twelve months. It's not a total shopping ban as I don't want us to completely go without nice treats. I don't believe living with less means having to go without your favourite things, it just means having them a little less often. 

Over the last few years we've got much better at managing on a smaller income whilst still enjoying a comfortable but simple life. We've learnt to live with what we've got and make things last (my husband has only ever owned one mobile phone and it's still going strong). We're fortunate to have no debt other than a small mortgage, no credit cards and modest savings/pension provision.

However, despite improvements in my shopping habits such as keeping my grocery shopping more consistent, I still overspend especially when life gets busy and I'm tired. 

Then convenience becomes more attractive than saving money. And despite having minimised my wardrobe to forty pieces last year I've added more pieces to it than I'd planned. Convenience shopping and clothing are still my weaknesses. When I add up my incidental spending over the last twelve months it shocks me how much money I'm still wasting.

Spending less money on my hair over the last year has shown me that I can stick to a challenge. Not dyeing my hair, using less shampoo and cutting my own hair with only occasional salon visits has saved me a fortune (probably more than half of what I previously spent). Now I need to apply this mindset to spending less money in other areas. How many times during the next twelve months will I be tempted to buy wants such as flowers, magazines and charity shop finds? How many times can I resist the lure of my nearby lux eight letter supermarket for the four letter supermarket that requires driving through town but whose receipts ring joy? This is what I'll track and share with you during the next year.

Having less income requires careful management, especially when it fluctuates like my earnings do (I work supply hours as well as my permanent hours). From today I shall be back to keeping a spending diary and trying to spend less. There'll be more time spent planning frugal meals and cooking from scratch. I'll try paying with cash and staying away from shops/advertising/online browsing (where we all know the temptation starts) as much as I can.

My aim is that by keeping a spending diary and by reducing costs we'll be able to save for more fun experiences and some sort of summer holiday next year. I'll be able to make a few considered purchases to update my small wardrobe and start saving for bigger future expenses such as a living room revamp and travel plans for my 50th birthday/our 25th wedding anniversary. 

Above all I hope to reduce my wants, adequately provide for our needs and build savings to help realise our long term dreams. 

One thing we've certainly found is that a higher income doesn't make us happier. As I've written many times we value time together over earning a high salary because of the hidden costs to our health and family life that we experienced when I worked full-time in a management role in teaching. Living with less has made us appreciate all that we have and they're not just material things. 

It also makes me more aware of how easy it is to waste money and how uncomfortable excess consumerism makes me feel.

A Year of Less Spending is a balanced approach to minimalism and materialism. At the end of twelve months I hope to be more accountable for my spending, to have had some great experiences and to have acquired more savings than impulse buys.

Minimalist Monday: Easy Squeezy Tray-Bake Roast Dinner

It's been a while since I wrote either a Minimalist Monday post or a recipe post so I thought I'd combine the two today. As an update, I'm doing well with continuing my effort to keep our grocery budget well below £100 a week for 2 adults and 1-2 teenage boys. Cooking most meals from scratch can get tedious though, so it's quite exciting when we come up with something that suits days when we're feeling lazy but in need of something tasty. This recipe is basically a tray-bake; even the green cabbage gets thrown in the oven. And if everyone gets involved in chopping up the ingredients then the preparation time really is minimal. The salad potatoes I used are from this week's Aldi's Super 6. I keep limes slices/chunks in the freezer but you could use a lemon instead. A perfect recipe for a summer evening giving you plenty of time to enjoy a glass of something chilled in the meantime. 

You will need (serves 4-6)

4 medium chicken breasts (or equivalent weight in thighs) cut into chunks
200g chorizo sausage, cut into chunks (you could use more but this amount is adequate)
1 kg diced salad potatoes (no need to peel)
1kg carrots cut into batons (no need to peel)
2 red onions cut into chunks
1/2 green cabbage shredded
1 chopped chilli (optional)
a good glug of olive oil
seasoning
a sprinkle of fresh or dried mixed herbs
1 lime cut into chunks - reserve 4 wedges for garnish

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6/ 400F. Use two large roasting tins and put an equal amount of the chopped ingredients in each with the exception of the green cabbage which will go in later and set aside a wedge of lime per person (the rest of the lime goes in the oven). Season the mixture, add the herbs and drizzle over enough olive oil to coat everything lightly (I like to use my hands to get an even distribution). 

Cook for 45 minutes then scatter over the shredded green cabbage on top. It basically steams on top of the other ingredients and soon wilts down. Cook for a further 15 minutes. Heap plates generously and garnish with one wedge of lime. Easy, squeezy.

Reducing my Grocery Spending Update

For the last five months I've been trying in earnest to keep our grocery shopping (which includes all household, personal hygiene products and the occasional bottle of wine) at well under £100 a week for our family of 2 adults and 1 or sometimes 2 teenage boys. I posted in detail about the new habits I've adopted to keep my grocery spending in check here. I know this figure is higher than other frugal bloggers and readers out there but I am pleased with my reduced spending. If it ever hits below £50 a week I will let you know! Anyhow, it's definitely heading in the right direction. 

A quick stock-take of my cupboards, fridge and freezer and I have a menu plan for the next seven days. This is a fairly typical week. It's also a week of using up left-overs, eating mainly veggie meals and also cooking from scratch - our youngest son has volunteered to cook on Friday night!

Monday - spicy beanburgers, chips and sweetcorn (hamburger for our son)
Tuesday - fishcakes (shop bought), left-over mash (from weekend), veg (pre-prepared at weekend)
Wednesday - pasta, homemade sauce (from freezer) and ciabatta bread (yellow stickered)
Thursday - homemade pizza and salad 
Friday - tbc
Saturday - veg curry, easy tarka dhal and shop bought naan breads
Sunday - quorn sausages (+ meat version for our son), potato gratin and veg

I'm hoping that posting the occasional menu plan will help keep my grocery spending on track! I enjoy reading other people's menu plans online just like I can't help surveying other shopper's trolleys and baskets in the supermarket. Are you the same?

Lemon and Raspberry (Less) Mess

Following on from last week's simple starter of stuffed peppers, I present its bookend contender for the easiest and dreamiest of desserts. Lemon and Raspberry (Less) Mess can be prepared in advance, then popped in the fridge to delight hours later. It's light, cheap, gluten free and basically more of an assembly job than a recipe. It's a solution we came up with when we were serving a Mother's Day/ birthday meal/ Sunday roast recently. It would work well if you have guests over Easter. 

You will need (serves 4-5)

500g Greek yoghurt
3-4 tablespoons of lemon curd
icing sugar to taste
grated zest of one lemon for decoration
1 mini meringue per serving
raspberries for decoration
pretty glasses to serve

Method

The first (optional) task is to sweeten the Greek yoghurt to taste with a few teaspoons of icing sugar. Then swirl several tablespoons of lemon curd through the Greek yoghurt. Begin the assembly of the pud by placing a teaspoon of lemon curd into the bottom of each glass. Add layers of the lemon yoghurt mixture to the glass with the occasional swirl of pure lemon curd. Scatter with grated lemon zest, a few raspberries (these can also be sweetened with a little icing sugar beforehand in a bowl) and pop a mini meringue or two on top. Or if you prefer a messier mess use broken meringues mixed into the lemon/yoghurt mixture. You really can't go wrong with these ingredients.

Stuffed Peppers ~ A Simple Starter

This is a starter that ticks lots of boxes as it's light, can be prepared in advance and is easy to serve. What's more it's vegetarian, cheap, gluten free and oh so pretty. It's a solution we came up with last weekend when we were serving a Mother's Day/ birthday meal/ Sunday roast. Starters are as important as meeting someone for the first time; a starter with the perfect seductive initiation of colours, flavours and style can beguile your guests and build your confidence enough to help you sail you through the often more trickier courses to follow. So grab some peppers, a sharp knife and get ready to paint a colourful picture on a plate. 

You will need

half a red pepper per person
2-3 cherry tomatoes per half pepper
1-2 finely chopped red onions
mozzarella cheese sliced (parmesan would work just as well)
a few spoonfuls of ready made pesto
olive oil to drizzle
chives 
fresh basil 
salt and pepper

Method

Half the red peppers including the stalks (this helps keep the peppers intact and also looks prettier). Clean out the inners of the peppers and then fill with halved cherry tomatoes. Scatter some finely chopped red onion on top and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Season and bake on a baking sheet in the the oven at 200C for 20-30 minutes until beginning to colour. Remove from the oven and add slices of mozzarella and then roast for another 10 minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Serve each pepper half on a large plate with torn basil leaves and a few long chive stalks for added interest. A smear of pesto to the side and you're done. Luckily the peppers stay hot for quite a long time to allow for such adornment. 

Pasta Bread Bake

Hello! Here's a recipe idea I've been meaning to share for a while. It's a tummy filling, comfort blanket of a dish that I've been making since I was a student years ago. It's similar to other pasta bakes but the bread is torn into chunky pieces, not made into fine crumbs, and is layered through the dish instead of being reserved for the topping. This creates super gooey tomato soaked bread pieces as well as some crunchy toasty morsels around the sides and top of the dish. The bread bulks out the pasta making this a very economical meal. I always make too much and we always manage to eat the lot. In fact the last mouthfuls at the bottom of the dish are the tastiest. 

You will need

enough dried penne to half fill your oven dish
approx two slices of bread, ideally stale, and loosely torn into pieces
1 tbsp oil
1 chopped onion
celery, mushrooms or other veg (optional)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
a generous squeeze of tomato purée (or ketchup)
fresh or dried Italian herbs to taste
seasoning plus a splash of Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar to add depth to the sauce
enough grated mature cheddar to cover the dish (but other cheeses would work well)

Method

Boil the pasta until slightly softened and then drain. Meanwhile make a simple tomato sauce using chopped onions and a tin of chopped tomatoes and any other veg you have available. Season to taste and add herbs, tomato purée, a splash of Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar to taste. Layer the broken bread pieces into the cooking dish alongside the part cooked penne. Cover the bread and penne with the tomato sauce, top generously with grated cheese and bake uncovered at no higher than 200 degrees C for about 30 minutes. By then the cheese should be golden brown. Pile high and serve simply with a salad or a portion of sweetcorn or peas.

Eating Shoots and Leaves

Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes and comments on my A Little Less Grocery Shopping post. Your encouragement means a lot and is helping me to stay focused on limiting both my spending and waste this year. I'm determined to keep improving in this area.

Our cooking is definitely becoming more experimental adventurous as we endeavour to use up our leftovers before replenishing our food supplies. Take tonight's meal, a stir fry with a difference. Instead of our usual pre-prepared stir fry veg mix (cheap but still an expense) we used what veg we had to hand: one onion, the last few stalks of limp celery, carrot shavings (yellow stickered carrots), leftover florets of broccoli plus the stem (peeled and finely chopped), shredded iceburg lettuce, a few chilli flakes and chopped ginger (Very Lazy Ginger, which lasts forever). It's the first time I've used broccoli stalk and lettuce in a stir fry but they worked well and added volume and texture without any strong flavour. And it's amazing how lacklustre veg can suddenly be transformed into something robust with a flash of heat in a wok. To the stir fried veg we added leftover pork from Sunday's roast and a sachet of sweet and sour sauce from Aldi but I'm sure a homemade sauce of soy sauce and fruit juice would have worked just as well. We ate this with noodles as they're so quick and easy. Mouth wateringly good. 

So that's tonight sorted. I still haven't decided on a meal for Valentine's Day. Our youngest is off to see The Lego Movie with friends so it looks like we can please ourselves. Is curry romantic?