A Week of Money Saving Pantry Challenge Cooking
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- Опубликовано: 6 июл 2023
- I make marmalade, I make bread, I make some meals, I sort out my cupboards and plan the weeks meals. What a week!
Here is the link to my bread making video:
• Bread Too Expensive? M...
Frugal Queen in France
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We are a British couple living in Brittany on a budget.
Frugal recipes, days out, home renovations and day to day making do in France.
We’ll give you hints, tips, advice and an insight into our life in France.
Website www.frugalqueeninfrance.com/
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Your cooking and food management posts are my favorite! I’m naturally frugal, debt-free, and always looking for home-cooking ideas. Thanks!
Awesome! Thank you!
My no buy use it up meals this week were: honey soy chicken with rice and cucumbers, cous cous roast vegetable bake, cabbage pancakes, pesto broccoli pasta. All made from items we already had in. Each meal had some sort of salad. This is a snapshot of one week :)
Thanks for sharing!!
Great job Jane, FYI a tin of evaporated milk kept chilled in the fridge whips up light and fluffy with whatever appliance you have (stick mix, hand mixer etc) a little cream of tartar helps keep the whip (like meringue) when you have no cream or yoghurt.🍨
Coconut milk will do that same! I always keep one tin in the fridge
Blessings and happy Friday everyone ☀️
Golly, it is Friday. Thank goodness!
Jane, you are SUCH an inspiration!! Following your lead with a 'no buy July', 'bare bones food budget' and 'using what's in my stock' :D Now when I look at an item I automatically think 'Oh that's 4 meals' or 'That'll make meals for myself for a week'. Thank you ever so much Jane, you've made such a difference to this already frugal gal :D
You are so welcome!
@@user-sy3rs6ki1q well said !!!
Having had a disaster last week I took a list, which was short as I had loads in the freezer, only bought what I needed and froze some chicken to save it spoiling in the back of the fridge!
Told my husband we needed to “ Get in, get it and get out! “
2 is 1, 1 is none. My husband will love this. He gets very nervous when we’re down to one of anything. His main concerns are butter, bread and pease pudding 🥰
I go for three of most things, I get nervous about running out.
Yes I’m a three person. Running out rarely happens, but when Bill is down to his last pease pudding, it’s a serious voice. Luckily we’re two minutes away from Lidl. I’ll definitely make that pasta bake this week!
I live in Atlantic Canada and have been making MaMade for many years. I learned about it from my Mother. It is a wonderful marmalade, better than most in the stores. It costs only slightly more than a jar of store bought marmalade to make the 5 or 6 jars. Love your videos and look forward to learning more from you.
Thanks very much
Thank you for all your tips and menu ideas! Love watching and listening to you ! You most definitely are the Frugal Queen of You Tube with a beautiful smile!
Wow, thank you!
How wonderful & comforting is that!? ❤ I'm pretty good at pantry management here in the US. All I truly need from my weekly trips to the store is NOTHING. I go to look for good seasonal deals or pantry restock. If I get in a $ crunch or there is a shortage of something, I don't need to worry for a couple of weeks. If I find an interesting recipe, I usually have the ingredients on hand. That light brown sugar you need? -You can just mix some molasses in with white sugar. It does take a lot of time to manage & plan, something I wouldn't be able to do if I worked full-time & had a house full of kids.
The spinach/mushroom/bacon/pasta bake sounds delicious! Adding that to my meal plan. I also find it so interesting seeing the different foods you buy in France. I’m in Canada so it’s always fun to see the differences - but yet you give options to exchange too if we don’t have that item. Thanks Jane, enjoying your channel.
Thanks very much
Back in the day we always called the style of canning that you used with your marmalade as "open kettle canning". Not as common now here in the states, but still done by some. My mother always used melted paraffin wax poured on the top of her preserves to seal them.
I used to do the same - still have some paraffin wax, but now I just use lids I can seal and pop them in the steriliser (where bath) for long term storage.
I remember that wax on my grandma's jams!
This last year I would grocery shop every 2 weeks. The last time I shopped I decided to put 3 weeks between shopping outings. I did have to pick up a loaf of bread and carton of milk in between but nothing else. The third week “forced” me to be creative and use the odd items in the freezer. I am going to stick with this schedule and see how we do.
It's a good thing to do once in a while
This video will help so many people - just seeing how your pantry is organised is super useful. I think in the UK we’e losing this knowledge but it’s essential with the cost of living. Thanks 😊
Thanks very much
In regards to your marmalade jar not sealing.....I take the lid off, pop the jar in the microwave and heat it till it is bubbling to the top - take it out carefully and pop the lid back on. This usually works to re-seal the jar - worth a go🙂
It's already eaten.
Thank you for sharing this ❤. I always look for new ways to feed my family
I had a very heavenly fruiting apple tree in my garden at my previous house. I use to store all the good apples wrapped in newspaper in a single layer in cardboard boxes. Stored in my garage, they kept like that for months. After about 3/4 months I would go through them once a week I just squeezed them through the paper to ensure they were still firm. Using any up that had started to get soft. This meant they wouldn’t spoil the others . I would use any soft ones for deserts t hat week, usually making a couple of big apple crumbles that would last us all week. If I had more than I could use I would stew them down then freeze them in blocks the size I knew was one serving. This meant we were eating our own apples until at least Christmas sometimes even until Easter.
Thanks, Jane. I do a stock check every time before grocery shopping.
If you have a lot of the same meat make several different meals using it up. Make your pork chops, the rest cut the meat off the bone and make pork stir fry, pork fried rice, pork tacos, grind up some of the pork and use it just like minced beef. I had a huge amount of chicken and I made 2 weeks of different meals all using the chicken and never made the same meal twice. No one ever noticed that we ate 2 weeks of chicken lol. With the economy the way it is I have no issues buying meat on clearance and using it for as many meals as possible.
Your breads look delicious!!
New subscriber. I love pantry clean out meals. Beautiful job!
This was great, Jane. We've been buying summer produce (we are in NYC, we have to get it when we can) but aside from that we have been spending down our stock and I've been batch cooking and pickling veg thanks to your influence. We are also avoiding Amazon's Prime Day. We need nothing and a deal doesn't mean we should buy it. Thank you so much for your advice and influence. You and Mike are terrific!
Absolutely delicious-looking meals! Thanks for the inspiration! Have a fantastic weekend.
Loved this episode Jane
Loved the video today, many thanks. Kind regards Angeline ❤️
Delicious and inspiring meals!! Well done You!!
You look great Jane 🎉 thanks for the ideas 😊❤
love the way you "make do" !
So fun to be using up items in my pantry and freezer as I watch you do the same. Thanks for the video. These are my favorite type that you make. Have a wonderful day!
Hi Jane and Mike 🤗 I always enjoy your Friday videos. I enjoy marmalade very much but I'm the only one that eats it so one jar lasts me forever! You made some delicious pantry meals there! Wow! It's good to flex that creative kitchen muscle once-in-a-while. Your bread turned out so perfect!! Yum! I'm having beans on toast for my dinner tonight 🥰
Thank you
I have tons of bacon too! Will be cooking a couple packages so we'll be having BLTs (bacon, Lettuce & tomato sandwich -add mayo) plus going to add crumbled bacon to salads and breakfast for dinner (bacon and eggs with toast), and will top loaded baked potatoes with guess what? Bacon! Lol 🥓
Even these types meals look tasty. I think you are a very good cook Jane:)
Spinach and mushroom bake looks delicious
I love weeks like this! Thanks for the great ideas!
Thanks for watching
Hello Jane&Michael ; i loved your video today. Thank you for sharing your spinach mushroom pasta bake, i have all of those ingredients minus the bacon. But no worries, we do not eat meat with every meal anyway! I love the texture of your gluten free bread that you made. I would love to try that one myself. I was having my own out of the box ideas for the homemade bread you made to be turned into french toast and have that for breakfast.Love the marmelade you made. I make apple butter when the apples are ready to harvest. I use my slowcooker to make that. I do not have pantry cupboards, i only have regular kitchen cabinets. I also make use of the top of the cabinet for storing cans of various items. Love the inspiration you shared with us today along with your 4 legged furry baby! It is fun to see similarities in the food you have available and the food we have available to us. Alot of it is very similar like spam! You get spam that is frozen we get spam that comes in a can(tin ,you call it) Enjoyed your video including your outside shots. Your yard looks so relaxing!
Every meal looks so good! You inspired me to do that this week, thank you.
I'm so glad!
My husband makes our marmalade, it's always good! I can remember my mother using the Marmade concentrate in the 1970s. Like you I am using up last year's bottled apples at the moment - I like apple puree mixed into a fruit jelly for an easy summer pudding.
You're meals always look delicious! Thank you for sharing your pork and bacon follies. You're not alone. Im having a word with myself about our freezer stock that needs eaten up. ❤ You inspire me to do more wit what I have
Great video! Amazing what you can do!!! Thanks Jane and Mike ❤
Our pleasure!
Thank you Jane, you continue to inspire me, and your meals look delicious! The no buy, dry July has been a success for me this past week. Thank you!
Wonderful!
Looks so delicious! Thank you!! What a great home chef!😊
Thanks very much
Loved this video! So much inspiration! Your meals looked delicious! Thank you for the video!
You are so welcome!
Another great video, I love these food ones it gives me so many ideas.
Thanks very much
You have inspired me! I'm going through my pantry TODAY!
Good luck!!
This was very helpful, Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for the inspiration
You’re welcome
Great video Jane and Mike, lots of great meal ideals from the store cupboard. Lots of lovely salad from your garden.
Thanks so much
Thanks Jane and Michael for another great video the cooking ones are my favourite 😊
Our pleasure!
Very fun video. You inspire! Have a good week end!
Thank you! You too!
I need to do exactly this for the next 2 months to get through older canning items, and the depth of my freezer reserves. Great recipe ideas, I will make a few of those.
Great idea!
Thank you for the inspiration, I will check my cupboard ;)
You’re welcome 😊
I would thaw some of chops and dice it to put in casserole type dishes that can be done the slow cooker - sweet and sour pork or pork and apple casserole withdumplings, for example. My freezer, too is full! Good to know that I'm not alone, Jane! Hope this helps some one.
Superb video Jane and Mike, loved the meals,no spend August and September in my diary and budget planner, thanks, Anna.
Wonderful!
I love making homemade bread. The bread looks so yummy
Thanks so much
Wonderful Jane, well done
Thanks very much
Thank you for the helpful tips.
Glad it was helpful!
Your dinners look absolutely yummy!
Thank you 😋
Thanks so much
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
Hi Jane. I liked the video. It made me realize that our family needs to do a pantry tidy and stock check. I am sure we can find plenty (loads) of meals in there! Thank you for this timely message.
You can do it!
Happy Friday to one and all.
Same to you!
You really are an excellent cook, aren't you? Lovely!
Oh thank you!
Your creativity always inspires me to shop in my pantry. Saved a lot of food, and money, doing that. Thanks!
You are so welcome!
Thank you! Can you show how your veggies doing in the raisedbeds?
Thank you this is a real eye opener as we’ve been thinking to do the same. Tomorrow I am home alone so going to do exactly this, I have so much veg I have blanched and frozen. You are such an inspiration Jane and your GF bread looks amazing! God bless, Jan xx😊xx
Best of luck!
I am ashamed to admit that I have way, way too much both in the freezer and the pantry. Just the two of us with occasional kids visit. I am going to try to stay out of the stores for the rest of the month and also have a no buy August. Great video Jane and Mike.
Thanks for sharing!!
7.30 great inspiring video As always I really enjoyed watching it and sharing in your meal plans.Thank you Jane! Diane from Cornwall in the UK.x
You are so welcome!
This week, we had roast pork leftovers which I sliced thinly and frozen, reheated in sweet and sour sauce served with rice.
one of my other storecupboard meals is basically goring, using leftover cooked rice, a tin of tuna (I usually use the oil from the tin as the cooking oil to save money and also add flavour), tin if sweetcorn, onion and garlic and whatever handfuls of veg are in the fridge or frozen veg, with a couple of spoons of mild curry powder, all stir fried together.
A veggie chilli comes from a tin of tomatoes, tin of kidney beans, a sweet potato, onion and garlic, and again whatever handfuls of veg need using up, like cauliflower and carrots and peppers etc.
And my big way to use bacon is to do a big batch of macaroni cheese, which lots of bacon and veggies (onion, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, peas etc) and then freeze the leftovers as pasta bakes ready to put in the oven.
You are doing well
Food looked delicious
Thank you 😋
Very motivational video!
So glad!
We found a deal on diced ham (12 oz) for $.79. I bought 4 and I also bought some backaches of cornbread mix so we will try to make beans and cornbread, as I have lots of dried beans we can use to make beans and cornbread.
Sounds great!
We’ll done Jane. Some good tips here. To avoid a large hole in the bread I remove the paddle one hour before end of cooking time. Always unplug before doing this. Once plugged back in the machine cleverly continues from where it left off. Best wishes.
Such an inspirational video!
Thanks so much!
Jane your meals look wonderful! I tend to overbuy too. Trying to buy food as cheaply as I can. Just the two of us as well.
We are going to stop overbuying and just get what we need
You made some great meals with your pantry and freezer excess!
Thank you!! 😊
One of my favorite vlogs you have done food looked great ..what a good price on dauphinoise potatoes love frugal food on a Friday
Thanks very much
Some great meals there! I’m in the process of doing this too. It’s going to be fun I think. I plan to empty 1 freezer at least. It’s amazing how we stock pile isn’t it!? I made a lasagne last week, when I went to put portions in the freezer I found 2 portions in there already. A lesson learnt there for sure! Happy eating. ❤
Thanks, we stock pile but we still need to eat it
This is such a great video. Thank you for sharing your week of meals from your stocked food. We eat very simarly to you. I have pantry envy 😊. You have so much stocked compared to us.😊 All of your meals looked so delicious. We are Australian and like the rest of the world food prices are a nightmare for the average person/family. I'm on a mission to eat just as well, but on less dollars. Its just my husband and I also. I shall be implemeting some of your recipes to help achieve my goal. 😊
Very nice video. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you too
I loved this video! Please keep doing the pantry clean up recipes and share with us. Kind regards!
More to come!
Everything looks so delicious. The pasta bake is on my list to try.
It's so good!
Pure gold. You live like kings and queens! Can I ask if you can do some bean/ rice/ pasta type dishes you know? I was born in UK and your cooking makes me so nostalgic for my mums cooking!
I love how well organized your two pantries are. You've inspired me to inventory my foodstuffs and I hope to be as well organized as you are when I've finished doing that. The meals you prepared are just lovely. Still trying to eat down my freezer and I am pleased that it is going down, even if ever so slowly. Diane in NC
Awesome! Thank you!
I have a list on the inside of each cupboard door which tells me what I have and as I use things I just cross them off. I find this saves weekly stock checks I can just check the list. I just do a physical stock check about every 3 months. In my freezer I write down what is in each drawer so I know where to look for what I want instead of having to rummage through. When I had a chest freezer I use to use plastic shopping bags in the bottom so I could sort like for like items.
@@patmartin9727 The cupboard list is a great idea. I'll start doing that. I do use cloth shopping bags in my chest freezer to hold different kinds of meats. That works great for me. I have gotten so lax in keeping up with my freezer inventory book. I really need to get back to doing that. Thanks so much for your tips. Diane in NC
I'm also having a no spend and/or low spend July. I will be using in-house food for as long as possible before my next grocery shop. Although, I may need to buy some produce and other essentials before the month is over, I will try not to spend much money. I have a stocked pantry which might take all summer and fall to thin down before food expires.
I'm right behind you cheering you on!
Thanks for sharing Jane, would you please share recipes for bread in the bread maker, Tia
Thanks for watching, the link to the recipe is in the description box under the video
Following your frugal instructions i have started implementing it thanks
Fantastic!
I too have come to realize that having too big of a stockpile is not what I need for now. My freezer is still pretty full and I’ve been working it down some! New home has way less room for pantry items which is actually helpful!
Thanks for watching
Thank you Jane, your video's keep me more organised. I am going to do a stocktake and plan some meals from it. My allotment is starting to give harvest so i need freezer space
Sounds great!
We also have an allotment but my freezers are full to the brim so need to make space
We went through our large freezer, found items buried and need to be used. Pantry was organized as well. Between the freezer, pantry, vegetable garden we have not been to the grocery store in 2 weeks, could be more weeks. We need lettuce (too hot to grow here now), fresh fruit and milk which we will get at the Farmer's market. We are also cleaning out closets, listing and selling things we have not used in years and we have a garage sale scheduled. I made strawberry jam last week, dehydrated blue berries and tomatoes. I have bread in the freezer now, after we use I will start making my own again, yours looks fabulous. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching and commenting
Would love to see how you make your pasta sauce if a possible.
I am doing a "low buy" July and August buying only some produce and dairy. We have lots of meat in the freezer to use due to being taken in by too many sales. Everything is inventoried, and we don't need to purchase any meat for at least two months! I may try to push that to three months to get the freezer mostly empty and do a good defrost before winter. Really enjoy your videos!
A thought about a glut of pork…I pressure can meats on sale. They make for handy meal ingredients later on! Thanks for the vid!
No pressure canner here, it’s too expensive to import them from America
Oh. I’m sorry to hear that. It was just a thought but I guess locale does matter. Best regards.
Roscoff pinks, Yorkshire tea and homemade marmalade, you are a woman after my own heart!
Thanks very much
Thank yoy for sharing bless u and 👪 👩👧👧 👨👩👧👦 with joy peace and happiness always keep safe take care love always love watching.and learning 💖 ❤ 💕 💓 💗 l9v from uk
Thanks very much
Some great meal ideas there Jane and your bread looks absolutely delicious. I too like to use tinned potatoes from time to time and also enjoy them roasted in the airfryer with a touch of olive oil, salt, pepper and paprika. I always have a feeling of satisfaction when everything gets used up. Same as you, I stock check and then if necessary, just piece shop for odd items towards the end of the month. Thanks again Jane and Mike for another inspiring video. 😃🤗
Great idea!
I used to buy big packages because they were on sale too and like you it is just me and my husband, we have come to the same conclusion as you. I had to change my way of shopping also. Sometimes it is hard though because it’s always the big packs that go on sale and never the small packages.
So true! I just won't look at the big packs
Have you thought of canning the meat to take advantage of the deals without overburdening the freezer? I have yet to try it but I understand it would mean we can have the product stored outside of the freezer. This would also be especially helpful for times when the electricity is out. We have hurricanes 🌀 here in NC and unless we have our generator going, our demand for electricity might change some priorities. Love your channel and I have learned so much from you two! Thank you!😊
A pressure cooker costs more than a freezer here, plus the electricity is prohibitively expensive. Thanks very much for your comment.
❤
When you get your sugar, you may consider getting a small container of molasses. With that, you can make your own brown sugar as light or dark as you want. That is, if you can get it cheaply in France.
Adding treacle/molasses makes Demerara sugar which is totally different from soft brown sugar. Thanks for watching.
👍👍👍
When needing a light brown sugar, and all you have is dark, add plain white sugar to the dark. Sort of mash it together with a spoon and you won’t need to go to the store. You can make your own brown sugars with white sugar and molasses. (You probably already know this.)
I’ve done this too. Was making ginger cookies the other day and ran out of the brown sugar that the recipe called for. Just used white sugar and added a bit extra molasses and it was perfect - no discernable difference from the original recipe! I’m trying to become more resourceful to make do. It is so easy to get in the habit of running out to the store for one or two items, but it isn’t cost effective to do so.