It is well known amongst my
friends and family that I am a tight arse, although I prefer the phrase
fiscally prudent.
Perhaps it was my
upbringing, or my grandmother’s influence (she could make a chicken last a
week), maybe it’s just my nature.
But without such highly
developed skills I would never have survived seven years in New York living and
working as a musical theatre performer.
Ketchup soup anyone?
It ain’t so bad when your
other option is tuna surprise…tuna mixed with whatever else I found in the
cupboard.
And now I’ve found a way to
carry my ‘waste not want not’ attitude into my daughter’s meals as well.
Behold. The ever changing,
ever delicious, not-a-thing-goes-unused menu for the divine Miss Q…
·
Vegetable muffins -
Wholemeal flour (yes, yes, I seriously am that healthy) and leftover vegies
from dinner the night before. Sometimes I really shake things up by mashing the
sweet potato so the muffins are a delightful orange colour instead of the grey
of the healthy wholemeal flour.
·
Frittata – made
in the microwave. Do the microwaves cancel out the goodness of the dish I
wonder? Again, use any leftover vegies, rice, a few eggs, a bit of milk and
toss in some sour cream or cottage cheese. Truly, I hit upon this by accident
because I was just trying to use up what was in the fridge, but it adds a
certain richness to the dish and honestly, I think MasterChef may want to
speak to me soon.
·
Bran Muffins –
these are actually a recipe, but I’ll have to post it later as it’s at my mum’s
house. Suffice to say they include sultanas, buttermilk, all-bran and healthy
flour. Keeping you healthy on the inside folks.
·
Leftover cold fish –
got to admit, not something even I could choke down. But Miss Q’s uncle likes a
spot of spear fishing, and what could possibly be better than freshly caught,
freshly barbequed filets of fish prepared just for you. No tartare sauce
required.
·
Meatballs – I
use chicken, mince, pork, whatever. Mix with some breadcrumbs, an egg if need
be and some seriously finely chopped vegies. Roll into balls and bake. Big hit
people. Big hit.
·
Savoury pikelets –
there’s a recurring theme here of using last night’s vegies, but Q has become
the perfect replacement to our no-longer-alive dog. Just to really shake things
up, you could grate the vegies instead of chop them.
·
Crockpot surprise –
there is always a lot of jus (that’s sauce for you non-chefs out there) left
over with a Crockpot meal, and I see no reason to let such a delicious thing go
unused. What’s wrong with steaming a bit of chicken or pork and mixing it in
with the jus? Or adding rice. Or pasta, couscous perhaps. The possibilities are
endless.
·
Marinated chicken –
in yoghurt, soy, whatever else is close to expiration. Leave them for a while,
then wack ‘em in the oven and bake. Any leftovers can be re-recycled into the
above muffins or frittata.
·
Stewed fruits –
get the bag of old apples reduced to a couple of bucks on a Friday afternoon at
the supermarket. Stew and mix with yoghurt for dessert. Your child need never
know how many brown spots you had to cut out.
·
Porridge –
do you know how cheap that stuff is?
I could go on and on,
but I think I’ve given you a good enough start.
If you are a fellow
fiscal prude and have suggestions of your own, please, consider it your
charitable duty to keep the rest of us informed.
If you’re new to this
way of life, I embrace you.
Soon you too, will be
justifying your bought coffee addiction with your budget saving cooking.
Waste not on your
child and you will not want for your coffee.
Everybody wins.
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