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Beth’s Weekly Blog – making the most of your box !!

The end of January is always my worst time of year. The dark days are often wet as well as cold and the biting wind here is at its worst. However, this year I have been so much more organised that I have the feeling that I have had a good January with enthusiasm for the February and March to come.
My meal planning and prep has been a big part of being more organised. We get the contents of the grocery box each week, just like many of you.
So here’s  how I deal with my “delivery”…..
Firstly I like to get all the veg and meat out and make a plan of what I think I’m going to cook that week.This weeks menu idea; Haggis, neeps and tatties – absolutely perfect to celebrate Burns Night throughout the week. I have a Haggis recipe within the recipe section on our website. I love mashed swede with lots of butter, salt and pepper….but its just as good roasted alongside other root veg.Boiled ham with winter slaw(My mayonnaise recipe is on the website)Leftover ham and mashed swede and potatoes made into pattiesYou can add a little grated cheese. I grate any leftover cheese ends and freeze for putting into things like this or breads like the beetroot bread. Fry the patties off and serve them with the winter slaw too.Kale and chickpea curryIf you’ve got kale, as we do, in your box it needs a bit more cooking at this time of year so I often make it into the chickpea and kale curry, again the recipe is on the website. The fresh ginger and chilli will be fabulous in this. The red chilli just diced and sprinkled on the top make the dish look vibrant. You can serve it with rice or flatbread.Winter veg soup with onion frittersI will always make a big pan of soup for us. It’s a great way of eating more veg but also a fab way of using up any veg that is hanging around. It was onion soup last week and this week it’s looking like mixed veg with onions, carrots and swede with a little bit of ginger to give it some spicy heat. There might be a leek or some celeriac in the back of the fridge to use up too.Anything that is left over veg wise I peel and chop into containers for the fridge so it’s quick and easy to use them and that way I don’t have too many trips to the compost heap with peelings etc. Some prepped root veg can be put straight into the freezer but it’s only good for stews or soup when it comes out.
If I think I won’t use all the meat from the grocery box I put it straight in the freezer. Even little bits can be used up later in fritters or soups. Some fried up greens and pieces of meat make a soup into a hearty meal and patties or fritters make great packed lunches. I do try to keep a check on what’s in the freezer and keep it stocked up. The trick is to look in it every week and get something out and keep everything clearly labelled!Apples can hang around in our fruit bowl so I’m going to bake this weeks with some mincemeat (from Christmas) and have them for a pudding with cream from the extras list. I’m always drawn to making a crumble too. These can be portioned and frozen if you do have leftovers. It’s rare to have pudding leftover here. Wholemeal apple cake made in a tray bake is useful if you have packed lunches to make and you can freeze the squares individually. Pop them in the packed lunch box frozen and they are defrosted by lunch and keep the contents cool.
Breakfast
Don’t forget breakfast prep, if you eat it. Fruit muffins or breakfast rostis with eggs, bacon, ham, a little grated cheese, are fabulous breakfasts but make super easy supper dishes too. Make them ahead and refrigerate, quickly heat up the rosti in the oven or under the grill ( you can microwave too) to serve.
To be honest they are nice cold with a piping hot coffee in the morning walking the dogs!
……So that’s me, I’ve made it through to the end of January. All be it, it has been quite dry weather wise but I’ve tidied up after Christmas. Stashed all the decorations away, well I might have left one or two out just because they are sentimental things.  The boys are packed off back to uni and settled in and Lee and I are home alone with the badly behaved twins Phyllis and Marjorie( the puppies).  It’s not so much that they are badly behaved it’s just they are so excitable. But we love them just the way they are.
We are continuing with the border gardens winter tidy up, getting them in good shape for the new spring growth. Moving a few shrubs into better positions and cutting somethings back quite hard. They have been a little neglected but again with the dry weather we’ve been able to continue the good works.
We are settling back down into a rhythm. I’ve even got plans to have friends over for supper which we haven’t done indoors for well over 2 years. I’m looking forward to cooking and eating with friends. Something I have really missed.
We’ll have a nod to Burns night this Friday supper and I’ll post some pictures on our Facebook page. The year is already moving ahead but this year I feel I’m moving with it.

 

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