In a jam, pickled, frozen, well preserved and other culinary triumphs

@Smc @Former-Member

Found out about the Melbourne show after the event but there is going to be a "mould cheese festival" in Sydney in September http://www.mouldcheesefestival.com/

Have made a big pot of chicken soup today, just needs dividing up and freezing.

Used a dried chilli in tonight's meal too - first time I've raided the container since dehydrating them.

With the loss of my job I will need to be frugal (which does not come easy to me). Stretching the grocery budget will be necessary.

Any tips would be appreciated esp savoury meals.

Been there, done that @Former-Member.

For most people, the first thing to look at is whether food is being wasted. Simple things like cooking veggies with their peels on wherever possible to get the most nutrition out of them; using the end crusts or dried out bits of bread for breadcrumbs; making stock out of bones from a roast; using leftovers.

Second step is what happens when you're shopping. Some people need to make a list and stick to it, others (me included) work best buying whatever's on special or marked down and basing meals around it. Watch out with perishables that you're not getting more than you can use up before it goes off- unless you can freeze it in useful portions. And don't fall into the trap of buying heaps of something unfamiliar, simply because it's cheap. I got caught out with drastically reduced packets of dried soy beans, and discovered once I cooked them that I didn't really like them much. I've still got a packet or two lurking in the pantry...

Third step is the recipes. Most Aussies eat way more meat than they need, and not enough veggies, so reducing the meat portion a bit and increasing the veggies by at least an extra serve per person is healthier as well as being cheaper! Cooking style can help too. Stir fries need tender, low fat, no gristle meat, which is more expensive. Cheap cuts often come up really nicely if they're slowly braised or poached.

For really financially "tight" weeks, I do an inventory of what's in the freezer, fridge, pantry and veggie patch, and try to base most of our food around the ingredients we've already got. (This is also a good encouragement to use up those lurking soy beans and suchlike. :P) And if, for example, the resulting menu includes a meal served with rice, I'll cook enough to make the next night's meal Fried Rice, or something else rice based.

Where possible, it's also a good idea to make a double sized batch of dinner and freeze half of it for another time. Those "too exhausted to cook" nights when you end up getting take away or something from the supermarket freezer are real budget killers if they happen too often. Once in a while though, they can be a lifesaver.

The biggest problem I have is Mr D is an all-round big eater or as what my dear old Dad would call a 'fine trencherman'. 500g mince lasts one meal at our place. I have a regular serve, Mr D eats the rest. I will have one meat pie, Mr D eats 3, he could knock off a 4 litre icecream in 3 days (now he is dieting he isn't having dessert). Soup would just not do for an evening meal (ok for lunch).

I am worried we will end up having too many carbs. Mr D needs plenty of veg to keep constipation at bay so hopefully can keep on top of that. We have been buying the packaged salad mixes - know I will need to review that.

@Former-Member I have been exploring internet recipes. There is so much. Also not being at work does give more time for little things that can make the difference and still be tasty and nutritious.

I am more enthusiastic about food preparation than ever before and still have a big eater at home. I usually cater 2/3 for him and 1/3 for me.

Somehow I have managed to make salad and soup BIG MEALS. I focussed on that approach to keep the vegie intake up. I have very big soup bowls and make thick chunky soups. He usually polishes off 2 bowls.

@Smc I can see you really have been there done that!

@Former-Member... a lot of our meals sort of have meat waved in the general direction of them. Sounds like Mr Darcy might find that a bit too extreme? (Tonight, for example, is baked butternut squash with a bit of cauli, a couple of onions, and 2-3 rashers of bacon mixed through it.)

I'd still suggest increasing the veg and decreasing the meat might work, but maybe lean towards the heartier veggies. Perhaps divide the mince into slightly smaller batches- get 1kg and split it into three x 360-ish gram serves instead of two x 500. If you add potatoes and onion, you get a kind of "Irish Stew". Capsicum, onions and cooked red beans for a Mexican style. Sweet potato is very nice as a "meat stretcher". Any vegs grated up instead of chopped give you an end texture that's similar to straight mince. Rolled oats boiled in a bit of stock can also be used, particularly if you're making something like rissoles or meatloaf. The stickiness of the cooked oats helps bind them. Stock and/or herbs and/or curry powder help boost up the flavour to make up for the slightly decreased "meatiness".

If it's not too exhausting, a two course meal may also help make things filling without it getting too expensive. That might be a way to fit in soups or other heavy-on-the-veggies dishes. The more filling ones include sweet potato, potato, pumpkin, anything with dried beans, peas or barley in it. All can be made with herbs instead of meat stock, although that takes a bit of getting used to if it's not the usual approach. When the weather gets warmer, perhaps the veggie course could be something like hommus and cut vegs and rice crackers instead, or a salad course.

Some desserts also qualify as healthy, particularly if they've got lots of fruit in them. Simple old fashioned stewed apples with a scoop of icecream instead of a tubful?