What we’re eating the week before Pay Day….

The week before payday is always the week that I try to work my way through the freezer and cupboards to use up some of the things we already have in.

Years ago, I started doing it out of necessity because money was often a bit tight by the time we reached the end of the month. Back then, it was a way of stretching the budget until payday arrived.

These days, it’s much more of a habit than a necessity, but it’s one that’s stuck as I quite like having a bit of a reset before the big monthly shop. It helps clear out the random bits that have accumulated in the freezer, uses up anything lurking in the cupboards and stops food from going to waste.

More often than not, it also leads to some interesting meals as I try to turn a collection of seemingly unrelated ingredients into something that resembles an actual dinner. 😁

This week is that week so I thought I’d share our meals from this week with you…

Monday – Breakfast For Tea

We have some lovely bacon in the freezer that we bought in bulk from a local farm shop and separated into smaller portions when we got home, so I’ll get a couple of packs out on Sunday night ready for tea on Monday.

We also have eggs from the same farm shop, so I’ll add some beans from the cupboard, a bit of toast and that’ll be tea sorted. I’m fairly sure I have some hash browns lurking somewhere in the depths of the freezer too, so if I can find them then they’ll definitely be making an appearance. 😁

Tuesday – Hunters Chicken

I’ll use some more of the bacon from the freezer to make hunters chicken along with a bottle of barbecue sauce that’s been sitting in the cupboard waiting to be used.

I have some little sweetcorn cobs in the freezer to serve alongside it and I’m hoping to add some spicy wedges too if I can persuade my partner to peel the potatoes for me.

Wednesday – Cottage Pie

There’s a portion of mince and vegetables in the freezer that I cooked a while ago specifically for nights like this, so I’ll defrost that and turn it into a cottage pie.

Any leftovers will be perfect for my partner’s packed lunch the following day and if I get chance, I might even make some Yorkshire puddings to go with it.

Thursday – Homemade Chicken Shawarma

I haven’t made homemade wraps for ages so they’re definitely on the menu this week.

I’ll make some chicken shawarma, add plenty of salad and wrap everything up in homemade flatbreads. It’s a fairly quick meal to throw together and not too heavy either, which means we can hopefully head out for a walk afterwards if the weather behaves itself.

Friday – Loaded Baked Potatoes

My partner is on night shift on Friday and always likes to take a proper meal with him for his break.

Jacket potatoes are ideal because I can prepare everything before he leaves and he can simply heat it up when he gets chance. When I’m feeling enthusiastic, I’ll make twice-baked potatoes by scooping out the middle and mixing it with cheese and bacon before putting it back in the skins.  More often than not though, he ends up with a jacket potato and a tin of barbecue beans which he’s perfectly happy with. 😁

Once he’s gone to work, I’ll probably have a smaller potato topped with egg mayo and a side salad.

Saturday – Pork Fillets In Gravy

Another freezer meal tonight.

We picked up a large pack of pork steaks reduced a while ago so I cooked them in gravy and froze them in portions rather than freezing them raw. It’s one of those meals that’s really handy to have ready to go when neither of us can be bothered cooking from scratch.

Sunday – Homemade Pizza

Sunday is pizza night.

I’ll make the dough earlier in the day and then we’ll top them with whatever bits and pieces we have left in the fridge. It’s become one of our favourite easy weekend meals and is a nice way to finish off the week before I start thinking about next week’s meal plan.

I also plan to make some snacks this week – homemade pizza swirls and cookies I think so watch this space and I’ll share the recipes if they work out. 

Looking over this week’s meal plan, I actually need very little from the shops which is always a nice feeling. Most of the meals are built around things we already have in the freezer, fridge or cupboards which is exactly why I like doing a bit of a freezer and cupboard clear out before the monthly shop.

I’ll probably need some milk, a few bits of salad and any fresh fruit we’re running low on, but other than that we’re pretty much sorted. Not only does it save money, but it also frees up a bit of space ready for the next shop and helps make sure nothing gets forgotten about and wasted at the back of a cupboard. 😁

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