What's in the cupboards?

We are in desperate need of some shopping. For breakfast this morning Little Miss Poppins had vegan hot dogs and ketchup. Which is not the end of the world but not exactly the preferred start to a Monday!

So, in the spirit of spending less, I decided to go back to basics and do a food inventory. If you've never done this before it can be quite an eye opener!

Go through the cupboards, fridge, freezer, and see what you already have. If you're anything like me there will be stuff lurking in there you forgot you had. I found a tin of pease pudding (really!) which went out of date 3 years ago! I think that one might just be beyond saving.
But isn't it crazy how much food we buy then try to cram into already full fridges and cupboards!?

Here's what I found we already have...

 

I hope you can read that ok! It's probably fairly standard, with a few random things which I bought thinking I'd use then never got around to.

 

Next step is making a meal plan.

 

Using Google, recipe books, or just inspiration from your list of potential ingredients, come up with a list of meals. There may be things you want which you don't have in, so you can add those to the shopping list, but using what we have as a base has got to result in a lower bill.

 

So, from the stuff I have in, here are my options for the week -

 

Pork chops and mash

Gammon and chips

Jacket, cheese and beans

Lasagne

Chilli and rice

Iroog (Iraqi mince patties)

Cheese and spinach omelette with chips

Egg fried rice

Gammon and pea risotto

Minced beef and dumplings

Pork chop fajitas

Cottage pie

 

That is a ton of meals we could make without buying a single thing!

 

The pork fajitas was an online recipe I found, wouldn't have thought to use anything but chicken usually. Do you have any other ideas we could try? I'd love to get your recipe ideas, especially if it's something quick to make!