Simple Living Sunday 43

Well, it was hardly simple living today as we sweltered in 41 degree heat. Gympie Athletics went ahead with their planned athletics carnival, so needless to say we had a pretty tough day. It was lovely to come home, cool down and have a forage around the garden before dinner.

I managed to pick a few cape gooseberries. I am still trying to get the timing right for picking them. They are sweeter when they turn yellow but I find if I leave them too late then they dry out in the hot weather. So, apparently you can pick them green and let them ripen but I have found the tart taste of the greenish ones not unpleasant anyway. They taste very much like a mini tomato.

The squash are going crazy which is awesome. The two large ones I picked today will last me for the week.

Tomatoes (besides cherry) are not a great success here with the heat. This is a mini roma that I picked up at Bunnings on a clearance table for $1. Glad to see it is fruiting but the leaves are looking a little heat affected.

This tomato plant has been in the ground since the beginning of the year and has produced a few tomatoes so I let it keep going.

This indian lab-lab bean plant is now as tall as the squash.

My malabar chestnut looked dreadful after the frost so I am happy to see it is coming back.

The pigeon pea are really taking hold now.

This avocado had been struggling with the heat so I am really hoping for some rain.

Ironic that Paul's Pink Trumpet Tree is looking the best it ever has.

This young mandarin Lauren gave me for mothers day is finally starting to settle in.

I have had three large cucumbers from two vines and am pleased to see a few more growing.

The zucchini are growing well but some of them end up narrowed at the end.

I picked three kilos of cherry tomatoes and there are still tons more. The chooks love them.

We still have patches of green lawn but it is getting very dry here. You can see the running track the boys mowed and my budding food forest garden.

Another shot taken before dinner, facing the mountain.

My garlic was not a huge success but I did manage to get a few bulbs up to dry.

This is an old filing cabinet that I sprayed black. It sits in my kitchen and houses one of my addictions...

...glass jars! Can't wait until my Xmas break to start preserving again and will do a follow up post soon about the results from last years 'vacola fest'.

We had a welcome barbecue for dinner last night as it was way too hot to cook inside.

I threw together an exotic salad utilising my home grown and preserved produce which was amazing! Cucumber, cherry tomato, gooseberry, lychees and basil topped with homemade cherry tomato relish. Makes you feel absolutely wonderful to source a meal from your own produce.

This is a shot of the lychees I preserved last year and I will definitely be doing them again this year. They stayed firm and made a lovely sweet addition to balance the tartness of my salad.

So, that's my weekly round up. What have you been up to at your place?

Slow Cooker Lasagne

I had some time recently to experiment with my slow cooker. I have been making all sorts of bread and scrolls in it, with great success. Just lately it has become a tradition in my home to make a lasagne every Sunday for the kids, and they have the leftovers the next night. When I discovered I could make it in the slow cooker, and then found out how well it turns out, I decided I will never make it in the oven again. It only takes 3 hours on low (depending on your cooker) and it is beautifully moist. I also find the ceramic bowl so much easier to clean than an oven baked lasagne dish...and apparently the running cost of your slow cooker is cheaper than your electric oven, even with the extended cooking time.

Ingredients (for a six litre slow cooker)

700g mince
1 x finely chopped onion
400g tin tomatoes
1 x jar pasta sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp beef stock
2 tsp ground oregano
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 pack dried lasagne sheets
30g butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
3/4 cup grated cheese

Some versions of this recipe say you can add the ingredients to the mince meat and put it in the slow cooker raw, but I always make my meat sauce first in a separate pan. You can use your normal lasagne recipe which is what I used for this one.

Brown the onion until clear and then add the meat and brown, breaking up lumps with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic, beef stock, oregano, tomatoes, pasta sauce and tomato paste and stir well. Cook for about 20 minutes until mince is cooked through and is a beautiful red colour. It should be quite moist so that when it is added to the slow cooker, the dry lasagne sheets will cook.

Put 1/4 of the mince mixture into the bottom of your greased crockpot (I use spray olive oil). Now you need to make the white sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan, adding the flour, and then gradually adding the milk. I use a whisk to ensure there are no lumps. Cook over a low heat, stirring until thickened. Pour 1/3 of the white sauce over the mince in the crock pot and spread out with the back of a spoon.

Break up your lasagne sheets to fit and layer over the white sauce. Complete this process three times, ending with a final layer of mince. Sprinkle a good layer of cheese over the top. I then place a tea towel over the crock pot before placing the lid on the top. This will stop condensation dropping onto the lasagne and making it soggy.

Bake for three hours on low (check every hour just in case).

$21 Challenge - Week two

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Well, I am happy to say that we survived the first week of the $21 challenge. Usually you would only do this for one week but I have so much excess stuff to use up that I have decided on a second week...to pocket a little more cash for the boys to spend on clothes.

Week One Recap

The biggest hit of the week was the home made pizza. The bread flour from my 'bonus box' that had just expired was perfect for the base, together with the bbq sauce bottles that were almost empty. I just added a chicken fillet which I fried in the pan and sliced, some kale, ham, cheese, bacon and pineapple. I had a slice for breakfast and lunch the next day.

I could not figure out the wall socket timer so my crock pot honey and lemon chicken was cooked in the pan and served with mash. The boys ate leftover sausage casserole.

My favourite was the salmon patties which used up the open bag of panko breadcrumbs and was served with fresh salad from my garden. I was surprised that the boys liked them too so I will definitely include this on my budget-week menu in the future.

This was my total shop for the week...just over $15. Mainly drinks for the kids and milk. The cream was for potato bake last night, and the boys like cheese on everything! The pineapple was $2 from the local service station....the best pineapples ever. Confession...my husband did bring home some meat but I put most of it in the freezer to use after the challenge so I can still stick to my original menu plan.

This is just a selection of items in the bonus box which I would like to use up this week. So, here is my menu this week!

SATURDAY

Roast lamb and vegies in the slow cooker. I had never done a roast in it before and it was very tender. I do prefer roast vegies in the oven though! I used some of the cranberry sauce as a glaze to try and get rid of it and it was very tasty.

SUNDAY

Corned Beef and Potato Bake. This was gobbled up before I could take a photo.

MONDAY

Pasta bolognese using up the open packet of penne pasta

TUESDAY

Chicken tacos to use up the taco shells which although opened are still fresh

WEDNESDAY

Shepherds Pie using the packet mix which is about to expire

THURSDAY

Chicken (breast) pesto pasta using the brown spaghetti and open jar of pesto

FRIDAY

Slow-cooked chicken curry using the curry paste, and the indian vegie packet thingy I have never been game to open. I will use a pack of chicken pieces I have in the freezer.

It feels a little weird going to the fridge and being able to see what is in there, but it's a feeling I can get used to. We had too much stuff hiding and wasting...despite my resolve to live more simply and utilise everything... which I thought I was good at. So, I would thoroughly recommend a clearing out every now and then, and it's actually fun making compromises and devising recipes without buying extra ingredients. I made some home-made yoghurt yesterday which will be used in a few dishes and only cost $1.50, and I plan to make lemon cordial tonight to stretch out the drinks (and use up the lemons)...it's these habits that will help keep the dollars in my pockets, and healthy food on the table.

So, what's for dinner at your place tonight?

$21 Challenge - Week One

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As I mentioned last week, this week I am attempting the $21 challenge. I have done a huge clear-out of my pantry, fridge and freezer, and have made a list of items which need to be used up. I will use those items this week to create all of my evening meals, together with what else I have available. My goal this week is to only shop for staples...if I don't have something on hand for a recipe then I will improvise. I started the challenge on Saturday, so when I finish my two weeks it will be my usual shopping day, Friday.

In my post above I showed you the two boxes of produce I sorted from my pantry. The chooks have been enjoying the fruits of the expired items this week. My 'bonus items' that need to be used include the following: panko breadcrumbs, honey soy and garlic packet sauce, 2 x nearly empty bbq sauce bottles, packet of potato mix, 2 x open pasta packets, just expired bread mix, polenta, rice paper wrappers, sushi rice and nori, couscous...and at least another dozen random items.

This weekend I delved into the fridge and followed the same process. Most of the items in my door had expired.

And the above photograph was taken before I sorted out the shelves.

These are my bonus items from the fridge. Sour cream, massaman curry paste, three open jars of home made tomato relish, jaboticaba jam, lemon squeeze, basil pesto, home made mango chutney, some cherry tomatoes and a bag of kale and spinach. There are also my vegies in the crisper to use through the week, and some pumpkin and salad from the garden.

And the amount of produce that I had to discard was once again an eye opener. 

My freezer is fully stocked for work lunches. These were put away on my last holidays and I take them to work when there are no leftovers from dinner.

This is my outdoor freezer which I also did an inventory of. I was pleased to see there are still backup items for school holiday lunches such as pies etc. I am aiming to provide leftovers from dinner for the boys to eat for lunch each day...and make some homemade snacks. So....here is my weekly menu plan.

SATURDAY - SLOW COOKED SAUSAGE AND PASTA BAKE

I started the $21 challenge by sorting out everything in my bonus box, and working out some recipes for the week. I had about fifteen sausages in the fridge that needed to be used so I decided to do a slow cooked sausage casserole (in the crock pot) for dinner on Saturday night.

The boys absolutely loved it and there was plenty left over for breakfast on toast on Sunday, and for the boys lunches. I just used a french onion base, some frozen peas, gravox and pasta.

SUNDAY - CHICKEN CASSEROLE AND LASAGNE

Last night I used up the three part-jars of tomato relish, together with some pesto, the cherry tomatoes and a tin of tomatoes. I just mixed them together and added them to some chicken legs in the slow cooker. Six hours later we had an easy chicken casserole for Paul and I. As it was my daughter's birthday, I made her favourite lasagne and potato bake which she and the boys had. There are tons on leftovers so tomorrow night's dinner is also sorted.

MONDAY - SUNDAY'S LEFTOVERS

Leftover chicken casserole and lasagne.

TUESDAY - CHICKEN BARBECUE PIZZA

The just expired bread flour will be used to make home-made chicken barbecue pizzas for dinner. Paul and I will have a thinner base and loads of fresh kale and spinach from the garden, plus I will probably use up some of the pesto.

WEDNESDAY - SLOW COOKED LEMON CHICKEN BREASTS WITH COUSCOUS

My slow cooker tends to be a little over-zealous so I have bought a timer and will put this on before I leave work to commence cooking at midday. Should be perfect by 6pm. I am going to put in chicken fillets, utilise the stiry fry honey soy and garlic mixes which I was not keen on the flavour of, and add some lemon juice, garlic and a jar of mango chutney I had left over from the Biggest Morning Tea. I will probably serve this with the couscous, using another bonus item.

THURSDAY - SALMON PATTIES AND SALAD

This packet of mashed potato is close to it's use by date and always makes good patties so I will add it to a jar of salmon, use the leftover spring onions and a couple of my eggs to make patties. I will then crumb them in the panko crumbs which I have way too many of, and bake them in the oven. A quick and easy dinner. I aim to prepare the salmon patties the night before and use salad vegies from the garden.

FRIDAY - MARINATED T-BONE STEAK AND VEGIES

I think the boys will be screaming out for red meat by now, so I plan to marinate some t-bone steak that we have in the freezer with the leftover sauces in my bonus box - a little hoisin, soy, honey and garlic.We will then serve them with sweet potato, mashed potato and peas.

So, wish me luck with the challenge! My shopping list this week will be milk, bottled water, bread and cheese which should come in under the $21 budget....hopefully anyway. I am already thinking about next week's meals. I think that bonus box will keep me going for a while.

What are you having for dinner this week?

Roast Lamb Bone Soup with Kale and Herb Scones

As a result of my efforts at being frugal and minimising waste I actually created something really special. We had a roast leg of lamb last week and I decided to use the leftover bone which still had a little meat on it, to make a soup. The first thing I did was to cover it with water and simmer for two hours to make the stock. I didn't add any vegetables or flavouring at this stage.

The meat on the lamb bone cooked off, and the remaining bits I pulled away from the bone and reserved. I did this while the stock was hot, and then put the stock in the fridge overnight so that I could remove the fat layer the next morning.

This is the beautiful gelatinous stock I ended up with. I then made my soup in the stockpot and it was perfect by the time we got home from football. The kale and herb scones were a last minute effort to 'tart' up the soup for dinner. The beauty of this soup is that there is no set recipe, just use up what you have in the fridge. A few similar recipes use the pan juices from the roast too but I didn't have any of those. Will give that a go next time.

Ingredients

1 x leftover roast lamb bone
1 x onion
2 x carrots
1 cup pearl barley
Salt & pepper to season
Chopped kale
1 x tablespoon beef stock powder

1 x cup self raising flour
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 cup of milk
Fresh mixed herbs (thyme, oregano, basil)
Finely chopped kale


I just added everything in the crock pot with the stock and lamb pieces and cooked on high for four hours. For the scones, I added the flour and salt to a bowl, rubbed in the butter until crumbly, then added the chopped herbs, kale and milk. Make a nice soft dough (only knead and turn over a few times) then use a cookie cutter to cut out your scones. Place them on a lined baking tray and brush with a little milk. Then bake at 200 degrees celcius for about fifteen minutes.

I really loved the kale in the scones and will definitely be making these again. I came up with the idea because I have a ton of kale growing and need to start using it more in my baking.

So, there you have it. A wonderful winter warmer!