Store Cupboard Eating

My new year's resolution to attempt a new recipe every fortnight has not been going very well. I haven't cooked anything at all for some time now, because I'm making a desparate attempt to empty my freezer so that I can defrost it, and to avoid buying more food when I have so much stored already.

Representative contents of brown bags shown

As a result I've been eating a lot of rather samey meals. Mostly spinach quiche, which whilst being delicious was also huge. I haven't yet got bored of eating it, but I suspect that with another three portions to go I might well be glad when it's finally finished.

Once the freezer is defrosted I'm going to concentrate on turning the dry food stored in my cupboard into some new freezer meals, which will simultaneously provide me with food during busy exam term evenings and also reduce the amount of food I need  to worry about storing during the summer. This side of Easter, the start of July seems a lot closer and I'm aware that I'm unlikely to get through my massive stocks of flour, pasta, rice and lentils unless I make a concerted effort!

Taking a quick glance into the cupboard, I have drawn up a rough plan for meals, along with the relevant stored food:

• Curry - to eat with rice, as I have a full jar of long grain white rice
• Pasta bake - lots of pasta and a jar of ready-made sauce
• Spaghetti bolognese - a packet mix, three cartons of tomatoes and a packet of spaghetti
• Cheesy lentils - a small jar of red lentils, and this is a great alternative to sandwiches for lunch
• Quorn casserole - a packet mix, a tin of red kidney beans and some Quorn pieces
• Cakes, buns and biscuits - masses of plain and SR flour, sugar and powdered egg replacement

Looking at that list, I doubt I'll be needing to buy anything except vegetables, some vegetarian mince and the usual bread, milk and fruit replacements for the rest of the term! I do enjoy food shopping but I also enjoy the knowledge that I'm not throwing my money away buying things I don't need.