Preparing for the unexpected!

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

Hi there,

I am trying really hard to remove packaged and processed food from our family's diet and am going reasonably well.  One thing I am struggle with though is preparing for the unexpected.  I do a weekly menu plan and stick to it pretty well, but it is things like unexpected visitors arriving when the bickie tin is empty and needing a quick family meal when we arrive home from a day out that throw me a bit.  We live out of town, which I guess makes it more important to be organised.  Where once I would have pulled out a "packet-something", now I need to quickly think of something to whip up (and need to have the ingredients in the cupboard ready to go) or have things ready in the freezer.

I would love some suggestions to help me out:
What is your morning tea for unexpected guests?
What is your quick "slap-up" thermomix tea for your family?
What do you keep frozen in the freezer for busy times?

Chelsea 

[brazen20au]

first up i have to admit that i'm good at the ideas but the practicality is a different matter lol

What is your morning tea for unexpected guests?
i try to always keep stuff in the freezer - this could be slice or patty cakes or a cake cut into slices. but you can also freeze cookie dough and then cook as requeired - it acutally bakes up really nicely when baked from frozen

What is your quick "slap-up" thermomix tea for your family?
hmmm getting dh to use it? lol probably hmmm i'm really struggling lol. most of my real slap up meals don't involve the thermomix and use processed foods (baked beans, tacos etc). soup of all sorts (bron's minestrone for eg) is great but means the kids whining lol  a red lentil and veg dish is very easy and the kids love it but it takes a while to cook (around 40+ mins)

What do you keep frozen in the freezer for busy times?
i always have heaps in my freezer but forget about it lol. in my ideal organised world i would have: cooked mince, onion and garlic, cooked shredded chicken, cooked rice, spag bol sauce / ragu, gluten free bread and rolls, as well as all the cakes, slices, biccies etc  i also have GF things for rora's lunch such as mini sweet potato fritatta, meatballs etc

[faffa_70]

Hi Chelsea...I hear you!

My favourite "slap-up" meal is Pasta E Fagioli out of the everyday book as long as I keep cans of the beans in my cupboard (which I make sure I do now ) I always have the ingredients for this on hand. I don't keep much in the freezer for busy times now as the quantity required to feed my lot, it takes as long to defrost as it does to slap something up in the TMX. I do still use my slow cooker alot - just all the prep work is done in the TMX.

Muffins is what I make for unexpected guests...will try and post the recipe for you (have to find it again in all my paperwork - sorry JD - I have started my file ) it is a basic one with (I think) butter milk and oil that I can just throw all the ingredients in the bowl and pulse on turbo a couple of times to mix and they are done - cooked in 20 mins. Can throw in frozen berries, choc chips, bananas, the list is endless

Hope that helps you out a bit  

[baf65]

For morning tea this morning I whipped up some Cheesymite scrolls...as always have a big bag of bakers flour and cheese and vegemite of course, so thats a savoury thing sorted
For sweet, yes muffins are easy, or even shortbread, thats only 2minuts to make and everyone always has flour and butter in, and if you dont have rice flour you can make your own!
Ive also made cheese puff, just 1 cup grated cheese, 1 cup flour, 1 egg, 1tsp baking powder, few spoons of milk - speed 5ish to just incorporate together, blob onto baking tray in small spoonfuls, cook for about 10mins....dead easy! its not even a recipe!! LOL

[judydawn]

Chelsea, this is a great topic and one which I will be following closely.  I don't like having to rustle up a meal at the last minute, I prefer to be well organised days in advance or have standbys in the freezer for unexpected visitors (thankfully we don't have many of those).

I like to have a capsicum and sundried tomato dip in the freezer though - it freezes well and you can cut off exactly how much you think you would need.  Also packets of cooked rice, spaghetti bolognaise sauce, pizzas, soup, mushroom sauce, muffins and carrot cake.

Scones are another thing quick and easy to whip up for morning tea - it takes longer for the oven to get to the correct temperature!

For mains - I make a tuna & corn mornay using the bechamel sauce recipe in the everyday cookbook.  I just saute some onions first, make the sauce and add a large can tuna and a can of creamed corn and some cheese.

Baf65's Garlic oil and chilli pasta is one of the quickest meals to prepare.  It was posted in mains back on the 7th Dec 08 and is delicious.  If you use boiling water & spaghettini , it is even quicker.  I keep sambal oelek in the fridge in case I have no chillies. You can grate some fresh parmesan and freeze small packs for emergencies.

Potato fritters are always welcome in this household when I'm looking for a quick meal - you don't even have to peel the potatoes if you want to save time. For 2 people, I do 3 potatoes cut into large chunks, speed 5 for 2 seconds then add an egg and fold that in by hand. I add NO flour.  Makes 6 patties. The recipe in the original everyday book is way, way overprocessed and the quantity of flour in that recipe makes them very stodgy indeed.  Just blitz them until you like the consistency (in shorts bursts) and they are delicious served with tomato sauce.

Quick desserts are rice pudding or custards from the everyday cookbook. These can always be made with powdered milk if you are running short of fresh or long life milk.

I'm sure there are plenty out there with some super ideas - bring them on guys This thread is going to help us all out.

[brazen20au]

oh yes, pizza bases are fabulous in the freezer too (GF ones often need to be cooked before they are topped and baked)

also in ice cube trays or cubes in containers - ice (LOL), skim milk and tomato paste. sometimes lemon juice or passionfruit

[trudy o]

For a quick slap up meal that never fails (and I always have ingredients in the fridge/pantry) I always do creamy tomato and salami fetticini - has impressed numerous amounts of guests as well.

Also, I always make up muffins, torta capresse and frozen biscuit dough (the one in every day cookbook works well frozen) and then slice and bake if guests arrive.

In the frezer I always keep frozen fruit (of any kind) and ice to make up sorbets  it's always a hit

I also always keep crackers and cream cheese (or in our case yoghurt cheese) that's ready to make up dips

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

I'm loving the ideas - thanks so much.  I'm compiling a list as the posts come in.  As much as I love my thermie and cooking healthy wholesome food, I find that it does take quite a bit of organisation and planning.  Sometimes I get a bit frazzled (especially at dinner time when my two little ones are tired, cranky and hungry), so it will be a huge help to have a list of options ready.  I was really tired on the weekend and just couldn't get my act together on the cooking front.  Of course it was the one weekend that we were inundated with visitors.  Relatives arrived on Sunday with a bag of white bread, store-bought tomato sauce and saveloys for half time in the footy and I felt like crying (seriously overtired!!) .

I'm kind of answering my own question here but I find afternoon teas easier when visitors pop up.  We tend to go a bit more savoury, which i find easier to do quickly.  I keep bags of Chipman's organic corn chips that are free of artificial colours, flavours and preservatives (splendid cheese flavour - mmmmm) and cans of chic peas to whizz up hommus. Very easy and tasty.

Chelsea  

[JaneeZee]

Great idea for a thread Chelsea.

I too do scones for a quick morning or afternoon tea - or late night snack!!!  Can make them savoury by adding cheese.

My throw together meal is usually spag bol - keep mince in freezer & I defrost it in the thermomix by a combination of a low heat & turbo-ing it. For something a bit more special if you have an eggplant (aubergine) on hand do the lentil moussaka from the Varoma book - seriously delicious.  Otherwise I love stir fry vegies with tamari & sweet chilli sauce plus cashews then make an omelette & chop it over the top.

I am seriously disorganised when it comes to the freezer.  I buy things & throw them in & then realise too late to defrost them that I need them so I pop up the shops (all of 3 minutes away) & buy more!!!  Do tend to have chick peas & tuna & cream cheese whenever possible in the fridge/pantry & have fresh herbs frozen as someone suggested recently so I can add those.

Maybe you could compile the list once the thread exhausts & post it as a summary!!

Cheers
Jane

[Thermomixer]

Great thread Chelsea -Tenina may be able to combine ideas from here with her Pantry book.

I will add more when i have time to think, but for the last 30 years, since I purchased my first Magimix, scones - plain, cheese or date - have been the quick standby morning/afternoon tea.  My hands are too hot to rub butter into flour and when i purchased the magimix - like Judydawn - it takes longer to heat the oven than make them - and they always work (and usually impress  )

Snacks are mainly related to dips of anything that is in the pantry or fridge that can be combined.

Will think of more.

Thanks again Chelsea - need to contact poor Tenina to see if she can combine this with the Pantry cookbook

[judydawn]

For morning tea this morning I whipped up some Cheesymite scrolls...as always have a big bag of bakers flour and cheese and vegemite of course, so thats a savoury thing sorted

baf65, do we have that recipe for Cheesymite scrolls anywhere - can't seem to find it in any book.  Please post it for us.

[baf65]

JD...I just make up a basic bread dough...let it rise...roll out into a big rectangle...spread with vegemite and grated cheese..roll up into a sausage then cut up into pieces, let them rise again (i put them into a rectangle or round tin pretty squished up together) then bake for 10-15mins or until ready

[Tenina]

Well Chelsea I think you better buy the Budget Busters book because we have a whole page titled Thermomix Makes Cents that has lots of ideas for just such occasions.
We have suggestions for a Dinner Party Menu, a Family BBQ, Luxury Breakfast or Unexpected guest ideas....all using Thermomix and using existing recipes in current publications...so there you go, problem solvered!

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

Well Chelsea I think you better buy the Budget Busters book because we have a whole page titled Thermomix Makes Cents that has lots of ideas for just such occasions.
We have suggestions for a Dinner Party Menu, a Family BBQ, Luxury Breakfast or Unexpected guest ideas....all using Thermomix and using existing recipes in current publications...so there you go, problem solvered!

You are just wonderful Tenina - always one step ahead!!!  So that is the Budget Busters Booklet that from memory is now available at HQ???

Chelsea 

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

I've been checking out Karen's blog (Brazen) and think the "Quick and Dirty" baked beans may make an easy slap-up tea.  Karen suggests serving them on toast or on a baked potato.  My kids love baked beans, but I hesitate to give them anything out of a can these days.  Will have to try them and maybe add them to our list!!!

Chelsea