Meal Planning Monday - 28 October 2013

Right, confession time. This post should have actually been for last Monday but although I meal planned, I never got around to writing about it. This is what we had:

Chicken curry with spinach and naan

toad in the hole with gravy

Pizza tortillas

chicken crepes

slow cooked lamb shanks in red wine

leftovers

We also went out for dinner as a midweek "mum can't be bothered cooking" treat. 

This week I have a Halloween party for 20-30 six-year-olds so sweets will be on the menu. It's also half term so I haven't meal planned for this week as I plan to use up a lot of what I have languishing in the freezer and pantry.

Remember to check out Mrs M's for more Meal Planning Monday inspiration. 

Meal Planning Monday - 16 September 2013

16 September! How on earth did that happen? I am sure I was only preparing for the summer holidays a few minutes ago and now here we are staring down the barrel towards Christmas (99 days people, 99 days). This week is one of those that I have been dreading. Everyone's column on the calendar is full and it's going to take a time turner to help me make it through the week with my sanity unscathed.

Just in case you didn't get the Harry Potter reference

This week we shall be eating:

Meatloaf, smashed potatoes and veg

Cream Cheese Filled Chicken (new recipe)

Slow cooker gammon roast

Creamy gammon and veg pie

savoury rice

Brinner (aka: breakfast for dinner)

Chicken burgers

I can bet that at least one of these won't get made but I've given myself every advantage of getting through the week by using my slow cooker and/or preparing as much as possible yesterday. My life would be so much easier if my family ate soup, my husband ate pasta, my eldest son ate sauce of any kind, and my youngest wasn't so fickle. See what I am up against?

What have you planned for this week? Head over to Mrs M's if you're looking for more Meal Planning Monday inspiration

Meal Planning Monday - 18 February 2013

Phew, bit late in the day to be posting considering I've already eaten dinner but Monday night is better than Tuesday, right?

Last week's meal plan was a success and I really enjoying trying the new recipes people have pinned on the shared Pinterest board. I even made pasta for the first time and it though it was hard work it wasn't difficult.

This week's menu is a little easier to plan because I am Bzzing Maggi So Juicy products at thee moment. It's the first campaign I've done and I was a little sceptical since I am not a big one for packaged spice mixes (with the exception of taco/fajita seasoning). So far I have tried Tuscan Sausage one (with a tin of tomatoes and some water in the slow cooker), Mexican Chicken which was a even with my "no sauce" eating oldest (served with Mexican rice and wraps), and Sticky BBQ which I cooked with pork because even I can't eat chicken every night of the week. So yes, I would buy these to keep in the cupboard for those nights when you can't be bothered but don't want takeaway. 

This week's meal plan is

Sausage Casserole (see above)

Quorn Shepherds Pie with Sweet Potato and cheese Topping

Maggi So Juicy Mixed Herbs for Chicken with Smashed Potatoes

Sweet and Sour Chicken with boiled rice

Savoury Mince and Veg in Giant Yorkshire Pudding

Sweet Chilli Burgers

There was a special on Quorn mince this week so between that, the Maggi sachets and the chicken breast I had in the freezer I am pretty much covered this week.

I have been busy pinning to my Sweet Tooth board. I was hoping to attend my first Clandestine Cake Club meeting but the dates have changed and I'll be away (in Paris, so I'm not complaining!) and it's my birthday next month so I am searching for something really decadent and birthday-worthy to make.

Fudge is one of my favourite things to eat but the one time I tried to make it I failed dismally. It didn't set and I ended up up warming it and serving over ice cream. This time I definitely simmered and stirred for 15 minutes but it's still kind of soft. Does anyone have any tips for successful fudge?

Remember to check out Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday linky for more meal planning posts and let me know if you have any special cake/pudding suggestions. 

Have a great week.

Meal Planning Monday - 28 January 2013

Woo hoo, check it out - Monday again! That means the weekend's almost here, right? Actually I don't want to wish my week away because I have my fingers firmly crossed the kids will be in school for ALL FIVE DAYS (yes snow, I'm talking to you!) and I can do exciting things like finish a cup of tea in peace.

The most exciting news this week is that I have created a shared board for putting tried and tested family favourites to aid in weekly meal planning. You can follow it here and if you want to be able to Pin your favourite recipes to to it just leave me a message on one of the more recent pins, or add your Pinterest name in the comments here and I will send you an invite.

So, onto the good stuff. Only 5 meals to plan this week so I am going with

Boursin chicken with wilted spinach, carrots and new potatoes
Fridge frittata

to use up some goat's cheese, fresh herbs and other bits
Double crunch honey garlic pork chops

 (only had these a fortnight ago but they are so tasty and have been requested)
Roast Chicken 

with all the trimmings, and Yorkshire pud
Chicken and vegetable pie 

which will probably turn into stew with dumplings since I have no pastry in the freezer and probably will forget I need to make it until it's too late.

Don't forget about the new board - leave your Pinterest name below if you want to join in the fun. Remember to check out Mrs M for more Meal Planning Monday inspiration.

If you like this, why not stay up to date easily by following via Google or bloglovin', and thanks for reading! 

Meal Planning Monday - 14th January 2013

This week's meal plan is a little bit retro. Normally I look for new things to cook each week and the treasure trove that is Pinterest means that sometimes things I cook once and really like don't make it back on my list because there is so much to try. This week I'm going back to find them and will be making them over the next week or two.

Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie from 19 March 2012

Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken from 5 March 2012

Jambalaya from 28 November 2011

Lemon and Garlic Chicken with warm Potato Salad from 13 June 2011

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Pork Chops from 24 October 2011

Creamy Gammon and Vegetable Pie

Leftovers

Baking

Cinnamon Roll Cake - this should come with a warning, it's so good!

Condensed Milk Cupcakes 

Yum! I am not sure where I'll start this week, but let's just say I'll be enjoying dinner. Remember to check out Mrs M for more Meal Planning Monday links.

If you like this, why not stay up to date easily by following via Google or bloglovin', and thanks for reading!

Meal Planning Monday - 7 January 2013

I am well and truly into the swing of 2013 now and though I haven't actually got back on the diet wagon (wow, two cliches in one sentence!) I have at least stopped eating crap. Now the kids are back at school I plan for two fast days this week with just a light dinner.

Here's a pic of last week's chicken & veg stew with thyme dumplings - it was delicious! I got three meals out of one chicken which made the thrifty side of me very happy.

Many of this week's recipes are taken from Six Sisters 100 Healthy Recipe Ideas. Not all of the recipes are there, but it's a great link for inspiration, especially if you are feeling a bit lazy as I am today.

Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast (no recipe, but have been inspired by this)

Crock Pot beef stew

Asian Chicken Burgers

Baked Fajitas

Chicken Stir Fry

Lifechanging Soup (via Penelope's Pantry)

Leftovers/Whatever

Have a great week and don't forget to check out Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday linky or search #mealplanningmonday on Twitter for more inspiration.

If you like this, why not stay up to date easily by following via Google or bloglovin', and thanks for reading!

Meal Planning Monday - 31 December 2012

Happy New Year's Eve. How cool is that - 2012 has just about outstayed its welcome and I can hear 2013 heading down the path to knock on the door like the postie with a parcel of something you ordered from eBay but can't remember what it was - exciting stuff! Looking back to this time last year I was amused to see I meal planned for the entire month of January. Can't say I feel inspired to do the same this week.

Here is my plan for the next week. Tonight is Chinese takeaway as promised to the kids, but after that normal food resumes in earnest because, quite frankly, I have overdone it somewhat at Christmas and now feel like poo.

Whole Chicken Done in Slow Cooker

Chicken and Veg Soup

Veg Stew and Dumplings

Sausage Casserole with potatoes of some sort

Minced Beef Yorkies

Chicken or Beef fajitas

I have no plans to bake this week unless my kids don't stop bickering, in which case it might get a little Hansel and Gretel in my kitchen. Fruit and veg will be eaten in abundance because I am a bit concerned they may develop scurvy. 

As always, remember to check out other Meal Planning Monday posts over on Mrs M's blog.

If you are celebrating tonight I hope you do it in style and if you are not, I hope those noisy buggers with fireworks don't keep you awake.

Meal Planning Monday - 22 October 2012

Oh my goodness, another Monday already. I can't believe I'm staring down the barrel of half term as we speak.Apparently we're supposed to have an Indian Summer this week which, going by the BBC weather forecast, now means 14C and foggy. Ho hum. Here is the plan for this week. I have only planned 5 meals because I am out one night (seeing the Hairy Bikers!) and the other is leftovers.

Mexican Chicken Stew and Quinoa (am leaving out the beans)

Honey Soy grilled chicken, wild rice/rice, and veg (inspired by Stina)

Home made pizzas

Slow Cooker Split Pea and Ham soup with One Hour Rolls

Fridge Frittata

So there you have it. Cheap, but a bit fiddly with two lots of dough this week (I got rid of my bread maker ages ago because I wasn't using it and it just took up space on the bench) but nothing difficult.

Let me know what you're eating and, as usual, check out more Meal Planning Monday posts on Mrs M's linky.

Meal Planning Monday - 1 October 2012

Happy Monday and welcome to October. Mmm... October. You know what that means. Extra layers, cosy food and plenty of root veg in season. Eat the Season is great if you want to meal plan by what is fresh and good at the moment. 

This week I'm making

Waitrose Creamy Gammon and Veg Pie (will blog this later in the week)

Frittata (I think my eggs are multiplying)

Slow cooker bacon wrapped apple chicken

Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

Naan Thai Chicken Pizza

Uptown Meatloaf

I've also got to bake some biccies for the kids lunchboxes. Last week's digestives destined for the s'mores cookies got eaten before I could use them for their intended purpose, so I might do some rocky-road style ones with the marshmallows and choc-chips I have left over.

Remember to check out Mrs M's linky for more Meal Planning Monday posts and let me know if you've had any successes or failures recently.

Meal Planning Monday - 10 September 2012

Hello and happy Monday. I have had a pretty good week food wise, having cooked pretty much everything I intended to and no mid-week shopping trips because I was too lazy and/or disorganised. One beauty that was particularly successful were Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies.The eagle eyed among you may remember that they weren't on my meal plan last week, and also that I'm trying to eat more healthily, but ... sod it... sometimes you just have to, you know?

This week's meals look like:

Beef Fajitas (in freezer from the other week)

Turkey and veg curry (in freezer from the other week)

Beef Stew and herb dumplings ( I have some James Martin Cheese Soda Bread mix in the cupboard I will use for this one)

Eggs Benedict casserole

Baked chicken, broccoli and rice

Pork in the slow cooker - maybe with cranberries?

Have a great week and remember to check out more Meal Planning Monday posts on Mrs M's linky.

Let me know what you're eating and if you've got anything you would recommend for future weeks.

Meal Planning Monday - 23 Jul 2012

Hello! Two weeks in a row. Would I say that I am on a roll, or do I need to have done at least three consecutive weeks to qualify for that?

Last week's meal plan was not ambitious, but was still a success. I didn't get around to making the chicken, so that is on the menu for this week; and the paprika and cheddar burgers were made with mustard powder and cheddar (and were delicious. Love burgers).

So, here we are:

Paula Deen's Meatloaf (honestly, not too dissimilar to my own, but I will give it a go)

Dijon Chicken Chanterelle Mushrooms and Toasted Almonds with sauteed potatoes (from last week)

Cottage Pie with Sweet Potato topping (because I have six sweet potatoes, for some reason)

Fishcakes

Skinny Chicken Divan

Baked chicken breasts with Mango Slaw with cashews and mint

If you have tried anything noteworthy lately please let me know. I am always happy to try tasty new recipes. Unless they are fish. I do not like fish and will probably not eat this week's fishcakes, but the rest of my family does so I cook it maybe twice a year.

As always, head over to Mrs M's for more Meal Planning Monday posts. Have a great week!

Meal Planning Monday - 16 Jul 2012

Hey there! I have missed a few weeks of meal planning, and suffered the consequences, but I am back this week with a menu I am looking forward to cooking and eating.

Double crunch honey garlic pork chops 

Fridge fried rice

Five Spice Ginger Beef

Dijon Chicken Chanterelle Mushrooms and Toasted Almonds with sauteed potatoes

Smoked Paprika Cheddar burgers

That is all I need this week as we have a couple of meals out planned. If you click through to the recipes you will see, with the exception of the fried rice, that they all come from a fabulous blog called Rock Recipes. It's a Canadian food blog I discovered through Pinterest (of course!) and everything sounded so nice I decided not to look any further. 

As always, don't forget to check at Mrs M's blog for more Meal Planning Monday posts. 

Bon Appetit!