Meal Planning Monday - 20 January 2014

Howdy hungry peeps. How has your week been? Though I did manage to meal plan last week I didn't quite manage to get my post up, so I am getting in early this week and doing it on Sunday. Go me and my sporadic organisation skills.

I've started a new job which involves me being out of the house all day (the biscuit tin is going into decline with loneliness) so I have to be super organised if I am to survive without my family turning feral because I am late with dinner. To that end I have not only meal planned but prepped and cooked almost an entire week of dinners.



We're eating:

Savoury Crepes with chicken, spinach and bacon

Toad in the Hole

Roast Chicken

Pancetta & Spinach Frittata

Chicken & Butternut Risotto

Pizza & Garlic Bread 

... and either left overs or beans on toast type meal. 

What are your favourite freezer or batch cooking meals? Please share them with me in the comments because I am going to need them!

Meal Planning Monday - 6 January 2014

I'm back on the MPM #mealplanningmonday wagon after what I believe may have been three solid weeks of eating my own body weight in tins of chocolate. We all do it every year so why don't they dispense with the 1kg tins and sell them in vats of 50kg to save on the shopping? Imagine diving into a vat of Celebrations, Roses, Quality Street and Heroes...

Anyway... back to the meal plan.

Roast Beef, cauliflower cheese, stuffing balls, cabbage (that's tonight - I can't wait!)

Beef fajitas with Mexican rice 

Sour Cream Chicken

Chicken fried quinoa (or rice, if I forgot to buy quinoa)

Meatloaf

Pancetta, broccoli, chicken & ranch pizza

We're out for dinner one night as well because DH is turning 40 and I am celebrating by not cooking. 

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

What are you cooking this week? Leave me a comment or link to a recipe, and if you like this post please share it with the buttons below. Thanks!

Meal Planning Monday - The Damsels Edition

Glancing up at my little used recipe book shelf I spied the red folder that is my Damsels cookbook? Does anyone remember this? I compiled it about 7 years ago whilst pregnant with my second son. I was waiting for my redundancy date to kick in at work and had a lot of time on my hands so copied as many recipes as I could find from the Food and Drink forums and emailed it to anyone who wanted it (with Damz' permission, natch). The only recipe I tend to use from it these days is Habanahansa's Celebration Brownies, so I thought I'd utilise it for this week's meal plan.

Slow Cooker Chili

Jamie Oliver's Botham Burgers

Orange Chicken

Philly Chicken and Veg

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Egg, beans and bagels

There's another Clandestine Cake meeting this week and I am determined to make amends for my crap effort last time. I'll be baking Chocolate Torte with Salted Caramel and Almond Brittle and, just to make sure it all goes smoothly, I'll be doing a test run!

Last week's meal plan was a total success and I have added Oxtail Stew with Pumpkin and Cinnamon (I used normal stewing beef and served it with quinoa for really delicious and healthy dinner) to the Shared Family Favourites Board on Pinterest.

Remember to check out Mrs M's linky for lots of Meal Planning Monday posts. It's quite a community over there and there are always heaps of tasty meal plans to inspire you.

Meal Planning Monday - 19 August 2013

Let's just gloss over the many, many weeks it's been since I meal planned or posted about it. I have really missed it and the drudge of grocery shopping and cooking has become a real chore since I got out of the habit of planning. I have been going to the supermarket, buying whatever I can be bothered to get, then making it last the week because I can't be bothered going back to the supermarket again. Since it's holidays there has also been a fair amount of eating out, but I feel the need to wrest back control over our eating again so here I am with a shiny (re)new(ed) enthusiasm for family cooking.

On the menu this week:

Chicken Katsu

Creamy Gammon and Vegetable Pie

Naan Thai Chicken Pizza

Steak, Baked Courgette Chips and some other veg - corn on the cob, maybe?

Chicken and Potato Hash

Burgers and Salad with One Hour Rolls

I am not sure what type of burgers but I know I have mince of some description in the freezer.

I have a shared Pinterest board (again, a little neglected lately) so if you want to share your Family Favourite Recipes - those go-to meals that never let you down - just leave a message here with your Pinterest name and I'll add you to the board.

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

Have a great week everyone!

Meal Planning Monday - 10 June 2013

10 June? 10 June! How on earth did that happen? I don't know what it's like where you are, but here it's like spring has gone ballistic and coated everything in green and floral lushness. It's awesome and I hope the good weather sticks around until at least September.

On the menu this week:

Crispy Lemon and Herb Chicken
Smoked Pork Sausage Frittata
Eggs Flamenco
Apple Chicken Burgers with Basil and Gouda
Butternut and sweet potato soup
Slow cooker Honey Apple Pork

This Veggie Lasagne is a recipe I made last week. It is fast, tasty and freezes beautifully. I froze it in individual portions and mainly had it for lunch with a salad of spinach. Heaps of veggies, super speedy and totally delicious. What's not to like?

I am going to my first Clandestine Cake Club meeting next week! I had planned on going to one in March but the date changed and I couldn't make it - boo. Anyway, the theme is retro so does anyone have any good suggestions for a retro cake to bake?

Have a fab week and remember to jump over to Mrs M's for more Meal Planning Monday inspiration.

Meal Planning Monday - 22 April 2013

Hello and Happy Monday!

Surprise, surprise, I have no meal plan this week. In my defense it's because I have been given a new eating plan to follow and am yet to work out what meals I'll be making. Time, or lack of it, is driving me bonkers at the moment and I feel like a blue-arsed fly. I've taken the plunge and signed up for some personal training sessions which involve me eating 4-5 times a day. That is a LOT of meals to get my head around, never mind wrap my stomach around, and it's taking a little bit of effort.

A typical day now looks something like this: omelet with peppers & spinach; smoothie with strawberries, porridge oats, low fat yoghurt & skimmed milk; chicken stir fry with veg & noodles; meatloaf (added courgette) and veg. This day also included a bowl of chocolate yoghurt made with natural yoghurt, cocoa and a bit of honey but I ate that before I could photograph it. No calorie counting, but portion control and avoiding processed food and white carbs. I now need to go through the list of what sort of foods I should be trying to eat at specific meals and find recipes that fit. Once I have done that meal planning should be easy (she says, hopefully)

 If you have any protein breakfasts that don't include eggs please could you share them with me? I think that's going to be the trickiest meal to sort.

You'll find more Meal Planning Monday posts on Mrs M's linky

Meal Planning Monday - 15 April 2013

Welcome to another Monday. I'm just going to gloss over the fact that my Meal Planning posts are a little sporadic lately. You can rest assured I am eating, it's just that blogging is taking a bit of a back seat to everything else that is going on lately. I spend so many hours looking at a PC writing for other people's sites that there are occasions when writing for my own is simply not fun.

Here is what I have on the menu

Slow cooker beef and veg stew with cauliflower mustard mash

Chicken and mushroom pasta with roasted vegetable sauce (Ok, I confess... Asda fresh pasta and sauce!)

Chicken breast roasted with tomatoes & served with wilted spinach

Quorn stir fry with egg noodles

Brown soda bread, egg white omelet, ham and spinach

Crumpets, Quorn sausages, baked beans, crumpets, 2 x egg whites

Quorn shepherd's pie with butternut mash

If you haven't guessed by the omission of egg yolks and significant quantities of Quorn, I am trying to shift a few kilos (plus I had a lot of Quorn in the freezer from when it was 3 for £5 last month) 

I have to tell you about my favourite new food find this week: Rankin's Brown Soda Bread. Man, this stuff is delicious. All nutty and substantial, and really delicious with savoury or sweet toppings.

My other favourite foodie find this week is A Tasty Love Story.  It's written by a Danish woman and I like it as much for the photographs and styling as I do for the recipes. This recipe for Baked Breakfast Bars is on my list of new things to bake

Have a great week! Remember to hook up with Mrs M's linky and check out more Meal Planning Monday posts. 

(Not a) Meal Planning Monday - 18 March 2013

I don't have a meal planning Monday post this week because it's pretty much going to be leftovers. The recipes I have been cooking have been quite large so I have several portions of roast beef (slice it and freeze it in gravy to keep it lovely and moist*), pea and ham soup, and pulled pork sitting smugly in my freezer. 

What I am going to share with you is the perfect Yorkshire pudding recipe. I the past I either used Margaret Fulton's Yorkshire puff recipe or just chucked the ingredients in a bowl until it looked the like the right consistency. Both were ok, but sometimes they cooked a little too unevenly or quickly in my current oven, leading to occasional disappointing results. Well, not any more! I have found THE best Yorkshire pudding recipe. Try this and you'll never go back, I promise** It's from BBC's Good Food and is simply
140g plain flour
200ml milk
2 eggs
pinch salt

Mix and leave to stand for at least 30 mins. You should always let your pudding or pancake batter stand. I don't know the ins and outs, but it always cooks better. Do the normal bit about getting your fat sizzling, smoking hot before pouring the batter in and cook at 210C / Gas Mark 8 for about 20 minutes for little puds, or 25-30 minutes for a large one. It comes out all golden and puffy before sinking into an dense, squidgy delight so good you might not even both with the meat. 

I've made this twice now and it's turned out perfectly both times. See for yourself

Another recipe I tried this week came from The Girl Who Ate Everything and it's her Chocolate Eclair Cake It's one I posted on a thread last week when I was trying to decide on my birthday cake. I don't have a picture (it didn't look as nice as hers) but you can take my word that it was gorgeous! It does require you making the base the night before (or in the morning of) as it needs to be completely cold. Her recipe calls for vanilla pudding mix. I couldn't find this so I used Asda's Creme Brulee mix and it was ideal. I am ashamed to say it only lasted a day and a half and that I ate a sizable part of it.

If you want some actual Meal Planning Monday inspiration remember to check out Mrs M's linky. I'll do better next week, I promise.


*top tip - take that Delia!
** clearly, if it turns out badly I am not responsible, but if it's great I take full credit.

Meal Planning Monday - 11 March 2013

Whoops, I missed a week there, didn't I? I didn't feel like meal planning last week, but I can be rebellious like that sometimes. Rock 'n' roll. This week's plan is full of cheap healthy food because I spent the weekend in Paris eating mainly meat, cream and cakes. It was an amazing few days that involved things like this...

...and this

... and a little bit of this

This week we're having:

Slow cooker soft tacos with Quorn mince and quinoa (nicer than it sounds)

Pea and ham soup

Pot roast beef with all the trimmings

Quorn and crunchy veg stir fry

Quorn mince cottage pie with cauliflower and butternut mash

Spinach soup or risotto, depending on how I feel

The avoidance of meat and fatty foods is a deliberated attempt to give my digestive system a break. 

For more meal planning posts click on the picture at the top and go to Mrs M's linky.

Have a great week. 

Meal Planning Monday - 21 January 2013

I thought this week's meal plan might be a little, um, egg-based but thankfully the snow seems to have done it's worst and I was able to get to the supermarket yesterday to stock up on essentials like wine and fruit, so we don't all get scurvy (does scurvy still exist? I think that would be taking my youngest son's love of all things pirate a little too far)

Slow cooker pork stroganoff

Meatloaf with wilted spinach, cauliflower, carrots and new potatoes

Slow cooker beef and vegetable casserole

Chicken and crunchy veg stir fry with egg noodles
Honey lime chicken with basmati rice
Chicken Bacon Alfredo Pizza (because I have Alfredo sauce in the fridge and how good does this look!)

 Leftovers

I am most looking forward to the pizza because it just looks like the best combination of all that is bad for you and chicken pizzas are my favourite. I am saving this one for after a fast day - yum, yum! I made the condensed milk cupcakes but didn't get around to making the cinnamon roll one. I think I'll do it tonight because it's really, really good.

Editing this because I have just made the cake and it's even better now I've adjusted the recipe a little (original recipe too greasy for me, so I halved the butter used in the topping and now it's perfect!)

Remember to check out Mrs M for more Meal Planning Monday links. Thanks for all your comments last week. I love hearing from others and reading your blogs about food.

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

Meal Planning Monday - 3 December 2012 (the Fantasy Edition)

Welcome to the Fantasy Edition of Meal Planning Monday. This is where I plan what I wish I was eating instead of what I will actually be eating. It's not that I mind my diet so much, just that Tesco does the planning for me and I miss browsing Pinterest meals board and cooking with my slow cooker. Here is what my alter ego will be eating this week.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Stew & Dumplings

Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese 

(total fantasy since I am the only one in my house who would eat this. Love the serving suggestion "serve it with roast chicken and steamed veg for a complete meal" Mac & Cheese is a complete meal! The only thing you need to serve it with is more Mac & Cheese)

Paleasagna

Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash and Quinoa with Olive Oil Bread 

(would swap the rosemary for thyme to go with the chicken)

Crispy Coconut Strips with Sweet Chilli Sauce

(anything with sweet chilli sauce is a winner, in my book - unless it's fish)

Creamy Pumpkin & Bacon Risotto

Chicken & Broccoli Lasagne

Mmmm.... I love this meal plan and think I will pop over to my fantasty alter-ego's house for dinner this week. In reality I am sticking to my diet plan and utilising what I have in the freezer & cupboards to make room for CHRISTMAS (yes, it lives in my kitchen).

Have a great week and remember to check out more Meal Planning Monday posts on Mrs M's Linky or follow on Twitter at #mealplanningmonday

Meal Planning Monday - 26th November 2012

Hello and welcome to another healthy and nutritious week on my pre-Christmas diet. I am mixing things up a little bit this week, being the glutton for punishment that I am, and adding at least one "fast" day where I only have 500 calories, or two if I can manage it without turning into a snarling snapping beast. Although I am enjoying the great feeling that comes with sustained low calorie healthy eating, I do look at my Pinterest meal boards with yearning at times. Christmas is probably going to be a massive blow out!

Chicken, spinach and mushroom risotto

Chicken, brown rice, spinach, mushrooms and soy (fast day)

Mozzarella, parma ham and pesto ciabatta 

Bangers and Mash

 Quorn Bolognese

Tomato and Vegetable Soup (fast day)

Spinach and ricotta pasta bake

Sorry it's not very inspiring menu but it's healthy and I am losing weight.I'm impressed with the range of meals Tesco has in their diet plan although I chop and change them at times to fit my mood or what is going on.

Next week I'll do a Dream Meal Plan with more interesting options as I have seen some gorgeous looking recipes lately!

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

Meal Planning Monday-ish

Whoops! I have a meal plan but haven't had a chance to write it up yet. Actually, all I need to do is copy it across from Tesco Diets since I am following that again this week. It's been pretty easy to stick to but I am missing my slow cooker. Things are pretty manic lately and am am struggling to cook dinner on time (ie: before my family starts eating the furniture or nagging me so much I feel like battering them with it). I forgot my shopping list when I went to the supermarket on Sunday so some meals have had to be tweaked or repeated as I refuse to go back or order any more groceries until next Sunday. We have plenty of food here and I'm not doing a special shop just for diet food. I'll have to tweak the meal plan to suit what I have.

Baked Leek and Bacon Risotto (this is lovely and where I thought the portion would be too small, by adding a massive handful of fresh spinach  it is perfect).
Vegetable Soup
Spicy Parsnip and Apple Soup
Stuffed Peppers with Basil and Feta
Thai Red Chicken Curry
Tofu Salad with Garlic Bread
Turkey Burger with Salad

I can pretty much guarantee I won't get more than half of that and the other half will be what I can cobble together from the food I already have at home.

Meal Planning Monday - 17 September 2012

For some reason this week I didn't cook everything I had planned to. Not sure why, but it means that this week

Beef Fajitas (from the freezer)

Turkey Curry (from the freezer) 

and Baked chicken, broccoli and rice 

are all back on the menu.

Joining them are:

Crock Pot Cashew Chicken from Daydream Kitchen

Nigella's Ham in Coke in the slow cooker

Frittata and salad (probably using leftover ham)

Left overs or fed for selves

I've got a really busy week this week so the slow cooker will be my secret weapon in getting hot nutritious in front of my family that, frankly, I don't care if they eat or not. I figure I've done my duty by getting it there this week, 'cause that's the sort of mood I'm in.

Last week's unscheduled successes were Oaty Blackberry Pudding and Nando's Lemon & Herb Peri Peri Seasoning Rub which I did on roasted chicken breasts on Saturday (served with spinach, sweetcorn and peas because that was what was in the freezer), before slicing up leftovers and using it for fajitas on Sunday. I have discovered that my husband will eat pretty much anything if I put it in a wrap and dress it up as a fajita. He's gone from a man who doesn't like leftovers to a man who eats wraps at least once a week.

Remember to join in the linky at Mrs M's for more meal planning inspiration, and leave me a comment to let me know if you've got any suggestions for future meals.

Meal Planning Monday - 3 September 2012

Hello and welcome to what is, for one of my kids, the first day of year 6. The youngest goes back tomorrow and it can't come a minute too soon. I almost planned a week of salads in anticipation of the hot weather that usually arrives to mock us as school goes back, but have not.

I am sticking with the more veg, less processed food this week. My menu is:

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

Crepes with spinach, bacon and mushroom

Fridge Frittata

Crunchy Chicken Breasts

Left Overs

What is most impressive about this is that I actually planned this last Monday - kapow! who says I can't be organised?

Don't forget to check out Mrs M's linky for more Meal Planning Monday inspiration.

Meal Planning Monday - 27 August 2012

Happy Monday folks, or as I like to call it, 7 more sleeps until school starts Woo Hoo! This summer has been a little more miss than hit weather-wise and I am pretty much over it. Bring on September and autumn I say, and let's put this whole miserable farce behind us.

There is no doubt about, I have been gaining weight slowly for the last six months and reckon I've put on around 10lbs since March. It's weight I can ill afford so the focus is back on shifting the lard and eating more healthily (for now, anyway), which means lots of veg, as little processed food as I can manage, and my slow cooker for ease. Unsurprisingly I have left planning until the last minute so have taken inspiration from blogs found via Pinterest. It is not the most inspired menu, but then it is Monday morning so it was never going to be too complicated, was it.

Slow Cook Beef Fajitas from Ring Around the Rosies

Cumin Cinnamon Beef Stew

Ginger Cranberry Pork Roast

Thai Chicken Curry

Moroccan Lamb Stew

All from Mama and Baby's eBook

Slow cooker meatloaf 

Left overs

As usual, you will be able to find more Meal Planning Monday posts on Mrs M's linky. Happy eating.

Meal Planning Monday - 13 August 2012

Hello! No excuses other than the school holidays getting in the way, but that's a more of a reason than an excuse, right? Procrastination is my middle name. Ok, not really, but check out these twins who can actually say "Danger is my middle name", or who will be able to when they can talk.

I don't know about you, but this erratic weather has been messing with my meal planning a little. We have been lucky to have had day after day of gorgeous hot sunshine (for foreign readers yes, it is summer but this is Wales, so sunshine in summer is a bit of a treat) and I have either been out or have not felt like cooking. Consequently meals have been a bit random. Here are some efforts from last week. I don't normally eat much red meat, but for some reason I cannot get enough of it this week. I have got some more iron tablets which may address the issue.

Roasted baby courgette, new potatoes, plum tomatoes and yellow pepper with steak. Top photo is veg before going into the oven.

One Ingredient Banana Ice-Cream from Teen Granny

A particularly lazy Thursday dinner

 

 

left over steak sliced into strips for stir fry, served with rice noodles and black bean sauce

pan fried thin steak with wilted baby spinach and potato and sweet potato that should be sauteed but a hungry family wouldn't wait for them to crisp up

Elder son's 10th birthday cake. He wanted black forest gateaux, but I just made a normal chocolate cake, then sandwiched it with squashed cherries with the syrup drained off and whipped cream, topping with more whipped cream and grated dark chocolate. 

sous-chef for cake

This is what I have shopped for this week. Whether it will get made is another matter, but the intention is:

Slow cooker skinny Jambalaya 

Slow cooker cranberry meatballs (or my version of it)

Chicken stir fry (at request of eldest)

pasta and garlic bread (at request of youngest. He has his pasta plain but I will make some sort of sauce for mine)

Home made beef and Parmesan burgers

 

This week's inspiration comes from the brilliant and amazing Six Sisters' Stuff latest link party, If you have never read this blog you NEED to. Like, right now. Go... scoot... and happy eating.

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 - 2 Jul 2012

Well, hello! Let's not mention that it's been a while, shall we, and crack on with it?

This week's meal plan is:

 Savoury

Slow cooker gammon, roast potatoes and corn on the cob

Frittata with peppers, goats cheese, new potatoes and salad

Sausage and chutney plait with veg - courgette and carrot, maybe?

Spicy Southern Rice

Green Thai chicken curry with bamboo shoots, green beans, and basmati rice

I also have some pork mince in the freezer but am uninspired at the moment. If anyone could suggest something yummy to cook with it (other than burgers, meatballs, and meatloaf), I would be grateful.

Sweet

Cheerio crispy cakes (like rice crispie cakes but with Cheerios)

Youngest son's 5th birthday cake, but he is undecided as to what he wants. I expect it will involve Smarties.

And there we have it. Remember to check out At Home With Mrs M for more Meal Planning Monday ideas. 

 

Not a Meal Planning Monday post

Hello!
Yet another week with no meal plan, but I vaguely have something sorted in my head so I am not stressing. I am kind of doing it in reverse this week but telling you what I have eaten lately.

• Chicken spread with cream cheese and baked with sliced red onion, random herbs, passata and cheese. 

• Homemade burger with grilled pineapple, cucumber, avocado and sweet chilli sauce.

 

• Chicken and veg stir fry with sweet chilli and soy sauce 
• Roast chicken and veg
• orange pepper frittata
• Gammon, egg and chips (and sod the veggies for a night) I was in the good books with this one ;)

If you have been to the movies recently you  may have seen the ad for Ben & Jerry's Core. I have been dying to try the Karamel Sutra one because, as you may know, I have a thing for dulce de lece aka: condensed milk in another form. I luuuurrrrvvveeee caramel. Not only did it not disappoint, it exceeded my gluttonous expectations by having a LOT of caramel. I may have to try the Dough-ble Whammy next.