Meal Planning Monday: written through bleary eyes

Last week we 'discovered' cluster feeding - meal plans, meal times and at some points eating went royally out of the window in favour of Wimbledon on the telly and vast quantities of water. Being an eternal optimist (or something) I'm thrilled that this resulted in another 100g weight gain, and trying to avoid looking at my dark circles, or the bottom shaped dent in the sofa.

With M being back at work, Harry and I are learning together how our days go, we have no routine as such, but feed when he's hungry, try to get out for a walk every day, and try not to let the house descend too far into chaos. Too far. I'd like to say I know where the time goes, but life with a newborn seems to absorb the hours and I honestly don't know where they go.

This week is M's birthday - and I think for the first time ever I'm going to buy him a cake. Baking one isn't too taxing in itself - I just am entirely sure that my ability to balance doing that with feeding and entertaining Harry may not work. So no judging please, unless you want to send me one.

Breakfasts: I'm keeping up with the oat based breakfasts to supplement my milk - porridge, granola and oatibix (a new discovery on M's part - the man is a genius) with fruit.

Lunches: Halloumi salad for a couple of days, fishfinger sandwiches (so sue me) or leftovers - pretty much anything that can be eaten with one hand in case Harry's feeding. Lots of fruit through the day as well.

Dinners:

Monday: I made a chilli con carne today so we'll have that with either wraps as burritos, or tortilla chips as nachos.

Tuesday: Chicken-y burger things in buns with salad and potato wedges. I'm going to try making them based on an Annabel Karmel recipe I've seen online and adult-ify them as I go. If they work I'll blog them.

Wednesday: Chicken kiev, chips and peas/ sweetcorn

Thursday: Chicken curry - frozen pre Harry (thank goodness for my brief moments of organisation before the baby came)

Friday: Pasta carbonara (M's choice as it's his birthday)

Saturday: We've actually got no plans next weekend so I think just something quick and easy out of the freezer on Saturday - pizza maybe.

Sunday: I'll try and do something similar to the chilli that I made this week - maybe a casserole or similar as the easy suppers for a couple of days are a new mama win as far as I'm concerned.

So that's us - don't forget to pop on over to At Home with Mrs M to see what the other meal planners are up to. Have a good week.

Meal Planning Monday: the 15 sleeps to go edition

I've missed Meal Planning Monday the last few weeks, workload, the ability to fall downstairs (yes, really) and having no time to do a foodshop have impacted on the time I've had for blogging. That said, I'm at my laptop now, and am hoping to catch up this week. 

In our family (as in many I now realise, but for a long time I did think it was just us) it's traditional to count down to an event in terms of the number of sleeps left. Preparations for Christmas are well under way. I have a list of wines from Asda to search out, the Christmas cake(s) are made, the pudding ready, there are mince pies in the freezer, and aside from a much needed trip to Aldi for German foodstuffs we're pretty much organised. *touch wood* Presents wise I'm not doing so well, but am kidding myself that I'm nearly there!

So, meal planning... where am I? 

Breakfasts - vanilla porridge with blackberry and apple compote. 

Lunches - soup, Lifechanging with any luck - luck being the impetus to get up and make it. 

Dinners -

Monday: Beef and barley casserole that I made in the slow cooker today

Tuesday: I'm at Guides, but M can have the casserole

Wednesday: I've promised M carbonara using some lovely jamon we picked up in Barcelona

Thursday: It's the Brownies Christmas party so maybe soup and a sandwich afterwards.

Friday: Is our festive evening, so we've decided on Bratwurst, rosti, Liebkuchen with Gluwhein and amaretto - and LOTS of Christmas decorations

Saturday: I'm expecting that we'll be running around finishing off any necessary and last minute Christmas bits, so possibly a pizza or similar

Sunday: My sister, her husband and my nephew are coming over for slow roast shoulder of pork with all the trimmings. Yum. 

So that's it, be sure to pop over to At Home with Mrs M and link up with everyone else. 

Carbonara - potentially contention causing

I love carbonara, it's a relatively new thing for me to eat and make as growing up I was anti most dairy products. Truth be told I'm still anti lots of dairy products as I can't eat them without shall we say, unpleasant side effects? However, occaisionally I think diet be damned and decide to make M's day with his favourite dish, carbonara.

Last time I made it, I had some fantastically fresh asparagus that I cooked briefly in with the pasta water, and then tossed through the sauce. Not conventional, or strictly a carbonara really but I really liked it, as sometimes it's nice to have a foil to the richness of such a dish.

Recipe wise, carbonara is epically straightforward, however when I posted these instagram pics I was met with a flurry of dissention - cream isn't an authentic addition, and the asparagus caused some of my twitter followers to have conniption fits. That said, it's how I like it; based on the Nigella recipe in Feast under the heading of dishes for romance - although I do make it by eye now. I should just add that I don't use the quantity of pasta Nigella suggests, not just with my waistline in mind - but 500g between two people? Really? There is no way I'd be up for anything post 250g of spaghetti, much less any romance! It'd be peppermint tea and a lie down in front of Episodes or The Big Bang Theory only!

I'm going to blog two recipes here, firstly my take on the Nigella one, and secondly my Dad's recipe, I make them both, interchangeably but, understandably Daddy's has sentimental value. I still have the print out of the email he sent me with it in - from 3rd May 2001.

125 - 200g pasta
1 packet of streaky bacon, chopped up
2 tsps olive oil
Sherry glass/ half a wine glass of vermouth
4 eggs
50 g (ish) parmesan
Lots of black pepper
60ml of double cream
Nutmeg, freshly grated

Cook the pasta as per pack instructions (unless it's wholemeal, normally 10 minutes in salted, boiling water)
Gently heat up the olive oil in a big pan
Add the bacon and cook down gently at first to render down the fat. Then turn the heat up and cook the bacon until it's crispy
Add the vermouth (you can substitute with white wine, but as I don't drink that much - honest - I keep vermouth in the house to use instead) and reduce down until it's syrupy
Beat the eggs, cream, parmesan and pepper together in a jug or bowl
About a minute or two before the pasta's ready, add a ladleful of the water to the bacon and vermouth
Drain the (now cooked) pasta and add to the pan with the bacon in
Toss the bacon through the pasta and add the egg mixture, continuing to toss it through
Add more pepper and some grated nutmeg, and serve promptly

I don't add anything side-dish wise to this, if I were to, it would be a green salad with a tart dressing to cut through the richness of the sauce. It only takes ten minutes (at most) to cook, and is perfect Friday night fare. I wouldn't do it for more than 4 people though, it's ideal for two, but many more than that and it would be unwieldy.

This time when I added the asparagus, it was to the pasta pan, about 3-4 minutes before it was ready, and then just drained it with the pasta.

Parental Pantry Carbonara (typed out verbatim)

Chop lots of smoked streaky bacon into small pieces - you can use pancetta if you want to be Italian, but not the chunks of pancetta
Slice a clove of two of fresh garlic, according to taste
Open a carton of double cream - half a pint
Grate a piece of fresh parmesan - about a cupful in all
Liberate 2/ three fresh eggies (I said verbatim)

Cook bacon nicely till just starting to crisp
Add the garlic just before it's ready
Pour over half a pint of double cream and warm through until hot - DO NOT BRING IT TO THE BOIL IT DOES NASTY THINGS (his capitals, it was pre shouty capitals)
Add fresh eggies and half the parmesan, stir until it thickens NEVER ALLOW TO BOIL

Whilst all of this is going on, cook spaghetti according to the packet
When complete mix spaghetti and sauce in bowls, coat spaghetti with rest of parmesan and black pepper

Enjoy

All my love

Daddy

*goes off to weep gently into tea over happy memories* If you make this one, make it with love. For me.

Meal Planning Monday: freezer week

Sorry about the lack of posts this week, it turns out that returning to work, Guides, Brownies and nearly full mobility (save for the cast of course, don't even ask. Three more weeks!) can take it out of you somewhat. Somewhat being that you're in bed, asleep before ten most nights. Baking, has just not been on my mind.

That's not to say I didn't try to cook, I managed a disastrous attempt at rhubarb syrup, burnt a chicken casserole, ditto a vegetable soup. So towards the end of the week I relied heavily on leftovers. Tonight we had omlettes.

Truth be told we do need to clear down both freezers - the other plans that are keeping us going in the direction of moving in together are all in fifth gear. Two full freezers (that I keep adding tupperware to) are not going at the same speed. So this week comes to you, courtesy of reclaiming my tupperware. Freezer surprise it is.

Breakfast: I'm alternating the porridge with 0% fat greek yoghurt, each with fruit.

Lunches: Lifechanging soup and soda bread for me, supplemented by lots of fruit

Dinners:

Monday: Shepherd's pie (filling was frozen on Christmas Eve) with steamed veggies

Tuesday: Freezer surprise - I have my eye on what I suspect is leftover casserole, but it could also be pie filling.

Wednesday: From the freezer again, lentil ragu (I've got a bit of leftover chorizo from last week's chilli to perk it up a bit)

Thursday: Carbonara (I took a risk and froze leftovers)

Friday: M's off to his parents for Mother's Day, having done my daughterly duties this weekend I'm at home and will be indulging in poached smoked haddock and peas. A meal guaranteed to get M running for the hills if there ever was one.

Saturday: Truthfully I'm not sure, I could just dig around and see what I come up with. I know there's more bolognaise in there, and ditto to lentil ragu. But I'm going to be keeping to the pattern.

Sunday: Church Parade and a massage for me, so food is probably going to lag behind those somewhat. I do actually quite fancy cooking something but as yet inspiration is sorely lacking. I'll think on it and come back to this. Maybe.

Baking: This week will be banana bread as I have a fruitbowl full of overripe bananas, and also some more blood orange curd.

As an upside, I think the only shopping I need for that lot is eggs. Score!

Be sure to pop on over to At Home with Mrs M and see what everyone else is up to.

Meal Planning Monday: a somewhat truncated week in the pantry

Hello. I've had a couple of weeks off meal planning as life has just been too hectic here at Pantry HQ. That's not to say that meal planning hasn't been taking place - it has to, in order for me to budget and shop, but it's had to be flexible as I'm still in the completely exhausted camp. Any suggestions for overcoming permanent and overwhelming tiredness are incredibly welcome.

This week and next week are somewhat short weeks in the Pantry due to my work schedule, once again I'll be at the mercy of Premier Inn and their fantastic breakfasts, yet somewhat dubious and bland dinner menus. That said, the steak was lovely last time but I'll start mooing if I eat steak every night!

Monday: Chorizo, Butternut Squash and Cannelini bean chilli (possibly with cornbread depending on when I get in tomorrow)

Tuesday: Probably leftovers, although if not it'll be freezer surprise.

Wednesday - Thursday I'll be working away

Friday: I have a packet of lovely local bacon to use, so possibly Nigella's carbonara

Saturday: I'm not sure what we have planned this weekend so possibly a casserole of some description and on Sunday I've promised Mark the roast he missed out on tonight.

So that's us, hopefully the freezer surprise, and using up what's in the fridge and pantry will keep costs down, as well as make life a bit easier for me. Be sure to head on over to At Home with Mrs M to see what she and everyone else is up to.

Meal Planning Monday: Better late than never

*scooting in, trying to remain unnoticed*

Well that didn't work did it? Sorry for the late post, but yesterday was M's birthday, and amongst other things we spent much of the day trying to sort the car out. Anyway, veg box is here - M is back to work, I am getting ready to go back to work and so meal planning is back at the fore.

Monday: Spaghetti carbonara (Nigella's recipe, but without the whole packet of spaghetti she reckons on.)

Tuesday: Was supposed to be risotto, but has ended up being a hot chocolate and 2 biscuits.

Wednesday: Risotto - using my bianco recipe, but adding chorizo and roasted butternut squash

Thursday: Sausages, corn on the cob and baked potatoes

Friday: We're hoping to catch Harry Potter, homemade pizza

Saturday: I'm at camp training all day, so right now I'm not sure... maybe Salmon and greens?

Sunday: I'm quite fancying Pasta Puttanesca, there's a Jamie Oliver recipe I like so I think I will whack a pot of that on.

Lunches are smoked salmon and cream cheese, or Greek salad.

Breakfasts for me are fruit.

Don't forget to pop over to At Home with Mrs M for more meal planning inspiration from all of this week's participants.