Meal Planning Monday: Preparing for festivties

I've started - amongst thinking about weaning, going dairy free, trying to keep the baby things scooped up together - I made the stuffing for Christmas day last week. The fruit for the cake is soaking in it's usual brandy, and the Christmas pudding is maturing nicely in a cupboard. This week I'm going to make the gravy which will then go in the freezer and next weekend I'll bake the cake so it's got a few weeks of feeding before I marzipan and ice it.

In other news, I'm still dairy free, and missing cheese wildly. However that pales into insignificance when I look at how much less Harry is sick. He's like a different baby. Obviously this gives us lots to think about in case this is a long term allergy, but for now we're embracing the weight gain (26oz in 3 weeks) and just going with it!

Meal wise this week, we're fully into our slow cooked winter warmers. Next weekend I'll make another batch of casserole both for our meals and the freezer, as our homemade ready meals are the saving grace of days when Harry isn't quite himself.

Breakfasts for me are porridge made with rice milk, either with chopped up banana or sultanas and brown sugar.

Lunches are falafel, houmous and pitta bread with carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes. Not particularly wintery I know, but easy to eat while I'm feeding.

Suppers:

Monday - freezer surprise (casserole I think)

Tuesday - Parsnip and bacon pasta but with pecorino instead of parmesan

Wednesday - Lentil ragu

Thursday - Leftover lentils

Friday - Breakfast for tea

Saturday - Chicken casserole with dumplings

Sunday - Super slow cooked brisket - which will take us into next week with leftovers for a cottage pie and hopefully some more pasties


That's our week - festivity preparation is gaining pace and other things are ticking along quite nicely *fingers crossed*

Meal Planning Monday

Hello, I'm back to normal at home this week and looking forward to what will hopefully be less dramatic weather wise and far superior food wise.

The cold weather has meant that it truly is porridge time for breakfasts - with apple butter at the moment. More on this in another post though.

Lunches are the leftover rice I was talking about here

Suppers - well we're having roast with M's parents on Saturday, so it's a one chicken many ways week. Much to M's disappointment I'm not going to do pie, but risotto on Monday night. I'm going to do stock in the slow cooker overnight on Sunday and use that to make a squash soup for the freezer.

Monday: Risotto

Tuesday: Leftover risotto

Wednesday: Lentil ragu

Thursday: Sausages and roasted veggies

Friday: Point and pray

Saturday: is the Guide sleepover, so probably something bolognaise esque

Sunday: I should be home early afternoon so I think lasagne

Cake this week is a chocolate beetroot cake as it's a quick and easy one for me to knock up.

That's eat for us this week - don't forget to hop on over to At home with Mrs M to see what everyone else is up to

Meal Planning Monday: for M, with love

This week I'm working away again. Well if this storm that's forecast lets me travel that is. The meal plan is a very M friendly one as it doesn't require too much of him. Don't get me wrong, M can cook - but, he prefers not to. To paraphrase - he'd rather take tablets at an appropriate time than bother to cook. Food is purely fuel for him, and it's only when I'm cooking that he really enjoys it.

Breakfasts - cereal and toast for M. Fruit and yoghurt for me.

Lunches - sandwiches, crisps, cheese and a cereal bar for M. Cup-a-soup (or similar) for me. I'll have fruit throughout the day, M and his colleagues will have the chocolate traybake I made and iced yesterday.

Supper -

Monday: I'll have my sandwich evening. M has leftover beef curry, rice and flatbread.

Tuesday: I'll probably investigate a Pizza express or similar. M has more leftover curry with rice.

Wednesday: I'll give in and eat in the hotel. M has lentil ragu from the freezer, with pasta and grated cheese

Thursday: I'm home! Well, sort of. I'm popping up to see my sister and nephew.

Friday: Something from the freezer :vague: possibly some of the leftover rice I've been making

Saturday: We have M's parents with us for the weekend, so a roast chicken with all the trimmings

Sunday: Parsnip and bacon pasta - see post later this week

That's our week - next week I'm going to make a beetroot cake, and hopefully we'll have a more interesting one - this is deliberately thrifty and apologies about it being a bit dull. Hopefully someone over at At home with Mrs M will have some more interesting cooking going on!

Meal planning Monday: have you seen my kitchen?

It's the first Monday since we've moved that I've felt like I could legitimately meal plan. We've eaten a lot of pasta so far. An awful lot. However, amid the boxes (nearly all of which are unpacked), the painting (outside only at the moment in a bid to weatherproof) and of course the migraine inducing kitchen and bathrooms something akin to order has started to descend. As with all new homebuyers, money is going to be tight for a while, not least as the house is taking great pleasure in waiting for us to sit down, one of us to say "well we're really starting to get somewhere" before flinging something which needs immediate and serious attention right in the middle of our path. Epic.

What else is one to do when surrounded by chaos but make some kind of order out of it. Not necessarily any conventional kind of order, but order nonetheless.

Breakfasts - I've come over all conventional on my breakfasts and have been having weetabix with a banana.

Lunches - The temperature dropped and like that *snaps fingers* I switched back to soup. I've got one portion of lentil left and then I'll need to make some more.

Dinners

Monday - Pantry pasta

Tuesday - Chicken chow mein. Loosely based on this recipe from Chinese cooking made simple, but with added veg to make it go further and do 4 portions

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Omlettes with mushroom, cheese, bacon and any veggies I can find lurking in the fridge

Friday - Either lentil ragu, which I batch cooked and froze last week, or hopefully it's out of my hands as we're going to pop over to my sister's to talk weddings.

Next weekend will herald pot roasted brisket - photos and recipe too with any luck. 

So that's it - nothing much exciting, but it is a meal plan.  Now I just remember to have to join and link up over at At home with Mrs M.

Meal Planning Monday: How long till next year?

Well that flew by in a flurry of mince pies, Christmas pudding, an immense amount of turkey, two families and some presents. I think I can say we all had a lovely time, seeing my nephew on his first Christmas (paper is the best present) and having some quiet days with M's parents were both fabulous. All too soon, I'm back to work; hair has been washed, bag packed, and clothes out ready for the morning. 

I actually did the meal plan on Saturday night - clearly, living life on the edge as always. It's a week of comfort food I've cooked (and in the main blogged) previously, food that's not poultry, dishes which will make leftovers to give us time for a couple of runs, a swim and hopefully even a cwtch. 

Breakfasts: Porridge without a doubt. Brown sugar and vanilla for me this week I think. 

Lunches: I made a batch of Nigella's split pea and frankfurter soup this afternoon, so that will be going into my trusty flask. Towards the end of the week I'll make some Lifechanging soup. I'll also make a couple of batches of soda bread. 

Dinners: 

Monday: New Years Eve, we'll be indoors having steak, wedges, veggies and bubbles to see in 2013

Tuesday: Sausage hotpot with braised red cabbage

Wednesday: Leftovers of above

Thursday: Freezer surprise for M as I'm out at a planning meeting

Friday: Lentil ragu with chorizo

Saturday: Leftovers of above

Sunday: Slow roast shoulder of pork

So that's our week in the pantry, nice and simple. What are you up to in the wake of turkey leftovers? If you have a meal plan, don't forget to hop on over to At Home with Mrs M and join in the blog hop.

Meal Planning Monday: another freezer based week

Will it surprise you, dear reader, if I tell you that last week didn't clear down the freezer? I didn't think so. So, another week of clearing down the freezers. Not thrilling I'm afraid.

But there is good news. I am without plastercast. After five months of incapacitation, my wrist is healed. Sadly I have the early stages of a pressure sore which was what alerted me to the need for the cast to come off last week. An acute sense of burning in a place about the size of a 50 pence peice. Alarming, but I have to say Barnet really did step up. Although they frustrate me at times, they did step up. Physio starts in a fortnight or so, and in the meantime in case I started to miss them I have another set of nerve blocker injections in the back of my head on Monday. Hurrah!

Initially I thought this weekend would involve much rolling out, kneading, and general kitchen activities that involve an unplastered wrist. And then it struck me just how much pain an unplastered, newly healed wrist can cause. So, in place of that I sat. Watched trashy telly. Slept. Generally broke the mould and gave my mind and body some extra time and space in which to heal. Which meant that this morning I practically bounced from my bed, wished M a good morning and promptly started work. At half past 7. I know.

The blue skies (albeit freezing outside) are trying to convince me that a run is imminent, and depending on how my nerve blockers go, I may try one later. At present I'm sorting out Diplomas and drinking coffee.

So, this week - M's mum (she of the WI and marmalade & jam coaching) has sent us back half a sultana and cherry cake which is my favourite, and some welshcakes. Which is a bonus as it relieves me of baking duties for the time being. That said, following the purchase and demolition of an epic sourdough from Barnet farmers market I think I'm going to kick start myself a sourdough starter this week.

Breakfast wise, I thought I'd try the Sainsbury's frozen fruit bags, they're 3 for £5 and I got peaches, blueberries and mixed summer fruits. I'm a big fan of a lot of Sainsburys basics range and although a bit more pricey than I would have liked I thought I'd try making these into smoothies with my 0% fat greek yoghurt. I've got some sachets of ground linseed etc that I think would make good additions as well. Any suggestions for other things to add to a breakfast smoothie?

Lunches: well the early morning has given me a kick in the right direction and I've got a pan of Lifechanging soup (TM), that is to say Skye Gyngell's Sweet Potato and ginger which I haven't made for far too long. I've got a little sourdough left to have with, and may make up some soda bread in rolls for the rest of the week.

Dinner: Largely freezer roulette again...

Monday: Bolognaise sauce, with grated cheese and pasta for Mark, just with steamed veggies for me.

Tuesday: Minced beef hash, with a poached egg on top

Wednesday: I'm out Leith's cookery school for the evening, so will be leaving M lentil ragu with chorizo I thing

Thursday: M is at Welsh, so probably his leftover lentil ragu for me

Friday: As yet I'm undecided, we're both in and the freezer will be mainly empty by then.... I've got some chicken and leeks in the freezer so I might make up some more of the butternut squash, chicken and leek casserole I've made previously. It's a simple really warming dish and the addition of barley makes it stretch further quite cheaply.

I do have some unearmarked courgettes in the fridge from last week's veg box, and I'm torn between courgetti spaghetti, and doing something different with them... Any suggestions?

Do be sure to pop over and see what everyone else is up to At home with Mrs M

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: The Poorly Pantry edition

Last week there was no meal plan from the Pantry as initially I was supposed to be working away all week and then I was felled, swiftly and painfully by a migrainey virus thing. That's right folks a week of migraines. I seem to be doing better now, and am chancing my arm at a meal plan for next week, despite only having eaten toast and marmite this week.

Guides and Brownies are back this week, and I think M returns to Welsh too, so normal levels of hectic-ness have been resumed. Also, January is January and I am seriously skint, so am eating my way through the freezer and pantry. Care packages may be required by the end of the month.

I've checked what's in my veg box next week, so have planned with that in mind.

Lunches are soup, I made a batch of fridge bottom soup the week before last which owing to being poorly ended up being frozen.

Monday: Pantry pasta

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Stir fried veg, chicken and noodles. I use rice noodles for this as I much prefer them to egg noodles. Instead of buying a sauce I use soy, sherry and honey to make a home made stir fry sauce. I know I've got onions and peppers in the fridge, but could do with picking up some cheap greens to bulk it out.

Thursday: Is it too much to hope for leftovers? If not, M is at Welsh so I might have an omlette

Friday: Reverting to student standbys is normally my 'too much month at the end of my money' standpoint but I've got some green lentils doing very little in the pantry, so I think it's time to bring the lentil ragu out from retirement and may even splash out on some chorizo! Madness I know.

Be sure to pop on over to At Home with Mrs M to see what everyone else is cooking this week. And while we're at it, what are your frugal, end of the month standby dishes?

Sunday's marathon bake off

Which is being done with John Barrowman covering Elaine Paige's Radio 2 Show as my soundtrack, when that finishes I'll move over to itunes and shuffle some more showtunes, because as well you know, I'm just that cool.

A dead oven and the workload from hell have conspired against much blogging of late, but with one of those sorted (not the workload sadly) I thought today would be a good day to throw myself up to my elbows in flour and the likes.

I decided this month's freezer meals would be the Lentil Ragu, of Dinner Diary infamy; seriously, it's spreading across the blogosphere faster than swine flu - but in a good way, obviously. However, a consensus was reached after my first batch; whilst tasty, filling and healthy myself and a few friends really felt it needed something added to it (apparently the piles of grated cheese just weren't enough). Jules of Domestic Goddess in Training suggested bacon, and another friend suggested chorizo. Elin, that friend has also recently converted me to the ways of Waitrose's Butternut squash and chorizo chilli and so I went with that recommendation. Brava Elin! As well as the oomph (it's a technical term) that I felt it was missing, the chorizo really complemented the flavours. Alongside the Dinner diary recipe I added a whole chorizo from Asda - about 300g (which handily was on 2 for £4.00 which means that next week I can use up the frozen half of the butternut squash and make the chilli too for no more money! Thrifty and tasty.)

I also added - just because they were in the freezer really - some grated red cabbage and carrots that I felt needed using up. I think that accounts for the darkness of the ragu this time, and clearly the extra vegetables cancel out the chorizo. Honest.

Lentil ragu not being enough, I kept to the pattern of the last three months and roasted a free range chicken, some potatoes and piles of carrots and broccoli. Since the weather started to turn I've really got back into the swing of doing a roast on a Sunday, having leftovers on Monday night, and sarnies on Monday and Tuesday for lunches, then stripping the chicken - using the carcass for stock, and the meat for a risotto with mushrooms and chicken using the stock, then freezing the last pint or so of the stock for some soup. As it's only Monday night I've obviously not done that yet, but it's a really effective way of stretching the £6 chicken over *counts* about 10 meals, which works out at about 60p per portion chicken wise.

My first batch of parkin was also knocked up as I was out gallivanting with the Brownies on Bonfire night (we had a fireworks promise party) I didn't make it then, and I was out gallivanting again on the Saturday so didn't make it up to Alexandra Palace either. Anyway, using my amended recipe from last year I made a lovely sticky batch. Although I should say, I opened a new jar of ground ginger yesterday and heaven only knows what Waitrose do to their ginger but I swear it's rocket powered! This batch certainly has a kick to it. I'm taking it into work tomorrow and then if there's any left on to Guides for the Parent's meeting before my holiday licence in December. If I'm not too stressed, I'm planning to try and blog our menu.

Did I make anything else? Yes, apple crumble, now in the freezer. And Mabel's still doing well, hopefully coming out of the freezer on Wednesday to be trialled as focaccia on Thursday and if that goes well then pizza base on Guide holiday.

Oh and short of rhyming it with Yentl, I really couldn't link lentils to a musical... as always when my brain fails me, answers on a postcard please!