Meal Planning Monday - ahead of the game this week?

Things here seem to be settling into a routine - sadly not one involving sleep, although Harry is great at night times so far. During the day is another matter entirely so if anyone else tells me to "sleep when the baby does" I will weep. Copiously. And possibly become violent.  Until the next growth spurt or developmental milestone or tomorrow's vaccinations *sobs* I kind of know where I am and what I'm doing - not in an organised or efficient way, but more of an - if he cries, check nappy, feed, activity mat. Regardless it seems to be working for us.

Tesco click and collect has been a godsend, I do the weekly shop one evening, link it in to a meal plan and it's there for M to collect on a Sunday. We'll skim over their inability to send fruit that isn't wildly overripe or incredibly short dated because the convenience of it is enough to make me weep with gratitiude.

This week is hopefully not too hectic (aside from aforementioned jabs *still sobbing*). We're visiting my mum on Tuesday, and aside from that I'm hoping for some family time.

Breakfasts: Cereal for me - trying to make sure I get my calcium, normally with a banana and some decaf tea.

Lunches: Halloumi and houmous pitta pockets with carrot and cucumber sticks. Oh and cherry tomatoes - that craving has not left.

Dinners:

Monday - Chilli stuffed marrow - based on this recipe, but using some chilli con carne I had in the freezer as the filling. Re-reading that post, I'll be sure to top the marrow with lots of cheese, and make the wedges to go with.

Tuesday - Leftovers

Wednesday - Baked pasta and meatballs - I add bucketloads of mozzarella to this and love it at the moment.

Thursday - leftovers

Friday - Pizza

Saturday - Courgetti spaghetti

Sunday - Leftovers

Baking wise, I haven't done any this weekend - although M's mum has kindly left us a bagful of homemade meringues so eton mess is definitely on the menu. But I'm planning on knocking up another Brioche and apple pudding as M liked the last one. And so did I - it was a fantastic breastfeeding snack.

OK - the plan is to post this now so that tomorrow it's there for me to do the link up with. If I remember. Fingers crossed.

Brioche and apple pudding

Growing up a real treat for us was my mum's bread pudding - done in the slow cooker, we'd come home to the fug of cinammon and nutmeg and know that pudding was on the menu. I realise now it was mainly a thrifty way to use up stale bread, but in my head it was manna from heaven. Really one of my favourite things. I've never made it as there's no 'real' recipe for it, more a kind of - well we do this until it looks a bit like this... which isn't helpful for you or I.

A couple of weeks back the people at Pasquier brioche asked if I'd like to have a go at trying some of their brioche and creating a recipe with it. Bread pudding was the obvious choice (well, obvious to me) I just needed the time and my wonderfully velcro baby to let me have some time in the kitchen.

The interweb is awash with recipes for bread and butter pudding, yet bread pudding seems to be a less common bake - maybe the fact that it's unfashionably retro - has none of the twee appeal of other more traditional bakes, or the fact that it is a dense pudding. I'm not sure I still love it.

Making the pudding with brioche made for a much lighter texture, and adding cooking apple from the garden cut through the sweetness. Otherwise it's a fairly traditional recipe that I've worked up.

Brioche and apple pudding

500g (1 loaf) brioche - whizzed into breadcrumbs in the processor or chopped up roughly by hand
500g dried fruit - I used a mix of sultanas and currants as that's what we had. You could use anything you have to hand.
100g cooking apples, peeled, cored and grated
1.5 tablespoons sweet mixed spice
1 teaspoon cinammon
1/2 nutmeg grated
1 pint milk
2 eggs, beaten
140g soft brown sugar
100g melted unsalted butter
2 tablespoons demerera sugar

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees, and butter and line a square, deep dish cake tin (I use the one I use for brownies and similar)

In a big mixing bowl combine the breadcrumbs, dried fruit, grated apple, spices and sugar.
Mix the milk and eggs together
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and using your hands make sure that everything is really well mushed up
Leave to stand and soak for half an hour or so (it doesn't matter if you leave it for longer)
Melt the butter and pour over the ingredients. Make sure it's well combined.
Pour into the cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for and hour and a half, covered with tin foil. 30 minutes before the end remove the foil.

Serve warm with ice cream, custard or cream. Or leave to cool and have in a packed lunch.

Thanks to Pasquier for sending me the brioche - the rolls were excellent sustenance for the 10am feeds!