Menu planning - 22 - 28 September

Well we are back to 3, as the eldest has now returned to uni, so hopefully our grocery bills will go down, and we will get into a better routine.

Monday - Salmon

Tuesday - Not stuffed mushrooms

Wednesday - Coconut curry chicken

Thursday - Pineapple chilli

Friday - Thai curry tilapia

Saturday - Meatza

Sunday - Honey ginger apple pork

I will be sharing as usual with Mrs M - a good place to see what other people are doing!

Historic Menu planning 1 -21 September

I realised that I hadn't updated my blog recently.

I have gone back to doing a month menu planning in one go, but I then need to remember to put it up here each week.

The advantage to doing historical menus, is that it smooths over the weeks when you have had to shuffle eveything because of a school event or buying a cheap chicken!

Monday 1 - Tuna
Tueday 2 - Caramel apple pork chops
Wednesday 3 - Chicken not pie
Thursday 4 - Bacon wrapped meatloaf
Friday 5  - Cheesy fish
Saturday 6 - Coconut curry pork
Sunday 7 - Asian meatballs

Monday 8 - Poached salmon
Tuesday 9 - Pork burgers
Wednesday 10 - Honey mustard chicken
Thursday 11 -  Roast chicken (from Asda reduced shelf!)
Friday 12 - Curried fish chowder
Saturday  13 - Shepherd's pie
Sunday 14 - Balsamic pork

Monday 15 - Tuna
Tuesday 16 - Beef & prune bake
Wednesday 17 - Citrus pork chops
Thursday 18 -Hungarian meatloaf
Friday 19 - Ribs
Saturday 20 - Salmon fish cakes
Sunday 21 - Beef stew

Menu planning 18-31 August

This menu planning is up to the end of the month, as my husband and children are away from Saturday. I will spend that week using up various meals from the freezer - I can then start restocking it for Christmas.

Monday 18 - Poached salmon

Tuesday 19 - Not stuffed mushrooms

Wednesday 20 - Honey mustard chicken

Thursday 21 - GCSE results so a meal out, grumpy teen can choose where!

Friday 22 - Big one is going off for a weekend's volunteering at GirlGuiding 'Wellies and Wristbands' with a lift at 6pm, so not sure what is happening foodwise!

They are then away 23- 31 August

Sunday 31 - Beef stew

Menu planning - August part 1

I use to plan a whole month's menus in one go, so we didn't get any repeats, so for August I have tried this again.

I use a menu planning sheet from Organized home which also have some good ideas of building a shopping list to help menu planning. She has weekly and monthly sheets which can help.

Friday 1 - Cheesy fish

Saturday 2 - Asian meatballs from nomnompaleo

Sunday 3 - Balsamic pork

Monday 4 - Poached salmon

Tuesday 5 -  fresh beef burgers with corn on the cob

Wednesday 6 - Coconut chicken curry

Thursday 7 - Pork burgers with mushrooms

Friday 8 - Coconut curried pollack

Saturday 9 - Stuffed marrow (or giant courgette!)

Sunday 10 - Pulled pork from civilised caveman

Monday 11 - Baked tuna

Tuesday 12 - Citrus pork chops

Wednesday 13 - Coconut turkey stew

Thursday 14 - Shepherd's pie

Friday 15 - Salmon fishcakes from Satisfyingeats

Saturday 16 - Beef & prune bake

Sunday 17 - Honey apple ginger pork from PaleOMG

Menu planning 23 June - 6 July

This is a historic post as I had intended to change the day I updated my menu based on my shopping day, but life has been too busy. I still have a menu plan and a shopping list, but blogging about it has slipped away!

Monday 23 - Baked tuna

Tuesday 24 - Pork burgers

Wednesday 25 - Coconut turkey stew

Thursday 26 - Coconut curry pollack

Friday 27 - Asian meatballs

Saturday 28 - Pork?

Sunday 29 - Hungarian meatloaf

Monday 30 - Poached salmon

Tuesday 1 - Caramel apple chops

Wednesday 2 - Coconut curry chicken

Thursday 3 - Fish pie

Friday 4 - Shepherd's pie

Saturday 5 - Pulled pork

Sunday 6 - Beef & prune bake

Baked eggs

These are good to make in advance and reheated when needed over a couple of days

However, I have learnt that you need to use silicon liners in the muffin trays, as they stick and you waste the egg mixture!

I did a mixture here, in some I just baked the egg whole, so it looks like a poached egg, others were a beaten egg mixture, some neat and others into a ham liner.
Any recesses that are empty should have water put in them to stop them burning.

Bake at 180 for 20-30 minutes until the eggs have set.

These egg and ham cups can be eaten as a meal, especially if you add onions and mushrooms to the mixture.

The 'poached' egg can be served with mushrooms, bacon, sausage and other breakfast choices!

Menu planning 16 - 22 June

Well, we are back to 4 again, once we get to the end of the week, exams are all over and unpacking sorted, we are going to draw up a plan of work/domestic/volunteering for the summer.

But for now, I'm in charge of the menu planning and cooking - who knows what will happen over the next few weeks!

Monday - Poached salmon

Tuesday - Meatza (from the weekend's plan when my sister-in-law came and we went out instead)

Wednesday - Citrus pork chops

Thursday - Honey mustard chicken

Friday - Salmon fish cakes from Satisfying Eats

Saturday - Beef stew, I'm out until about 9pm, so they can cook this and there will be some for me to come home to

Sunday - Chicken?

I will be sharing on Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday as usual, a way of finding lots of other menus!

Menu planning 9 - 15 June

Another exam week, teen is in school every day this week, although two of those days are only half days. This means we try and keep the week calm, but also means food needs to be avaliable as he comes home!

Older child should be home from uni in the next week or so - an interesting time ahead I think!

So to the menu planning

Last week went to plan mostly, although mid afternoon on Saturday my husband said did we want to go out for dinner - grumpy teen just about managed a couple of hours with his parents! The Beef and prune bake planned for Saturday has been rolled over to Tuesday this week.

Monday - Coconut curry pollack

Tuesday - Beef & prune bake

Wednesday - Teriyaki chicken

Thursday - Not stuffed mushrooms

Friday - baked tuna

Saturday - Honey apple ginger pork

Sunday - Meatza

Sharing as usual with Mrs M

Lunchtime!

I usually make a up a big bowl of salad for lunch.
My husband and I try and eat together on the days we are both home, and we split a pot of cottage cheese or a pack of smoked salmon trimmings (Asda basics).
When I am home by myself I usually have some kind of leftovers from the night before, which could be meatballs or pulled pork or a pork chop chopped onto my salad.
I had a tin of pears that needed using, so I bought a piece of Danish blue cheese to use it with (it's quite strong, so I can use it over a few days and it crumbles well!)

Danish blue and pear salad with raspberry vinegarette

Menu planning 2-8 June

I'm not sure where the time runs away to!  A week of playing catch up at present.

This is a brief menu plan

Monday - Spicy salmon

Tuesday - Coconut curried pork (postponed from the weekend, when they worked at a wedding)

Wednesday - Bolognese

Thursday - Coconut turkey stew

Friday - Cheesy fish fillets

Saturday - Beef and prune bake

Sunday - Pulled pork

I think some of my problem is that I shop on Thursday, with a quick top up shop on Tuesday, and Monday is a busy day, so it doesn't really work as a planning day.  I think I may have to do my menu plan starting from a Thursday in future

Menu planning - 9 - 15 May

A busy week that started with a party for the teen in rural Gloucesteshire - the kind accessed by a single track road! Unfortnately a 1am pick up does not lead to a productive day, although we did manage to get his prom suit bought. Still playing catch up to finish all the other things that are needed at the beginning of the week

Half term here, although as he is on study leave that runs into next week too.

Monday - Tuna

Tuesday - Caramel apple pork chops

Wednesday - Coconut chicken curry

Thursday - Ribs (found in Asda!)

Friday - Fish pie

Saturday - Asian meatballs

Sunday - Coconut curry pork

Sharing as usual with Mrs M

Menu planning 19 - 25 May

So, this is the last week of compulsory school until September, from Friday the boy is only in on the days he has exams. So some days he's in all day, some half days and some not at all - means a good plan of Mum's taxi and meals!

Last week went to plan apart from Friday's chowder! Yet again, Asda didn't have any plantains (space on the shelf, just nothing there!), so had to do a bit of rethinking.  We had coconut curried pollack which is reasonably quick.

The advantage of still cooking for 4 on most nights is that four times last week we had left overs that could be used for lunch - pork chops or shredded pork goes well with a salad.

And so to this week (from Friday I'm going to have to think about stocking up on lunch supplies)

Monday - Spicy salmon

Tuesady - Pork burgers

Wednesday - Honey mustard chicken

Thursday -Shepherd's pie

Friday - Curried fish chowder

Saturday - Husband and son at Didcot for the day and will probably eat there, so no cooking!

Sunday - Balsamic Pork roast - a new recipe to try

Hope to share with Mrs M

Menu planning 12 - 18 May

So this is the week that GCSEs begin - may need to stock up on treats to get through the next 6 weeks!

Last week went pretty much to plan, I found a variation for fresh beef burgers that came out OK, and decided that making Coconut curried pork was a quick dinner for Saturday.

And so to this week, not much happening outside the house this week apart from exams, but lots to get done - marketing plans, product photos and end of year accounts....

Monday - Tuna

Tuesday - Citrus pork chops

Wedneday - Coconut turkey stew

Thursday - Pineapple chilli - it can go in the slowcooker as I have both Messy Church and a Scout meeting and have to eat between them!

Friday - Curried fish chowder

Saturday - Meatza

Sunday - Honey apple ginger pork

I will be sharing as usual with Mrs M

Menu planning 1 - 11 May

Still lots going on - craft/wedding fairs, GCSEs ....

Food blog has to take a back seat while I build up my business one, if anyone wants to come and visit it is at www.mintymoose.com

Thursday 1 - Bacon wrapped meatloaf

Friday 2 - Cheesy fish

Saturday 3 - should have been Asian meatballs, but ended up as burgers!

Sunday 4 - Pulled pork

Monday 5 - Poached salmon

Tuesday 6 - Not stuffed mushrooms

Wednesday 7 - something with beef!

Thursday 8 - Chicken not pie

Friday 9 - Fish pie

Saturday 10 - ?

Sunday 11 - Beef stew

Maybe the week will quieten down, so I can add a few new recipes......?

Menu planning 21 - 30 April

This is a review post to just record what we have already eaten!

Monday 21 - Salmon fish cakes

Tuesday 22 - Pork burgers

Wednesday 23 - Coconut chicken curry

Thursday 24 - Beef & prune bake

Friday 25 - Coconut curry pollack

Saturday 26 - Christmas turkey (had to get it out of the freezer!)

Sunday 27 - Coconut curry pork

Monday 28 - baked tuna

Tuesday 29 - leftover turkey

Wednesday 30 - Citrus pork chops

Menu planning 14 - 20 April

This week is a busy week with people coming and going, so I'm hoping it will be simple to get everyone fed!

Monday - baked tuna

Tuesday - Caramel apple pork chops

Wednesday - Chicken not-pie

Thursday - Hungarian meatloaf

Friday - Curried fish chowder

Saturday - Honey apple ginger pork - another kind of pulled pork

Sunday - frozen burgers from Aldi (as 3 of us are out all day, it needs to be something really simple!)

Sharing as usual with Mrs M

Menu planning 7 - 13 April

Well I certainly know that I have an extra adut to feed!  Last week's grocery bill was up, as I would normally either cook just for 3 of us, or use the fourth portion for lunch. Only another two and half weeks...

And just to make things more complicated, the brakes on my car have started making weird noises, so we are down to one car - when the supermarket is 10 miles away!  I have sent my husband off with a list to get on his way home from his volunteer day at the railway and he is taking the car to the garage tomorrow.

We did stick to the menu from last week, but the variation on the meatloaf was only partly succssful - I made the meatloaf like a giant sandwich with chopped prunes and spinach in the centre. I think it would be better with them mixed into the meat mixture - you can't pick out the pieces then!

Monday - Baked tuna

Tuesday - Pork burgers

Wednesday - Bacon wrapped meatloaf

Thursday - out for a meal for my parents' Golden Weddding anniversary

Friday - Paleo fish pie

Saturday - Coconut chicken curry

Sunday Slow cooker beef stew

Sharing at usual with Mrs M Menu Planning Monday

Menu planning 31 March - 6 April

Well, we are 4 again!  This will be interesting to see how many things change.

Menu planning continues, but we will have less leftovers.

Some of this menu planning is because Tesco doesn't seem to have what I want to buy - a not particularly unusual event, which is why I only tend to use them when I have vouchers!  I've had to juggle things, until I can get to Aldi on Thursday

Monday Citrus pork chops

Tuesday Cheesy fish fillets

Wednesday Meatloaf (looking at a new recipe)

Thursday Honey mustard chicken

Friday Poached salmon

Saturday Asian meatballs

Sunday Pulled pork

Sharing as usual on Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday

Butter is back!

Finally it seems to be acknowledged that all the low fat information was nonsense!

An article in the New York Times says Butter is Back

Possibly the best bit was 'there's just no evidence to support the notion that saturated fat increases the risk of heart disease'.

I think the best advice is to eat good quality meat and dairy, ideally direct from local suppliers - go to farmers' markets, talk to the producers about they make things.  Replace fake food with real food.

The main villians are sugar and ultra-processed foods (including the low fat foods that are often full of sugar) - however consider just reducing these, rather than going for 'no added sugar' as these raise their own issues that maybe worse than the sugar!

Menu planning 24 - 30 March

It's another of those manic weeks with people coming and going,  need to do a bit of juggling, but I think that it will be acceptable - and if not, they can cook it themselves!

Monday - tuna

Tuesday - Coconut turkey stew

Wednesday - fish?

Thursday - Spiced keema (from nomnompaleo)

Friday -  I have a home shopping evening, so need something quick and easy -Pork burgers

Saturday - We have no children, so I think we will go out, could be the last opportunity for a month!

Sunday - (older child home from uni) Meatza

linking up at usual with Mrs M

Menu planning 17- 23 March

Another busy week ahead, with people coming and going, so need a few easy meals!

Monday - Bacon wrapped meatloaf (as I have meat and bacon that needs using!)

Tuesday - Coconut chicken curry

Wednesday - Caramel apple pork chops

Thursday - Spice up salmon

Friday - Frozen burgers

Saturday - Paleo fish pie

Sunday - Honey ginger apple pork

Sharing as usual with Mrs M - look over there for other menu ideas!

Grain free pancakes

These are easy to make, as long as you mix them well and cook them slowly on a low heat.
You can make them in advance and just reheat them for breakfast.

Take half a banana and mash it, add one beaten egg and whisk.
Add 1-2 teaspoons of nut butter (Meridan make almond butter and cashew butter, as an alternative to peanut butter)
Mix well (you need to blend the nut butter into the other ingredients)

Melt butter into a small pan and drop in a teaspoon at a time - you are going to make like scotch pancakes

Cook slowly until they have cooked enough to move away from the base of the pan and turn them gently

When cooked on both sides, move onto a plate, and continue with the mixture 

- it generally makes 5-6 small pancakes

Serve with butter, maple syrup etc

Menu planning 10 - 16 March

Well, I'm a little better organised this week!

Last week's menu went to plan, these were the new meatballs we had on Saturday.
Asian meatballs from nomnompaleo, much moister than regular meatballs

 We've also tried some new breakfast dishes (hopefully recipes/links will follow) -

Grain free pancakes

Egg Foo Young

So this week

Monday - Tuna

Tuesday - Citrus pork chops

Wednesday - Tandoori chicken from nomnompaleo

Thursday - Shepherd's pie

Friday - Something in the slow cooker as we are at a puppet show - probably pulled pork

Saturday - Curried fish chowder

Sunday - Mozzarella meatballs

Sharing as usual on Mrs M Meal Planning Monday

Menu planning 3 - 9 March

Well, I'm already behind!

Last week went to plan, but I'm trying to do lots of things and the blog got pushed aside.  I had done a menu plan and a Tesco order, but not written it up.

Monday - Poached salmon

Tuesday - Not stuffed mushrooms

Wednesday - Honey mustard chicken

Thursday - Hungarian meatloaf

Friday - Cheesy fish fillets

Saturday - Asian meatballs from Nom Nom Paleo

Sunday - Coconut curry pork

Gluten free foods and the thyroid

I have an under-active thyroid that makes my metabolism runs slowly.  I take a daily dose of synthetic thyroxine and I will need to take this for ever.  However, as the doctors don't know the long term effects of this, they tend to err on the cautious side and only give a dose that will bring your thyroid just into the 'normal' zone.

As part of my research, I have discovered that gluten can have a more severe effect on people who have an issue with their thyroid, and gluten sensitivity is not abnormal.  I have got stricter about not eating foods containing gluten over the last few weeks, although occasionally I do still have something.

If I have piece of cake  at church or a biscuit at a meeting, I have found that my metabolism slows down more, and it can take a couple of days to come back to normal.  Someone asked if I ate items made with 'gluten-free' flour, but I tend to avoid them also.  Last week at the weekly market I attend, one of the ladies had made some gluten-free shortbread after I stopped buying her gingerbread men, so I felt obliged to buy some.  A big mistake - the reaction was much the same as eating a regular piece of cake, so something else to avoid.

I have found that giving up grain based foods is not that hard, but you need to be organised, and plan ahead. I make pots of soup that I freeze in portions for when I need a packed lunch, and we eat a lot of lunchtime salads.  We don't keep cereals in the house, and it is only the children that eat bread - and a loaf will last a couple of weeks.

Menu planning 24 February - 2 March

Well last week went to plan, our main problem during holidays it that everything is later, so we don't eat until maybe 7.30pm, so the whole evening is shunted.

Back to normal this week though, 8am school buses and all...

Monday Baked tuna

Tuesday Pork burgers

Wednesday Coconut chicken curry

Thursday Pineapple chili

Friday Paleo fish pie (recipe to follow)

Saturday Frozen beef burgers from Aldi!

Sunday Pulled pork from Civilised Caveman

Sharing as usual with Mrs M - look there for other ideas

'Poached' salmon

We have this probably once  a month.  It is quick and the only messy bit is lifting it out of the foil.

Tesco and Aldi sell frozen blocks of salmon individually wrapped, so you only need to take out those you need.

For each salmon fillet, prepare a piece of foil (go for decent stuff, rather that you use to wrap the kids' sandwiches!) about a foot square.

Cut off the plastic wrapping and place the salmon in the middle of the foil square.

Add one tablespoon of water and one tablespoon of olive oil, and wrap the salmon up well.

Place on a baking tray and cook for the stated time, we go for 24 minutes.

Once the time is up, take the tray out of the oven and unwrap one piece at a time.  Using a fish slice lift the fish carefully onto a plate - beware it is likely to drip.

I tend to throw the foil into the sink until we have eaten, and this is one time we just throw the foil away.

You can serve it will hollandaise sauce,but I haven't had time to experiment with that yet.

Menu planning 17 - 23 February

Well it's half term this week, but it doesn't make a lot of difference.  The boy will have a bacon or sausage sandwich for breakfast instead of egg on toast, and will eat from the cupboard rather than a packed lunch, but apart from that we carry on as normal.

I still have photos to add to various historic recipes, but that has to wait until we have that meal again. I also hope to add some recipes to the blog that have disappeared from the original sources, but life has a knack of getting in the way!

So this week looks like this:

Monday Salmon - hopefully it will come out like this! Recipe to follow...

Tuesday Caramel pork chops

Wednesday Chicken not pie

Thursday Bacon wrapped meatloaf

Friday Curried fish chowder

Saturday Meatza - grain free pizza

Sunday Honey ginger apple pork

Sharing as usual with Mrs M - go over there is you need some othe meal planning ideas!

Menu planning 10 - 16 February

Well, it's Monday evening again!
I have supported our (fulltime) post office, pub (for lunch), mobile library and church coffee shop today, but although this is good for the local community, it means I haven't been home for most of the day!

Last week did almost go to plan, apart from Thursday.  I had offered to help at Messy Church, which runs from 3pm to 5.30pm, and my husband discovered that it was one of his days at the heritage railway, but he also had a meeting at 7pm.  No problem, I thought - I can make a meatloaf, put it into the fridge and the boy can take it out and put it into the oven when he gets in from school to ensure a quick turnaround.  Then it turns out he needs to stay at school until 5pm to complete his practical project for Resistance Materials (Design & Technology - what use to be called woodwork and metalwork) - and then needed to collected.  At that point, we decided that frozen burgers were a better option.  He phoned at 1pm, to say that there were no teachers to supervise and he would get the school bus home!  Arrgggh!

This week seems to be getting busier as I watch, and the slow cooker meals are going to be needed at the weekend.

Monday - Tuna

Tuesday - Citrus pork chops

Wednesday - Coconut turkey stew

Thursday - Shepherd's pie

Friday - Curried coconut pollack

Saturday - Pulled pork

Sunday - Beef stew

Sharing as usual with Meal Planning Monday with Mrs M

Menu planning 3 - 10 February

How come it is so late, when I had this menu plan ready at 9.30am this morning?

A slightly challenging weekend just gone, so it is good to get home and be in control on what we buy and what we eat.

We spent the weekend at a catered weekend, where everything is done on a shoestring, and I felt that maybe if you have dietary issues, it may be better to provide all your own food (I am gluten sensitive, and try to avoid all grains).  I had taken a cool bag with two portions of soup, a portion of beef stew instead of the traditional takeaway, one cooked sausage for breakfast, two pieces of cake I could eat, packs of nuts and seeds, salad dressing and even an emergency tin of tuna - and apart from the tuna, I used all of them!  On both lunches, I jumped the queue and heated my soup and made up my salad before everyone else came through, and on Saturday evening, I waited until they started to call people to queue for the takeaway.

Anyway onto this week!

Monday - Spice it up salmon

Tuesday - Not stuffed mushrooms

Wednesday - Honey, apricot & raisin chicken

Thursday - Hungarian meatloaf

Friday - Cheesy fish fillets

Saturday - Coconut curry pork

Sunday - Mozzarella meatballs

I am sharing as usual with Mrs M

Menu planning 27 January - 2 February

Well, last week almost went to plan!

Going quite well until Saturday evening, go downstairs at 6pm ready to make meatza - discover that someone, rather enthusiastically, had put the minced beef into the freezer when they unpacked the shopping!
Now we don't keep much 'ready to go' food in the freezer, so it was a rather mixed meal!
The meatza has been moved to this Thursday

This week is a little unusual as we are away at the weekend, but it is a Scout/Guide event, where I know that a fair amount of the food will not be suitable - I'll just take my goody bag!

Monday - R & W will have tuna, I have a meeting at 6pm, so will have the leftover pork from yesterday when I get back

Tuesday - Pork burgers

Wednesday - Coconut chicken curry

Thursday - Meatza

Friday - we are driving from Wiltshire to Sheffield straight from school, so will stop at the Toby Carvery near the NEC on the way

Saturday - tradtionally there is Chinese takeaway on Saturday evening (not many places can cope with takeaway for 50, so we tend to go back to the same place each year!)  I'll take a portion of something from the freezer with me, probably beef stew

Sunday - Having driven back from Sheffield, it is likely to be frozen burgers from Aldi as they are quick!

Sharing again with Mrs M Menu planning Monday

Menu planning 20 - 26 January

Last week went to plan -

We finally had Fish chowder.  I can only buy plantains (a savoury banana) in Asda in Swindon, and over Christmas they haven't stocked them.  But finally last week they were back!  I cut them into thick slices and cube the slices, frying them off in lard/butter to use instead of croutons.

I made enough beef stew to freeze one portion, so I can take that to an event when everyone else will be having a takeaway

The bring and share meal was a joint birthday/AGM of a Scout & Guide group that I am involved with. The theme had been green and gold, so I took along things I was happy to eat - 2 soups, butternut squash and broccoli, as well some chicken drumsticks and a gluten free chocolate 'brownie'

I was pleased to hear that some other people from Mrs M's Meal Planning FB page were going to try my Coconut turkey stew, hope they enjoyed it!

So this week

Monday - Salmon, cooked in foil packets with a little oil and water

Tuesday - Caramel apple pork chops

Wednesday - Chicken not-pie

Thursday - Pineapple chilli

Friday - Fish pie, using sweet potato as topping

Saturday - Honey ginger apple pork

Sunday - Meatza

I will be sharing as usual with Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday

Menu planning 13 -19 January

Another week gone - I thought that it was meant to be the quiet time in the crafting world, but I'm already doing personalised orders for Valentine's Day (for the organised people!).
In fact the plans to fill this time are still on the back burner...

So to food - feeding three adults (16 year old counts as an adult!) so some times I will only cook enough for 3, other times I will cook for 4 and freeze the leftovers or have them for lunch

Monday - tuna

Tuesday - Not stuffed mushrooms

Wednesday - Coconut turkey stew

Thursday -  Mozzarella meatballs

Friday - Fish chowder assuming that I can get plantains!

Saturday - Beef stew

Sunday - bring and share lunch, probably taking chicken drumsticks and brown sticky cake!

I will be sharing as usual with Mrs M

The dangers of hidden sugar

I don't know if you heard the discussion on the Jeremy Vine programme yesterday (9/01/14) when two cardiologists from Action on Sugar were discussing about hidden sugar in foods.

As well as those foods where you aren't surprised they contain sugar (Frosties and Coca Cola), there were others like flavoured water and Ragu sauce that do contain a large amount of hidden sugar.  A dentist was saying that the third highest reason children are hospitalised in the UK, is because of rotton teeth due to the amount of sugar they eat.

The campaign from Action on Sugar is to get manufacturers to reduce the amount of sugar to slow down the obesity epidemic.  Sugar is also addictive, the more you have the more you want.

It is finally becoming clear that the low fat promotion was a big marketing scam between the US Government and the farmers - if you take fat out of  the food, you need to improve the taste, and adding sugar does that.   There was a programme a couple of years ago, explaining Why our food is making us fat  The programme isn't available any more, but the article from the Guardian explains a lot.

Menu planning 6 -12 January 2013

Well, we are back to normal - older child back to uni, younger one back to school.

Over the holidays, I have basically been feeding 4 adults three weeks a day for two weeks.  Even though the 'children' sort out their own lunches most of the time in the holidays, I still have to make sure its there!

Back to a normal week, although in January life is quieter in that I don't have any craft fairs or markets, which gives me time to build up stock.

Monday - Spice up salmon

Tuesday - Citrus pork chops

Wednesday - Honey apricot raisin chicken

Thursday - Shepherd's pie

Friday - Curried fish chowder (assuming that Asda now have plantains again)

Saturday - Bacon wrapped meatloaf

Sunday - Honey apple and ginger pork