Menu planning 3 - 9 April

Well, last week went to plan, but this week is looking complicated!
My son is working as part of the technical team at the Swindon Gang show, so needs to be at the theatre early for the three mornings before the performances, as well as late on the two rehearsals and three evening performances.
So, this week I will be feeding 3 or 4 each day, and a couple of days it will be necessary to eat at midday rather than the evening because of the timings

Monday - Poached salmon

Tuesday - Pork chops (for 3)

Wednesday - Chicken casserole (for 3)

Thursday - Slow cooked gammon in cider (for 4?)

Friday - Beef and cabbage skillet
(a one pot meal at lunchtime)

Saturday - Fish cakes (for 3)

Sunday - something very simple, as I don't expect him home until after 2 am as the theatre has to be completely emptied and everything returned to another location before they can leave.

Poached salmon

sharing with Hijacked by Twins Meal Planning Monday 

Menu planning 20-26 March

So at the end of this week, my children come home from uni for nearly 4 weeks. We go from feeding two people to feeding four, so I have get a proper menu planned. When there is only two of us, we sometimes eat the same thing two days running because it's sitting in the fridge, particularly on busy days.

Monday - Baked tuna (there seems to be shortage of salmon at the moment)

Tuesday - Pork burgers topped with mushrooms

Wednesday - Coconut chicken curry with rice

Thursday - Pineapple chilli (this will give us two portions to put in the freezer - ideal one pot meals)

Friday - Gammon steaks with pineapple

Saturday - Chicken casserole - ideal to feed four and it contains lots of vegetables!

Sunday - Balsamic pulled pork (made in the slow cooker so ideal for a busy day when three of us have to be out by 9.30!)

Sharing on Hijacked by Twins Menu Planning Monday

Pineapple chilli

Menu planning 27 February - 5 March

The plan for last week was almost right, although because we went to a funeral on the Friday (where I couldn't eat any of the refreshments) we abandoned the fish pie and went out to the Toby carvery on our way home.

Monday - Spicy salmon

Tuesday - Coconut chicken curry with rice

Wednesday - Gammon steaks and pineapple

Thursday - Asian meatballs (I tend to make a big batch of these and freeze all the rest for packed lunches, they are fine eaten cold)

Friday - Cheesy fish

Saturday - (something that is on special offer?)

Sunday - Pineapple chilli (from the freezer as I'm out all day)

Coconut chicken curry

Whole 30 - Day 1

The first day, always challenging when there are still a selection of goodies in the house!

Breakfast - onion and mushroom omelette

Normally I would add a pepper, or maybe a bit of chicken, but there wasn't any in the fridge!

Lunch - smoked salmon salad with white wine vinaigrette  (bistro salad, grated carrot, spring onion, radish, cucumber, sultanas, pumpkin & sunflower seeds) 1 clementine

I have found that it is quite hard to find smoked salmon that doesn't have sugar in it - I'd been buying it from Aldi for a couple of years, and recently that have changed their recipe so it now has added sugar. However for Christmas, they had big packets of smoked salmon - that didn't have sugar! so I've bought several that have been frozen to be brought out once a week and cut into 4 portions

Dinner - Slow cooked pork shoulder with apples, with carrots, broccoli and Brussell sprouts

We have recently replaced our slow cooker, and this one is definitely cooler, so the joint took longer to cook, however it will provide a few days worth of cold meat for salad

Supper - a cup of Spicy Courgette soup from Mel Joulwan

Easy to make a pot full of soup each week, and then freeze into individual portions

Menu Planning 2 - 8 January

An interesting week, as we start the week with both the children home from uni, but finish the week without them - slightly challenging finding things that they are happy to eat that are acceptable for me.

Monday - Slow cooked pork with apples from Pip and Ebby

Tuesday - Chicken not pie (chicken in white sauce) from Mrs Paleo

Wednesday - Pasta sauce (I'll have zoodles instead)

Thursday - Citrus pork chops made without honey to keep them acceptable

Friday - Almond crusted fish from A Blossoming Life

Saturday - Freezer diving, as the children will be back at uni, and my husband's out for dinner

Sunday - Spiced kheema from Nom Nom Paleo

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