Menu planning 1 - 5 May

So another week with just two of us, but a busy week, so trying to keep meals as simple as possible.

Monday - Slow cooked pork (second half of last week's joint)

Tuesday - Coconut chicken curry (this makes 3-4 portions, so is good for extra portions to freeze)

Wednesday - Spicy pineapple chilli (we freeze this in individual portions, so good for the evenings when we eat at different times)

Thursday - Pork chops (I buy these in a large tray and then freeze in meal-size portions)

Friday - Cheesy fish fillets

Cheesy fish fillets

Menu planning 23 - 30 April

Just two of us now, so we need to cheat with cooking. We often will cook enough for two meals, so on a later date we only have to prepare vegetables as the main part only needs to be reheated.

Monday  - Spice it up salmon

Tuesday - Bolognese sauce with pasta or zoodles

Wednesday - Honey Mustard Chicken with rice

Thursday - Spicy pineapple chilli

Friday - Slow cooked pork with apples

Saturday - Honey mustard chicken (second serving!)

Sunday - Poached salmon

Honey mustard chicken

Menu planning 17 - 23 April

A week when the children go back to university, one on Tuesday, one on Friday, so another mixed week.

Monday - Fish pie

Tuesday - Pork roast (using the other half of the pork joint from last week)

Wednesday - Shepherd's pie

Thursday - Coconut turkey stew

Friday - Mascarpone Fish (based on a recipe from Asda  although I bake the whole dish which is less messy!)

Saturday - Bolognese sauce - I have 'zoodles' and my husband has pasta

Sunday - freezer diving, although I'll have the extra portion of the shepherd's pie from Wednesday

Menu Planning 10 - 16 April

A somewhat calmer week, although it does include Easter!
My husband and son will be volunteering at the local heritage railway over the Easter weekend, so all days have to be flexible as they can't leave until everything is clear.

Monday - Salmon

Tuesday - Pork chops with apple sauce

Wednesday - Chicken in white sauce

Thursday - Gammon (cooked in the slow cooker, giving cold meat for lunches)

Friday - Beef & cabbage skillet (one pot meal, and a good way of using up random vegetables!)

Saturday - Salmon fish cakes

Sunday - Balsamic pulled pork (a large joint that will be split in two)
I bought the pork some time ago, but it is big enough to do at least two meals

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 27 March - 2 April

Last week's menu all went to plan, but I suspect that the end of this week could get complicated. Three of us are away, but my daughter is going away with another student friend and will probably leave after we do on Friday, but at present I don't know when! I also need to make sure there is food for my son while he is here alone for the weekend.

Monday - Fish pie

Tuesday - meal out at Hungry Horse as belated Mother's Day meal

Wednesday - slow cooked chicken (this means I can then make a pot of stock from the bones - ideal for soup making)

Thursday - Pork chops (the family will have caramel apples on theirs, and I will have apple - I'm still  sugar-free for Lent)

Friday - a mystery as I don't know if I'm feeding one or two of mine, or even an extra two when her friends come and pick her up!

Saturday - only one student to feed and he will eat out of the freezer

Sunday - Spiced kheema (this is quick and easy when we are returning from a weekend away)

Spiced kheema

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 13-19 March

A quiet week this week, and a few nights when I'm just feeding me, so a variety of frozen meals on those nights!  Even though there are only two of us here most of the time now, there are certain meals I still cook for four, and then freeze the left over portions.

Monday - Baked tuna steaks

Tuesday - Chicken in white sauce (a portion left from last week)

Wednesday - Turkey stroganoff (we make this with coconut milk and thicken the sauce with arrowroot)

Thursday - Pork chops (I tend to buy big trays of these, and freeze in meal size portions)

Friday - Salmon fish cakes

Saturday - Handmade pork burgers

Sunday - Beef stew (an ideal slow cooker meal, and great to freeze in individual portions)

Chicken in white sauce

Menu planning 6 - 12 March

We followed the plan from last week, and this week I put the fish pie back in the plan after we didn't make it a couple of weeks ago.

Monday - Poached salmon

Tuesday - Pork chops

Wednesday - Beef stew (from the freezer)

Thursday - Chicken in white sauce (ideal way of using up leeks etc in the fridge!)

Friday - Fish pie

Saturday - Pulled pork with apples

Sunday - we are going to a bring and share meal, so we will taking chicken drumsticks and some cookies out of the cupboard that probably were given us for Christmas!

Fish pie

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

Menu planning 20 - 26 February

Well, we stuck to the menu last week, but now there is only two of us here, it's not hard to do that!

Monday - Poached salmon

Tuesday - Slow cooked chicken - although I have discovered it is too big to fit into our new slow cooker and have to get the old one out!

Wednesday - Pork chops

Thursday - Spiced kheema
Due to a change in plan, we need something that is quick and easy to make

Friday - Fish pie

Saturday - Pork chops
the other half of the packet from Wednesday, just cooked in a different way

Sunday - Beef & prune bake

Sharing with Hijacked by Twins Menu Planning Monday

Fish pie

Menu planning 13 - 19 February

We stuck to last week's plan and continue to eat partly from the freezer - although there does appear to be quite a lot of 'student food' waiting for the children to come home for Easter!
I am still continuing to avoid most of the food that I cut out for the Whole 30 month, as I have a suspicion that large quantities of dairy is not good. I seem to be alright with a dash of milk in a coffee but larger amounts such as lump of cheese or a latte seem to be causing problems.

Monday - Poached salmon

Tuesday - Hungarian meatloaf (this means I can make tomato soup witt mini meatballs with the rest of  the meat and tomatoes)

Wednesday - Not stuffed mushrooms (individual portions from the freezer)

Thursday - Chicken in white sauce - loosely based on this Chicken Pot Pie without the topping

Friday - Fish stew

Saturday - Slow cooked balsamic pulled pork

Sunday 'Pasta' with bolognaise sauce

Sharing with Hijacked by Twins Menu Planning Monday

Menu planning 6 - 12 February

Well, we pretty much stuck to last week's menu, so hoping to do the same this week.
I'm trying to use what is the freezer first.
Our main challenge at present, is due to the weather in Spain,we don't know how much longer we can get salad. We normally get through 2-3 bags of salad, 2 cucumbers and 2 bunches of spring onions in a week, so it could become quite serious if salad components become unavailable.

Monday - Lemon & pepper crusted salmon, loosely based on this recipe from BBC Good Food
I replaced the breadcrumbs with sesame seeds and ground almonds, and the butter with ghee.

Tuesday - Gammon
Towards the end of last year, we cooked a gammon joint, and then froze the surplus either as slices or salad pieces.

Wednesday - Turkey stroganoff
I use coconut milk instead of the sour cream, as I am still avoiding dairy (and it's less likely to curdle!)

Thursday - Shepherds pie
This contains lots of vegetables, and doesn't ask for strange ingredients!

Friday - some kind of fish dish!

Saturday - Citrus pork chops
I freeze these with the marinade already added, so they marinade as they thaw

Sunday - Amish beef and cabbage skillet
A quick one pan meal!

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Whole 30 - Day 30

Breakfast - Breakfast sausage, poached egg and mushrooms

One tray of this makes 12 portions, so we freeze the second half for the next week

Lunch - Smoked salmon salad, 2 clementines

Snack - 3 dates

Dinner - Nacho pie with carrots

This has a cauliflower topping instead of a cornbread one, but the recipe is quite spicy, so you may to adjust it if giving to little ones!

Nacho pie

Supper - Apple

Whole 30 - Day 29

Breakfast - Vegetable omelette

This one had onion, mushrooms and courgettes, a great way of using up the odd bits left in the fridge.

Lunch - Smoked salmon salad, 2 clementines

Look very carefully to check the ingredients as many brands include sugar - the smaller size of this from Aldi does now contain sugar, but this size doesn't (they only seem to sell this size at Christmas)

Dinner - Chicken stir fry with rice

Microwave rice is quick with stir fry and ideal now there is only two of us.

Menu planning 30 January - 5 February

Monday - Chicken stir fry

Tuesday - Nacho pot pies from Beauty and the Foodie

A new recipe to try - it had to be using what is in the house as I hadn't planned before the Tesco delivery!

Wednesday - Pork chops

Thursday - Slow cooked roast chicken

Friday - a Toby Carvery or Hungry Horse mixed grill on the way to Sheffield

Saturday - Pineapple chili from Civilised Caveman

Sunday - ? not sure if we will eat on the way back from Sheffield

Sharing this menu plan with the linky on Hijacked by Twins

Spicy Pineapple Chili 

Whole 30 - Day 28

Breakfast - Bacon, poached egg and mushrooms

Lunch - Chicken salad, 2 clementines

Snack - raw blackcurrant bar

Aldi sell a variety of flavours either individually or in a box of 5

Dinner - Spiced kheema from Nom Nom Paleo

This has the advantage that you can add extra vegetables in the mixture - I used up some cabbage and courgette

Spiced kheema

Whole 30 - Day 27

Breakfast - Bacon, poached egg and mushrooms

Lunch - Tomato soup with mini meatballs, Nakd gingerbread bar

A packed lunch while out and about - tomato soup stains the flask!

Dinner - Gammon steak topped with pineapple, carrots and broccoli

Supper - Blueberries

flask of tomato soup

Whole 30 - Day 26

Breakfast - Breakfast meatloaf, poached egg and mushrooms

Lunch - Pulled pork salad, 2 clementines, 3 dates

Dinner - Fish pie with carrots and Brussels sprouts

Supper - blueberries & 6 almonds

Fish pie

Whole 30 - Day 25

Breakfast - Breakfast sausage, poached egg and mushrooms

Lunch - Pulled pork salad, 2 clementines

Dinner - Beef & prune bake (without the cheese topping), carrots and cauliflower

Breakfast sausage, poached egg & mushrooms