Meal Plan _ Nov 18

Another week organised. It sounds a bit over the top but having the meals planned really makes me feel happy, like i have already accomplished one thing.


Monday
Cream cheese Beef rolls

 This is a dish that just needs to be tried to see how yummy it is.

Tuesday

Speedy Fried Rice


Fried rice is a great, filling mid week meal. The rice can be cooked in the morning in between harassing the kids to get ready for school and then its just a matter of throwing the rest together when you get home. For us Tuesday involves a dentist visit for one of the boys followed by footy practice so a speedy meal is ideal.


Wednesday

One-pan chicken with honeyed root vegetables and stuffing
I found this recipe on a free e-book. I can't pin it and i hope the link works as it wasn't very co-operative. One pan meals are also great mid week options


Thursday


Sweet caramelised pork and coleslaw
This is a new one. I'm going to cheat with regards to the coleslaw and just buy "dry slaw" (rather than grate all the vege's myself). I am thinking the addition of brown sugar to the pork rub and sauce will be a winner with the family.

Friday

Spinach and Feta turnovers


These are a firm favourite with son number 1. (Jury is still out as far as son number 2 is concerned). I always add some extra tasty cheese, paprika and nutmeg to the mix just for extra flavour. No set amounts of each, just whatever i feel is right.

Meal Plan - Nov 4

Organised for food for the week. YES!


Monday

 



(Herb crumbed) baked salmon
I cheat and use pre-packaged bread crumbs and I normally add more/different herbs than just basil - parsley and chives work well. A few comments suggest adding lemon rind which I have done when I have a lemon in the fridge and it makes a nice flavour addition. One of the comments said that they add pinenuts to the crust mix which sounds delicious so I will try that this week.
I'm going to pair it with cheesy zucchini rice which is a new one for me but sounds delicious.


Tuesday


Homemade baked beans with Eggs and Chorizo
I've made a recipe similar to this one in the past without the chorizo but I like to try variations of recipes and this one sounded good. The vegetarian version is pinned onto my board this week (find it here)

Wednesday

Phad Thai (Chicken)
As with Tuesdays meal, I've mad Phad Thai quite a few times and each time i try a new recipe - Mainly because I don't think ive ever truly nailed it so I keep searching for that fail safe recipe. (I don't think there is one for Phad thai though - I think it has more to do with a very hot wok and getting the noodles just right)

Thursday

Maple pork and Maple apples
Mmm, maple sweetness. Should hook the boys in, especially the youngest one. Teamed with roast veg I am hoping this one is a winner


Friday

Chicken, Pumpkin and Leek parcels


These have been on my 'to try' list for a while and this is their week. The boys play touch footy on Friday nights so my plan is to have these all ready and just have to cook them when I get home while the boys shower. I do have one non-pumpkin lover in the house so I might consider other veg in a couple of them

Meal Plan - Oct 7

Yesterday I got my longest run (16.97km) done since completing the Brisbane half 2 months ago. It was hot but it felt good. Not my fastest time but I am truly just happy to be out there and hopefully inspiring a couple of other friends to keep going. I do have to be mindful of the wildlife though - at one stage a quite large brown snake was inhabiting the same path as I was running along. I chose to let him have the path and ran along the road instead.

On a food note, another week of meal planning is done after a couple of slack weeks. It really helps to not only save money and time but also means that we eat healthier as I don't end up buying impulse items at the supermarket every afternoon.


Monday

 Tandoori Chicken
For some unknown reason I've been craving this one lately but never got around to making it until now. Simple to prep and quick to cook. It's great done on the BBQ too.

Tuesday

Steak and roast potatoes
It's great BBQ weather here at the moment. Warm but not too hot and no mozzies, yet. My boys ask for these potatoes nearly every week when I ask for their input on the week's meal plan. What i love about the site where I got the recipe (Natasha's Kitchen link here) is that she posts the how to photos for each recipe. Personally, it makes it so much easier to decide if I'm going to like a recipe.


Wednesday

Slow cooker Chicken and Chorizo pilaf
Quick and easy. Perfect for mid week.

Thursday

 Teriyaki Pork meatballs
I 'd feel weird if I didn't have a recipe from Budget Bytes (link here) in my meal plan. Beths site is one that i regularly check for new recipes. The last time that I made this one both of my boys had given it a 10/10 before I even had a chance to sit down and start eating myself.


Friday

(Herb crumbed) baked salmon
I cheat and use pre-packaged bread crumbs and I normally add more/different herbs than just basil - parsley and chives work well. A few comments suggest adding lemon rind which I have done when I have a lemon in the fridge and it makes a nice flavour addition. One of the comments said that they add pinenuts to the crust mix which sounds delicious so I will try that this week.
I'm going to make home made baked chips to go with this one rather than a salad

Meal Plan Sept 16

I had my 20 year high school reunion this past weekend. Leading up to it, I was excited and nervous all in one, but I ended up having a great time. Facebook took a lot of the guess work out of knowing who was who but I still found myself looking at a couple of people for a few minutes while the old brain clicked over.
In all I think everyone looked great - we must've been a good looking year to have aged so well! ha ha.

Looking towards this week, I've settled into my new job but realise that I need to be careful with what I plan for meals at the beginning of the week when I am doing 9-5. Thankfully my husband is a great help and so I can tell him what needs cutting up and what he can do and that saves me time when I get home, otherwise we aren't eating until 7-ish and it simply allows too much snacking time (mainly by me! the kids are fine).

So this is what we'll be eating:


Monday

 Mexican Chicken & Bean bowls
As I do with all my mince meals, I'll grate carrot and zucchini into the mince mixture. I serve this one like Nachos but  not all cooked together - I serve the mince mixture in bowls and then add a little bit of grated cheese and a handful of corn chips - The kids still feel like they are getting nachos but its a healthier way to serve it up. Win win. If I was really good I could toast some tortillas and that could cut down on the salt from the corn chips...but after working all day that may cut into the 5 minutes I get to relax!


Tuesday

Pork sausages and mash
Plain old bangers and mash - An oldie but a goodie. I do my mash as half normal potato and half sweet potato and add a dash of sour cream if I have any (which I will have leftover from Monday's dinner).


Wednesday

Fried rice
Quick and easy. Perfect for mid week. Instead of bacon I'll have vegetarian and I'll add a tin of Tuna for the boys.

Thursday

 Honey Mustard Chicken strips
I haven't made this one before but I'm thinking it sounds pretty delicious.


Friday

Bolognese Pasta Pie
I haven't made this one before either and I am hoping it's not too fiddly. I think that the boys will like it though so I am going to give it a go. There's tons of recipe variations for this one online and the one i have linked to seemed easy and gave step by step photos - I love step by step photos.

Have a great week

Meal Plan Sept 9

There's quite a few people who I follow on facebook who also meal plan each week.
I love looking at their ideas and reasons for doing a meal plan.
My main motivation for doing so is because it saves me time and it saves me money. It saves me time because I can start to prep in the morning and there are no mad dashes to the supermarket after work. It saves money as I am one of those people who always gets a couple more things than what is on the list.
Another fantastic thing about doing up a meal plan each week is that the rest of the family know what's for dinner too - It saves the nagging voices of starving* children asking me twenty times "What's for dinner". They simply go to the fridge and look at the list that is written up there.
(*I'm going to make a big assumption and presume that people actually know that my children are NOT starving, and that it's just a figure of speech)


Monday

 Home Made Pizza
Ive really only put this picture for ideas. We all have different pizza toppings in our house and this is always a winner


Tuesday

Chicken Schnitzel and potato salad
I actually don't make the schnitzel in the picture and in fact the link doesn't take you to a recipe. Essentially I set up 3 plates - one with plain flour, one with a lightly whisked egg and one with breadcrumbs, mixed herbs and finely grated Parmesan then simply dredge the chicken through all 3 in order. Then I use cooking spray and lightly fry them. They are delicious and I try to make leftovers as they are even better cold


Wednesday

Beef and Rice Noodle Stir Fry
I usually add extra vege's to this one. Things like baby corn, capsicum, broccoli, cauliflower or mushroom work well.


Thursday

 Spinach and Feta turnovers
To add some extra flavour I generally add some cheddar, nutmeg and paprika to the mix. Yum

Friday

Beer Batter Fish and chips
Can't go wrong with fish and chips!

Meal Plan Sept 2

I start a new job this week.
Which is kind of a big deal as this is the first job I've had in around 3 years which involves me leaving the house to go to work. No more slippers on my feet in Winter. No quick dash to the clothes line if it starts to rain. I'll probably miss my coffee machine the most of all. We've built up quite a relationship in the last few years.
On the upside I get to leave the house to go to work. Working from home means that you never leave work, and that can get very annoying. I'd get on the Internet at night or on the weekend to look at something and I'd think, oh, I'll just check the work emails before I log off; suddenly an hour or two has passed. It will be nice to finish work and leave for the day.

I'm still hopeful that I will have the time and energy to make all the dinners on this list:


Monday

 Honey Spiced Chicken
I 'm still loving the website called Budget Bytes and this is another recipe from there. Seriously check it out if you haven't already


Tuesday

Stuffed Capsicums (Slow cooker)
I am hedging my bets that son number one won't like this one all that much because of the capsicums. However, I am hoping that he likes the filling and I'll just eat his capsicum. My Mum used to make a recipe like this one when I was a kid. I can't remember if I liked it or not, but I'm willing to give it a go now!


Wednesday

Cream cheese Beef rolls
Always a winner in our house.


Thursday

Coconut Prawns
I've done these before and they're very yummy. My first job was in a Thai restaurant and they used to make a dish similar to this but their sauce was just mayo and curry powder, which i think is nicer than the lime mayo in the recipe. And actually, I'll personally be doing this with chicken instead of prawns - But only because son number 2 is allergic to prawns so they are a big no-no in our house unless we feel like a late night trip to the emergency department!

Friday

Braided Spaghetti bread
OMG i feel full just looking at this one. But it sounds too good not to try. I read a few of the comments and a good suggestion was to butter the bread dough with garlic butter before placing the spag bol on top

Meal Plan August 26

The days are certainly getting warmer and I think this Summer will be a hot one. We spent all weekend at the beach, and technically it's still Winter.
It means I'll have to start looking into summer salad type recipes.

The best indication of the warmer weather presented itself at the supermarket this afternoon - Nectarines. They were pretty expensive (I paid over aus $1 for each) but I just couldn't help myself.
Summer fruits are the best. And my boys were so excited when they saw them so it was worth it.

Nothing fancy on the menu this week. Starts off with 2 household favourites, followed by a new one (again from Budget Bytes which is a site I am just loving at the moment) and then a simple quiche on Thursday and a baked rice dish on Friday.

Here's the menu:


Monday

Slow cooked beef roast
I am making this one because i want to use the leftovers on Wednesday night. No other reason really. I'll pair it with roast veg including these potatoes which one of my sons asks for every time he sees that i'm cooking potatoes.


Tuesday

Baked spring rolls
I really shouldn't put this link as i make quite a few changes to the recipe, but in a way that shows how adaptable it can be. The main changes that i make are swapping the ham for grilled chicken fillet which i shred and also swapping celery for grated zucchini

Wednesday

Beef stuffed potatoes
This is what I plan on using the leftovers from Monday for. The recipe looks great and I'm hoping that it is well received by the boys

Thursday

Crustless bacon & cheese quiche
This is another recipe that is very adaptable, and I'll be honest, I don't actually use this recipe - it's just the closest one I could find to the recipe that resides in my memory bank. I actually have alot of recipes in there (my memory bank) but its quite time consuming to write them down and take step by step photos and I'm a bit time poor at the moment.
Some other ideas aside from the recipe are - grated zucchini, tomato slices layed on the top before baking, ham instead of bacon, asparagus, sun dried tomatoes. You can also add spices or mustard to the egg and cheese mix.

Friday

Baked Moroccan chicken
I tweak this one a bit as i found it too dry the first time i baked it. The 'tweaks' are: * Add 1/2 cup white wine * Reduce rice to 1 1/2 cups * Add mix veg as well as peas

Do let me know if you try any

Jen

Meal plan - August 12

Before I put up this week's meals I apologise again to those people who pointed out to me that I didn't do one for last week. To be honest I was so tired after the Brisbane Half Marathon that I simply ran out of time and never quite got ahead.

And yes, I am still on a high from my PB at Brisbane. The only trouble is now getting myself out of the mentality that I can't beat that time. Because that is silly - the Brisbane course was fairly hilly. Not just one hill but lots of hills spaced out throughout the course. So if I can do a hilly half marathon in 1:51:03 then i surely can do a flat one even faster.

I am starting off this weeks meals with a couple of favourites and then trying 3 new meals. The meal on Wednesday (Spinach Lasagne roll ups) has been on my 'to try' list almost as long as I have been on Pinterest so I thought I'd give it a go this week. Then when I went to the site/blog that has the recipe I found all these other super ideas and ended up pinning 3 recipes for this week all from the same site/blog. (the site is http://www.budgetbytes.com/. Check it out, it's awesome)

So this is what we are eating

Monday

Pad Thai
I will be doing mine with Chicken because son number 2 is allergic to prawns.
Tofu, blah, so that will be omitted.
I have made Pad Thai several times in the past and it always varies in taste and glugginess but yet I keep trying to perfect it. When I was googling a recipe to use for this week I kept reading about 'Chez Pim's' who the link refers to as well. Pim is someone who has a blog and doesn't give a recipe as such but tips on how to make the perfect Pad Thai so I will be referring to her blog as well.

Tuesday

Beef Goulash
The only difference Ill make is that I'll serve mine with veg rather than pasta

Wednesday

Spinach Lasagne roll ups
I am really looking forward to trying this one.
I love that the blog author has step by step pictures too.
I will probably take the lazy option with the sauce and just use a jar of passata but if I have time I may add a few extra vege's into it (eg capsicum and mushrooms) and simmer them down then blend them in so that they are hidden. (Son number one detests capsicum but what he can't see he can't pick out!)

Thursday

Slow cooker taco chicken
How good does this one look in the pictures. Yum.
I'll probably do kidney beans instead of black beans (simply because I am more familiar with kidney beans). I will also serve these as 'make-it-yourself' burritos rather than with rice so I'll have grated cheese separate plus also some sour cream and avocado. Burritos never fail in my house and that's the main reason I'm taking that path

Friday

Teriyaki Pork meatballs
These look great. I don't plan on changing the recipe other than to serve with some Asian style veg (in keeping wit my 3 veg rule)

..and that's it. Have a fabulous week

Meal Plan July 28

Pat on the back to me. I have this week's meal plan organised on a Saturday and will be ready to post the blog on Sunday morning instead of making a mad dash on Sunday afternoon. It is all too possible (in my case very likely) that I sometimes over think these plans but it does take me at least half an hour to decide what to make and then to do up the shopping list. I don't want to eat pasta every night or have chicken two nights in a row so I have to do some juggling sometimes. Also, I tend to make the meals that I think will have leftovers the night before the meals which I think will be a little light so that I am prepared when I hear "I'm still hungry" five minutes after the last of the dinner has been served up.

I also like to try new things. My children love to watch Master Chef at the moment and they have taken to scoring the new meals out of 10 and make my husband rate them too. My lowest score was a 2 out of 10 from son number 1 because it had capsicum, tomato and onion in it - his 3 most hated vegetables. I've scored a few 10 out of 10's from the youngest son. He loves me and he loves his food. If he meets a girl who can cook I think he'll marry her!

This week all of the recipes I have chosen are new recipes to me so there will be plenty of Master Chef type judging that will occur. (When I say 'new' I refer to the particular recipe rather than the concept; ie. I've had fish and chips before but not used the recipe that I'll be using on Monday)


So here is what we'll be eating this week...


Monday

Baked Fish and Chips
Last week I got some dill and limes from a friend (who has an amazing vege garden) so fish and chips with a dill mayo on the side seemed a perfect way to use them. (I'll make the dill mayo instead of the tartare sauce that the recipe on the link has. It will simply be whole egg mayo, dill, lime rind and lime juice. The amounts will be decided on taste)
I also have an abundance of potatoes after I accidentally bought a big bag not realising (remembering) that I already had some. So, home made chips are perfect.
I try to avoid frying in my meals so that is another reason I have chosen this recipe - It is baked fish and baked chips


Tuesday


Chicken and Chorizo rice pot
I have made a very similar recipe to this one in the slow cooker but I couldn't find that exact recipe when I went Internet searching and stumbled across this one instead. I will be adding extra vegetables to the recipe - at this stage I am thinking zucchini or baby spinach or (probably) both. I am not anticipating a rave review from son number 1 due to the capsicum and onion but will persist anyway!


Wednesday

Moroccan carrot and pumpkin soup
I have a fairly busy day this Wednesday. I have volunteered to help in both sons classrooms and so will find myself at school until just before 2pm. Just enough time to dash home, make dinner, and go back to school to do pickup.
That night I also have the school parent forum meeting (don't know what that's called in other states or other countries - maybe P&C committee?) plus I am trying to squeeze in another meeting for another school function which I am organising. Putting it in writing is not filling me with any great excitement. However, there will come a time when I am just too embarrassing to be seen with, let alone allowed to help out at school so I will take it now while I can.
Soup is a perfect dinner for a day like that - I can make it in advance and will eat mine on the run in between my meetings. The boys and my husband will still sit down at the regular meal time and eat together.


Thursday

Thai beef and noodle stir fry
The only change that I'll make to this one is add more vege's - probably baby corn and capsicum or baby spinach and carrot or maybe all 4.


Friday

Chicken wraps
These are probably more of a lunch meal than a dinner meal but I am sure they will be well received. I am also hopeful that there'll be some leftovers for a road trip on Saturday.


For the disclaimer on my meals plans click here
For the current Pinterest board of this meal plan click here

Meal plan July 22

It has been a lovely, sunny winter's weekend here (For those not familiar with where I am, I live on the east coast of Australia, lets say at about the half way point between the tip and the bottom).
The kids were running around in shorts and t-shirts, not a jumper in sight. This morning we visited a friends house for coffee. They have a German exchange student staying with them and she commented on the fact that our Winter here in Australia is the same temperature as their Summer in Germany. It's funny how sometimes it takes another persons perspective on what a great place we live in for me to appreciate it.

I'm back to running this week after a self imposed ban due to a leg injury.
This time though I will listen to my body (leg) and take it slow if necessary. I have signed up to a second half marathon in 2 weeks time and should be running a bit more in preparation but I am not putting any pressure on myself for this run and so am not too worried. (I say this now; in a week's time I may hit panic mode).
I am hoping that a long run tomorrow goes smoothly, ie. pain free, and that I can join a new friend for some sprint sessions or a trail run later in the week.

In the meantime, this is what we'll be eating at our house

Monday
Chicken and vegetable soup with pasta
Chicken and vegetable soup with pasta
On the weekend I made some chicken in the slow cooker. I have shredded the leftover chicken and kept the broth which I plan on using to make this recipe. I don't plan on using the cabbage though simply because I think cabbage is a bit blah! Instead I think I'll add turnip or leek or zucchini - When I go shopping tomorrow for the veg I'll see what is available and make my decision then. That's one of the reasons I like soups like this one, once you add the staples the rest is fairly adaptable.
I will be harassed by the rest of the family to make bread rolls to go with this one, but to be honest it doesn't take that much to convince me.


Tuesday

Traditional lasagne
I like a traditional lasagne. The only change I'll make is to grate zucchini and carrot into the mince as it's cooking


Wednesday

Easy oven baked frittata
This is a yummy recipe that gets a thumbs up from everyone. The only annoying thing about it is slicing the potatoes. Every time I makes it I wish I had one of those mandolin slicers...Might put that on the Christmas wish list for Santa. If you want the vegetarian version simply omit the pancetta. I've also tried this with chorizo and it's nice to have the extra spiciness


Thursday

Chicken sausage rolls
This is a sure winner in our house, and it's fairly healthy too. Someone (in the ratings & comments section) made a great suggestion to add a tin of creamed corn and I have always done that - extra veg and extra flavour, yum.


Friday

Slow cooker Beef Massaman curry
I made this recipe a couple of months ago after I saw it on a friend's page. I wasn't super impressed but I didn't make it exactly to recipe as I was missing a couple of the ingredients. I vowed that I'd make it again and stick to the recipe. This is it's last chance though...


Have a fabulous week
The pinterest board for this week is here: http://pinterest.com/jenstrongy/this-weeks-dinner/
The meal plan/recipe disclaimer is here