Bloody boring food plan

[Cantmovetoday]

Need inspiration

Been having lovely salads, fish, chicken, bbqs etc but for so long, feeling bored and cooler weather here. Don’t want to go full on roast dinners yet. This is my plan for the food shop tomorrow, it’s so boring though. I need some ideas, obviously don’t want to spend a fortune at the moment too.
Dd and Dh have good, cooked, healthy dinners at school & work, so I can get away with a couple of easier days-baked beans with jacket potatoes/on toast or omelette (Dd at ballet that day and home late
Any more inspiring ideas? I don’t mind doing things that take a bit more time, but mainly on weekends

How about a build your own taco night? Can still have lots of fresh veg and the kids like adding their own toppings

@Weatherwax134 Thats nice, we’ve done it before but only a couple of times, we do our own pizzas a fair bit too

Thai curry. Fry curry paste, add coconut milk, add raw chicken and green beans/ other veg.

Cook rice at the same time.

If it were me I would want a curry or noodle type dish in there - can’t go a whole week without a bit of chilli or spice, or peanut / coconut / lime type flavour if your family don’t like meals with too much heat.

Thank you, didn’t think of putting some curry dish or stir fry in, I suppose I always think it’s more expensive 🤷🏻‍♀️because Jon have to get all the bits to go with it

Slow cooker goulash & crusty bread. The hairy bikers recipe is pretty great.

Sausage casserole with mash.

Chilli con carne & rice.

Stir fry

Perhaps swap one of the something on toast meals for a stir fry of vegetables noodles & chicken pieces? Or what about doing ramen noodle soup, that would be economical, a good way to use up vegetables or salad leaves, you could add halved "just cooked" hard boiled eggs for some protein. Have a look on line for ideas.

I think a lot of it is how you word it to yourself to be honest. Salmon and veg is boring. Teriyaki glazed salmon with chilli, garlic and soy bok choi and steamed rice is not boring.

Soups

Autumnal soups,

You’ve forgotten the toad in the hole.

This is it, really. If you can afford to keep a few bits in the house to make things more exciting it really helps. A bottle of soy sauce, sesame oil, honey in the cupboard can make a dressing for a stir fry and it works out a lot cheaper than buying in sauces etc.

Also traybakes! Rukmini Iyer’s Roasting Tin series of books are brilliant for weeknight dinners - all stuff you can stick in the oven. Not just traybakes, there are curries and pastas and all sorts in there.

Mushroom risotto also a good cheap dinner at this time of year. Or butternut squash if you hate mushrooms.

We have fajitas or tacos quite a lot or chilli con carne with nachos. Also stir-fry with tofu and noodles. What about burgers/hotdogs with corn on the cob, Pesto pasta with pepper, onion, mushroom and butter beans, spaghetti with tomato sauce, Nandos type meal?

I'd add Mediterranean herby roast veg which you can have with either roast salmon or chicken or grilled halloumi.

How about home made burger with sweet potatoes wedges and salad?

Or chorizo and butternut squash risotto with shallots and a green salad on the side?

I’d have a halloumi burger with sweet potato wedges, maybe a 5 bean chilli too - other than that you just need a sauce or a different name!
you could have frittata instead of omelette, just add tinned new potatoes, mixed beans instead of baked beans on toast, chicken in white wine sauce with mash and veg and then the second chicken could be in a bun with wedges, or in a wrap with peppers and have fajitas!

Dishes we've had this week:
*Pork stroganoff (quickly sear a tenderloin cut into strips on a high heat and set aside, add garlic and parsley, to the pan until sizzling then add a can of French onion soup, then add creme fraiche and reduce to half, then put pork back in, simmer for a minute then serve with rice or mashed potatoes).

*Aubergine and halloumi skillet bake with garlic and lemons roast potatoes

*Home made lamb kebabs with salad (red onion, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, red cabbage) and pitta bread with Peri Peri chips

Tonight we're having fillet steak medallions (reduced from £32 to £10 so bargain!) With jacket potatoes, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and salad.

made a cottage pie using swede and carrot mash on top. Cooked cabbage for the side. As lots spare doing bubble and squeak with bacon tomorrow.

You all cook/eat much better than I do 🙈

Curry, stir-fry, risotto, all sorts of one tray bakes(chicken thighs, onion, small potatoes and veggies), pasta dishes x100

Get a new cook book to inspire. Jamie Oliver has loads plus there’s a few one tray/ pot recipe books about.

You've got essentially the same meal in there twice (chicken/veg/pots), so that will make it feel a bit more boring. Chicken is expensive (unless you're buying thighs) so I'd cut that out and swap in some other bits...

Something asian

A pasta dish (carbonara is quick and cheap, and if you make it the authentic way needs only egg and bacon)

Something cheese-based - haloumi or feta are great as 'main' components

Something veg-heavy - maybe a veg chilli

Something based on chickpeas/pulses

Jacket pots with interesting toppings (leek, bacon and cream cheese mixed together with the cooked pot, and back in the oven to brown off)

Gammon steaks with pineapple/egg, oven chips and peas

The gousto website is great for inspiration. Put into google 'xxxx gousto cookbook' where xxxx is your main ingredient, and it will throw up loads of great recipes which are generally very easy and quick.