To ask for ideas for midweek meals?

[LarryIsMyRomanEmpire]

Does anyone had any new/interesting ideas that won't break the bank for mid week meals please.
Anything goes except for peppers which I can't stand, and no steak etc that is really pricey.
It can be veggie or vegan too except no fake meat, as I eat meat, I'm just cooking for myself but happy to cook more and freeze.
Please save me from carbonara/bean chilli/pesto salmon!!!

Gently fry finely sliced leeks in a splash of water + oil/ margerine until a little softened. Slice a chicken breast in half and bash it very flat. Season. Grill one side of the chicken. Then flip it over and pile up the leeks on top along with crumbled feta cheese. Grill until the chicken is cooked through. Serve with anything you fancy (I like a big pile of couscous).

Mushroom omelette and toast.

Beans on toast with a fried egg alongside.

Do you have an airfyer? I find when cooking for one, using the oven can feel like a faff but an airfryer makes it more doable.

eg chicken thighs - a full tray bake in the oven is too tedious for just me (or DD - who is the person I'm most likely doing this for as an individual) - but I can cook 2 or three in the air fryer in about 25 minutes. I do them just with some lemon, oil, fennel seeds, bit of cumin and cinnamon, dash of whisy/brandy if I have it and some salt but if I was doing it for me/Ds/DH I'd add some vegetables vs cooking veg on the stove separately.

Jacket potatoes are always good with whatever is lying around.

Stir fry for 1 is easy and quick and can be super cheap.

I'd also experiment with pasta sauces - it's quite easy to do small amounts or enough for two nights and that way you can have a lot of variety.

Chicken schnitzel? Cut a large chicken breast horizontally so you have two thinner ones. Dip in flour, egg, breadcrumbs (seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon zest) and shallow fry until golden brown and cooked through. Serve with new potatoes and veg or a salad. Pork works well too.

I buy frozen fish fillets and we sometimes poach those from frozen (they don't look so pretty when you do that, but it tastes fine) or I defrost them and fry those.

French toast with fried mushrooms and cheese. Sounds awful. Is delicious!

Or grilled mushrooms and aubergines, bit of goats cheeze, drizzle of honey in a burger.

I am newly vegetarian and yesterday made a wonderful roast dinner. The main event was a cauliflower cheese then with the usual roast sides.

Might be too labour intensive for mid-week though. But a quick win for my Dcs is to cook up instant noodles and put aside without the broth. Then add vegetable oil and sesame oil to a wok, add onions, grated carrot, sweetcorn, peas peppers and cook as a story fry with the flavour sachet sprinkled on top. I usually add a fried egg and salted cashews also. Both DCs eat that and love it with loads of soy and it's really quick. 10 minutes perhaps.

I also have newly discovered basil pesto which I thought I hated. But that with pasta, a goodly splash of cream, sliced black or green olives and halved cherry tomatos. Even fussy DS1 eats that.

Anything on roast potatoes (cheese, fried onions, sour cream)
sheet pan chicken; put anything with chicken thighs (a fave is nigella chorizo, potatoes, onions and squeezed orange)
go Greek any mince with cumin, thyme, spices with yoghurt and salad in a wrap
Greek salad
caprese salad
baked cod with cherry tomatoes and cream (use double cream so it doesn’t split)
broccoli pasta with loads of Parmesan and garlic and chilli
get a big sourdough and just have nice toppings (pickles, cheddar, salad) basically a ploughman’s
fish finger wraps

So only on a Wednesday? Why not have a breakfast for dinner night. Would that work?

This week we have on the menu:

Tuesday
Fish, chips and mushy peas

Weds
Crispy salt and chilli chicken wraps

Thurs
Chicken alfredo (easy to make and so tasty, from the Two Chubby Cubs book)

Fri
Homemade lasagne & salad

Sat
Homemade pizzas

Sun
Stew with dumplings

I make pulled chicken quesadillas with black beans sweetcorn and chipotle paste (sorry can’t write down a full recipe but easy to look up)

Bread my own chicken with panko breadcrumbs add whatever sides

Katsu chicken burgers which are lovely !

cottage pie

lentil shepherds pie

garlic chicken pittas

Our current quick/easy favourite during the week is chicken katsu curry. Chuck some breaded chicken in the oven or alternatively sauté some chicken breast. Boil the rice, heat the katsu sauce and prepare some veggies to have on the side (we usually do raw sweetcorn, shredded carrot, cucumber & edamame). Tasty and relatively healthy!

Lentil quesadillas:

Fry finely chopped carrot celery and onion
Add a packet of Merchant Gourmet tomatey basil cooked lentils
Add a tin of cherry tomatoes and handful of spinach
Splash of cream and cheese and let simmer
Add spoonful to a mini wrap, grated cheese, fold over and dry fry until toasted. Serve with salad

Or use the lentil mix and serve with pan fried chicken and broccoli

I do a mix of batch cooking, leftovers and easy meals.
This week's is
Monday https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/super-mixed-veg-rice (with chicken breast left over from yesterday, I adapt to what veg I have), I'll have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow,
Tuesday Bean Chilli (from my freezer) with jacket potato,
Wednesday pasta dish (I make up a few different sauces and freeze in individual portions usually have two on the go- eg chorizo, vegetarian sausage, chicken, bolognaise),
Homemade pea soup (any leftover I freeze and have for lunch/another evening) and fishfinger sandwiches,
Shepherd's pie (i made this at the weekend and froze it, using the left over vegetables and made sure I made extra mash) theres two in the freezer so will have it next week too, I add lots of veg to it so I dont have to make extra vegetables.
I think the easiest thing is to meal plan (I have rice day, potato day, soup day, pasta day, pie day), and batch cook because it saves me lots of thinking and it gets me organised. Also stops me getting fed up of eating the same things. For example if I make one slow cooker Chilli on Saturday and freeze in portions I'll have 6 weeks worth (i then alternate between having it each week with rice, jacket, potato waffles). Also having lots of one person pots for the freezer helped me.

microwave packet rice fried with beaten eggs and what ever is in the fridge veg/meat/tofu/prawns... soy sauce.

Salmon stir fry https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/stir-fry-sauce

Mussels.

Goats cheese and beetroot salad with puy lentils.

Some great ideas here, thank you.
I can cook, I have loads of recipe books but I've just lost the mojo to even think about what I want iykwIm?

https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/thai-peanut-coconut-cauliflower-chickpea-curry/

We are having this tonight, made it before and it was lovely (I like her recipes) and you can swap different veggies in for ones you don’t like much. Another favourite is Hairy bikers sausage casserole https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/great_sausage_casserole_73010

I made a one pan curry noodle recipe that was quick and easy and went down well.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1DMcGvYDHv/