Meals either side of Christmas

[ProudCoralBear]

What food/ meals do you have planned between the 23rd and 28th, I always focus on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and need inspiration for the days around then.

Are you in the UK ?

23rd will be some sort of usual meal/ingredients to come with the shop on 22nd
24th will be something like an Marks and Spencer pasta bake, pizza or may be curry.
25th all planned. Beef etc.
26th is going to be homemade soup, crusty bread, cheese and biscuits, party food type day. Eat when you want, as long as you tidy as you go!
27th will be the same as Christmas Eve. It’s the one time of year I use ready meals so May be a Charlie Bighams or something from the Cook range.
28th eating out
29th back to normal.

Not sure.

My mum would like Fish and chips on the 24th, Christmas dinner 25th with mum at ours. Cold meat and mash picky bits at mum's with my sister and her husband. We will probably have a buffet with the In laws at some point. Other than that it will be whatever you fancy.

I’ve a meal plan right through to Jan. There’s M&S curry night, local artisan pie night (pies in freezer already), porchetta and tarteflette, frozen homemade burritos, ramen etc etc. I’ve the ingredients and meals prepped where possible.

Why?

Why am I going wheat free do you mean? I’ve been having some issues & my Dr said to try going wheat free but I want to have a good Christmas first.

Christmas Eve is fish pie. Boxing Day we'll have big turkey sandwiches, cheese, crackers, sausage rolls, chocolates, biscuits etc through the day. Then over the next few days I've got a turkey curry planned, I'm slow cooking a pork shoulder joint in Dr Pepper and then making a Dr Pepper bbq sauce to use both the sauce and pork in enchiladas. No idea how that's going to go, but I like to experiment with food over the in between days! Hoping it's as good as Nigella's Coca Cola ham. 🤞🏼I've also got some chilli and bolognese in the freezer for when I don't want to do any cooking/if the enchiladas are terrible!

As DP is off for 2 weeks, he wants to be at least 2st heavier by new year 🤣. He does all the cooking and we've planned together (I definitely don't eat like this usually!) Some of the meals the kids don't eat so they have something different. There's a couple still to plan yet! My favourite is the American breakfast feast which will be american pancakes, waffles, chicken, bacon, and all the syrups, toppings etc. Never done that before so I'll be looking for inspiration!

22nd Raclette/Christmas freezer surprise (tree nuggets, potato stars etc)
23rd Ciabattas with whatever filling people want/Christmas shape pasta and sauce (lidl)
24th Takeaway
25th Christmas Dinner!!!
26th Mexican feast (fajhitas, nachoes, cheese sauce, dips)
27th Chinese feast (chicken in cashew nut, spring rolls, chicken skewers, prawn toast, prawn crackers)
28th Lidl big buffet
29th Ciabattas/?
30th Breakfast fry up feast
31st Raclette/pie and mash
1st Christmas dinner (The Second Coming)
2nd American breakfast feast
3rd Make your own pizzas
4th Out

22nd - Out for pizza
23rd - Chicken & bean Quesadilla’s with salad
24th - Out for dinner
25th - Christmas dinner
26th - Boxing Day toasted sandwiches with leftovers and leftover pudding for dessert
27th - Turkey curry
28th - Prawn & spinach linguine

We will just eat as normal, I only do special food on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Ah ok. As a coeliac I can’t get my head around why anyone would willingly eat something they know is going to make them feel like crap, but I guess you don’t know for sure. If you like bread, you’ll hate wheat free bread! Enjoy.

re: meals either side of Christmas, I’m delighted to say that we’ll be on holiday so I don’t need to cook anything- woo hoo!

I'm doing:

Slow cooker lamb curry
Fish pie
Pulled pork
Homemade pizzas
Glossy pork stirfy
Seafood linguine

Thanks for this. I’ve had a coeliac test which was negative but I dropped on a locum gp that was previously a gastro surgeon & he said it can be negative but can still be a wheat issue so to try going wheat free. He also said that modern wheat is much more of a problem! So jacket potatoes & salad from January! I won’t bother with gluten free bread!

Enjoy your holiday!

Rough plan

23rd - last day in Malta so will do a food tour before we get on the plane
24th - eating out
25th - eating out
26th - eating out
27th - Raclette
28th - Probably roast meats with chips and lots of sides - coleslaw, potato salad

We often fancy something totally different so might have a prawn stir fry or veggie curry.

I have done some batch cooking this weekend to cut down on cooking Christmas week
Lasagne...to go with salad
Fajita Filling...served with salad and wraps
Curry
Pasta Sauce
Homity Pie

Xmas Day usual roast then a buffet
Boxing Day just me and OH so that will be left overs
27th OH will make a pie with left over meat and veg
After that will be the batch cooked meals

35-40 degrees plus for the next week. I will be ringing the changes on my salad repertoire.

We always have fondue on Christmas Eve. (Swiss cheese fondue with bread, saucisson, cornichons etc, and a chocolate one with fruit for my DC's pudding).

Xmas Day- roast chicken and guinea fowl
Boxing Day - buffet with all the cheese
27th Roast turkey at Grandma's
28th takeaway
29th Roast turkey at the other Grandma's
30th fish pie
31st eating out at pub, DC "early" NY celebration
1st - diet starts today??

Christmas eve - take away
Christmas day - traditional roast (beef not turkey_
Boxing day - ham egg and chips
27th - bubble and squeak
28th - out for family birthday
29th - over food just pick from the fridge
30th - random tradition of hot dogs
31st - all of M&S

A few years ago I started the tradition of beans on toast for Christmas Eve dinner after being cooked out doing the preparation for the next day (I usually make the sauces, veggie option and stuffing on Christmas Eve when it's my turn to cook on CD). Everyone agreed wholeheartedly as there is more room for chocolates, cheese and wine later.

I'm not cooking CD this year and am making a cheese and onion pie on BD with all the trimmings. DD1 is veggie and we only have seven this year - everyone likes it and I can't be bothered doing both a meat and veggie main for that number. Haven't decided on a dessert yet - if I'm feeling brave enough I may have a go at this: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/gingerbread-buche-de-noel
Last time I had a go about ten years ago, I was making it on Christmas Eve, my oven was on its last legs and I ran out for something else. I have been a bit scared to try it again since, Swiss rolls have proved to be my nemesis.

Usually after Boxing Day I am crying out for a nice green salad. 😅

Interspersed with cheese and crackers of course.

We are out at PIL on 28th as well.

Around that I just usually make the usual family dinners. DDs usually have their own plans on NYE and we don't do anything.

I get some roll out shortcrust pastry and make a Boxing Day pie with leftovers - so turkey, stuffing, veg. It's lovely.

Then probably jacket potatoes, turkey, brie and cranberry sauce rolls, cheese and crackers. That sort of stuff.

Love this!

23rd - pasta arabiatta
24th - macaroni cheese
25th - Quorn roast and all the trimmings
26th - meat free hot dogs
27th - fish and chips
28th - buffet (family coming)
29th - meal out with family

We go away on 29th so usually try and eat whatever's leftover but we have a big cockerel , so it's quite easy to revolve round chicken and mushroom stroganoff, chicken and leek pie etc

23rd meal out
24th takeaways
25th not sure yet
Boxing Day in-laws full Christmas dinner
27th probably McDonald’s on the motorway
28 what ever we pick up that day or have in the freezer before we go.