Inspire me to meal plan something different!

[mmmmmchocolate]

I feel a bit stuck in a rut with meal planning. I seem to just rotate the same 10 meals. So far I have-

Monday- (out all day) salmon with pesto pasta and peas.

Tues- (out all day) have written beans on toast but I think I can do better that this....

Wed- (at work and DP can only cook one thing) fish fingers, chips, veg.

Thurs- roast pork, potatoes, carrots, broccoli.

Friday- (at home all afternoon so have time to prepare) no idea.

Sat- maybe eat out.

Let me steal your ideas :)

Stir fries with noodles
Risottos- wild mushrooms and chicken or seafood
Slow roasted lamb
Seafood pie
Seafood spaghetti

Risotto sounds nice, the DDs would like that. As if I've never made one before! I also haven't made a seafood pie since weaning and I have fish in the freezer!

Lamb is beyond my budget right now unless I can find it in the reduced section. Oh I love it though!!

pick up one of the foodie type mags and have a good look till you find one you like the look of....I picked up Olive a year or so back as it had a couple of delicious looking recipes on the front and then I got a subscription deal

It really does prompt you to stretch your repertoire

Olive in particular does a menu plan usually 7 meals for £30 quid or similar, sometimes it's less and only for two, or has lunches instead of suppers, but great for ideas and not too much thinking :D

I usually buy the sainsburys mag which while I do love to read it I'm always put off making most things because of the amount of ingredients in one recipe. I either do a simpler. Version of it or just drool at the page

I'm going to steal your meatballs idea secondcoming I always have chilli in the freezer but that's for when I'm working so I know the DDs have had something healthy. Do you follow a recipe for curry? I usually use a jar but they're expensive and probably full of salt, I've never had the confidence to make one from scratch.

I work full time and find that stir fries are good for preparing really quickly when I get home. I have a microwave rice cooker, so to rice and a stir fry takes less than half an hour including all of the chopping.

Baked risotto - longer to cook but no need to stand over it. I get it started when I get home from work and then just leave it to cook itself.

Homemade wedges with omeletes (WHY can I never spell that flat eggy thing?!!!) and salad or peas.

A really, really easy curry is a Jamie Oliver one - will try and find for you. Tbh for midweek meals, I'd tend to be lazy and use a jar though. Here

Pitta bread pizzas with salad (or with baked beans, since you like them - only dp will eat them here)

How about this greek pie. It's still good if you leave out the sun dried toms.

or this . It's veggie, but cheap and delicious.

Thai green curry is quick and easy too- some decent pasta, coconut milk and veggies or chicken to stick in it.

pasta? I meant paste

This week we are having

Seabass (£2.99 ALDI) with broccoli and potatoes

Beef Stew with polenta and carrots

Butternut Squash Soup and HM bread

Salmon with pesto and salad

Smoked Salmon and prawn platter (£1.49 Waitrose bargain)

Meatballs and spaghetti (HM and in freezer)

Breaded chicken or fishfingers, chips and beans

HM pizza with chorizo and olives

I Know what you mean. I feel exactly the same and am totally lacking in Inspiration at the moment. Here's my meal plan for the week:

Chicken bake & broccoli
Baked fish & salad
Sausage casserole & mash
Spicy Chicken in pitta
Fishfingers & chips
Baked potato with tuna & sweet corn
Stir fry with rice

remus your baked risotto sounds fab - do you have a recipe?

roast chicken with potato dauphanoise (sp??) and green veg
fajitas with left over chicken, peppers, onions and rice
spaghetti with meat balls
filo feta and spinich pie, with big salad
falafels with pita bread, bean salad and sweet pot wedges
carbonara
prawn linguini
bangers and mash with onion gravy

chicken thighs with chorizo and red wine stew is another have, chuck in lots of veg inc potatoes and is a complete meal.

Am a huge fan of Good Food website, they have LOADS of one pots on at the moment, perhaps have a drool there as dh might even be able to put it in the oven you just never know

here has some ideas

Or perhaps suggest jacket spud to dh instead of fish fingers? (Although don't know why I am against them as such as we have them regularly )

Echo for Napoleon and BBC Good Food. The website is great if you find something short date nice and tasty and need to make a meal around it.

Doing their diced pork with apple and mash and creamed leeks. Easy recipe and sounds yummy.

Jcee - if you do a search on MN chat, I've posted it several times (and probably under several names!).

Gapants - do you reckon I could do a feta pie but with sauteed leeks instead of spinach? I don't like cooked spinach but love leeks!

I do a fortnight at a time and I am veggie while the rest of the clan eat meat...

homemade pizza
meatballs (me leftover pizza)
lentils and veges
baked schnitzel (leftover lentils etc)
cheesy onion flan
spaghetti bolognaise (veggie version)
corn chowder
curried vege pie
vegetable couscous
bbq veggie patties and salads
thai veggie risotto
mushroom tart
satay noodles
slow cooker meal (shanks)

Sides for fortnight are

mushroom salad
bean salad
green salad
egg salad
corn fritters
sauteed potatoes
foccacia
brocauli salad
carrots
baked potatoes
roasted pumpkin, kumara, parsnip
spinach
beetroot

I usually will just make up the combination on the day so for eg when we had the cheesy onion flan the other night, I did a green salad, steamed carrot sticks and beetroot on the side. Today is a bit different as ds has wanted and planned a 'do it different day' where we do all sorts of things differently. The slow cooker has been on over night and others are having shanks, roasties and mushroom salad while I am having roasties, mushroom salad and some left over bean salad from last night.

remus yes i think that leeks would work fine.

Great - thank you. Do you use a specific recipe?

I'm making a leek and gruyere quiche for dinner tonight - I do love leeks! :)

This week we are having

Pork and apple casserole
Jackets with beans and cheese
salmon and broccoli pasta
Chicken satay and stir fried veg
Falafel in toasted pita with yoghurt, onion and mint
Tomato and lentil soup with crusty bread
Roast chicken

I work 2 evenings a week so need to keep it quick and simple those days.

BBC good food website is fab, I agree.

remus thanks - found it! Sounds yummy and seems easy to do - think I will give it a try next week

:) I've been buying little jars of artichokes from Home Bargains - they are only a pound and they make the risotto taste really special. It's really easy recipe to tinker with too - eg have done it with butternut squash by just roasting the squash first then sticking it into the risotto for the last 15 mins or so or baking with a big splodge of marscapone and some sage.

This is my meal plan for the week:

Mon - Prawn omlette and salad and new potatoes.
Tues - Minestrone soup and crusty bread.
Wed - Lamb meatballs in spicy tomato sauce and cous cous.
Thurs - Salmon in a soy, ginger, honey sauce with stir fried greens and noodles.
Fri - Spring Chicken (essentially thighs in cider, with celery, pancetta, baby gem lettuce) and rice.