come on then - insipre me! whats in your menu plan?

[Munz]

going to try the other way around this month - ie plan then buy esp as we're now on a tight budget so any ideas are welcome esp if they're cheap and easy to do, DH is away for 3 weeks, but not to worry as PIL are here for 1 week of it and whatever I make too much of I'll eiterh freeze/mash up for the boy.

so far have thought a beef/ale thing with mash and veg, and home made pizza (was gonna use the pizza bas recipe from my bread machine book) and that's about it, ooh and a chicken stir fry. will prob do jacket spuds as well one day (and the potato skins thing)

also people who make your own pizza - whta do u bake it in? we don't have one of those round tin things, would a ceramic one do instead? - don't really wanna spend out on new tins etc unless I absolutly have to.

stick it on a baking tray mrs!

spag bol
macaroni cheese
toad in the hole
chili
pasta bake

a normal rectangle one will that do? (if I roll it out flat)

do u make all your own sauces jarm - or DH does? lol.

ooh and any recipes you wanna try out!

PIL don't know it yet but they're gonna be my guinea pigs - might as well get something out of this! lol.

shepherds pie / cottage pie

lasagne and salad

chicken wraps

curry and rice

stewed steak one in slow cooker

my menu plans get very boring so new ideas welcome here too!

ooh chicken wraps what's in those?

our meals are normally the same old borning stuff each week it's a bit borning for me now.

(and I don't mind the prep time, DH just doens't liek anything too fancy - he's a pie n mash sort of a bloke)

cut some chicken breast into strips; stir fry it (if you like you can marinade it with something for extra flavour or use a knorr stir it up jar thingy)

place in warmed tortilla wraps, with some salad/ peppers/ coleslaw/ whatever!

I serve with potato wedges usually.

Jacket pots with bacon and chicken topping
Cottage pie and veg
Lasagna
Spagbol with pasta shells
And chips and something out the freezer on friday!

sauces are easy hun! Dave does most of them of course, but i can do them myself!

Roll out the pizza base flat onto a backing tray and get on with it lol

go on them jarm how do u do em?

does anyone do the roasted veggies thing? and what do u use?

keep the ideas coming, shaz - think i'll try wthe wraps this week witht he PIL!

Fish pie

poach some cod / haddock in milk (I usually do it in microwave) Break into pieces when cooked and check for bones (I use cod loin because it is boneless)

make a parsley sauce using the milk you cooked the fish in.

Stir in the cooked fish, some cooked prawns, and 2 or 3 hard boiled eggs cut into chunks.

place in ovenproof dish, top with mashed potato and some cheese.

put in oven for 20 - 30 mins until top golden and pie hot all the way through.

smoked fish is nice in fish pie - if yuo buy smoked coley it is half the price of cod and just as nice.

kedgeree is yummy

if you make too much mash, make fishcakes with them using a tin of tuna or salmon

(can you tell we eat a LOT of fish in our house?!)

cheers girls keep any ideas coming

(the cheaper the better as well )

If I have random bits of veg left over on Fridays, tend to make a veg curry (any old veg cooked in curry sauce from jar very slowly in oven, depending on veg may need to par-boil first eg. potatoes, cauliflower need par-boiling) or a veg frittata which is basically a very thick and slow-cooked omelette - usually I chop and fry an onion, then whatever veg I've got - peppers, courgette, mushroom etc and sometimes fry bits of par-boiled potato, then tip it all onto a plate, re-oil the pan, chuck in 4-8 eggs beaten, seasoned and with a bit of single cream mixed in, let the bottom set then chuck all the veg back in and cook extremely slowly on low light. Can add bit of cheese onto top - grated cheddar or feta is nice. If I'm in a hurry I finish it off under the grill. It's nutritious very cheap and pretty tasty! We usually have it with new potatoes, baked potatoes, corn on the cob or just salad.

How about a fruity chicken curry? Chicken cut to 1 by 1 cm pieces (no, I don't measure ), stir fry in wok. Add bechamel or hollandaise sauce (from scratch or out of a container....), then a can of mixed fruits and curry to taste. Serve with rice. One of our favourites, even our 14-month-old dd loves it (as long as I put away some for her before I go wild with the curry !!).