Meal planning the next 2 weeks -

[QforCucumber]

I'm sat with my blank page and pen trying to plan out the run up, and at least a few days between Xmas and New Year - otherwise we descend into a cheese and chocolate loaded chaos, and I cannot think of anything. Its like my brain can only comprehend Christmas day at the moment.

What are you all eating on the run up and in between Xmas and New year?!

Um... cheese and chocolate loaded chaos? Like everyone else?

I'm keeping it simple (otherwise we end up ordering takeaways!). I usually include things like fajitas, pasta bake, etc. Quick and easy, and I know everyone will enjoy them!

I was just thinking about this. I don't want to eat too much cheese and chocolate before Christmas Day because by then I'm sick of it. At the same time i am so sick of eating the same things we have all the time, and DC are not crazy about trying new things so I often can't be bothered to change things up. We have fajitas/curry/stir fry/sausage and chips/pasta nearly every week so hopefully someone will come along soon with lots of ideas. I'm off work now (teacher) so I do have time to do some cooking and DH does like trying new things.

@ThisIsNotARealAvo that's exactly us, kids are 5 and 18 months and the big one is so resistant to different things, I'm so fed up of pasta bake, sausages, and fajhitas and its Xmas so feels like it should be good stuff - but then the fall out isn't worth it.

Maybe keep the kids the same and treat ourselves!

Mon - Cajun spiced beans and corn dumplings
Tue - crispy chilli tofu stir fry
Wed- beetroot burgers
Thur - moussaka

Christmas Eve
Breakfast - Asda usually do Christmas shaped crumpets which we’ll have Christmas jam and fruit salad.
Lunch - parsnip soup with star-shaped croutons, mince pies
Dinner - veggie sausage puff pastry plait and braised cabbage

Christmas Day
Breakfast - scrambled egg stuffed croissant
Lunch: This nut roast, roast potatoes, Yorkshire puds and maple glazed carrots
Christmas pud and Black Forest trifle
Dinner: Brie and cranberry toastie for Dh and I. Not sure about the dc yet!

Boxing Day:
Breakfast - Panettone French toast
Lunch - Mushroom wellington with cauliflower cheese and red cabbage
Dinner - cranberry and chestnut falafel pittas

27th (Bank Hol Monday)
Festive granola
Lunch - cheeseboard
Dinner - balsamic parsnip and sage risotto

28th (Bank Hol Tuesday)
Gingerbread pancakes
Lunch - cheeseboard
Dinner - roast cauliflower and hazelnut pilaf

Wednesday 29th
Eating at PILs

Thursday 30th
Spiced butternut baklava and Savoy cabbage

New Year’s Eve
Cheese fondue
Salted caramel brownie pudding

New Year’s Day-
Buffet at my parents. I’m taking mini caramelised onion and goats cheese tarts and Ferrero Rocher cheesecake

Tray bake chicken and peppers with rice or cous cous
Chicken in a oven baked ready bag - add seasoning, serve with jacket potatoes
Homemade burgers and wedges
Lasagne
Chilli
Sausage and halloumi pasta
Diet Coke chicken (slimming world recipe)
Chicken tikka (sw recipe too!)
Homemade soup
Mushroom stroganoff
Stuffed peppers
Satay noodles with veggies
Toad in the hole

@Fivemoreminutes1 Please could I have the recipes for your veggie sausage plait and butternut butternut baklava?

So far I've got:
Today - no idea
Tomorrow - veggie peanut butter stew thing
Tuesday - eating out
Wednesday - veggie lasagne
Thursday - omelette, chips, salad or egg, chips, peas according to preference

Friday - this will be our Christmas day this year
Pea soup to start, unless I change my mind
2 meat eaters - something easy, a little crown or piece of lamb or something that you just stick in the oven
Quorn roast or stilton and walnut stuffed mushrooms for the 4 veggies
All the trimmings

Saturday - just 2 of us: baked camembert

Sunday - cheese for 2

Monday - will go to a shop. Probably Thai curry or a stir fry.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie
Veggie plait www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/vegan-sausage-plait/
Baklava www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/vegetarian/savoury-spiced-baklava/

@Fivemoreminutes1 that baklava looks fabulous Thank-you for sharing those recipes!

We’ve got lots of generic stuff in that we know we can make meals from.
Meat/ fish / veg, in the freezer.
Pasta chopped tomatoes, tinned pulses, rice, flour, in the larder.
And of course there will be leftovers. I’ve also bought readymade pastry to make pies.

I always crave light things with tonnes of veg in the days after Christmas - lots of ramen and noodle dishes on my meal plan!

[quote Fivemoreminutes1]@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie
Veggie plait www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/vegan-sausage-plait/
Baklava www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/vegetarian/savoury-spiced-baklava/[/quote]
Thank you. The baklava looks incredible.

Today - Haggis, neeps & tatties
Tomorrow - Fish pie and veg
Tues - Chicken goujon & salad wraps (DS's pick)
Wed - Sausage casserole
Thurs - Spaghetti & meatballs
Fri - Chinese takeaway
Sat - Christmas dinner
Sun - hog roast from Aldi, potato dauphinoise, veg

Tonight: home made burgers
Tomorrow: fish pie
Wednesday: spaghetti carbonara
Thursday: chilli & rice

Friday: mixed fish platter (hot smoked salmon; smoked salmon; prawns; smoked mackerel; depending on what I can get, with crusty bread and salad
Saturday - Christmas Dinner
Sunday - pie made with Christmas Dinner leftovers

Following week not finalised but will go for a curry one night and out for a walk and lunch another day (if not locked down; a takeaway curry one night if so)
Will have some lighter meals like seafood paella; veg heavy fajitas; veg heavy stir fry.

NYE we're supposed to be having friends in for dinner but looking at unlikely that will happen now.

I've got a lasagne in the freezer. That's as far as I've got this year. Will probable do more planning tomorrow ready to shop on Thursday.

We've done most of our food shop lasting up til New Year and booked a small delivery in for next week. These are some of the things we've had/are having for our main meals:

• beef stew with lots of veggies and lentils
• vegetable and mushroom stew with squash
• some Indian curries and accompaniments that are different to our usual ones (an offer) and some veg
• a Thai green chicken curry which came as an offer with some different stir-fry veg to usual (another offer)
• soups with rolls and salad
• herby omelettes with broccoli and slightly cheesy mash
• battered fish with green beans
• a healthy version of a fry-up (not too salty/fatty as that doesn't suit me) with mushrooms, tinned tomatos, hash browns, fried or poached eggs, lean 'naked' bacon - you could add some kind of sausages, I forgot those
• quiche with sauted sweet potatoes and cherry tomatoes
• different quiche with potatoes and 'fancy' salad
• gnocchi with pesto and ready-cooked chicken - no cheese in the pesto we use, plus some veg/salad
• pasta with honey & mustard sauce (may put some chicken or mushrooms in this, may not) plus some veg/salad

We tend to have sandwiches (ham, pate, jam, peanut butter, chicken, salmon paste...) or something based around eggs, tuna, or just some flavoured rice for the other meal. Breakfast could be cereal, breakfast biscuits/bars, fruit (fresh or dried), nuts, seeds, yoghurts, toast, eggs if not planned for another meal. Depends. There is cheese but like you we are not eating too much of it except at the weekends and on Christmas Day.

The veg we have in at the moment are broccoli, peppers, courgettes, onions, green beans, spinach, sweetcorn and carrots. We have a combination of fresh, frozen and a few tins. And some salad in the fridge and items like beetroot and pickled onions in jars.

HTH.