2023 meal planning thread

[Lastqueenofscotland2]

Very much looking forward to getting back on the bandwagon and not eating another Pringle for 11 months.

Tomorrow: Tuscan gnocchi
Saturday: pizza take out
Sunday: enchilada bake
Monday: Jambalaya
Tuesday: Thai peanut noodles
Wednesday: friend is cooking
Thursday: mushroom stroganoff

Today was asparagus, grilled courgette, bean and quinoa salad
monday: Spanish frittata and broccoli
Tuesday: tofu pad thai
Wednesday: veg dirty Cajun rice
thurs: freezer surprise
friday might go out for pizza

Tomorrow: M&S tortellini
Saturday: the mill
Sunday: Veggie paella
Monday: loaded nacho potato wedges
Tuesday: satay tofu
Wednesday: freezer/leftovers
thursday: dahl and naan

The mill was meant to say the MIL is in town! Doh.

Tonight - takeaway pizza
Tomorrow- roast chicken legs, tzatziki, pourgouri, Greek salad.
Monday - stuffed peppers with greek salad
Tues - tagliatelle with pesto, courgettes, peas and mushrooms
Wed - spicy chorizo rice
Thurs - veggie fajitas
Fri - Greek salad pasta

Back on it this week:
Chicken & mushroom pizza (getting back to grips with the pizza oven!)
Spiced lamb chops, gunpowder potatoes, salad
Kimchi fried rice
Satay chicken burgers
Lasagne / pasta bake
Sesame crusted halloumi, tabbouleh
Prawn & lemon spaghetti
Some sort of pizza & salad again to use up fridge bits as we are away for a week (DS staying home but unlikely to cook vegetables!!)

I've bought myself a new recipe book ☺️ the taming twins one has anyone else heard of taming twins we like her recipes online and now she's brought out a cookbook.

Heres a rough draft of this week....

Today....simple chicken roast

Mon...super busy day so it's a fling it on the table style tea. Will be cold roast chicken, salad, and we've got bread, cheese etc so everyone can mix and match what they want.

Tues.....again super busy so I've got a ready meal of chicken pasta bake to pop in the oven. Garlic bread and leaves.

Weds....taming twins recipe of turkey and black bean tacos.

Thursday.... chicken fajitas / halloumi fajitas.

Fri...not sure possibly spaghetti meatballs.

Will have to look that one up!

We still haven't had the carrot rice feta salad thing so hopefully this week.

Tonight is chicken schnitzel ("posh chicken nugget" I've told dd.) With new potatoes and salad.

Then in no.specific order:

Carrots as above
"Asia style" mince and noodles
Stir fry to use up rest of chicken and random veggies.

Not sure beyond that actually.

Just figuring it out, lost my mojo somewhat:
Monday: burgers, chips and green beans
Tuesday: larb with vegan mince and shredded cabbage
Wednesday: balsamic onion tarts, cous cous, peas
Thursday: Zatar and tahini salmon (tofu for me) from OTK with charred leeks and something with the other half of the cabbage
Friday: veggie spag bol

I've no idea where I left this most recently.

Last Sun, we bbq'd - I think it was chicken.

Mon I had pasta in Paris, DH had frozen pizza (his choice).

Tues I had a ham and cheese sandwich in airport, not a clue what DH did.

Wed I had some tapas with work, but was home in time for dinner of, eh, something DH dug out of freezer.

Thursday I was so late home, I picked up chicken and chip and onion rings on my way for us both.

Fri we had steak and onions on bbq, parmentier type potatoes in air fryer and some roasted tomatoes and garlic done on bbq.

Yesterday we had pork belly and mixed veg on bbq, with oven chips.

Today we had some hake fried on the pan with new potatoes (boiled, of course), steamed spinach from garden and steamed asparagus.

Tomorrow is some chicken (bbq'd last night as needed to be cooked) in a salad, with leaves from garden and lovely fresh local toms, potato salad with leftover new potatoes and spring onions from garden, and avocados we need to use.

I think wed might be chicken wings in New York hot sauce (bbq or oven) with oven chips and a blue cheese dip.

And Thursday likely chicken fajitas to use up peppers and avocados in the fridge. And salad leaves from garden.

Feeling a little more inspired this week

Friday: mezze - falafel, various dips, flatbreads, salad etc.
Saturday: pasta with a roasted red pepper sauce
Sunday: Saag paneer
Monday: jerk tofu with rice and peas
Tuesday: veg tagine with flatbread
Wednesday: garlic sesame noodles
Thursday: stir fried veg and chickpeas with chilli lime sauce and rice

Switched the meal plan around this week as was shattered so last night instead of a new recipe of taming twins turkey tacos we had crispy chicken burgers so still a "new recipe/meal" I'm trying to do one new thing or a new variation on a favourite each week to try and expand our meals.

Crispy chicken burgers went down well. Just those breaded chicken tenders most shops sell them, done in the air fryer served in buns with chips. DH and I had leaves and red onion on ours. Felt a very summery meal!

Tomorrow was going to be meatballs but have switched that out to the weekend and tomorrow is pizza. We seem to default to pizza most Fridays atm, it's easy, quick and cheap!

So....

Thurs... chicken fajitas.
Fri...pizza
Sat....slow cooker chicken curry this is a firm favourite.
Sun... homemade turkey meatballs and spaghetti.

Will be back with next week when I've had a think!!

Mon: Pizza
Tues: Meatballs and pasta
Wed: Carbonara
Thurs: Turkey burittos
Fri: Might go for fish and chips
Sat: Out
Sun: Roast dinner

Last week's meal plan and last week's actual eating bare almost zero resemblance to each other. it all just went pear shaped for a whole bunch of reasons. We did have the carrot/feta thing and that was amazing and I've now nailed my version of the recipe @Fivemoreminutes1 provided a while ago so that felt like a win!

Just doing the weekly shop now so hopefully will be better:

Today: Spaghetti bolognaise (DH's favourite for Father's Day!)
Tomorrow: Leek and pancetta tart with salad from our neighbour's garden!
Wednesday: Steak, new potatoes and salad
Thursday: Out
Friday - tuna steaks and fried rice for me and DS as DH doesn't like tuna and he's away! YAY!

Tonight: Aubergine caponata with grilled mackerel, salad
Tuesday: Potato cakes with poached eggs, smoked salmon & asparagus
Wed: Black bean burrito bowls with fried halloumi
Thurs: Tuna Nicoise
Fri: Crispy gnocchi with ricotta, red peppers etc from GRT

Fell off the meal planning wagon these last few weeks and really need to get back to it - being organised just helps me eat healthier. This salad weather we’re having should help me lose some of the bloat anyway!

Monday: spring veg tartlet and salad
Tuesday: chicken drumsticks/Smoked Tofu, baked potatoes and broccoli
Wednesday: I’m at a solstice picnic, rest of the family are having freezer surprise
Thursday: sesame radish and cashew salad with beyond burgers
Friday: going out for pizza

Variations on a theme of convenience last week.

Sun, due to miserable weather, chicken pie.

Mon (similar), chicken fajitas

Tues - grilled salmon, French beans, new potatoes, poss hollandaise sauce

Wed - not a clue yet but likely something somewhat comforting

Thurs - chicken wings and oven chips?

Fri - South African style sausages (in a ring) on bbq

Mine is a bit heavy on meals with rice this week but really craving spicy very savoury food!

Friday: Aloo mattar
Saturday: gnocchi with creamy spinach sauce
Sunday: out
Monday: gochujang tofu
Tuesday: red curry noodle soup
Wednesday: hoisin sesame aubergine stirfry
Thursday: jambalaya

I fired up our new gas BBQ this week and loving it so now thinking about what I can make using the BBQ next week! And our neighbours are away and have given us free rein on their vegetable garden - mostly just salad stuff but brilliant to go with all the BBQ I am planning!

Any hot ideas? So far I have:

Mackerel

Grilled veggies which we love around here but usually it's a faff to make enough so I do them as a side rather than a main or roast them instead.

Lamb and aubergine skewers with a tahini dressing

Burgers - boring for me but kids love it so...

There's also a sort of hot plate thingy so might see if I can do a stir fry. I make them regularly but always get annoyed as our gas stove isn't hot enough and I clearly don't have the right equipment to maximise what heat we do have.

@SpaceOP These halloumi skewers https://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/snacks/chilli-halloumi-skewers

@SpaceOP Also tandoori paneer wraps https://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/mains/tandoori-paneer-wraps

Fri: Homemade beef & pork meatballs with tomato sauce and tagliatelle, garlic bread and salad on the side
Sat: Nandos fakeaway
Sun: Slow cooker Cantonese beef (Bored of Lunch recipe) and rice
Mon: Party food for one year olds birthday!
Tues: Butternut squash and halloumi pasta bake (Taming Twins recipe)
Weds: Shop bought kebabs with wedges, salad and mini corn on the cob
Thurs: Sausage and gnocchi one pot - www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/mains/sausage-and-gnocchi-one-pot

Sunday -Salt and pepper pork belly with apple cider gravy,mash and greens

Monday-gnocchi with mozzarella and tomato sauce,garlic bread and salad

Tuesday- out for lunch so beans on toast/cheese and crackers

Wednesday-homemade quiche,salad,coleslaw and new potatoes

Thursday- stir fry

Friday-chicken tikka kebabs,salad and wraps

Saturday- dinner out

Sunday: veggie lasagne
Monday: courgette and aubergine ramen
Tuesday: DS choice
Wednesday: caponata
Thursday: sweet potato chilli
Friday: flying to Italy for 5nights!!

Thanks all. Halloumi skewers an especially good idea, will try those.

This week:

Mince with noodles, ginger, garlic, chilli etc.
Carrot/feta/lentil/rice salad thing that I now love
Aubergine, feta, chorizo pasta
Nachos with refried beans
BBQ - mackerel or lamb skewers, depending on what looks good at supermarket.

We've got new windows/doors being fitted this week and also dp is doing some late shifts, so it will be very easy things and pleasing myself a bit.

Likely to involve:
pitta breads, tsatziki, falafel and salad
chapati wrap with onion bhajis, minty yoghurt, mango chutney and salad
omelette and salad
and variations on this theme.