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

Monday: chickpea and sweet potato tagine

@Lastqueenofscotland2 I don't like sweet potato but usually can be swapped out for butternut - can you send me the recipe for this one please?

Although DS isn't exactly a big fan of my chickpea and pepper curry, even though it is, if I do say so myself, delicious, so not sure this will go down that well with him. But you never know!

Just place marking again so I don’t loose you - school finally starting next week so back onto planning, currently just working our way through yellow sticker food in the freezer!

Also placemarking @Citygirlrurallife . Always easier to have the headspace to meal plan when DC are back at school! I'm trying to do one new meal a week/fortnight as getting bored of the same meals on repeat but it's tricky with various dietary requirements and a large family.

We are currently trying to use up things from fridge and freezer aswell I'm having quite a few random concoctions for lunch atm 😂

Although yesterday I went to the butcher's and they had some really good reductions and offers on so bought loads and portioned it up for the freezer

After weks of planning and then rejecting, I think it's finally soup weather so I can use up some of the stock and other bits and pieces in the freezer.

Saturday: Chinese takeaway with BiL & family
Sunday: Garlic chicken with papatas bravas
Monday: Veggie sausage traybake
Tuesday: Pasta with leftover sausages in tomato sauce
Wednesday: Vegetable soup with either cheese & biscuits, filled roll or possibly rhubarb crumble.
Thursday: same as wednesday
Friday: Chilli chicken and cabbage noodles

I’m so far thinking:
salad night - Greek for me and mackerel for dp, with roasted new potatoes

soup night - I like the idea of vegetable soup with a cheese roll, or maybe with garlic bread

pasta night - maybe something with roasted squash and blue cheese

maybe veggie toad in the hole

Fri I made a proper (fry onions for over half an hour to get started) lamb rogan josh with 2 dinner portions frozen as leftovers.
Sat we bbq'd steak with mashed potatoes and air fryer French beans
Yesterday was this weeks takeaway as we were late home from family visiting

Tonight is bacon, chorizo, mushrooms with a tomato sauce over pasta
Tomorrow bacon and cabbage
Wed something with beef mince (I'd like to do meatballs but may end up doing chilli for time purposes)
Thurs piri piri or Greek lemon chick (depending on which I feel like marinating it on wed - and if DH is eating or not)

Today: roasted tomatoes (neighbour's glut!)with spaghetti and feta
Tomorrow: Tuna jacket potatoes with a small salad
Thursday: salmon, veg and rice
Friday: we're out
Saturday: steak, potatoes, veg

Again… uninspired!

Friday: jacket potato with cheese and beans
Saturday : mushroom, leek and asparagus risotto
Sunday: nachos
Monday: pasta with roasted beetroot sauce
Tuesday: dahl and naan
Thursday: noodles with peanut sauce and stir fried veg

Wed- tofu banh mi
Thur- feta and courgette orzo salad
Fri- red pepper and pesto rice salad
Sat- bbq - tandoor paneer skewers, bhaji burgers, coconut raita and kachumber salad
Sun- courgette parmigiana
Mon- sesame broccoli noodles
Tue- speedy quiche traybake

@Fivemoreminutes1 would you mind sharing the recipe for your courgette parmigiana please?

Thank you for all the MiL well-wishes. All good now.
Obviously my very clear statement of intent about autumnal weather meaning soups, sausages, cabbages and crumbles, went totally awry this week so my plan was quickly redrafted:

Saturday: Chinese takeaway with BiL & family ✅
Sunday: Garlic chicken with papatas bravas ✅
Monday: Veggie sausage traybake ❌Had Spanish meatballs from freezer with an olive and pepper sauce and crusty bread.

Tuesday: Pasta with leftover sausages in tomato sauce ❌ It was pasta but with leftover olive and pepper sauce.
Wednesday: Vegetable soup with either cheese & biscuits, filled roll or possibly rhubarb crumble. ❌ Cheese and onion quiche with salad
Thursday: same as wednesday ❌ Tonight will be chicken thighs in spicy marinade with new potatoes and salad
Friday: Chilli chicken and cabbage noodles ❌ fresh ravioli with beef ragu filling in cherry tomato and wine sauce with green salad.

Not going to attempt the autumnal food for at least another week so next week will be:

Saturday: BBQ - venison burgers, corn on the cob and maybe some sort of sausage or chicken wings with bean salad, potato salad, coleslaw, tomato salad.
Sunday: Chicken legs marinated in sherry, orange and oregano with patatas bravas and green veg
Monday: Breaded chicken with leftover salads from saturday's bbq
Tuesday: Greek salad pasta
Wednesday: Fasolakia

That's as far as I've got. Been collecting loads of brambles though, waiting in the freezer for autumn to get underway.

@buonnatale Enjoy! https://www.mob.co.uk/recipes/courgette-parmigiana

Sorry I’ve just seen this! I completely wing it but it was loosely based on this once upon a time
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/butternut-squash-chickpea-tagine

Im not a fan of butternut squash so always used sweet potato!

Its not the most authentic but it’s nice and goes down well

We used the beef to make burgers in the end, and bbq'd some and froze more.

Friday was the bacon and cabbage.
Saturday I was out at a party.
Yesterday we did stuffed tomatoes and mushrooms (used up a load of breadcrumbs and some thyme from freezer which was useful).

Today is meatballs and pasta..

I have no ideas for the rest of the week yet - probably will include a shepherd's pie that's in the freezer and something with chicken, and perhaps some salmon burgers (local fishmonger makes his own with lots of ginger in there - delish!)

Thanks @Lastqueenofscotland2 . Will experiment possibly.

This week

Today: steak (that we didn't eat on the weekend), with mushrooms and air fryer roast potatoes
Tomorrow: Roasted cauliflower with a satay sauce and rice
Wednesday: Tomato based pasta - probably bacon, mushroom and broccoli.
Thursday: not sure, need to work around about 50 kids activities so probably ready meals!
Friday: tbc but fish if the fish market is on again this Friday.

Rough plan for this week..

Tonight...hoi sin chicken wraps. Really easy whole chicken in the slow cooker, shredded then served with Chinese pancakes / wraps hoisin sauce, spring onions and cucumber. And wedges.

Tues.... leftover chicken into chicken chow mein

Weds....easy tea of freezer stuff for DC and ready meal for DH and I.

Thursday...not sure yet. Maybe chicken burgers I got reduced that are in the freezer.

Fri is always Friday pizza night!

Weekend...not sure what day but want to do a slow cooker lasagne we had this last weekend and is so easy!

Finally back on the meal planning train:

Mon: 7veg pasta sauce with....pasta
Tues: thai noodle salad
Weds: Salmon/Tempeh with kale salad and new potatoes or israeli cous cous
Thurs: Chicken drumsticks/Kohlrabi fillets with pistachi and herb crumb, sweet potato wedges and roasted courgettes
Fri: freezer tea for DC, tempeh and roast whatever veg is left at the bottom of the fridge for DH and I

Wed- cheese and tomato bread pudding, green salad
Thur - veggie chilli dogs
Fri - courgette pizza boats and garlic bread
Sat - odds and ends picnic
Sun - Autumn veg toad in the hole
Mon - jackfruit enchiladas
Tue - sausages, cheesy mash and courgette fritters

My plan has been 100% on track for the start of this week - first time in ages.

Finally now moving onto my autumnal repetoire:

Tomorrow and Friday - vegetable/lentil soup and apple and bramble crumble
Saturday - Pizza with friends
Sunday - lamb steaks with pesto butterbeans, spinach and tomatoes (Ok, that's a last ditch attempt at holding onto summer)
Monday - Out with friends
Tuesday - veggie sausage traybake
Wednesday - Pasta with tomato sauce and leftover sausages
Thursday - veggie chilli and flatbreads
Friday - chilli cabbage noodles with chicken

Feeling far more inspired this week!
tomorrow: meze
saturday: gnocchi Arabiatta bake
Sunday: jerk tofu with rice and peas
Monday: Aloo Mattar
Tuesday: Fajita loaded fries
Wednesday: out at a friends
Thursday: west African peanut stew

I completely forgot that I had a discounted Hello Fresh box arriving this weekend. Which is excellent as I didn't have a full week's menu and now I do!

Yesterday we had meal 1 from the box - Korean cheesy mince on wedges. Was quite nice and gave me some ideas for future meals without Hello Fresh.
Today: Chicken wrapped in parma ham, roast potatoes, veg and yorkshire pudding (DD wanted a roast dinner yesterday - this is my compromise).
Tomorrow: Tomato risotto
Wednesday: sausage penne (hello fresh)
Thursday: halloumi fajitas
Friday: smoked mackerel, new potatoes, salad

Mon: leftover curry from Saturdays takeaway
Tues: stir fried peppers, mushrooms, green beans and tofu with noodles, prob Chinese style as we have some black bean sauce at the back of the fridge
Weds: salmon, mash and broccoli
Thurs: green roasting tin fennel, pak choi and crispy chickpeas in satay sauce with rice
Fri: DS and I away for the weekend so will be eating out, no idea what DH and DD will do!

Saturday was grilled salmon, steamed brocolli, mash potatoes and hollandaise.
Sun chicken thighs wrapped around feta cheese and baked, with roasted potatoes and roasted peppers
Tonight Rogan josh curry
Tomorrow will be a Chinese stir fry with roast pork and lots of veg
Wed will be pasta with either bacon or chicken and some kind of tomato sauce and possibly some mushrooms/peppers/courgette
Thurs is possibly battered fish and oven chips, maybe with peas and some tartare sauce
Fri May be chicken fajitas or a takeaway (or a Sainsbury's meals) depending on whether I go on from Dundalk to Newry/Banbridge or come straight home...

Black bean enchiladas
Stuffed butternut
Sriracha tofu and sticky rice
Lentil and roast courgette ragu
Chilli and butternut cobbler
Jacket potatoes and leftover chilli
Halloumi gyros

Tonight: pepper and red lentil soup
Monday: mussels for DD, sausages for the rest of us, chips and sautéed cabbage
Tuesday: bean chilli and rice
Wednesday: African peanut stew with chickpeas
Thursday: baked potatoes with whatever fillings everyone fancies, drench beans and peas

not sure about Friday yet, depends what our plans are