2024 meal planning

[Lastqueenofscotland2]

Anyone else starting to think about getting their arses back in gear?!
Mine for the next week
Tomorrow: baked Camembert with nice bread (not quite over Christmas yet!)
Saturday: Thai green veggie curry
Sunday: NYE - will be sitting in with a dog terrified of fire works, might just order a pizza
Monday: Tuscan bean stew and sourdough
Tuesday: west African peanut stew
Wednesday: some sort of pie with all the leftover veg
Thursday: gochujang tofu

Busy week here decorating so mostly not very exciting.

Saturday - Trying out the chicken satay curry that someone gave me the recipe for on here.
Sunday- French onion smothered pork chops with mash and something green.
Monday- Baked halloumi and veg orzo (inspired by all the orzo chat)
Tuesday - M&S plant based Kyiv's with salad and new potatoes (we're meat eaters and love these!)
Wednesday- Lamb kofta tray bake thing with raita & maybe rice.
Thursday - Tuna jacket potato and salad
Friday - Out for a curry.

sunday - Taiwanese “chicken” (fried tofu) sandwiches, kimchi and cabbage
Monday - easy dinner, fish fingers and chips and peas
tuesday - crispy butter beans with roast tomatoes and kale (garlic bread on the side)
wednesday - mapo tofu and rice
thursday - I’m out so the others will have salmon, pasta pesto and green beans
friday - crispy tofu and broccoli pad thai

This week was a bit hit and miss but I managed a reasonable food shop for a change. My plan is to empty out freezer and fridge space in the next few weeks.

Today will be chicken and mushrooms in a white wine and cream sauce on a bed of rice.
Tomorrow chicken Murgh oudhi with poppodums.
Tuesday probably chicken fajitas after a drinks reception.
Wednesday is a white fish korma with the last of the poppodums
Thursday will be duck breast, garlic French beans and parmentier potatoes.
Friday probably steak and potatoes, need to buy veg or do roasted cherry tomatoes with garlic.

I also froze 3 bags of diced chicken, 2 bags of lemon and garlic chicken thighs and 1 bag of piri piri chicken drumsticks for easy dinners.

Thanks for all the Orzo suggestions. I am going to try the roasted veg or roasted tomato from @Forgottenmyphone or @HalloumiFries - they are similar I think in concept.

@HalloumiFries The lamb recipe sounds great. I'm always a bit hesitant about cooking lamb chops like this as they're so expensive if you get the good fat ones and I worry about ruining them.

What's interesting about this recipe is that it's not a million miles different from the lamb stew I make (similar flavours) which calls for lamb's knuckle from my favourite South African recipe book. As far as I can tell, lamb knuckle and lamb scrag end are the same, or similar - you need the bone with that bit of marrow in the middle. The main difference is that mine cooks for longer and slower - i think its 2.5 hours in total and you add additional veg - butternut and chickpeas. If I nail this orzo thing, I'm thinking my version, with orzo added to cook at the end could be a lovely thing.

I didn't do Jamie fish last week. I am conceding defeat - it's not going to happen. will be experimenting with a plainer version of air fryer frozen fish fillets tonight instead.
I also didn't do the quiche and landed up using the cream in a quick pasta dish last night as I didn't take into account how late we'd be back from a trip into London. So quiche back on menu for this week.

M: Fish - with veg
T: Butternut and feta quiche with salad
W: I'm out. Dh and kids can have the lasagnas in the freezer
T: Roasted tomato orzo dish
F: Crumbed chicken breasts with wedges and salad
S: Steak sandwiches/wraps/pita, mushrooms and a slaw
S - will decide later. I think we're all at home so maybe I'll do a bbq or something

Tonight - Poke bowl
Tomorrow - Halloumi gyros
Wed - Cheats paella
Thur - Puff pastry pizza and green salad
Fri - Thai chickpea burgers with peanut sauce
Sat - Tofu banh mi
Sun - Mozzarella, tomato and pesto pasta salad

@SpaceOP
Good luck with the orzo dish - I'm sure it will be super! I was thinking again about yievetsi over the weekend. I've not made it in so long and the price of lamp chops is definitely a factor in that. I was thinking that lamb shanks may work well and I guess not a million miles away from the knuckle idea. I'll file that away for cooking when it gets a bit cooler and I start to crave rich and comforting dishes.

So far this week is completely out of synch with my plan. MiL's sunday roast ended up being a bbq due to fabulous weather and I have come home with loads of leftovers so working my way through those. Luckily hadn't done the big shop so saving money this week and will likely push some of this week's planned meals into next week.

@HalloumiFries I always think lamb shanks are much more strongly flavoured than chops or even other good slow cooker cuts like shoulder (or my knuckles/scrag end) so I'd be hesitant about myself. But yes, the cost of good quality lamb chops is insane. There's a local butcher that sometimes does 5 decent size ones for a tenner, and I always try to pick them up when I see them. But it's still not cheap.

@SpaceOP Good points re the shank. I don't think I've ever seen a lamb knuckle or scrag end for sale but will check with the local butcher.

I get the scrag end from waitrose meat counter. According to google, knuckle is from the foreleg? Scrag end is actually from the neck. So not the same actually (although look similar). The knuckle looks similar to oxtail actually, if oxtail was cut into thinner pieces.

They definitely both work in my slow cooked lamb casserole/stew!

@TheLadyIsAVamp how did the satay go?

We’re deep diving the freezer until the big shop on payday (Thursday) so this week is:

Sun - macaroni cheese with garlic bread and peas
Tonight - baked potatoes, quiche, salad
Tuesday - chicken Kiev, chips, sweetcorn
Wednesday - pan fried gnocchi with pesto, peas and spinach
Thursday - chilli baked potatoes with salad and guacamole/salsa/soured cream
Friday - takeaway
Saturday - maybe spaghetti carbonara

@Judystilldreamsofhorses it was great thank you! We added lots of chilli as we like things spicy 🔥 will definitely do it again 👍

Hi. Hope it’s ok to join in.

Today - Plain white rice, scrambled egg & shredded chicken breast. Bland but needed low FODMAP to help recover from a GI flare up over the weekend.

Tomorrow - planning to make Stifado but cannot find pearl onions anywhere except Ocado and I don’t want to order just one item. Think I might have to substitute with shallots which is annoying but oh well.

Wednesday - Baked gnocchi with nduja, spinach & garlic butter.

Thursday - baked salmon with a green pesto topping, green veg & new potatoes.

Friday - chilli & jacket potato

Saturday - chicken satay curry & rice

Sunday - lamb with a mint & pea crust, roast veg/potatoes, red cabbage all in a giant Yorkshire pudding with loads of gravy.

Really glad you liked it! I read the recipe back and hope it was clear I use four breasts for four portions, it looks like we have half a breast each per serving now I look at it again which would be very stingy.

Sunday - I made a veggie lasagne

Yesterday was wedges and Greek salad for me and fish cakes for the rest

Today DP is making a chilli which we’ll have with salad and deconstructed guacamole

Tomorrow will be some sort of pasta or fritters to use up courgettes, plus more salad

For all you vegetarians on this thread, this may be something you'll think, "no shit Sherlock" about but just in case -

last night we did the steak flatbreads as I didn't have time for any of the other meals on my meal plan. Due to poor planning and confusion when shopping online I didn't really have enough steak for all four of us. So I had a veggie version which was big flat mushrooms that I'd roughly chopped but still left in big pieces and fried and a little "slaw" which was pointed cabbage, red onion and carrot pickled in lime juice (with salt and sugar) on a flat bread and drizzled with garlic sauce and ... frankly, much as I love steak, I am not entirely certain the steak would have added anything to this specific meal.

This week

Friday: Risotto of some description.
Saturday: lentil and mushroom spag bol
Sunday: veggie sausage and mash
Monday: mushroom stroganoff
Tuesday: BBQ jackfruit
Wednesday: out
Thursday: tofu Thai green curry

Saturday: Char Sui pork, wok fried greens and rice
Sunday: Greek chicken & halloumi tray bake
Monday: Creamy garlic mushrooms on toasted Ciabatta with a spinach and rocket salad
Tuesday: Spaghetti aglio with lemon herb chicken thighs and a side salad
Wednesday: Chipotle steak fajita bowls
Thursday: Probably a curry of some description
Friday: Think we will have fish & chips from the chip shop or another type of takeaway.

Many of last week's planned meals being recycled into next week.

Today - now going out to local pub
Tomorrow- Goats cheese and sorrel risotto (as planned)
Sunday- Mezze selection
Monday- leftover mezze bits
Tuesday- chicken broccoli feta quinoa
Wednesday- Greek salad pasta
Thursday - Chicken Kyiv, broccoli, carrots and green beans
Fri- Sat - 2 night camping trip
Sunday- Pierlini and salad

I have been shopping for our spontaneous BBQ with friends tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to doing something a bit more interesting than burgers and sausages.

I also am obsessed with the idea of a spatchcocked chicken on the BBQ but too nervous to make it for the first time with them... so making it today with the roasted orzo/chicken @HalloumiFries as a side/base so I don't have to do any extra prep. Hopefully plenty of leftovers I can work into something on Monday or with leftover salads from my BBQ.

Tomorrow:

Lamb skewers (onion, tomato, peppers, possibly courgette if there's one in the fridge)
Chicken pieces marinaded in lemon, thyme, fennel etc. I do these in the oven usually but am toying with adding yoghurt to the marinade to help with keeping it lovely and moist. Also might "pre cook" it on the BBQ in foil parcels.
Aubergine and feta salad (griddled aubergine) with a chilli/vinegar/mint dressing
Parma ham wrapped asparagus spears, roasted, with a cream cheese dressing
Kale salad - I'll be doing this with mostly kale, massaged with lemon and oil then garlic, salt, flaked almonds and chopped avocado.
selection of bread/rolls.

I'm feeling pretty good about it. Its more interesting than any BBQs I've done in ages!

After a week of surviving on things thrown together, I did a breast of duck with roasted garlic French beans and roasted baby potatoes last night, to use first beans from my balcony tub.

Tonight, I am having lamb chops with garlicky potatoes and a tomatoes/peppers/onion/garlic mix tossed in balsamic vinegar/olive oil before roasting.

Tomorrow, I am possibly having some lemon and garlic chicken, with Mediterranean vegetables and potatoes.

Monday will be tortellini with tomato sauce after an event, if I don't get enough at the event.

And Tuesday I will have salmon somehow (possibly involving cherry tomatoes and white wine over pasta). Before I head to the airport for a late flight.

The rest of the week depends on what I get at events, what DH cooks when I am at home, or the takeaways I get when I am too late from the events but didn't get food...I'll be cooking from the freezer on Monday week when I return, and possibly the rest of the week until I get to a supermarket so probably a mix from chicken or prawn korma, a chicken tikka masala, a pasta bake, some piri piri chicken legs, lamb chops or salmon.

Been a bit rubbish recently and just chucking stuff together but I think roughly this week:

monday: out with DS
Tuesday: black bean and seitan chilli
wednesday: undecided. Maybe hoppin’ Joe with tempeh?
thursday: Chana masala & dad is making pop sambol and DH is making naan
friday: book club so easy dinner of fish finger sandwiches and chips (I have some vegan fish cakes in the freezer)

This week:

M - potato and cauliflower curry
T - jacket potato and beans
W - jerk chicken and rice
T - lentil daal and cauliflower rice
F - pizzas
S - sage, walnut and brown butter pasta
S - alpine soup (sourdough, bacon, cabbage and emmental in broth.... tastes better than it sounds)

Today - jerk tofu traybake
Tue - fish finger tacos
Wed - roast squash and chickpea pilaf
Thur - stuffed peppers
Fri - perinaise ‘chicken’ pasta
Sat - courgette parmigiana
Sun - quesadillas and Mexican bean salad

Sunday - out for lunch (roast) and sausage sandwiches for tea
Monday - chicken and leek thing, jacket potato, sweetcorn
Tuesday - spaghetti bolognese
Wednesday - spaghetti bolognese again
Thursday - pea and pancetta risotto
Friday - chicken fajitas

(Then DP is off to Saudi for a fortnight so I will mainly eat things on toast and M&S oven meals…)

@BiddyPop your menu sounds very impressive! I have been watching Masterchef Australia so expect inspiration to start hitting soon...!

Tonight we're having Spaghetti bolognaise
The next week, in an order still to be decided:

Chicken ala king
Paella
Pork and butternut risotto
Aubergine and tomato curry (although I do have some lovely bits of that scrag end lamb we've been talking about so MIGHT swap to lamb, tomato and aubergine curry)
Jacket potatoes with my new favourite lemon/cream cheese/spinach bean topping
Steak stir fry with noodles

And then I have plenty of additional veg etc and I realised there's a bunch of crmbed chicken type things in the freezer so that might come out at some point.