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

Halloumi, the black bean and cheese bake is intriguing! Have you got the recipe? :)

@Peacheese it's this one. https://smittenkitchen.com/2024/05/black-bean-and-vegetable-bake/

Not tried it before but I have saved loads of IG recipes over the last few years and now trying to make as many as possible - deciding what is worth keeping and what can be deleted. Also looks nice, quick and easy for a weekday.

I am definitely going to try the aubergine thing at some point.

This week we are having:

Pork mince stir fry
Jackets stuffed with cream cheese and tuna, and salad
Tomato, chorizo, aubergine, chilli pasta
Salmon - tbc
Pork schnitzel, wedges, veg
Roasted cauliflower, satay sauce, pilaf
And the boys will have pizza on Thursday while me and DD are at swimming.

Salmon for the rest of the household tonight with little roasted new potatoes and salad. Potatoes and Greek salad for me. Maybe a quick stuffed pepper if I can be bothered.

Then we’ve got:
burritos with black beans and corn, guacamole and a homemade tomato salsa

Courgette pasta

veggie sausage and lentil casserole

Friday I think I’m out. If not, probably an omelette.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie what veggie sausages do you buy? We used tp buy really lovely ones that I think were Stella McCartney- potatoes and veg- but dh stopped being veggie amd we didn't buy them for a while and now we either have forgotten or they don't sell them anymore. We don't like ant quoarn options.

We did Jamie's miso grilled salmon tonight.... total hit!! He cooks his for 12 minutes but I did 8 and it was plenty. Top tip... the little pickle is important. We did carrot, spring onion and red cabbage. It irritates me that jamie oliver recipes really do work so consistently well. No one should he that good.

For sausage casserole I use Fry’s veggie hotdog sausages. The only place I can find them now though is in the freezer aisle in Morrissons.

Next couple of weeks have so many social commitments, we're barely going to be at home so there's not much to plan. Not great for the bank account or waistline but it's a nice time of year.

Things changed a bit this week so I'm making a lamb and spinach curry tonight (lamb and fr. spinach both from freezer) and the mushroom pesto quinotto will make an appearance next week instead. So the plan is:

Tomorrow - Out at rugby (food on the go)
Sunday - Lasagne
Monday - l/o lasagne
Tuesday - Christmas market night with friends
Wednesday - Work christmas do (includes buffet). DH will go to PiLs.
Thursday - Mushroom pesto quinotto
Friday - Saturday - travelling for a wedding on Saturday.
Sunday: Lamb steaks with pesto butterbeans and spinach

(mince for lasagne, frozen milk for bechamel and lamb steaks, all coming from freezer. I'll make room for a turkey if it kills me)

Haha - I have just been perusing my freezer trying to work out if I can make space for the lamb shoulder I'm doing on christmas eve for in laws.... I feel your pain! I suspect we'll be having something with mash, a lot, as it appears I have a load of leftover mash in the freezer taking up space. Shepherds pie!?

We were unexpectedly out quite a bit last week so I still have two things from last week to do this week. Plus all that mash so....

Roasted cauliflower and satay sauce on pilaf
Pork mince stir fry with wok noodles
Shepherds pie
Meatballs (this is feeling very mincey this week - but I promised DD!)
MIso Salmon ala Jamie Oliver (again) with rice noodles
Baked chicken pieces with something or other.

Monday - chickpea and vegetable enchiladas

Tuesday - poached egg on toast

Wednesday - chicken cacciatore and rice

Thursday - mixed vegetable pasta bake

Friday - ham, mascapone and truffle pizzas

Saturday - cajun halloumi pasta

Sunday - pie and mash

Trying to clear out the freezer

Monday: veggie chilli out of the freezer for DS and I, fried chicken and rice for DD and DH

Tuesday: garlicky king prawns in spaghetti and parsley for DH and I at lunchtime and snacky salad for dinner, DC having fish fingers and chips cos quick and easy before their Carol concert

Wednesday: one hour spicey sesame, aubergine and courgette ramen with tofu (prob normal ramen for DD)

Thursday: jacket potatoes and peas and each of us having a random protein side out of the freezer as I seem to have things like 3 veggie sausages, one fish fillet, one steak etc

Away Friday-Sunday

I mostly stuck to the ideas I had last week, although less so by the end of the week.

The pumpkin and Gorgonzola pasta was delish, and I have a second portion of the puréed pumpkin frozen to do it again another night.

Last night, I had Greek lemon and honey chicken with roasted veggies.

Tonight, I am having the same with the last of the raw chicken and reheating leftover veg and potatoes.

Tomorrow, I think I will do a curry.

Wednesday, I am out for drinks, so will defrost salmon to have with wilted spinach as a fast option late in the evening.

Thursday, I will do chorizo potatoes.

Friday will probably be reheated chorizo potatoes or something from the freezer.

I am away for the weekend (pleasure) so eating in restaurants with dd, and being entertained on Monday (for work). Tuesday I have a drinks reception but need to have something easy just in case there isn't food (it's not clear on invitation).

But my next proper cooking may be Wednesday 11, if I don't have to entertain a colleague (we'll go out) and I have a Christmas party on Thursday. So I will need a weekend of real food after all that.

Pumpkin and Gorgonzola pasta sounds so good!

Ds made veggie burritos last night (we didn’t get around to them last week) and I did a fresh tomato salsa to go with them.

Tonight is veggie burgers with salad

Not sure about tomorrow

Weds is a veggie stir fry with tofu and a peanut/chilli sauce

Thurs is macaroni cheese and roasted purple broccoli

Friday is dhal, paratha, bhajis and cucumber/onion salad plus raita

I'm craving spicy comfort foods this week

Friday- Chicken tortilla soup with tortilla chips
Saturday- Chicken satay curry with rice, mangetout and baby corn and crispy kale
Sunday- Mince & tatties with broccoli, cabbage and Yorkshire pudding.
Monday - Hot garlic chilli oil noodles with cucumber and coriander
Tuesday- Ribeye steak, chips and peas with peppercorn sauce, grilled mushrooms and tomato
Wednesday - Spicy sweetcorn chowder with a cheese and jalapeno quesadilla
Thursday- Spaghetti & meatballs in a spicy sauce.

I don't think I put mine in this week but it was so dull so no great loss...

Anyway, this week

Tonight: Harris's chickpea gyros
Tomorrow: I'm very busy, with awkward timings, so who knows!
Sunday: Lentil and mushroom pie
Monday: Tuscan bean stew and sourdough
Tuesday: Gochujang pasta
Wednesday: onion bahji burgers
Thursday: works Xmas do but I'm trying to get out of it

Another very disjointed week coming up. Away for a few nights from tonight and sticking with plan for lamb steaks with pesto butterbeans on Sunday.

Monday: DH's work christmas dinner. I'll do something with one of the salmon fillets in the freezer. Probably grilled and served with cous-cous as DH doesn't like fish or cous-cous and I can use up stuff from cupboard without buying anything additional.
Tuesday: Mushroom and spinach curry
Wednesday: Chicken, butterbean and carrot casserole
Thursday: Pasta with butternut squash and red onions
Friday: Butternut squash and chickpea tagine with rice
Saturday: Sausage casserole
Sunday: Roast chicken

Most of our week worked out fine, but we didn’t have the macaroni cheese so now have some purple sprouting broccoli which needs eating. We’re going to roast it tomorrow to eat with M&S quiche and jacket potatoes.

Sunday is bought pies with roasties and vege

Not done an order for next week yet, but I fancy leek and potato soup, so can hopefully persuade dp that he wants to make it.

Maybe an egg curry, as we’ve not had one in forever and I’ve been hankering for it.

Yeah, the pumpkin gorgonzola pasta sounds good, I agree. I have a butternut I need to use, I wonder if I can make that work. @BiddyPop any tips? Did you puree the butternut? DS has a weird issue with butternut if the pieces are bigger than a fingernail so if I do a recipe like this, it absolutely has to be pureed. If I do a butternut risotto I have to cut the chunks really small!

We still have 2 meals from last week to make but I'm doing a quick shop as we're out of basics so trying to think ahead. I think I'll get some gorgonzola and do something with that. Maybe with some toasted walnuts scattered on top?

I also like the idea of leek and potato soup but I am not convinced that will be considered sufficient for this family....

DP turned his nose up at both soup and egg curry. Grrrr.

We've opted for:
mushroom creamy pasta
a vegetarian mole/chilli sort of thing with sweet potatoes and black beans
falafel pittas with homemade tsatziki, bought houumus and salad
bought pizza dough with toppings of choice
ramen soup

Tonight: vietnamese vermicelli bowl with black pepper tofu
Tuesday: pumpkin and leek pasta
Wednesday: coconut Dahl and rice
Thursday: ramen
Friday: lasagne
Saturday: soup for lunch, hosting a cheese and wine party in the evening so nibbling all night!
Sunday: have friends staying over so will do a big brunch, probably shashuka for a crowd, then panto so bunging pizzas in the oven when we’re home

Could I please have the recipe for the vermicelli bowl @Citygirlrurallife ?

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie

This week …

vegan Kiev roast potatoes & veg
rose pasta
paella
pizza
kung pao quorn & rice

and need more inspiration!!
don’t know if it’s the end of year rut but need new recipes that teenagers would like!

@SpaceOP sorry I was away. Yes I think butternut would work well for it.

Roast the pumpkin/squash and puree it. (I did that part the day before when doing a different oven-cooked meal and kept it in fridge overnight.

I added a couple of lumps of uncooked pumpkin to the pot with my onions, to have some texture - but would be perfectly fine just using the puree base with no lumps. The idea is to use it from when you add the pasta, and cook the pasta as if it were a risotto (add small amounts of hot water as needed during cooking, reducing at the end so pumpkin/squash is nicely think enough and sauce-like on the pasta.