2025 Meal Planners!

[Citygirlrurallife]

Here it is - all welcome, long termers and newbies, I imagine this week is leftovers leftovers leftovers and kicking off from Thursday onwards.

ive gone back to Oddbox and our deliveries now come on Friday nights so I’m going to try to force my brain to meal plan Thursday-Thursday and have delivery on Thursdays to make it happen. Won’t happen this week but hopefully from next

I forgot to say, @DaisyWells - Umami has "recipe books", so I have one for things I've cooked (and liked) and one for things I want to try. There's also a notes section for each recipe.

5-11 May
We’ve just come back from holiday so this week will be heavy on the vegetables.
Loquats/medlars are just coming into season and they’re my favourite, good for fibre and Vitamin C.

Lunches will be leftovers, soup, pasta and sandwiches.

Dinners
Monday: Smoked haddock cooked in full milk and lemon (makes curds) with peas and new potatoes.
Tuesday: Ottolenghi’s spicy chickpeas* (I now have the real spices) with carrot salad.
Wednesday: Roast chicken and veg. Probably yoghurt cake since the oven is on. Or maybe loquat Tarte Tatin…
Thursday: Zucchini and potato omelette.
Friday: I’m out, so cold bought turkey slices with “tonné” sauce and tomatoes for whoever, whenever.
Saturday: Pizza delivery if DD is home, mozzarella and tomato Caprese if just us.
Sunday: Za’atar rubbed lamb (frozen half price after Easter) broccoli and chickpeas/hummus*.

*I Cook 500g dried chickpeas at a time so that does 2 meals. Pressure cooked from dry are tastier than soaked.

@DaisyWells
I think having a well stocked freezer is a good start- your planned meals can wait there until you have the time or energy to make them. Have at least two easy meals per week like steak or omelette and salad because by Thursday you’re too tired to cook. Make double batches of carbs to reheat the next day and leave any new recipes for the weekend.
I use a piece of paper on the fridge (photo to family WhatsApp) for the weekly menu and it looks like snakes and ladders by Sunday with all the crossing-outs and arrows!

Monday:
Middle Eastern aubergine stew with rice and roasted whole chicken

Tuesday:
Georgian (the country) beef stew with potatoes

Wednesday:
Turkish dumplings with yogurt sauce and pepper paste butter

Thursday:
Persian beef, bean and herb stew with saffron rice

Friday:
Not sure yet

Saturday:
Pasta primavera and grilled fresh jumbo prawns

Sunday:
Not sure yet

@DaisyWells I always start my week's plan with a trawl through the fridge looking at what needs eating up. My actual meals don't always go to plan so I am also left with ingredients with no purpose. However, I often use up those bits in lunches as I WFH most of the time.

Mon: Korean style cauliflower & carrot rice
Tue: Huli Huli chicken with pineapple salsa (Sainsbury's mag)
Wed: Ropa Vieja with rice
Thu: Fish pie (from freezer)
Fri: Smoky sausage, bean & mushroom stew (from freezer)

@daisywells

I think the planning thing is a bit of a skill in itself but can be learned. When I am on top form, I plan meals and think carefully about days of yhe week based on our schedules and What will work best - eg super quick or meals that can be eaten at different times or meals i can do bulk of prep in one session then rest of prep later. I also try to take into account which ingredients need to be used up quicker.

I also generally try to only do a max of one new recipe a week because they are always slower and more complicated - some on here will remember me whining about taco bowls and taking forever vs now I can whip them out!

I also tend to 5 days. I prefer 7 but somehow the effort feels too much.

This week
Gnocchi with sausage and spinach
Fish cakes with salad
Paella
Spaghetti and meatballs
Pork mince and veggie stir fry

V pork heavy (meatballs are pork too). Will need more veggie and chicken options nect week. If I have enough peppers I can stretch to a 6th day with a chickpea and pepper curry. If I add aubergine ds will eat it without complaining it's not big enough or filling enough! 🤣🤣🤣

so far I have one meal on my list: pasta, cheese sauce, lardons and broccoli. Dull but might actually be eaten by the fussy family.

Meal planning fell by the wayside for a few weeks but trying to get back on track. Bit dull this week as hoping to use up what's in the freezer and save time:

Mon: Chicken curry
Tues: Fajita beef
Weds: Chicken flatties
Thurs: Leftover fajita beef
Fri: Chicken goujons
Sat: Kedgeree
Sun: Beef casserole

I am recovering from flu, and am currently at the stage where I'm well enough to think about doing things but not yet well enough to actually do them, so I'm rejigging my weekly schedule to include more meal prep, and batch cooking/defrosting batch cooked meals from the freezer. I m making chicken stock in the instant pot at the moment, so will turn that into the base for pastina soup, some for now and some to go in the freezer. The next two days we'll have courgette, potato and goats cheese frittata with asparagus, and DH will make a pizza. I have no plans beyond that.

Just popping on to say a massive thank you for everyone's advice

@DiggoryVenn, I've been doing a fridge sort out and made a big list of everything that needs eating, and when - I can cook for a few days now, just need to be organised with the prep...

@Sgtmajormummy the freezer is now stocked up with a good few ready meals for DP plus some ingredients for fall back meals (chips and the dreaded chicken nuggets for DS1!) - my DP sounds very similar to @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie's DH, a meal isn't a meal if it doesn't include potatoes/ meat/ some veg that MIL would boil to death

I completely agree with planning being a skill @SpaceOP and it's one I've yet to acquire despite being almost 50 but hopefully by following some of these tips, I can get there!!

Thank you for the tip about the Umami app @DilkushaKitchen, it looks fab, just giving it a go now. Do you have Zoe membership or just follow their basic principles? I enjoy the podcast but frankly if I took out their membership I wouldn't be able to afford to buy food anyway...

Hope you feel better soon @UnimaginableWindBird

Glad Umami is looking helpful, @DaisyWells!

I am a Zoe member, nearly a year now and it has changed how I eat to a certain extent (I was pretty good before). It's not as expensive as it used to be, thankfully!

The Korean cauliflower looks delicious!

mine for this week
Friday: bruschetta with some grilled hallumi on the side
Saturday: Gruyère mac and cheese
Sunday: friend is having a do so party food I assume
Monday: chipotle black bean quesadillas with guac
tuesday: pad thai
Wednesday: mezze/posh picky bits (basically going to spend a weeks wage in M&S and that will be tea!)
Thursday: loaded Greek wedges

I have a friend staying unexpectedly. It's her birthday on Sunday and she's going through a tough time and has lost a lot of weight on the heartbreak diet so I'm making a lot of her favourite meals to hopefully cheer her and fill her up a little!

Friday - Beef bibimbap with smashed cucumber
Saturday - Chicken burrito bowl
Sunday - Roast chicken, stuffing and gravy sandwiches with mini roast potatoes and I need to figure out a way to add some veg. Need to find a really good bread option as it's a birthday dinner request and I want it to be perfect.
Monday - Pasta fagioli, hopefully will have some nice bread leftovers from Sunday I can use to make garlic bread.
Tuesday - Thai beef salad (weeping tiger, never made it before so hopefully I don't mess it up!)
Wednesday - Hopefully going to go out for a few drinks and a curry if she feels upto it, if not we will order in.
Thursday - last day before she goes home and I'm planning to make buffalo chicken wings followed by cheeseburgers, homemade fries and coleslaw. Reminiscent of our younger years when we would be pigging out hungover most weekends!

@Lastqueenofscotland2 love the sound of Greek loaded wedges, do you have a recipe?

So, I managed to forget MiL's birthday this week 😳. We're taking her out for dinner tonight (Chinese) so I've had to cut a meal from my plan and that means the veggie chilli remains in the freezer for the fourth week running 😂. I've got it on the list again but who know what will happen...

Tomorrow: Risotto primavera
Sunday: Chicken and chorizo traybake
Monday: The long-forgotten veggie chilli
Tuesday: Chorizo broccoli pasta
Wednesday: Baked "southern-fried" chicken with new potatoes, coleslaw and salad
Thursday: Pizza and salad.
Friday: Out with friends (Greek restaurant)
Saturday: Euro-themed buffet for a Eurovision party!

Friday: biryani and naan
Saturday: cassoulet and baguette
Sunday: crispy tofu sesame stirfry with rice noodles and pak choi
Monday: pizza
Tuesday: halloumi burgers
Wednesday: hot dogs and some sort of homemade soup
Thursday: jacket potatoes and cauliflower cheese

@TheLadyIsAVamp That all sounds lovely. Your friend is lucky to have you.

This week went a bit wrong because ds went out last night, so we didn't do the drunken noodles and dp and I had mushroom omelettes instead. Tonight we've ordered pizza.

Tomorrow should be drunken noodles and we're also still got bibimbap stuff to do.

I'm going to do a paneer curry next week and the fish eaters will have a fish curry. Frozen paratha to go with.

Gnocchi has been requested so I need to look at recipe ideas for the pan fry stuff. Maybe squash, sage and blue cheese? Any other veggie ideas?

I also haven't had Greek salad for weeks, so that needs to be on the menu somehow.

Tonight - loaded sweet potato nachos
Tomorrow - tikka paneer skewers and bhaji burgers on the bbq, then grilled pineapple
M - whipped feta and mint pasta salad, with plenty left for lunches!
T - chilli dogs
W - courgette frittata
Thu - veggie samosa pie
F - kimchi grilled cheese

Sunday: yogurt and Herb marinated chicken thighs with pomegranate salad
Monday: salade Nicoise
Tuesday: pizza
Wednesday: lemony sardine fishcakes with peas and salad
Thursday: chicken tinga from the freezer
Friday: asparagus risotto
Saturday: gochujang tofu pasta
Sunday: lamb kleftiko

Some lovely menus this week!

Mine is

Saturday - multi vegetable paella, an Ottolenghi recipe which is lovely, but think it needs more protein next time?

Sunday - spicy chicken drumsticks, sweet and sticky Jersey Royal and tomato bake (new recipe), green salad

Monday - Butterbean jambalaya (thank you whoever did this last week!)

Tuesday - Salmon with chargrilled courgettes and Thai inspired sauce, rice

Wednesday - Broccoli pasta sauce

Thursday - Carrot, beetroot and red onion tarte tatin, goats cheese, chickpea salad, green beans and almonds (this may fall by the wayside depending on how long a day we've had at the Devon County Show...)

Friday and Saturday we're away, so have left freezer stuff for my son if he wants it

Sunday - Stracci (probably just do it with pappardelle though) with tomato, borlotti and rosemary for when we get back, it's pretty easy

There are definitely too many new recipes this week, but we'll see how we go!

The Korean cauliflower was delicious.

Sunday: Pork saltimbocca, cauliflower rice, roast veg
Monday: Spicy Quorn mince flatbread - found a bag of Quorn mince in freezer that has been there a long time (any other ideas most welcome)
Tuesday: Sea Bass with stir fry veg
Wednesday: Spring green pesto chicken (from freezer)
Thursday: Quiche & salad
Friday: Pork tenderloin with apples & walnuts
Saturday: Somerset chicken

@UnimaginableWindBird do you have a recipe for the lemony sardine fish cakes?

@DiggoryVenn the fishcakes are super easy and DD loves them. https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/recipe/lemony-sardine-fish-cakes-with-fennel-salad

Once again, I’ve changed my mind (or had it changed) before doing the order.

Bimimbap tomorrow
Spinach and feta pie and salad on Tuesday
The fishy folk wanted fish cakes again so that’s Wednesday- I’ll have quiche and salad
Thursday the fishy folk wanted smoked salmon and cream cheese pasta, so I’ll have pasta pesto with some roasted vege and feta

12-18 May

Dinners- all with suitable veg

Monday: Chicken and rosemary potatoes. Grilled peppers.
Tuesday: Paella (there are various frozen fish bits to use up).
Wednesday: Chickpea flour pancakes (farinata) and soft cheese. Green salad.
Thursday: Pork stroganoff with noodles.
Friday: Egg fried rice. Spinach.
Saturday: Panzanella salad with tuna. Cherry clafoutis.
Sunday: (lunch out) Leftovers or toasted sandwiches.

@Sgtmajormummy thank you! You've just reminded me panzanella exists! I have only made it a few times, Jamie Oliver convinced me it was a great way to use up stale bread (along with papa al pomodoro which I also love) Definitely going on next week's menu! That's why I love these threads 😂. Dreading next week's plan as I'm starting a diet, I love food so much and it's creeping up on me unfortunately! Need to shift a few lbs without losing the flavours 🤤.

So far I have planned:

Monday: asparagus and feta quiche with jersey royals and a carrot/coriander salad

Tuesday: grilled salmon with tomato and couscous salad

Wednesday: warm chickpea, aubergine and tomato salad with halloumi and nice bread

Thursday: broccoli pasta and green salad

Friday: TBC but maybe a chilli