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

still place marking. Back from hols this weekend so back on it

A-level results were a bit of a disappointment. DD had been expecting A star, A, A, , and hoping for two A stars and an A, but she got A star, B, B. It's still more than enough for her to get into her chosen course, and was within the range of possible results, but she feels pretty meh because they aren't objectively bad, but are lower than she got on any of her previous papers even though she worked harder for the real thing.

I'm passed are here at the moment, so I'm sneaking out to meal plan for half the week. I'm thinking;

Monday: salmon with beetroot, feta and lime salsa.
Tuesday: turkey escalopes, potatoes, and a medley of the uneaten veg at the bottom of the fridge.
Wednesday: melon, Greek salad, flatbreads.

Sunday: tuna stuffed marrow
Monday: tuna steaks, pepper caponata, flatbreads
Tuesday: thai noodle tofu salad
Wednesday: Chraime and potatoes
Thursday: African Peanut Stew and bulghar wheat
Friday: taking my son out for pre-theatre dinner
Saturday: been invited to friends for dinner
Sunday: going to my parents for dinner!

We did the stuffed tomatoes and mushrooms with salad on Friday, and a sharing steak on the bbq on Saturday with mushrooms and more salad.
Last night, we used the pizza stone to BBQ pizza (one with onion, black olive, mushroom, red pepper, leftover steak, pepperoni and njuda; the other was 4 cheese - mozarella, feta, Stilton and good cheddar).

Today was lamb burgers but DH heard my spices arrived so wants curry (I was planning to just batch cook and freeze a spicy one - now I’ll do a milder one as well and serve both and have plenty to freeze). The burgers will freeze for when we get back.

The rest of the week, will be as we travel, MIL, or taking my DPs out one night. Until we get back on Saturday- we’ll probably bring something back with us and have the burgers on Sunday.

Oh I haven't had chraime for ages, and now I really want some.

Mine is based chiefly on using stuff up in the freezer. I found this app called No Waste where you can list an inventory of your food, so spent a lot of the weekend adding stuff from my two freezers.

Mon: Carbonara
Tue: Chicken fajitas
Wed: Quorn mince singapore noodles
Thu: Indian takeaway
Fri: Sausage bean and mushroom bake
Sat: Caramelised onion and goats cheese tarts

Update on last week's post-holiday plan.

I didn't make the lentil bake last night - we had fresh tortillini with pesto and salad instead. The lentil bake will happen tonight and then it's

Tomorrow: Butterbeans with aubergine and harissa
Thursday: Mushroom orzotto
Friday : Veggie fajitas
Either Saturday or Sunday - I've come into possession of some good quality Ibericos so will do a tapas spread with manchego, patatas bravas, maybe ensaladilla and/or garlic chicken. We might be going out for dinner with friends on Saturday so keeping this fairly fluid for now.

I've got my mum staying for a few weeks while she recovers from an op - she'll be arriving midweek next week. We have very different food preferences so trying to get some favourites on the menu before that.

Today I brought 500g of dried borlotti beans back to life. That makes about 1kg of cooked (!).
I’m planning on:
Tuna, beans and onion salad, Tonight, 2 portions.
Pasta and bean stew (vegetarian). 2 portions for the freezer, using up random pasta shapes. Defrost and add lots of cheese!
Spicy tomato, bean and potato “shakshuka” with eggs. Tomorrow, 3 portions.
Any leftovers in a mixed salad.

That’s a LOT of beans !

managed to stick to meal plan quite well! This week looks like this

Monday - Sophie Wyburd's sausage,pepper, bean stew (was delicious!)
Tuesday -carnitas made with boneless pork ribs (an experiment!)
Weds -Green goddess bean salad from Bold Bean Co
Thurs - Miso roast chicken and corn (Sophie W)
Fri - Olia Hercules chicken cotoletta sandwhich
Sat - left over chicken pie with mushrooms etc

A more meat heavy week than usual but evens out in the end

@myrtleWilson even for a veggie like me this week sound delicious!!

DS is getting braces fitted in a couple of weeks, and apparently needs soft feed for the first week, so I'm starting to think of suitable meals now, v especially ones that soup-hating DD will also eat.

I'm feeling pretty run down, so for the rest of the week I'll go with

Thursday: saag paneer
Friday: pizza
Saturday: hot and sour chicken noodle soup
Sunday: sausage traybake

Tomorrow: out
Saturday: orzotto
Sunday: buratta, roasted veg, nice bread
Monday: Greek salad
Tuesday: Thai peanut noodles
Wednesday: loaded fries
Thursday: cheesy Mexican rice bake

I assume orzotto is a take on risotto with orzo? Do you have a recipe/link please? Sounds like an intriguing idea.

Tomorrow night still has a question mark over whether we're going out with visiting friends or cooking for them (or maybe a takeaway). If cooking, then something quick, simple and crowd-pleasing -maybe the burnt aubergine chilli, or some kind of pasta bake.

Sunday is definitely the tapas feast I had planned - still with friends here - have decided on Ibericos, manchego, garlic chicken, patatas bravas and mushrooms with jamon and aioli.

Then we're on a countdown to my mum coming to stay so eating things that she definitely won't:

Monday - Harissa butternut, feta and quinoa
Tuesday - Pasta with roast butternut and crispy red onions
Wednesday - Shakshuka

Need to talk to mum about her wants and preferences beyond that. She's ok with light, salad based meals but expects meat as a protein and can't get her head around a full veggie meal. Also won't eat beans and most other pulses, or pasta, or rice unless it's a risotto. If you look back at our normal weekly meal plans, you'll see that this will be a challenge for us!

for this one it’s frying off onions/garlic/chilli and peppers adding tomato puree and deglazing with a good glug of red wine, add chopped tomato’s and cook down, add orzo and stock, I like risotto you don’t need to stir it like mad, add olives, a handful of spinach and a good bit of feta and Parmesan

Your family and in laws always make me laugh becuase I feel like we have the same ones - both actual family and in laws! My mum was completely the same! It would be easier for me now because I'm convinced my mum has reincarnated as DD not really but sometimes it is weird so a lot of the food she likes is the sort of food my mum would eat!

I've learnt the art of a certain amount of compromise - baked chicken pieces with big salads (small boring ones for DD), and potatoes. Steak but served on something. Lots of BBQs at this time of year. Roasts but served with salads and new potatoes or couscous/potato/pasta salad etc!

We're back from a lovely week away and now I have to bloody think about food again. I'm planning to go through all the recipes I've been saving recently and actually do a few as I'm bored of everything except burrito bowls (and I promised spaghetti bolognaise to DD for tomorrow so that will go on menu too).

Last week before the kids go back to school, so I have to start actually planning for leftovers soon.

Mon: parmesan crusted cod with veg yet to be decided
Tues: gochujang and miso pasta with silken tofu and cavolo Nero
Wed: both teens at sports practice: jacket potatoes with everything salad
Thurs: teens cook. Possibly chicken kebabs.
Fri: pizza
Sat: chraime
Sun: barley risotto with chicken and greens.

I am going to find something interesting in the farmers market this morning for tonight.

Tomorrow we are eating with friends.

Monday I get home after dinner time - so probably cheese and crackers or similar.

Tuesday DD is visiting so I need to cook chicken for her, so I’ll do something in the oven. (I also need to food shop on Tuesday so I have food to cook).

Wednesday I plan to make lamb koftas (I am planning to bring 2 packets of minced lamb back with me, 1 to use and 1 to freeze - can’t get minced lamb where I live).

I also plan to make a proper spaghetti Bol with loads of veg and wine before the proper restart on Monday week, to put a few dinner portions in the freezer.

But that’s as far as my thinking has got so far.

Right, I've been through a few recipe books and saved recipes for a few ideas, also bearing DS' requests for lighter food this week:

Pork belly tacos with plum salsa
White fish fillets with garlicy beans, wilted spinach and new potatoes
Stuffed peppers with a tomato salad and bread (if I have inclination am experimenting with chilli cheese bread. if not, ciabattas!)
Salmon in soy/ginger/lime with stir fried veg and rice.

We're out for Monday so I think this gets us to the end of next week as we're having spaghetti bolognaise tonight.

Tonight - spanakopita pancakes
Tomorrow - hosting a bbq: Cajun bean burgers, chicken wings, chipotle beef burgers, corn on the cob, grilled peppers, sweet potato salad, green salad, guacamole and sour cream. Thankfully others are bringing drinks and dessert.
M - I always over-cater, so leftovers from the bbq
T - nasi goreng
W - courgette macaroni cheese
Th - butter bean jambalaya
F - skepasti

Last week was a bit of a write off because we had too much to do, so hoping for a healthier week!

Tonight - I've got an "Indian style spiced lamb shoulder" in a box from Waitrose, going to do some dal, spinach and pilau rice with it, then maybe something with plums for pudding

Tuesday - Warm smoked mackerel and beetroot salad, Spanish meat platter and salad for the one who doesn't like mackerel

Wednesday - bean and herb pasta

Thursday - Quick chicken, Leek and thyme stew with cheesy mash or boiled potatoes, broccoli, peas

Friday - takeaway or eating out

Have got friends coming round on Saturday and we're going to do bring a plate, so need to have a think about what to do for that

We've hardly been home all holiday and haven't had chance to do much cooking - meal planning completely out of the window.

I've just done an order for a few days -
courgette pasta
alloo gobhi with chapatis and lime pickle
bean burgers with some sort of gherkiny/capery/salady somethingy
dhal and parathas

This week

tomorrow night: hallumi salad on sourdough
Saturday: mushroom and lentil bolognese
Sunday: Spanakopita
Monday: leftover bolognese in jacket potato
Tuesday: sweet potato picadillo
Wednesday: out
Thursday: west African peanut stew

Nearly finished my DMiL’s glut of courgettes, thank goodness. I love them but there’s only so many we can eat! It’s just as well as the butternuts will be ready soon.
Tonight - fish tacos
Tomorrow - courgette parmigiana
M - satay stir fry
T - tikka salmon traybake
W - lentil kofta, flatbreads, salad
Th - tomato and mascarpone orzotto
F - Thai green chickpea curry

I forgot to post mine, so a half n half of meals eaten and meals remaining!

Tuesday - sweetcorn, courgette tacos
wednesday - huevos rotos
Thursday pasta in courgette sauce with more fried courgettes
Friday - steak and chips

Remaining options
Fish fragrant aubergines
pork chops with cacio e Pepe beans
paneer kofta