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

This week turned into random “use up fridge cr*p”. For example, last night was the last piece of rotisserie chicken, some hot smoked salmon and a half a corn on the cob. Tonight, I had pesto pasta with a couple of slices of smoked Black Forest ham.

I have a couple of chicken thighs defrosting to have tomorrow. I am out at work events 2 nights next week so freezer sauces and rice/pasta to reheat quickly. And away for work Thursday until late Friday (will be fed Thursday, airport food on Friday). And I had said I’d entertain my team, to welcome a new arrival on Saturday (I’m doing Greek night with lemon garlic chicken and roasted feta/cherry tomatoes after a start of picky bits (hummus, olives, breadsticks..), cheeseboard, and I’m buying desserts).

i am hoping the following week is a bit calmer.

Tonight - masala omelette
Tomorrow - puttanesca gnocchi
M - harissa prawn pasta
T - spanakopita peppers
W - roast cauli pilaf
Th - caponata chickpea traybake
F - Italian baked eggs

menu from next Wednesday is designed to do double meals and fill the freezer with a third:

fish tacos (no extras)
tepsi kebap
tarragon chicken
beef stroganoff
baked tomato and mozarella orzo (no extras)

S: steak, roast new potatoes, greens, lemon meringue pie
M: sea bass with aromatic herbs with rice and broccoli
T:chicken in Parma ham with roast veg.
W:sausage, sage and squash traybake
Th:DD cooks
Fr: pizza
S: salmon with lentils

Today, apart from t eh rest of the hot smoked salmon for lunch, I did feta chick fir diner (with roasted French beans/ Garlic, tomatoes and yellow courgette with Parmesan and lemon.

tomorrow is lamb koftas and flat breads and salads.

Last night was roasted beetroot salad.

Today - no idea, but I need to nip to a shop so it’ll be whatever I fancy. I might make a vegetable and lentil soup.

Then in no particular order:

veggie sausage casserole

penne a la vodka

tofu bibimbap

Bean burgers and salad with my gherkin:caper:tomato relish, maybe some sweet potato wedges

Something else which I haven’t decided yet

Just remembered I wanted crumble and ploughman’s, so that will be the something else!

Just realised that as DS is getting braces fitted on Thursday, I will need to redo the plan to be soft foods from them on.

Managed to do 90% of my my meal plan, didn't manage the tandoori chickpeas, but Meliz Berg's kale mac n cheese with roasted sweetheart cabbage was v good!
This week is
Puy lentils and italian sauasages
Joe Woodhouse sweetheart cabbage and chestnut gratin
Mushroom stroganoff
celeriac soup
eggs/feta/harissa in purgatory
garlic and goat cheese pasta

Monday was salmon, covered in pesto and baked, with baby potatoes, french beans roasted with garlic, and wilted spinach.

Last night was mac’n’cheese with added bacon, onion, garlic and mushrooms.

Tonight is lamb rogan Josh with rice.

Tomorrow I am away with work and will be fed.

Friday I don’t land until after 8 so I have some leftover mac’n’cheese in an oven proof dish to chuck some grated cheese on top and bake if I am hungry - but may succumb to airport food.

Saturday is Greek lemon and herb chicken, roasted Mediterranean veggies, roasted feta and tomatoes, baby potatoes (roasted or steamed, depending on oven space) followed by cheeseboard and a bought gateau (having colleagues over).

Sunday…probably leftover Greek feast.

Done mine for the week
Tomorrow: Taco loaded crispy potatos
Saturday: ricotta lemon pasta with green veg
Sunday: ricotta and pesto tart with asparagus
Monday: cauliflower and chickpea curry
Tuesday: Greek salad panini and wedges
Wednesday: out
Thursday: Hoisin roasted vegetables and fried rice

Monday was leftovers
Tuesday chicken,ham and leek pie with new potatoes and cabbage
Wednesday Korean sticky chicken,rice and broccoli
today steak stir fry with noodles,pak Choi and courgettes with leftover sticky sauce
Friday - jacket potatoes,beans and cheese
saturday lemon and black pepper cutlets with new potatoes and broccoli
Sunday - roast out with family

I bought savoy cabbage and did a version of the pasta using leftover roast pork, delicious. Then freezer mince and all the leftover veggies for a stir fry last night.

Tonight I am out with work so its ready meals for the family.

Rest of week :

Pesto, steamed greens and gnocchi with burrata
Halloumi flatbreads with hummus, chargrilled leeks and broccoli and hot honey
Chicken schnitzel with new potatoes and veg
Spanakopita with salad
Spaghetti bolognaise.

It's all very green veggie focused!!! Will have to do something with tomatoes, carrots and aubergines next week! [Grin]

Didn't have the noodle dish last night as there were a lot of mutterings about pasta. Still have 3/4 of a cabbage though so it will feature next week.

Tomorrow: Goats cheese and sorrel risotto
Sunday: Chicken legs braised in cider with cabbage and bacon
Monday: Stir-fried chilli cabbage noodles with chicken
Tuesday: Shaksuka
Wednesday: Mushroom omelettes, potato wedges and peas
Thursday: Veggie chilli from freezer

Then away with friends for the weekend.

Back to school has been hard going - actual cooking has been the last thing I CBA to do when I get home, but I cannot live like a student forever, so:
Ramen
Porcini pasta bake
Kale and mushroom lasagne
Quiche with salad
Salmon with something
Paneer kati rolls

Well, dd has the noro that is going around her student accommodation, so I cancelled tonight’s dinner party as I thought she might come to me (I’m only 90 minutes away)….so that changes both today and tomorrow. (She’s ok, but I think she’ll probably come earlier than originally planned to me this week).

Tonight - I got a lovely steak in the shop just now, and good mushrooms to fry with thyme. And as I got buttermilk for tomorrow, I might make onion rings too.

Tomorrow - HM southern fried chicken and oven chips

I also got some nice chicken pieces on special so chicken fajitas are planned during the week.

some Italian sausages with rosemary will go into a tomato sauce, with roasted veg from freezer with pasta.

chicken thighs with feta and thyme, baked in vegetables and potatoes.

salmon with brocolli spears and steamed potatoes (and maybe steamed spinach).

dd definitely here Thursday so either cod or plain chicken is likely.

And I can always freeze any of the proteins planned above to do a freezer meal instead (I have some lamb bhuna portions to reheat with rice and a mac’n’cheese to bake, fish in batter, IKEA meatballs and an M&S beef bourgignon (?sp) for when the heat finally breaks).

We haven't had the bibimbap yet, so I think that will be tomorrow.

Dp has bought himself a fish pie for tonight, so I'm having cous cous, tzatziki and giangantes beans.

DS wants to cook vegan macaroni cheese with roasted brocolli one day next week and has also requested black bean tofu.

I'm fancying tacos, so need to see what I might want to put in them. Maybe the Wahaka sweetcorn and courgette ones.

No idea what else yet - a job for tomorrow.

Not bothering with days this week because I find a flexible approach works best for us… but somewhere between Monday and Sunday we’ll be eating:

• Halloumi Burritos
• Roast in the Hole (giant Yorkshire pudding stuffed with roast dinner bits – veggie version for son, sausages/chicken for DH who thinks a day without meat is a tragedy)
• Sweet Potato Burrito Bowl
• Meatball Lasagne (meatballs for DH and me, veggie version for DS)
• Prawn Pad Thai
• Haddock Risotto
• Homemade Fish & Chips

Mostly veggie or fish-based (pescatarian son keeps us on track), but I always throw some chicken or sausages in for DH so he doesn’t waste away 😉. Anyone else juggling mixed diets at home?

Back to it again after a slack month or two:
-Tandoori chicken, gunpowder potatoes, katchumber salad, raita
-Sausage & lentil casserole, butternut squash, mixed green veg
-Chickpea, cauliflower & harissa stew
-Pork belly, pak choi, rice (using up pork which has been in the freezer for ages)
-Beetroot tzatziki, cauliflower, pitta
-Prawn, red pepper & cauliflower tortilla, green salad

Lunches are leftover chicken with bean salad & miso dressing & tuna & cannellini bean salad. Maybe soup if the salads don’t stretch all week.

Away next weekend so this is from yesteday to Friday lunchtime, will plan next week & sort online shop on the train home next Sunday!

Yes me! My DD (17) was vegetarian but now pescatarian. My other two DC have various things they don’t like (eg one not keen on eggs). I eat everything and DH more or less everything.

Meal planning is such a challenge as I have so much to factor in: who will be at home that evening; will I be WFH or not (if not at obviously can’t use my lunch break to chop veg or whatever); what activities do I have to drive DC to; and then what about balancing everyone’s food preferences!

Oh I hear you! It feels like you need a spreadsheet, a crystal ball, and a personal chef just to get everyone fed 🤣. Between who’s home, who’s out, what time we’re eating, and everyone’s different likes/dislikes, it’s like solving a puzzle every single day.

I try to keep it simple by sticking with the same carb and just switching up the protein depending on who’s eating – saves me from cooking three totally different meals! I keep telling myself it counts as project management experience… shame it doesn’t come with a salary!

Yes to mixed diets - one veggie, one pescie. one carnivore

Having reviewed everybody's calendars for the week, we've made some changes:

ds wants to make a cherry pie so we're having that with custard tomorrow; just a salad beforehand

the vegan macaroni cheese will be Tuesday

Weds is just dp and I so it will be a big salad with fishcakes for him and quinoa burgers for me

Thursday will be black bean tofu

We've got plenty of pasta and eggs, so they will feature over the weekend in some form.

Yup. We have fussy, dairy and a few other things intolerant DD.

Then me, DH and DS eat most things, but increasingly DS and his huge appetite and exercise mean we need very filling, large, meals but I'm still committed to trying to either eat at least some veggie meals or, at the very least, veggie-heavy meals.

On that point, i'm getting frustratd with the "20 minute" meal prep tik toks/tv/instagram. If I was making meal X for 2 normal adults, sure, but the slicing and chopping and frying etc to get enough for the appetites around here.... And I'm fairly quick. I did a stir fry last week and a) I had to cook it all in batches as it was too much to throw in 1 pan (taking more time) and b) just the sheer volume of veggies I was slicing up took time.

Add to that the need to do smething different for DD.... it's relentless.

Hallumi burritos sound divine

mine for this week

Tomorrow: mushroom stroganoff
Saturday gnocchi and veggie sausage bake
Sunday: Harrisa white bean stew, flatbread and hummus
Monday: Bruschetta/left overs
Tuesday: lentil sloppy joes
Wednesday: out
Thursday: butter tofu curry

Ooh, mushroom strogonoff - wehaven't had that for ages, DS loves it and it ticks my "eat more vegetarian food" button. <adds it to list for next week as we managed loads of veggie last week and NONE this week>

This week we have:
F: Pizza before going out
Sat: Lamb, butternut and chickpea casserole. Cooking for in laws which means it has to be forgiving as they never turn up on time, land up eating at different times etc!
Sun: Baked chicken, wedges and veg
Mon: Creamy sausage pasta
Tue: Salmon stir fry
Wed: mince tacos

I also have halloumi flatbreads still to do from last week so I might swap something out for them to extend this menu. Or it will be a substantial lunch for DS and DH one day instead!