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 have been cobbling food together the last few days! But back to planning now:

Tonight: Lemon and chicken risotto (leftover chicken) with braised greens
tomorrow: Spaghetti and meatballs
Wednesday: Convenience food in form of ready meals as neither me nor DH home until 8 at least.
Thursday: Chicken burrito bowls
Friday: Gnocchi with pesto, greens and creme fraiche.

Saturday I'm out so I'm leaving Dh to figure it out which probably means burgers for him and the kids! And we're at family for lunch on Sunday.

I'm also doing meal prep salads. This week I'm doing lentil, rocket, goats cheese, roasted beetroot with some chopped dried almonds and toasted nuts (I think walnuts but not sure if I have any, if not, almonds!)

Quite an autumnal week over here:

Mon - sausage, kale, butternut squash and gnocchi skillet
Tues - out to the neighbours
Weds - traybake of harissa chicken thighs with courgettes, cherry tomatoes, red onions
Thurs - out for work
Fri - kale & chorizo hash with a fried egg
Sat - beef shin ragu (other neighbours coming round)
Sun - roast chicken, roast potatoes, cauli cheese with leeks, steamed broccoli, gravy

Monday: Steak/Fishcakes, mash and green beans
Tuesday: stir fried tempeh and buckwheat noodles
Wednesday: Sheperdless pie (trying grated celeriac instead of mash on top)
Thursday: leek and chickpea filo pie with smoked cheddar
Friday: Roast dinner (controversial I know but friend with her toddler over + fussy DD just easiest thing to do!)
Saturday: whole roasted cauliflower, marry me butter beans, winter kale salad....need to think up an easy pudding too.
Sunday: TBC

As always getting some inspiration here for future meals. I have an atrociously busy week coming up (especially early next week), so we’re on:

Wednesday: slow cooker beef with peppers and noodles
Thursday: that kale and sweetheart cabbage macaroni cheese I’ve seen some pp on here mention
Friday: toad in the hole with mash and greens (younger DD’s request)
Saturday: fajitas with black beans and avocado plus sweet potato chips
Sunday: melanzane, salad, crusty bread
Monday: bolognaise from freezer (meat and veg versions)
Tuesday: ready meals I’m afraid - will see what I can pick up nearer the time
Wednesday: slow cooker vegetable curry with rice and mango chutney

Boring week using up stuff from the freezer as had an unexpected vet bill so spent around £10 as we already had a well stocked freezer and pantry. We usually try and have a couple of meat free dishes but making a real effort to clear up space in the freezer for the festive period!

Tonight - Pastina, made like a risotto and topped with leftover grilled lemon herb chicken.
Friday - Slow cooker Korean beef noodles with smashed cucumber.
Saturday - Chicken pathia with rice, kachumber salad and mini poppadoms.
Sunday- Turkey & stuffing meatballs with mash, veg and a creamy gravy.
Monday - Brothy rice bowl of some kind (probably involving chicken as we have so much in the freezer. This has become a weekly fixture as we love them so much)
Tuesday - Lasagne soup (maybe some garlic bread for dunking)
Wednesday - Chicken tikka salad with naan croutons and raita.
Thursday - Gammon, creamy cabbage and leeks with some form of potato. Probably some peas and carrots for colour!

Tomorrow: Sausage, fennel and lentil stew
Sunday: Roast chicken with rosemary and lemon
Monday: Tagliatelle with kale, pancetta, walnuts and chilli
Tuesday: l/o roast chicken in a rice bowl with whatever other bits I can rustle up
Wednesday: Shaksuka
Thursday: Mushroom and black-eye bean dahl
Friday: Pinto bean enchiladas

Today - chipotle chilli bean pie
Tomorrow - Swedish meatballs, mash, gravy and peas
M - prawn katsu udon
T - chickpea bake with oat and almond crumble
W - loaded sweet potato skins
Th - Greek style baked beans on toast
F - lentil and walnut ragu

Without days attached, my plan is

Chicken Yassa
Red lentil dhal & rice
Moros y cristianos/Black beans and rice with pork
Meliz Berg's cabbage and mac n chesse
Goans fish curry
Squash soup with halloumi croutons
Korean Keema

May I join in? Been a meal planner for the last 15 years and it makes things so much easier. My plans tend to run Friday to Thursday as we tend to get Tesco delivery on Thursday evening.

so this week has partly been delivered so far
F - slow cooker honey and mustard chicken with rice
S - beef stew (pressure cooker) with mash, a big Yorkie for the mash hater DS
S - roast pork, roast spuds, broccoli, carrots, peas, greens gratin
M - burger bowl
T - three bean chilli, cheese, avocado and everyone’s preferred sides (I like jackets, the others will say rice)
W - creamy chicken (slow cooker)
T - everyone is getting whatever they want out of the freezer or leftovers as I have to clerk an all day online meeting, scheduled to last 8 hours 🫣

@Forgottenmyphone do you have a recipe for your walnut/lentil ragu? I make a cauliflower, mushroom and walnut ragu (from MOB I think) but keen to try new nut stuff!

My plan for this week (starting tomorrow - as I am travelling back to temporary home in the morning - I’ve no idea what we’re doing tonight for all 3 of us at home once we all travel back from a visit to extended family today).

Monday: spag Bol (batch cooked and frozen sauce)
Tuesday: chicken vadagam and rice (batch cooked and frozen sauce)
Wednesday: I think I am out for a work thing - but have cheese and crackers on standby
Thursday: ikea meatballs and oven chips and peas
Friday: DH theoretically arriving and I get time to food shop certainly so something nice and fresh

The rest of the weekend will depend on whether I am solo or have company, and what has been good in supermarket.
And the following week, I want things with lots of veg like a stir fry, pasta with veggies, chicken fajitas, lamb koftas...lots of different veggies and sides and colours.

And I have a lamb Schwarma mix from a recent trip to the next country to me which has very different supermarkets, so that is also planned for next weekend at some point - with a leftovers/freezing meal if I am solo after all.

@myrtleWilson I hope your family enjoy it as much as mine! https://www.thewinesociety.com/discover/inspiration/food/walnut-leek-mushroom-and-lentil-ragu/

Last week went a bit astray and we still haven’t had sausage casserole or the Moors and Christians Cuban beans.

This week is:
veggie breakfast for tea - potato cakes, veggie sausages, mushrooms, eggs, tomatoes for DP and an eggcup of the tomato juice for me, sautéed spinach if I cba

the above mentioned veggie sausage casserole

tofu stir fry with noodles

pasta puttanesca which I’ve been threatening to make for weeks but never got around to

probably banh mi or something else tofu ish at some point over the weekend

Monday: burgers (turned out both kids were out so burgers purcahsed for them and DH didn't get eaten! I'm making them though so that means one burger each, salad, and maybe some home made wedges! I'm also considering a proper mushroom sauce as there are some sad lonely looking mushrooms in fridge!)
Tuesday: Sweet and sour chicken
Wednesday: Jacket potatoes with some kind of cannelini bean and tomato topping, salad on side.
Thursday: Not sure - I'm out so might be convenience food of pasta/pesto for kids and DH
Friday: Mince tacos
Saturday: Creamy sausage and spinach pasta.

I might move things around - it occurs to me that the spinach should be eaten sooner so perhaps that's eariler int he week and jacket pototoes later.

This week's plan.
Friday- Creamy sausage gochujang rigatoni, will make some garlic bread out of ciabatta rolls .
Saturday- Tandoori chicken burgers (using the rest of the ciabatta rolls) with kachumber salad, raita and masala fries (going to try some bhaji fried onions too to top the burgers)
Sunday - Mince & tatties in a giant Yorkshire pudding with broccoli and brussel sprouts
Monday- Pappa al pomodoro to use up the last of the ciabatta!
Tuesday - Gochujang, coconut brothy rice topped with char grilled chicken and pak choi.
Wednesday - Lamb chops, new potato and minted peas
Thursday - Possibly out but if not pork medallions from the freezer. Probably with a creamy Dijon and cider sauce and whatever veg is left lurking or maybe char sui and stir fry veg noodles.

Tomorrow: Spaghetti carbonara
Sunday: Sirloin steaks, roast potatoes, mushrooms and green beans.
Monday: Fasolakia
Tuesday: Veggie chilli
Wednesday: Carrot and lentil soup and sausage rolls
Thursday: More soup and scrambled egg rolls
Friday: Orzo bake

Tonight - Kung Pao tofu
Tomorrow - butter bean cassoulet with herb dumplings
M - fajita traybake
T - Thai fishcakes and stir fried pak choi
W - naan pizzas
Th - shakshuka
F - dc out with friends for Halloween. Cajun salmon with mango slaw for DH and myself

Today: salmon pasta bake
Tomorrow: chicken kiev, cous cous and veggies
Tuseday: garlic and soy chicken, mash and veggies
Wednesday: pork and egg muffins, hash browns and beans
Thursday: spaghetti bolognese
Friday: weekly homemade pizzas
Saturday: something from the freezer or a take out depending how we feel.

I had to do a quick order today as out of essentials like cat food, beer and fruit! but only planning for a few days. Your chicken kiev @MaraMar has reminded me that I haven't done stuffed chicken breasts in the air fryer for a while so I think I'll add that for later meal planning. Thanks!

Pasta twice, order depending on when my brother joins us:
Day 1: Spicy chorizo, aubergine and tomato
Day 2: Creamy sausage with spinach
Day 3: Pork mince stir fry with flat noodles

My Cannelini beans on jacket potatoes was a huge hit and came out really well (must write down what I did so I don't forget in future) so I'm toying with doing those again this week and if I have fish in the freezer, that works as an additional meal before I have to shop again. If not, will think or add to my next meal plan!

Today, I am defrosting a spag Bol (one I put a load of veg and a lot of red wine into the cooking of).

Tomorrow I will have crusty bread (with courgette seeds) from local artisan bakery and a proper cauliflower cheese. Maybe with the 1 tiny lamb chop in the freezer.

After that, it’s a bit fluid as I have plenty in freezer and life is chaotic, but I want to get plenty of veg and hopefully spend some time making nice things.

Friday, I am thinking of a proper pepperoni pizza. With HM focaccia. Or salmon baked with pesto crust and wilted spinach.

Saturday I may do proper chicken burgers as I have chicken mince in the freezer - and served with oven chips and salad.

Sunday is potentially a steak and mushrooms, or Greek lemon/garlic chicken with Mediterranean veggies.

Monday likely the other half of the chicken burgers mix.

Tuesday possibly chicken and mushrooms with rice or vol au vents.

Wednesday and Thursday will be easy from freezer meals. But DD is probably visiting on Friday next week so…who knows except it will involve chicken or fish.

Just did shopping for next few days:

Tomorrow: Chicken burgers as DD has friends coming over
Saturday: We'er all all over the place so I've picked up some pizzas that, if we don't eat them, can be frozen
Sunday: Parma ham wrapped chicken breasts stuffed with garlicy cream cheese served with potatoes and veg
Monday: Salmon fillets, creamy beans
Tuesday: Halloumi fajitas

Tomorrow: Mushroom risotto
Sunday: Chicken wraps with chips (homemade wedges), salad and tzatziki
Monday: Out for dinner
Tuesday: Chicken kiev, wedges, carrots and green beans
Wednesday: Mushroom and spinach curry
Thursday: Pork (leftover bits from a previous roast in freezer) lo-mein.
Friday: Spaghetti and meatballs

It's a bit meat-heavy for my liking but I'm desperately trying to clear space in the freezer. Chicken thighs (for wraps), Kievs, pork and meatballs all coming from freezer this week.

We've had a few days away and have eaten out a lot, including a Michelin star Indian and the best dhal I've ever tasted. I wish they'd sell it by the bucket load.

Tonight - cauliflower cheese and jacket potatoes

Tomorrow - out

Sunday - I've got some sweet potatoes that need using up, so I will make a sweet potato and lentil soup, with coconut milk and spices. Will buy or make some fresh bread to have with it.

Monday - homemade pizzas (using bought dough) with red pepper pesto, olives, artichokes and sweetie drop peppers

Tuesday - bean burgers with salad

Weds - pasta puttanesca

Thurs - quinoa burgers with new potatoes, savoy cabbage and garlicky green beans

Been on holiday/working away/ lots of social stuff the last few weeks so it’s been a bit naff!

this weeks looks better…

Tonight: Cajun dirty rice
Saturday: Dahl and Naan
Sunday: Harrisa chickpea stew with roasted butternut squash
Monday: Avo and roast asparagus on nice toast
Tuesday: Mushroom and asparagus stirfry with rice noodles
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: West African peanut stew (the meal planning thread classic!!)

Tonight - chickpea samosa filo pie
Tomorrow - honey and mustard sausage traybake
M - loaded bbq sweet potato wedges
T - Greek bean stew
W - butternut orzotto
Th - smoked basa and corn chowder
F - miso aubergine with black bean rice