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

We’re trying to get the eldest children more involved in cooking, we’re going to let them pick a meal once a week that they have to prepare and cook! DS is 14 and DD is 9. I’ll be in the kitchen to watch but leaving it up to them really we’re all looking forward to it!!

Tomorrow: bean chilli enchiladas that were planned for Monday (did jacket potatoes that needed using up instead)
Friday: curry (Dahl for me, fish or cheese curry for DH/DD, cumin roasted veg and HM naan)
Saturday: puff pastry tart (onion and feta) with garlic roasted potatoes and tenderstem
Sunday: Pizza
Monday: pea soup with fish finger croutons and crusty bread
Tuesday: FD/SYO
Wednesday: Brinner

Feeling much more inspired this week

Friday: French onion grilled cheese
Saturday: gnocchi with roasted tenderstem and riccotta
Sunday: cauliflower and chickpea curry
Monday: creamy mushroom and spinach on sourdough toast
Tuesday: Thai noodle soup
Wednesday: seeing a friend who is cooking
Thursday: mushroom and kale stroganoff

This creamy halloumi and tomato curry was really good:

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/creamy-halloumi-tomato-curry

I used single cream instead of double; the halloumi is creamy enough. It did taste like a paneer curry, as described in the intro.

That looks lovely. I often use this recipe for a similar halloumi curry. I tend to use yogurt rather than cream to make it a bit lighter - https://www.happyveggiekitchen.com/butter-halloumi-curry/

The week ahead will be as follows:

Tonight: Gnocchi and roasted veg bake
Tomorrow: Jambalaya
Sunday: Spaghetti Carbonara
Monday: Turkey fajitas
Tuesday: Pork steak with potatoes, broccoli and carrots
Wednesday: Lentil soup followed by final remnants of xmas goodies (mince pies, gingerbread, christmas cake etc)
Thursday: Shakshuka
Friday: Chorizo broccoli pasta

I did the bacon/mushroom carbonara thing, pizza, veggie chilli and prawn korma this week so far, And roasted squash soup for 2 lunches.

Tonight, I plan bacon and mushroom pesto rossa pasta.

Lamb chop, potatoes and roasted veggies tomorrow.

Sunday I need to raid the freezer. Hopefully I have a couple of chicken thighs I can shove some feta under the skin to roast, or I know I have a duck breast and a piece of salmon but both are huge so I'd prefer doing either as 2 nights in a row meals.

Monday is a lasagna.

Apparently Tuesday was to be chilli but DH thinks he'll change it after I had a veggie one last night.

Wednesday night I will probably be out drinking.

Thursday DH will be in charge again.

Whereas Friday and Saturday will probably be on me - something nice and easy on Friday after a day of meetings, and something comforting when we get in from a rugby match on Saturday evening (or takeaway en route).

Sunday, I think I will try and bring an M&S type meal in my bag (I travel mid-afternoon).

And probably another few freezer meals that week until I do a proper food shop that following weekend (I will still have more than enough HM meals to use up).

Is there a reason people want halloumi, rather than paneer?

I agree @RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie paneer is for curries and halloumi for Greek mezze, or a traybake, mozzarella on pizza, feta in salad, cheddar for ploughman’s or soup, emmental in a toastie.
It’s really the only way

I’m the only one who likes paneer in my house, but everyone adores halloumi. They all liked the halloumi curry. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I just can’t get my head around it, much as I don’t like the idea of, say, chicken tikka pizza. I’m a bit of a pain in the arse with food awkwardness though. I’m sure it’s delicious.

Where I live, paneer has only been readily available in the last couple of years and i've seen a few tv/recipe books suggest halloumi as an alternative. I did try making my own paneer once and I thought it was OK but the process definitely put other family members off trying it. Whether it's due to that experience or genuine, they say they don't like the texture of paneer but do like halloumi so it works for us as a substitute.

I'm usually in the camp of keeping food within it's own groups 😂 but halloumi, for me seems to acceptably transcend it's boundaries. Growing up in a half-Cypriot household, i suppose I'm used to a sort of fusion with certain ingredients. I also really love halloumi fajitas! Can't get my head around hummus pasta though 😂

Hoummus pasta???? That sounds absolutely fucking disgusting!

RecipeI make chickpea and pasta soup by blitzing half the chickpeas and cooking in stock. A bit of garlic never goes amiss and olive oil is a must.
That leaves just lemon juice and tahini paste to make it into hummus pasta!

I've seen a lot of social media posts which involve stirring hummus into pasta like pesto. It's probably very nice but I can't bring myself to do it (plus, leftover hummus is just not a thing in this house)

Mon: shakshouka
Tues: chicken and chickpea curry with whole grain rice
Wed: wraps (mixed fillings to use bits up)
Thurs: beef and ginger noodles
Fri: veggie pitta pizzas and salad
Sat: hot honey spiced chicken with wedges and salad
Sun: out

I’m feeling very organised! 3 weeks in a row I’ve planned now and I’ve managed a few veggie days too. Really hoping to keep this up!

Trying to do our order now. No idea what I fancy.

DS wants to do some sort of vegetarian bibimbap, so I'm hoping to be told what to get for that.

I do maybe fancy qaesadillas or burritos or veggie enchiladas, but could do with a decent, easy recipe for the latter.

Maybe a creamy mushroom pasta.

Out one night, other days look like:
Mushroom risotto
Veg sausages with cauliflower cheese
Mushrooms with polenta (half arsed version of Ottolenghi recipe)
Chickpea curry and rice
Something from the freezer

Right. Still haven’t done the order, so I need to get my act together or starve.

Tonight - pasta puttanesca
Tomorrow - bibimbap - rice, tofu, pickled carrot and cucumber, gochujang, fried egg
Tuesday - veggie sausage casserole
Weds - quesadillas with refried beans, homemade salsa, avocado
Thursday - pitta bread pizzas OR creamy garlic mushrooms in pitta breads with salad
Friday - out
Saturday - out for lunch so cheese and crackers or something on toast for tea
Sunday - leftover M&S nut roast from Christmas with roast potatoes and vege / a bought pie for ds and dp

Jumping in to join you, I keep meaning to plan earlier in the week, so I can shop first thing, but I always end up doing it Saturday morning!

This week is

Yesterday - Lentil, anchovy and fennel ragu, from yesterday's Guardian Feast - my lentils were a bit out of date...

Today - Nigella's Vietnamese salad for lunch to use up some of the red cabbage we have left. Roast pork for tea with roast potatoes, parsnips, Swiss chard gratin, carrots, peas. My son is going to make chocolate and pear sponge pudding.

Monday - Teriyaki salmon with noodles and stir fried veg

Tuesday - roast masala carrots with coconut lentils and rice

Wednesday - eating out (Korean 😊)

Thursday - smoked hummus stuffed peppers with couscous and salad

Friday - chicken, leeks, creme fraiche with rice, lemony shredded carrots and sweetcorn

I did everything except the Chinese dish (we came home too late had ravioli instead, inspired by the “How do you serve fresh stuffed pasta?” thread. Answer: with a dollop of ragoût).
With all the leftover XMas protein in the freezer and well stocked staples I only spent €64, less than half my weekly budget! That will pay for a freezer restock of basics. Menu tomorrow.

Just done this week’s plan:

Mon - butternut squash soup and crusty bread
Tues - leek and mushroom pasta
Wed - jacket potatoes and salad
Thurs - chicken fried rice
Friday - fish and herby potatoes
Sat - sausage and mash
Sun - paella

I get so hungry reading the updates on this thread 😂

This week:

Sunday - chicken & veg pie for lunch (already eaten, 10/10)
Monday - tortellini soup with kale, leeks and butter beans
Tuesday - hosting a playdate for friends who are lactose intolerant, so am doing sausages, olive oil mash and roasted broccoli
Wednesday - cowboy pie using leftovers from Tuesday
Thursday - DS is going to a playdate (and I'm ordering a Deliveroo 😋)
Friday - Homemade pizzas
Saturday - Out all day

I’ve run out of steam after one week 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

I will be back later on tonight; shopping is booked for tomorrow so I have to amend the order by tonight.

Been working all weekend so only
getting to the plan now

Monday: salmon for DH and DD, veggie burgers for DS and I, broccoli and rice

Tuesday: veggie gyoza and ramen

Wednesday: mushroom and leek risotto

Thursday: veggie Irish stew and dumplings

Friday: something pasta based but undecided what