MEAL PLANNING: Post your most successful family recipes here.

[HeinzSight]

Especially one's that are good for preparing in advance.

Pork Casserole.

serves 4
2-3 Apples peeled and chopped
1 onion peeled and chopped/sliced
dried sage
4 pork steaks or chops
300ml vegetable stock

pre heat oven 180c.

put half the onion and apple in the bottom of casserole dish and sprinkle dried sage. Then layer the pork on top and finish off with the rest of the apple and onion. pour over the stock and pop in the oven for 50 - 60mins.

Serve with bubble and squeak mash, delicious!

on mondays after i have roast chicken on sundays i always make chicken fried rice out of the left over chicken

fry an onion, a pepper and mushrooms strip the chicken and add this too (if you have any roast pots left over you can chop these into it also) then a couple of eggs mixed with a bit of milk then add some cold (left over) rice, bit off s&p warm through and you're done mmmmm delicious

Fantastic ideas thank you I like both of them!!!
Keep them coming

bump

My meal planning for this week is -

Monday - Taglatelli with sauce (red onions, mushrooms, gorganzola and creme freche) and roasted peppers. Home made garlic bread

Tuesday - Ham joint done in slow cooker with salad and roasted salad potatoes. Coleslaw.

Wed - Cheese and potato pie with beans

Thursday - Stir fry veg and quorn with noodles

Friday - Home made pizza (dough made in breadmaker, tomato base is just tomatoe puree mixed with herbs and garlic and a bit of water. Any veg in the fridge and far too much cheese. Left over salad and coleslaw from Tuesday night.

Saturday - Kids have salmon, peas and potato wedges. Dh and I have an indian takeaway

Sunday - Lasagnia

All my recipes are really quick to cook. At 5pm I have two very tired preschoolers hanging off my trouser legs - so I can't do anything too complicated...

I haven't decided for the week but today I had, Steak, and portabello mushrooms grilled with oliver oil, garlic and cushed salt and black pepper dressing drizzled over before grilling...and
potato dauphinoise

simmer in a pan
double cream
2 cloves and garlic
milk

add thinly sliced potatoes, simmer for 10 minutes add salt, pepper and nutmeg and transfere to the oven for 20 mins. Sometimes I put gruyere cheese on the top or in between the layers of potato....tasty!

Thank you soo much .......

more

more please

I do my planning on Sunday evening ready to shop Monday.

I do a list of lamb, beef, pork, poultry, fish then cross them with potatoes, pasta, rice, coucous, salad etc.

Family meals usually are based around mince or diced meat and fish pie.

Great for making in morning and reheating in evening.

ie: Gary Rhodes sheppards pie, ragu, jamie oliver goulash, jamies fish pie.

Eggs are great to fall back on if the day doesnt go to plan.

Some kind of stew at the beginning of the week to use up all the veggies you have. (Chuck everything in your slow cooker with some herbs, tinned tomatoes and a stock cube). I've got a rice cooker with a timer built in so it's even better!

Carbonara or a simple risotto is also a good back-up.

Stir fried veggies with noodles is also very quick and easy. Get the egg noodles, pan of boiling water for about 4 mins (if u have a wok, just boil water in wok to save washing up).
Strain noodles.
Get a bag of sir fried veggies (more costly than buying all veggies serperate, but we're unlikley to eat all the veg individually). Then fry vegies for a bit.
Add noodles and sauce (or just soya sauce if you dont have anything fancy).
If you want protein, add some chopped bacon or froze prawns (before veg).

My meal plan for this week is as follows:

Monday - away so will just grab something on the way home from the service station

Tuesday - Slow cooked roast beef, with vegetables cooked in stock and red wine

Wednesday - Crispy shreaded beef cooked with ginger and soy and served with rice (using left over beef)

Thursday - Slow cooked roast ham (again - all veg prepared the night before)

Friday - Pasta with quorn, courgette, onion, garlic and creme fraiche.

Saturday - Guests coming. Going out for dinner.

Sunday - Unsure yet - likely to be quite hungover due to friends coming to stay so may just snack!

heinzsight, I have a few weeks of meal plans I can come back later and type them up if you're still interested?

This is great, any more?

any given week may include any of the following:

• pasta bolognese ( Tom Norrington Davies recipe )with salad
• Jamie's RONC fish pie
• homemade pizza w raw veggies and homemade dough balls
• sweet potato and halloumi bake
• shepherds pie ( Tom ND again )
• parmesan chicken escalopes ( a Friday night tradition )with broccoli
• spicy pork meatballs ( Nigel Slater recipe ) with chilli dip and raw veggies
• roast somethingorother with trimmings for a weekend meal depending what we are doing, in the winter or bbq in the summer
• something new. try to do something new every 2 weeks. keep them on their toes and keep me from getting insanely bored.

spicy pork meatballs sound lovely.

here you go

tis v yum. mine all crowd around the island like mini vultures whilst I cook them then eat them straight from pan.

This week's meal plan:

Sunday: Toad in the hole with mash, carrots and gravy
Monday: Mushroom Risotto
Tuesday: Roast lemon chicken with tagliatelle
Wednesday: Moroccan chicken with couscous
Thursday: Penne with creamy tomato and basil sauce
Friday: Thai Chicken curry with rice
Saturday: Pizza

Hope that helps.

this week we have had

home made cornish pasties

roast pork and all the trimmings

hotch potch chicken with greek rice

sausage casserole

chicken sri lankan curry with rice

pasta and red pesto

lasagne followed by a chocolate and hazelnut cake (dd1 was 18)

irish stew tonight, and i will make some scotch eggs for snacks for the daytime

This week:

Sunday: Ham salad and oven chips (out all day)
Monday: Jacket potatoes and either tuna mayo or coleslaw
Tuesday: Shepherds pie
Wednesday: Roast chicken with salad and new potatoes
Thursday: Chicken risotto (with leftover chicken) or chicken biryani
Friday: Sausages hopefully done on the BBQ if not then with mash and veg
Saturday: Beef stirfry

Lots of meat this week, but that is because we have got a lot on special offer over the last few weeks and the freezer is full.

Tomato mango chicken.

Put some chicken pieces in a casserole or saucepan.
Add any vegetables you fancy, and cannellini beans (or similar) if you wish.
Add a tin (or several) of chopped tomatoes Add a generous amount of mango chutney. I often use a whole jar. Either the spiced or sweet works well.
Add some chilli / chilli powder / garlic if you want.

Bung it in the oven until the chicken is cooked, or boil on the hob.

I tend to put it in at about 180 degrees for around 45 minutes, assuming they are chicken pieces rather than whole thighs or breasts, which might take longer.

This would also work with leftover cooked chicken.

If you want to get technical, you could seal the chicken in oil before adding everything else, and perhaps cook some chopped onions with the meat too.

loving these.....any more?

Some of our regulars:

Sticky chicken - mix apricot jam with some grainy mustard, smear on skinless chicken pieces and bake till cooked (about 30 mins at 180 degrees for chicken breasts). Can also do this with marmalade/ mango chutney but our lot prefer the jam version.

Fish and rice - mix tinned mackerel in tomato sauce with quick cook brown rice for top brain food that is not overly fishy tasting for children

Hot tortillas - warm some tortillas in microwave, then put one flat in a hot dry frying pan, add filling (cheese/ tomato/ tuna/ ham etc), put second tortilla on top and heat for a minute or so with lid on, turn and heat, then serve cut in slices

Quick fish pie - poach a fillet or 2 of any white fish in a little milk for a minute or so on hob or in microwave. While fish is poaching, make a white sauce and add some grated cheese to the sauce. Add the poached white fish to the cheese sauce plus a tin of tuna and tin of mackerel in tomato sauce. Put in a dish and top with mashed potato and grated cheese, bake about 40 mins at about 180 degrees. Feeds about 6 people. Can also leave out the cheese for lower fat version, still tasty

This is one of our favourites on a saturday evening-it can be as spicey as you like.

spicey mincemeat kebabs.

mince meat
garlic powder/fresh crushed garlic
chilli powder
salt and black pepper

mix all together roll in to sausages and grill or oven bake.

serve with a salad in lemon juice and yogurt dip( bit of natural yoghurt dash of milk bit of mint sauce) in pitta pockets.

ginger salmon:
Take 3 salmon fillets and place in foil. Take a thumb sized piece of ginger and chop finely. Chop 2 garlic cloves finely. Sprinkle both over salmon fillets. Pour light soy sauce over them and then fold the foil in to seal. Bake in oven for 25-30 mins. Great with mash and really yummy!
Pesto chicken:
Drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper oven the chicken, then roast the chicken thighs in oven (approx 30 mins). In a bowl take 250ml of creme fraiche and 2 or 3 tablespoons of pesto and mix together. When chicken is ready use as a sauce on top and serve with rice - very tasty too!

Just fantastic

Great to get all this inspiration

Fishcakes.

Right, this recipe sounds bizarre but it's the current family favourite with fish hating husband and slightly fussy child.

3-ish Mackerel fillets
Fillet or two or cheap white fish (currently using Tesco Value River Cobbler - fab stuff)
1/2 tsp five spice
2 medium potatoes, mashed.
1 egg.

Mix together then form into fishcake sized things. Dab breadcrumbs on both sides. Then shallow fry.

Or YOu can either freeze the cakes as they are, or shallow fry and then freeze.

I serve with noodles and stir fried veg.