With Christmas Day behind us and a New Year coming up this Sunday, I’ve decided to get serious about my meal planning. When I’m not busy then I meal plan for the week but when things are busy, end of year or kids are sick it all falls away. My hope for next year because we have a very busy year and a baby coming in May is to get organised! Here is what we are eating this week, I flicked through a few books and included a few of our favourites.
We generally have a mixture of vegetarian and meat dishes and try to bake once or twice a week for snacks and dessert. I also do some cooking for a local group that provides meals to families in crisis, and I’ll generally double up a recipe and freeze half and take over to the group freezer later on. You can do this for your own freezer or when you have a friend who is having a rough time can drop over a meal that day. It’s so handy and things like uncooked lasagne, bolagnese sauce, meatballs etc freeze really well and you just add garlic bread, salad and a dessert and have a complete meal ready to give.
Day 1
Homemade sausage rolls & Coleslaw
We made a batch of the Veggie Packed sausage rolls from the MamaBake cookbook (a great buy full of recipes) but you can find similar sausage roll recipes here, here and here
For a gluten free recipe use gluten free puff pastry which you can find in your freezer section of a big supermarket/health food store and make sure you have enough egg to bind the filling and leave out breadcrumbs if the recipe calls for it. Also check ingredients on sauce bottles to ensure they are gluten free. For a vegetarian roll recipe try these delicious ones which we all love.
I buy a coleslaw bag from the shops because it’s easy but I also love this carrot salad in the thermomix. Super delicious!
Day 2
Vegetable and feta risotto (V)
We love risotto in the thermomix and I add grated zucchini, carrot and celery and cook for the whole time and then add feta to my thermoserve and leave for a few minutes. Danish feta is the best as its very creamy
Day 3
My kids love making their own tacos. I saute one onion, add in 500g mince and make my own flavouring. I use smoked paprika, vegetable stock (from my thermomix), salt, pepper and some garlic & herb seasoning and diced tomato. So delicious. We serve ours with shredded iceberg lettuce, salsa, sliced tomato, mashed avocado and sour cream. For vegetarian tacos just replace the mince with kidney beans and smash them with the back of a fork as you cook them. Alternatively these bean nachos are always a hit with the kids and great for summer holidays.
Day 4
Chicken and salad wraps
We are in the middle of summer and holidays. Grab a hot chicken during the day and keep in fridge for rest of day. At dinner time pull out leftover salad from taco night, shred the chicken and serve together or in wraps.
Day 5
A favourite of the little ones and my husband. I like mine with salad and they love mashed potato or rice. Super easy and this is a great one to freeze as well.
Day 6
Homemade pizzas (V option)
We use the dough made in the thermomix (you can make your own dough or buy pizza bases or pita bread) and we top with tomato paste, ham, pineapple or canned tuna, olives, capsicum, fresh tomato and lots of grated cheese on top. Kids make their own and it’s an activity and dinner rolled into one. For vegetarian pizzas go for marinated or fresh vegetables and a good cheese.
Day 7
Great for Sunday night. Serve with salad and garlic bread. We make 2 pies and any leftovers don’t last long. If you have lots of time and love a good old fashioned chicken pot pie then try Pioneer Woman’s with the homemade pie crust. Absolutely delicious!
Baking
I use raw sugar which isn’t as sweet as white or caster so adjust the sugar if you are using white sugar and do 1/2 cup because the sweetened condensed milk is sweet. Some people like a really sweet sugar cookie but I find one cup of raw sugar works nicely. It’s up to you…I like sweet!
This is to use up the last of the Christmas fruit mix in my pantry
You can use up whatever nice fruit you have at your house but I love having a jar of cherries in the pantry to whip up this delicious dessert. It looks much fancier than it is to cook!
If you’re stuck in a dinner rut then I hope that gives you a bit of inspiration. I often find myself in a rut especially over the holidays but did one big shop and am all stocked up for these delicious dinners.
Thank you for the motivation Corrie! This is exactly what I needed to read today!
Thanks for some new ideas! I have meal planned for all of my married life. Of course there have been weeks when I haven’t but I always get back to planning because I hate going to the shops all the time for things I need. I love knowing what I’m cooking each night and have all the ingredients on hand. My family like to know what we are eating from the list on the fridge and when I’m stuck for ideas they always give me suggestions. I also try and double a meal each week for the freezer so that I have a meal when I need a night off, to cater for unexpected guests, or to give away. Happy cooking!
Merry Christmas and congratulations to you and your family!
I also find that meal planning makes the rest of the week work so much more easily when running a busy household. The hardest part is just making the decisions when you are tired but once that it done everything flows. My neighbour actually does her meal planning on a monthly basis, which if you have a regular routine would be brilliant but ours is a but more unpredictable so weekly works best for us.
I don’t know if it is available to you in your area, but I find that having the weekly groceries home delivered a real timesaver. I do my meal plan, write my list then head to the computer & put in my order, it arrives the next day & only needs putting away. No arguing with trollies or children, and less back & knee pain to boot! If you’re not using it already it really is worth a try – especially come May!
Cheers!
I’m on my way…the week sounds all kinds of yum! Have you tried cumin and oregano in your taco beans or mince in addition to the paprika, garlic and Chilli? Quite authentic in Mexican flavoured..I make my own spice mixes too. And your chicken pie..so divine! I’ve don’t that one a few times too, still haven’t done your baked Italian meatballs yet with the topping but it’s on my to-do list. We have discovered a great side from my GF cubed potatoes cooked thru till tender mix with just wilted shredded silver beet, then quickly tossed with crushed garlic, a glut of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of half a lemon, cracked pepper and sea salt..amazing especially for veggie lovers! Also check out Epicurious pasta with tuna, lemon and capers..another quick dish but packed full of flavour and tuna..need I say anymore?