I'm trying to stick to my plan this week. Last week saw everything shuffled around and chopped and changed so the plan was more of a suggestion really.
Yesterday was a complete wash and we ended up phoning out for food. I dropped Chloe at school and then ran around the town like a headless chicken for an hour before arriving home spending a bit of time glued to the laptop, I did a bit of cleaning and laundry and then rushed down to collect her from school again (those three hours go in fast!).
We came home and had a bit of lunch and I was just doing the dishes when I spotted the poor cat (that I hadn't been able to find all morning) huddled under a tree and soaking wet, so I ran out to bring her and get her dried off when I noticed something weird. A bald patch at the very base of her back just at her tail. I hadn't noticed it before and I assumed that when she's dry the hair above it is long enough to cover the patch, but because she was soaking wet I could see it a mile away.
So I Googled it.
And because Google never fails to return nothing but advice from The Party Pooper, The Bearer of Bad News and The Pessimist when faced with symptoms as search times, I thought stuff that and phoned Assisi instead.
They said it was probably nothing but that it should be checked just to be on the safe side and that because she wasn't my cat and I was just keeping an eye on her until someone (if anyone) claims her, I could bring her down to the centre and their vet would check her over.
Not my cat, eh? When I've ran out into torrential rain, waded through my very flooded back garden, suffered clawings just to get the poor thing dried off in case she would catch a cold and chased off varying sizes of much, much hissier cats than her. Not my cat! Oh but I beg to differ!!! Still free vet care you say...
Anyway, we took her to the centre and they checked for the obvious, fleas, ticks, skin conditions and said that she was clear of any on board inhabitants and infections. I started treating her with frontline a couple of months ago and mentioned that just in case but they said if it was an allergy then she would have symptoms on the back of her neck too as its the dosing site. She was grooming herself a lot during the examination and the vet asked if she does that a lot. She does actually, I've often commented to the husband that if nothing else she's a very clean cat. Well it turns out the cat is stressed.
Yup, stressed!
The vet said that during any big change, such as a new home a cat can remain anxious and stressed for up to a year before truly settling in. There were a couple of funerals in our immediate area right before the cat showed up and we have a suspicion that the owner of the cat has passed away and their relatives maybe don't know about the cat so its understandable really if that's the case then she's likely to have come from a very quiet home to this mad house.
So, the menu plan because I bet you're absolutely starving now after reading that lot!
Tuesday
Vegetable soup and crusty bread. I have a big pot of the stuff bubbling away in the kitchen and Chloe and i will make the bread when she comes home from school.
Wednesday
I picked up ribs yesterday morning when I was out and I'll just put them in the crockpot in the morning with barbecue sauce and stick a couple of big potatoes in the oven for bakers in the afternoon.
Thursday
Fajitas. Easy peasy and I have everything in the house for them already and Chloe and I can make the flatbreads in the afternoon.
Friday
Snack night. I want to try and make pizza pockets. This will end in disaster I just know it will but Robert's disgusted that we can't buy the pizza toaster pockets here. I'll throw some mini sausage rolls and chicken dippers int he oven too so that we won't starve.
Saturday
Fish of some description. I have trout and some cod in the freezer. I haven't really decided whether to just steam some fish along with potatoes and veg or make a fish pie with butter sauce and topped with mashed potatoes and cheese.
Sunday
Cured ham (bought at the continental market) and mushroom risotto and as always Chloe and I will be having a poached egg on top. Robert still needs a bit more convincing that a poached egg on top makes any risotto a good risotto.
Baking
I made a cheapy chocolate cake yesterday just using my basic sponge recipe but subbing 25g of cocoa powder in place of the same weight of flour, I then sandwiched chocolate butter cream in between the two layers and Robert's away to work with a slab of it, on a plate, in his lunchbox. He'll tell me I'm weird for bothering with the plate and fork when he gets home but we're not animals for crying out loud.
Bread, obviously. I'll need two crusty bloomers and about 8-10 flatbreads depending on what size they come out.
Oat and Raisin cookies. I've been meaning to make these for a couple of weeks now and somehow still haven't got round to it.
There may or may not need to be another cake for later in the week, Robert's going in a training course with a colleague and I'm told he gets a grump on if Robert doesn't bring him cake so I'll make one for him to take to the course on the last day.
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipes. Show all posts
Menu Plan 31/8 to 6/9
Whoa, where did September come from? This year is disappearing fast.
Last week went well with Chloe in school two days. Although she arrived home claiming that she was starving. She snacked right up to dinner time on both days and then at dinner time she was ready for a full meal. She said she was cold and didn't want sandwiches or anything like that so I was scrabbling late in the day to get a meal together. I think I'll plan on full meals this week, at least we can use any leftovers for lunch the next day if she isn't just as hungry in the evenings once she gets used to the routine.
Monday
I have cooked chicken in the fridge and I'll use it to make sweet and sour chicken for Chloe and Robert, they both love it but I'm not a big fan myself so I'll just use some of the chicken to make sandwiches. I'll steam some rice to go with the sweet and sour.
Tuesday
I'll make a pot of Irish stew on Monday night. Chloe will be back to school today and I'll be out and about for the few things in the morning. This way I'll just have to reheat the pot in the evening when Robert gets home from work. I should check actually because he's had a few days off work recently and its bound to have played havoc with his usual call out routine so I'm not really sure at the minute which night he'll be on call.
Wednesday
Chloe will be at school in the morning and then she'll be at my mum's house in the afternoon. My mum goes away on holiday for two weeks on Friday so this will be her last chance to see Chloe for any length of time. Somebody told Robert about a cowboy supper baked potato, basically just a baked potato stuffed with chopped sausage, baked beans and cheese from what I can gather. Anyway, he wants one so I'll make him one tonight.
Thursday
Chicken and broccoli bake. This is another really easy meal, I can just pop it all in a casserole dish and through it in the oven an hour before we're ready to eat. I'll just steam some potatoes to go with it.
Friday
Baked trout with potatoes and vegetables. My freezer levels are running low, but my brother is happy that he can go fishing again. He lost his old fishing partner (in crime) to a lovely new born baby this year and they haven't been able to go quite as often. Robert wants to give fishing a go, so my brother's going to sort him out with a licence and organise a few trips. Plus it'll be good for Robert, I think everyone needs a hobby of sorts outside the home.
Saturday
Chloe would normally go my mum's house on a Saturday so I'll do pizza and popcorn tonight and let her watch a movie (her choice) as a treat.
Sunday
I don't really know what I'll be making yet. I'll be going to the market on Saturday morning and with the weather starting to cool off I fancy a nice big Sunday dinner, so I'll pick up a roast of some description, likely pork or beef.
Baking
Not a lot this week really. The pizza bases are already part baked and in the freezer and I have a couple of bags of different cookies in the freezer now so I really only have to stick those in the oven when we need them. I'm not sure if I'll be doing anything from scratch as such this week.
Last week went well with Chloe in school two days. Although she arrived home claiming that she was starving. She snacked right up to dinner time on both days and then at dinner time she was ready for a full meal. She said she was cold and didn't want sandwiches or anything like that so I was scrabbling late in the day to get a meal together. I think I'll plan on full meals this week, at least we can use any leftovers for lunch the next day if she isn't just as hungry in the evenings once she gets used to the routine.
Monday
I have cooked chicken in the fridge and I'll use it to make sweet and sour chicken for Chloe and Robert, they both love it but I'm not a big fan myself so I'll just use some of the chicken to make sandwiches. I'll steam some rice to go with the sweet and sour.
Tuesday
I'll make a pot of Irish stew on Monday night. Chloe will be back to school today and I'll be out and about for the few things in the morning. This way I'll just have to reheat the pot in the evening when Robert gets home from work. I should check actually because he's had a few days off work recently and its bound to have played havoc with his usual call out routine so I'm not really sure at the minute which night he'll be on call.
Wednesday
Chloe will be at school in the morning and then she'll be at my mum's house in the afternoon. My mum goes away on holiday for two weeks on Friday so this will be her last chance to see Chloe for any length of time. Somebody told Robert about a cowboy supper baked potato, basically just a baked potato stuffed with chopped sausage, baked beans and cheese from what I can gather. Anyway, he wants one so I'll make him one tonight.
Thursday
Chicken and broccoli bake. This is another really easy meal, I can just pop it all in a casserole dish and through it in the oven an hour before we're ready to eat. I'll just steam some potatoes to go with it.
Friday
Baked trout with potatoes and vegetables. My freezer levels are running low, but my brother is happy that he can go fishing again. He lost his old fishing partner (in crime) to a lovely new born baby this year and they haven't been able to go quite as often. Robert wants to give fishing a go, so my brother's going to sort him out with a licence and organise a few trips. Plus it'll be good for Robert, I think everyone needs a hobby of sorts outside the home.
Saturday
Chloe would normally go my mum's house on a Saturday so I'll do pizza and popcorn tonight and let her watch a movie (her choice) as a treat.
Sunday
I don't really know what I'll be making yet. I'll be going to the market on Saturday morning and with the weather starting to cool off I fancy a nice big Sunday dinner, so I'll pick up a roast of some description, likely pork or beef.
Baking
Not a lot this week really. The pizza bases are already part baked and in the freezer and I have a couple of bags of different cookies in the freezer now so I really only have to stick those in the oven when we need them. I'm not sure if I'll be doing anything from scratch as such this week.
Menu Plan 24/8 to 30/8
I'm going back a normal(ish) menu plan this week. With Chloe starting school on Thursday I was to try and take as many variables out of the week as possible.
Monday
Beef casserole with potatoes and vegetables. Bob had to go out on a call on Saturday night to a farm shop (he wasn't actually on call but the guy who was had to do a 2am dash to the hospital with his wife when she went into labour). After he finished fixing the alarm the owner gave him a huge silverside which I cooked yesterday but there's still a load left and I'll use some for the casserole.
Tuesday
I'll make stir fry tonight. I have plenty of vegetables in the fridge (none from the garden unfortunately) and I have noodles.
Wednesday
I'll make a curry for Bob and I. Chloe will be at my mum's house this evening and will have dinner there, although I have my mum warned to be on her best behaviour today. I don't want her making a whole fuss over Chloe and then her arriving home hyper or worse, over tired. So it should just be like any normal Wednesday.
Thursday and Friday
Chloe's firs two days of school. Bob has booked the two days off work to be able to take her to school and collect her again. I won't plan an evening meal as such for these two days. A lot of you mentioned before that she'll likely be fairly tired when she gets home so I'll just plan a light lunch and then sandwiches, wraps or something similar in the evening. I'll also make sure I have plenty of snacky things around the house for her to nibble on in between talking a mile a minute about her day.
Saturday
Again Chloe will be at my mum's house for dinner today. Bob and I will have a late lunch and then something small when Chloe comes home. Then he wants pizza and a movie once she's safely tucked in bed.
Sunday
I'll roast a chicken either on Saturday night or on Sunday morning. We haven't been to the beach in a few weeks now and I'm hoping for dry weather at the very least, then we can pack up a big picnic and spend the day at the beach.
Baking
We'll make some oat and raisin cookies either today or tomorrow. Honestly I want them more for me than anyone else but they do make good snacks too and I'm also planning to make some cupcakes with Chloe on Wednesday morning and she can take some to my mum's house for a little picnic with her friends. We'll still bake together once she's in school but I would imagine
that there won't be just as much time for things like that once the school year gets into full swing with homework and such.
Monday
Beef casserole with potatoes and vegetables. Bob had to go out on a call on Saturday night to a farm shop (he wasn't actually on call but the guy who was had to do a 2am dash to the hospital with his wife when she went into labour). After he finished fixing the alarm the owner gave him a huge silverside which I cooked yesterday but there's still a load left and I'll use some for the casserole.
Tuesday
I'll make stir fry tonight. I have plenty of vegetables in the fridge (none from the garden unfortunately) and I have noodles.
Wednesday
I'll make a curry for Bob and I. Chloe will be at my mum's house this evening and will have dinner there, although I have my mum warned to be on her best behaviour today. I don't want her making a whole fuss over Chloe and then her arriving home hyper or worse, over tired. So it should just be like any normal Wednesday.
Thursday and Friday
Chloe's firs two days of school. Bob has booked the two days off work to be able to take her to school and collect her again. I won't plan an evening meal as such for these two days. A lot of you mentioned before that she'll likely be fairly tired when she gets home so I'll just plan a light lunch and then sandwiches, wraps or something similar in the evening. I'll also make sure I have plenty of snacky things around the house for her to nibble on in between talking a mile a minute about her day.
Saturday
Again Chloe will be at my mum's house for dinner today. Bob and I will have a late lunch and then something small when Chloe comes home. Then he wants pizza and a movie once she's safely tucked in bed.
Sunday
I'll roast a chicken either on Saturday night or on Sunday morning. We haven't been to the beach in a few weeks now and I'm hoping for dry weather at the very least, then we can pack up a big picnic and spend the day at the beach.
Baking
We'll make some oat and raisin cookies either today or tomorrow. Honestly I want them more for me than anyone else but they do make good snacks too and I'm also planning to make some cupcakes with Chloe on Wednesday morning and she can take some to my mum's house for a little picnic with her friends. We'll still bake together once she's in school but I would imagine
that there won't be just as much time for things like that once the school year gets into full swing with homework and such.
Menu Plan 3/8 to 9/8
Water, water everywhere, so lets all have a drink! Yep, it's chucking it down in buckets again this week.
Even so, I received a nice surprise this week in the form of an email from Emma Williams, the Managing Editor of the Schmap Guide telling me that one of my photographs from our trip to Belfast Zoo had been chosen for the Top Attractions section.
This one in fact.
If you're not familiar with Schmap you check it out using the link below. Simply put, it's an online map system when you can also run on your phone amongst other things, but instead of a boring bog standard map, in Schmap all of the sites, attractions and places of interest including hotels, restaurants and even events which have been reviewed and also include photographs taken by your average Joe, or Josephine in my case because face it, a professional photographer can make anywhere look like somewhere you'd like to visit. Schmap Guides are available for over 200 worldwide destinations, not just Belfast so why not check out a few local to you.
Anyway, food!
I'm keeping relatively simple this week, although I found out after last week that I do need a basic menu at the very least to keep hold of my sanity.
Monday
I'll make a big pot of beef stew. The poor husband was on call all weekend and he barely set foot in the house until well after midnight both nights, plus he's off sorting out cameras today. Cameras which are outside and I've already mentioned that its pouring outside. He's exhausted already and I fully expect him to arrive home soaked through so I'll light the fire for him later too.
Tuesday
Chicken, possibly fajitas or just plain wraps with all the bits and pieces.
Wednesday
Curry tonight. Toots will be at Nana's house for dinner so I'll be able to make the husband a hot curry for a change.
Thursday
Baked cod with potatoes and vegetables.
Friday
Pizza night.
Saturday
Burgers and onion rings.
Sunday
Roast chicken, with all the usual bits and pieces.
Baking
Strawberry Pavlova. Its in the oven already, the husband will need a bit of Summer by the time he arrives home and that amount of sugar might go some way towards keeping him on his feet.
Madeira cake, I feel like having some nice plain cake around the house for snacking.
Coffee cake. We'll be making coffee cake cupcakes today too. Coffee cake is Toots' absolutely favourite cake and the first thing she asks for every time and seeing as we won't be able to get too far from the house today I told her she could make some.
Actually I should probably go because she's chomping at the bit for that cake.
Even so, I received a nice surprise this week in the form of an email from Emma Williams, the Managing Editor of the Schmap Guide telling me that one of my photographs from our trip to Belfast Zoo had been chosen for the Top Attractions section.
This one in fact.
If you're not familiar with Schmap you check it out using the link below. Simply put, it's an online map system when you can also run on your phone amongst other things, but instead of a boring bog standard map, in Schmap all of the sites, attractions and places of interest including hotels, restaurants and even events which have been reviewed and also include photographs taken by your average Joe, or Josephine in my case because face it, a professional photographer can make anywhere look like somewhere you'd like to visit. Schmap Guides are available for over 200 worldwide destinations, not just Belfast so why not check out a few local to you.
Anyway, food!
I'm keeping relatively simple this week, although I found out after last week that I do need a basic menu at the very least to keep hold of my sanity.
Monday
I'll make a big pot of beef stew. The poor husband was on call all weekend and he barely set foot in the house until well after midnight both nights, plus he's off sorting out cameras today. Cameras which are outside and I've already mentioned that its pouring outside. He's exhausted already and I fully expect him to arrive home soaked through so I'll light the fire for him later too.
Tuesday
Chicken, possibly fajitas or just plain wraps with all the bits and pieces.
Wednesday
Curry tonight. Toots will be at Nana's house for dinner so I'll be able to make the husband a hot curry for a change.
Thursday
Baked cod with potatoes and vegetables.
Friday
Pizza night.
Saturday
Burgers and onion rings.
Sunday
Roast chicken, with all the usual bits and pieces.
Baking
Strawberry Pavlova. Its in the oven already, the husband will need a bit of Summer by the time he arrives home and that amount of sugar might go some way towards keeping him on his feet.
Madeira cake, I feel like having some nice plain cake around the house for snacking.
Coffee cake. We'll be making coffee cake cupcakes today too. Coffee cake is Toots' absolutely favourite cake and the first thing she asks for every time and seeing as we won't be able to get too far from the house today I told her she could make some.
Actually I should probably go because she's chomping at the bit for that cake.
Menu Plan 20/7 to 26/7
I haven't thought this through to be honest due to a busy weekend and an even busier Monday.
Still, I've had a quick rustle through the fridge and freezer and cobbled together a quick and easy plan which should see me through what looks to be a busy week.
Monday
We had the stew I made last night because the husband is on call, although for once he arrived home early and (touch wood) hasn't been called out yet.
Tuesday
Pizza, its easy to throw together in a couple of minutes, plus I'm not sure I'll have he energy for much more than that. I have the pizza bases in the freezer and all the other bits and bobs in the fridge.
Wednesday
Sandwiches. I'll see time wise but I'll either bake or buy some sub rolls, stick a chicken in the oven and then there'll be nice warm chicken and salad for fillings. There's also some baked ham in the fridge as well as good strong cheddar and I'm never without pickles in this house so everyone should go to bed stuffed.
Thursday
Stirfry. My wee garden hasn't faired too well this year but we do have a small amount of fresh veggies to use. I'll slice those finely, add chicken, noodles, sauce and call it dinner.
Friday
Steamed fish, baby potatoes and corn on the cob. I can top the fish with red or green pesto to help it along a bit flavour wise and then just throw the heap into my steamer and walk away.
Saturday
I haven't got the foggiest notion. Leftovers probably, failing that burgers from the freezer.
Sunday
Baked pork chops, roast potatoes and veg and I'll probably just cook everything in the oven seeing as its on.
Baking
I have brownies which means that there is something for nibbling on and something to put in the husband's lunchbox. He's also been asking for custard tarts but I'm not entirely sure I'll get to those during the week although I may be able to manage it at the weekend.
I quite fancy some bakewell tarts myself, they're nice and light and there's a lot less work involved compared to the custards.
Still, I've had a quick rustle through the fridge and freezer and cobbled together a quick and easy plan which should see me through what looks to be a busy week.
Monday
We had the stew I made last night because the husband is on call, although for once he arrived home early and (touch wood) hasn't been called out yet.
Tuesday
Pizza, its easy to throw together in a couple of minutes, plus I'm not sure I'll have he energy for much more than that. I have the pizza bases in the freezer and all the other bits and bobs in the fridge.
Wednesday
Sandwiches. I'll see time wise but I'll either bake or buy some sub rolls, stick a chicken in the oven and then there'll be nice warm chicken and salad for fillings. There's also some baked ham in the fridge as well as good strong cheddar and I'm never without pickles in this house so everyone should go to bed stuffed.
Thursday
Stirfry. My wee garden hasn't faired too well this year but we do have a small amount of fresh veggies to use. I'll slice those finely, add chicken, noodles, sauce and call it dinner.
Friday
Steamed fish, baby potatoes and corn on the cob. I can top the fish with red or green pesto to help it along a bit flavour wise and then just throw the heap into my steamer and walk away.
Saturday
I haven't got the foggiest notion. Leftovers probably, failing that burgers from the freezer.
Sunday
Baked pork chops, roast potatoes and veg and I'll probably just cook everything in the oven seeing as its on.
Baking
I have brownies which means that there is something for nibbling on and something to put in the husband's lunchbox. He's also been asking for custard tarts but I'm not entirely sure I'll get to those during the week although I may be able to manage it at the weekend.
I quite fancy some bakewell tarts myself, they're nice and light and there's a lot less work involved compared to the custards.
Menu Plan 13/7 to 19/7
We were hoping to sneak in a few more barbecues this week but judging by the weather this weekend and today it isn't looking very likely, which is a pity because the husband was enjoying cooking outside and we were finally teaching Toots the idea behind a barbecue. The first time we tried it she refused to eat until everything was cooked and on the plates which of course led to a slight protein overload. I think she's finally coming around to the idea of pacing herself.
Monday
Toots is at a party with my mum, so no doubt she'll stuff herself with party food. Its her second party this weekend but more of that tomorrow. I'm planning on making something simple for the husband and I, more than likely burgers or something along those lines.
Tuesday
It's the end of the husband's long weekend so I'll use some of his venison for him and Toots (she likes it rare) and I'll have chicken along with some steamed veg and Comber potatoes. I picked up a bag at the weekend and you can literally wipe the skin off with your bare hands. Absolutely beautiful things they are.
Wednesday
Baked whole trout with lemon and herbs and a salad. My brother has been fishing again and I now have eight whole trout which Toots helped my to gut and scale in the freezer. I insist on teaching her to prepare food.
Thursday
Baked chicken with tomatoes and mozzarella. I'll either bake bread or make a bean or rice salad to go with.
Friday
Pizza with all the usual toppings and I've developed a bit of a passion for garlic bread made using one of my part baked pizza bases smothered in garlic butter and Parmesan.
Saturday
Chicken fajitas. we haven't had these for a couple of weeks and it does Toots good to keep some spice in her diet.
Sunday
Cumberland sausage casserole. I'm just using a Colman's sauce I'm afraid. I've tried making this before myself and it never turns out quite right. I'm perfectly happy to let Colmans do the hard work seeing as they do it so much better than I do.
I'll also make a pot of Irish stew today. The husband is on call on Monday which means that there will be something quick and good for him to eat as soon as he gets home and in case he gets called straight back out again (it happens), plus it saves me cooking on Monday.
Baking
I've already made a Victoria sandwich which may or may not last until tomorrow, probably not though there's very little left as it is.
I should also be able to make some raspberry and lemon oat bars and post the recipe tomorrow. The recipe is based on MTM's scotch squares, which are bloody good as they are. My weird husband would just rather have fruit than chocolate. Go figure!
And I may have to make some brownies. Somebody who shall remain nameless mentioned brownies today and I can't get off the thought of them.
Monday
Toots is at a party with my mum, so no doubt she'll stuff herself with party food. Its her second party this weekend but more of that tomorrow. I'm planning on making something simple for the husband and I, more than likely burgers or something along those lines.
Tuesday
It's the end of the husband's long weekend so I'll use some of his venison for him and Toots (she likes it rare) and I'll have chicken along with some steamed veg and Comber potatoes. I picked up a bag at the weekend and you can literally wipe the skin off with your bare hands. Absolutely beautiful things they are.
Wednesday
Baked whole trout with lemon and herbs and a salad. My brother has been fishing again and I now have eight whole trout which Toots helped my to gut and scale in the freezer. I insist on teaching her to prepare food.
Thursday
Baked chicken with tomatoes and mozzarella. I'll either bake bread or make a bean or rice salad to go with.
Friday
Pizza with all the usual toppings and I've developed a bit of a passion for garlic bread made using one of my part baked pizza bases smothered in garlic butter and Parmesan.
Saturday
Chicken fajitas. we haven't had these for a couple of weeks and it does Toots good to keep some spice in her diet.
Sunday
Cumberland sausage casserole. I'm just using a Colman's sauce I'm afraid. I've tried making this before myself and it never turns out quite right. I'm perfectly happy to let Colmans do the hard work seeing as they do it so much better than I do.
I'll also make a pot of Irish stew today. The husband is on call on Monday which means that there will be something quick and good for him to eat as soon as he gets home and in case he gets called straight back out again (it happens), plus it saves me cooking on Monday.
Baking
I've already made a Victoria sandwich which may or may not last until tomorrow, probably not though there's very little left as it is.
I should also be able to make some raspberry and lemon oat bars and post the recipe tomorrow. The recipe is based on MTM's scotch squares, which are bloody good as they are. My weird husband would just rather have fruit than chocolate. Go figure!
And I may have to make some brownies. Somebody who shall remain nameless mentioned brownies today and I can't get off the thought of them.
Menu Plan 6/7 to 12/7
We're leading up to yet another long weekend here. The husband will be off work on Monday and Tuesday of next week so we're looking forward to that.
Last week didn't go exactly to plan, a few things were shuffled and a few things were dumped altogether, but sure you get the odd week like that.
Monday
Pizza and garlic bread. I went a bit overboard making part baked pizza bases and now it looks like that's the only thing I have in my freezer:)
Tuesday
Soup. I'll throw all the ingredients in the crockpot and let it sit all day. I don't really have a name for it though, bits and bobs maybe. I have frozen white beans in the freezer along with cooked chicken, smoked lardons and chorizo. I'll sweat saute the lardons and chorizo along with some diced onion and garlic and then chuck the heap into the crockpot along with some chicken stock. I'll possibly add some fresh tomatoes and sliced yellow pepper about half way through the cooking time.
Wednesday
Fish and Chips. I haven't had fish and chips in ages, but I'll make it at home because I still have cod in the freezer. I can't batter the trout, I've tried before and its just not right.
Thursday
Salad. I'll do my shopping on Wednesday afternoon and pick up some fresh fruit and veg so I don't really know what will end up in the salad until I've done the shopping.
Friday
Sandwiches. I'll use up any leftover soup as well and make up some sandwiches with crusty bread and whatever each person wants. I'm trying to give them a night of picking their own thing and this is an easy way to do it.
Saturday
Snack night. I have to admit I haven't done this in a couple of weeks and I've missed it, kind of. Curling up in front of a movie with nibbly bits and pieces is nice. I'll make onion rings, chicken goujons, dips and throw in some wraps and philleous fogg crisps for the starvos.
Sunday
The husband will get Venison along with the usual potatoes and a veg or two and I'll bake a pork fillet I have in the freezer for Toots and I and the husband can then have roast pork sandwiches for lunch with pickles and chutney and what not. I might stuff the pork fillet but I haven't decided yet.
Baking
Oat flapjacks. They're handy for a quick breakfast or snack.
Banana muffins. I'll need to make them early in the week. I have no idea how I ended up with so many bananas in the house.
And although I'm not making Doughnuts this week, I received an email asking for the recipe so I've posted it here.
Last week didn't go exactly to plan, a few things were shuffled and a few things were dumped altogether, but sure you get the odd week like that.
Monday
Pizza and garlic bread. I went a bit overboard making part baked pizza bases and now it looks like that's the only thing I have in my freezer:)
Tuesday
Soup. I'll throw all the ingredients in the crockpot and let it sit all day. I don't really have a name for it though, bits and bobs maybe. I have frozen white beans in the freezer along with cooked chicken, smoked lardons and chorizo. I'll sweat saute the lardons and chorizo along with some diced onion and garlic and then chuck the heap into the crockpot along with some chicken stock. I'll possibly add some fresh tomatoes and sliced yellow pepper about half way through the cooking time.
Wednesday
Fish and Chips. I haven't had fish and chips in ages, but I'll make it at home because I still have cod in the freezer. I can't batter the trout, I've tried before and its just not right.
Thursday
Salad. I'll do my shopping on Wednesday afternoon and pick up some fresh fruit and veg so I don't really know what will end up in the salad until I've done the shopping.
Friday
Sandwiches. I'll use up any leftover soup as well and make up some sandwiches with crusty bread and whatever each person wants. I'm trying to give them a night of picking their own thing and this is an easy way to do it.
Saturday
Snack night. I have to admit I haven't done this in a couple of weeks and I've missed it, kind of. Curling up in front of a movie with nibbly bits and pieces is nice. I'll make onion rings, chicken goujons, dips and throw in some wraps and philleous fogg crisps for the starvos.
Sunday
The husband will get Venison along with the usual potatoes and a veg or two and I'll bake a pork fillet I have in the freezer for Toots and I and the husband can then have roast pork sandwiches for lunch with pickles and chutney and what not. I might stuff the pork fillet but I haven't decided yet.
Baking
Oat flapjacks. They're handy for a quick breakfast or snack.
Banana muffins. I'll need to make them early in the week. I have no idea how I ended up with so many bananas in the house.
And although I'm not making Doughnuts this week, I received an email asking for the recipe so I've posted it here.
Menu Plan - 29/6 to 5/7
Its official. A heat wave has hit the UK and the heat health level is at Alert, whatever that means.
In this house it means salads and as much liquid as possible. No mean feat consider I'm married to the guy who got "bored" of water while we were in Egypt. Still, he learned his lesson the hard way.
I'm a day late this week. My broadband connection has been iffy to say the these lately, but I'm happy to say that I'm back up and running and you might notice that I've already had a little fiddle with the layout here. If it looks weird or a bit skew, please let me know.
So, back to the food...
Monday
Poached chicken, cooked in the crockpot with stock, rosemary and onion, out in the garage (whoever came up with that idea first is a Saint IMO) with salad, a couple of varieties of lettuce, shredded red cabbage, tomatoes, roasted yellow peppers and raw red peppers and some cucumber for me seeing as I'm the only person in the house that likes it.
Tuesday
Barbecue. I grabbed some pork chops and sausages out of the freezer and dumped the chops in a bowl with hoi sin sauce, plus I've a big bowl of leftover salad from yesterday.
Wednesday
Chicken noodle soup for Toots and I, I added some vegetables and some of the chicken shredded to the stock in the crockpot and I'll add the udon noodles in when I reheat it. The husband wants chicken curry, go figure!
Thursday
Whole trout on the BBQ (the brother's been fishing again) and I'll either put a salad together or I'll stir fry some vegetables with sesame oil.
Friday
Barbecue Pizza. Honestly everything just tastes better when cooked outside, even a tin of beans. I made 8 part baked pizza bases last week and I made two of them thinner than the rest so that I can just lay some foil on the bars, set the base on the foil and add whatever toppings they feel like at the time.
Saturday
The temperature is to peak by Friday which in Northern Ireland means that it could very well rain on Saturday, but if the weather holds and I think it might, we'll head to Cairn Wood with the camp stove. Its so much cooler in the forest and it'll be a nice end to the day.
Sunday
Again we'll be at my mum's house on Sunday. We had a great time last week and its nice to just spend time with family rather than the sometimes flying visits we tend to have. I have to make a trifle for the boys.
Baking
I honestly can't see there being much baking here this week, I can't even stomach the thought of bread in this heat beyond the couple of part baked things in the freezer that I might dig out for the husband's lunches.
I did bake a lemon and coconut cake very late last night, but I just really needed a slice of cake!
In this house it means salads and as much liquid as possible. No mean feat consider I'm married to the guy who got "bored" of water while we were in Egypt. Still, he learned his lesson the hard way.
I'm a day late this week. My broadband connection has been iffy to say the these lately, but I'm happy to say that I'm back up and running and you might notice that I've already had a little fiddle with the layout here. If it looks weird or a bit skew, please let me know.
So, back to the food...
Monday
Poached chicken, cooked in the crockpot with stock, rosemary and onion, out in the garage (whoever came up with that idea first is a Saint IMO) with salad, a couple of varieties of lettuce, shredded red cabbage, tomatoes, roasted yellow peppers and raw red peppers and some cucumber for me seeing as I'm the only person in the house that likes it.
Tuesday
Barbecue. I grabbed some pork chops and sausages out of the freezer and dumped the chops in a bowl with hoi sin sauce, plus I've a big bowl of leftover salad from yesterday.
Wednesday
Chicken noodle soup for Toots and I, I added some vegetables and some of the chicken shredded to the stock in the crockpot and I'll add the udon noodles in when I reheat it. The husband wants chicken curry, go figure!
Thursday
Whole trout on the BBQ (the brother's been fishing again) and I'll either put a salad together or I'll stir fry some vegetables with sesame oil.
Friday
Barbecue Pizza. Honestly everything just tastes better when cooked outside, even a tin of beans. I made 8 part baked pizza bases last week and I made two of them thinner than the rest so that I can just lay some foil on the bars, set the base on the foil and add whatever toppings they feel like at the time.
Saturday
The temperature is to peak by Friday which in Northern Ireland means that it could very well rain on Saturday, but if the weather holds and I think it might, we'll head to Cairn Wood with the camp stove. Its so much cooler in the forest and it'll be a nice end to the day.
Sunday
Again we'll be at my mum's house on Sunday. We had a great time last week and its nice to just spend time with family rather than the sometimes flying visits we tend to have. I have to make a trifle for the boys.
Baking
I honestly can't see there being much baking here this week, I can't even stomach the thought of bread in this heat beyond the couple of part baked things in the freezer that I might dig out for the husband's lunches.
I did bake a lemon and coconut cake very late last night, but I just really needed a slice of cake!
Menu Plan - 22/6 to 28/6
Last week was a bit of a right off. I ended up mostly using up the bits and pieces in the fridge and clearing out the freezer but hopefully I can get my act back together again this week.
Monday
Paella. Its the husband's birthday today and he's asked for seafood paella. I'll add some chicken in too to fill in for the bits and pieces that Toots isn't too keen on like mussels.
Tuesday
Fajitas. I'll be able to chuck any leftover paella into the fajita mix to use it up. Precious little else I can think to do with paella leftovers apart from reheat them.
Wednesday
Spaghetti bolognese. The husband's back to work today after having Monday and Tuesday off, plus he's on call and I can throw this together in a few minutes so that at least he's something warm in his belly if he winds up having to go out again.
Thursday
Baked potatoes. I haven't had them in ages and I've really been craving a baked potato. I like mine with coleslaw and I have everything handy to make my own, Toots likes cheese which is easy and the hubs will want chili so I'll lift one of the smaller packs out of the freezer.
Friday
Homemade fish fingers and potato wedges, I'll add a little bit of spice to some of the wedges before baking them for the husband.
Saturday
Burgers and salad. I made beef and lamb burgers last week and froze a pile of them and as much as I hate to blow my own horn, they're bloody good just the right amount of herb and heat and really tender and juicy when they're cooked. I was able to get hold of scrag end of lamb (not easy to come by in most butchers) and I have a mincer attachment for my kitchen aid so I ran it through that. The flavour is amazing.
Sunday
We'll be at mum's house today so I'm not really sure what we'll be having to eat yet, but I might roast a pickin chicken anyway to use next week.
Baking
Pavlova. I have to make a huge strawberry pavlova for the husband's birthday (tradition) and I'll make a couple of little tiny ones for Toots because she prefers a higher crunch to mallowy ratio, she's also not bonkers on fresh cream but she'll eat plenty of strawberries.
Cookies, I really need to make the peanut butter cookies again for the freezer, I've been meaning to do this for weeks now and I really have to get my finger out.
If I can find the time I'll try to make a couple of extra batched of bread dough and part bake a pile of pizza bases. I've run out of the ones I had in the freezer and it's a pain in the bum remembering to make one from scratch.
And husband I know you don't go in for it in a big way because you're a great dad 365 days of the year and I tell you that every day anyway but, Happy Father's Day. You're an absolute star and we all love you.
Monday
Paella. Its the husband's birthday today and he's asked for seafood paella. I'll add some chicken in too to fill in for the bits and pieces that Toots isn't too keen on like mussels.
Tuesday
Fajitas. I'll be able to chuck any leftover paella into the fajita mix to use it up. Precious little else I can think to do with paella leftovers apart from reheat them.
Wednesday
Spaghetti bolognese. The husband's back to work today after having Monday and Tuesday off, plus he's on call and I can throw this together in a few minutes so that at least he's something warm in his belly if he winds up having to go out again.
Thursday
Baked potatoes. I haven't had them in ages and I've really been craving a baked potato. I like mine with coleslaw and I have everything handy to make my own, Toots likes cheese which is easy and the hubs will want chili so I'll lift one of the smaller packs out of the freezer.
Friday
Homemade fish fingers and potato wedges, I'll add a little bit of spice to some of the wedges before baking them for the husband.
Saturday
Burgers and salad. I made beef and lamb burgers last week and froze a pile of them and as much as I hate to blow my own horn, they're bloody good just the right amount of herb and heat and really tender and juicy when they're cooked. I was able to get hold of scrag end of lamb (not easy to come by in most butchers) and I have a mincer attachment for my kitchen aid so I ran it through that. The flavour is amazing.
Sunday
We'll be at mum's house today so I'm not really sure what we'll be having to eat yet, but I might roast a pickin chicken anyway to use next week.
Baking
Pavlova. I have to make a huge strawberry pavlova for the husband's birthday (tradition) and I'll make a couple of little tiny ones for Toots because she prefers a higher crunch to mallowy ratio, she's also not bonkers on fresh cream but she'll eat plenty of strawberries.
Cookies, I really need to make the peanut butter cookies again for the freezer, I've been meaning to do this for weeks now and I really have to get my finger out.
If I can find the time I'll try to make a couple of extra batched of bread dough and part bake a pile of pizza bases. I've run out of the ones I had in the freezer and it's a pain in the bum remembering to make one from scratch.
And husband I know you don't go in for it in a big way because you're a great dad 365 days of the year and I tell you that every day anyway but, Happy Father's Day. You're an absolute star and we all love you.
Menu Plan - 8/6 to 14/6
I'm still trying to process the fact that its June already. I really need to get my finger out and sort something for the Husband's birthday, not to mention Father's Day. I just don't even know what to get him this year, I really don't.
Still, once I get my food sorted for the week, its one less thing floating around in my head.
Last week's plan went to the dogs I'm afraid. The couple of times we did cook, we cooked outside to cut down on the heat in the house. It really was hot last week and after a bit of a stormy weekend the sunshine is back again today. I did do my roast chicken on Sunday though, it had cooled down a good bit here by that stage. It also means I have a good load of chicken to start my week off.
Monday
Fajitas. Toots is starting to eat more vegetables, she was always good with the basics like peas and carrots and would eat fruit until it came out of her ears but now she'll happily eat peppers and onions and a load of other things, so I'll make the fajitas heavy on the veg with a bit of chicken thrown in there too.
Tuesday
Crockpot lasagna. We'll be out on Tuesday from first thing in the morning so I can put this on beforehand and not have to worry about starting something when we arrive back home.
Wednesday
Toots will be at my mum's house this evening so I'll make a spicy chicken curry with chapatis. Toots still isn't a huge fan of curry, but she's getting there.
Thursday
Fish pie with steamed veg. I have smoked white fish in the freezer which didn't get used last week so I'll defrost that and use in the pie.
Friday
Burgers and chips for a wee Friday treat.
Saturday
I'm really hoping the weather will be good this weekend and we can get down to the beach again or off to the forest for the day. I may just throw all the bits and pieces for an omelette in a bag along with some bread for toast and I'll make it on the camp stove. Failing that I can just make the same thing at home if the weather isn't great.
Sunday
I haven't a clue yet. I'll be going shopping on Saturday at some stage so I'll sort something out then.
Baking
Lemon and coconut cake. Its just a nice, plain slab cake that I can cut into squares and the husband can take for his lunches at work.
Flapjacks, because they're really handy for a quick breakfast in morning if we need to get out the door. Toots is perfectly happy to eat them because she thinks she's getting biscuits for breakfast.
I think that might do it actually, we've been eating too much baked stuff around here and besides we'll overload on the stuff later in the month. I'll need to do cake for the husband and my dad on Father's Day and then I always make the hubs a strawberry pavlova for his birthday when the local strawberries really come in to their own.
What about you, any nice foodie plans this week or do you have something special planned for Father's Day? Don't worry I won't tell anyone.
Still, once I get my food sorted for the week, its one less thing floating around in my head.
Last week's plan went to the dogs I'm afraid. The couple of times we did cook, we cooked outside to cut down on the heat in the house. It really was hot last week and after a bit of a stormy weekend the sunshine is back again today. I did do my roast chicken on Sunday though, it had cooled down a good bit here by that stage. It also means I have a good load of chicken to start my week off.
Monday
Fajitas. Toots is starting to eat more vegetables, she was always good with the basics like peas and carrots and would eat fruit until it came out of her ears but now she'll happily eat peppers and onions and a load of other things, so I'll make the fajitas heavy on the veg with a bit of chicken thrown in there too.
Tuesday
Crockpot lasagna. We'll be out on Tuesday from first thing in the morning so I can put this on beforehand and not have to worry about starting something when we arrive back home.
Wednesday
Toots will be at my mum's house this evening so I'll make a spicy chicken curry with chapatis. Toots still isn't a huge fan of curry, but she's getting there.
Thursday
Fish pie with steamed veg. I have smoked white fish in the freezer which didn't get used last week so I'll defrost that and use in the pie.
Friday
Burgers and chips for a wee Friday treat.
Saturday
I'm really hoping the weather will be good this weekend and we can get down to the beach again or off to the forest for the day. I may just throw all the bits and pieces for an omelette in a bag along with some bread for toast and I'll make it on the camp stove. Failing that I can just make the same thing at home if the weather isn't great.
Sunday
I haven't a clue yet. I'll be going shopping on Saturday at some stage so I'll sort something out then.
Baking
Lemon and coconut cake. Its just a nice, plain slab cake that I can cut into squares and the husband can take for his lunches at work.
Flapjacks, because they're really handy for a quick breakfast in morning if we need to get out the door. Toots is perfectly happy to eat them because she thinks she's getting biscuits for breakfast.
I think that might do it actually, we've been eating too much baked stuff around here and besides we'll overload on the stuff later in the month. I'll need to do cake for the husband and my dad on Father's Day and then I always make the hubs a strawberry pavlova for his birthday when the local strawberries really come in to their own.
What about you, any nice foodie plans this week or do you have something special planned for Father's Day? Don't worry I won't tell anyone.
Have I bitten off more than I can chew?
It all started after the "incident" in my dentist's office when he may or may not have caught me stuffing business cards inside the magazines in his waiting room.
Shameful I know. What kind of person would actually do that kind of thing? In a dentist's office of all places!
Well after the incident which may or may not have happened and which may or may not have involved me, the dentist said that I was free to leave a stack of business cards or leaflets in his waiting rooms (not just my little room mind you, but all of them).
Score!
Still, never one to be satisfied with what I'm offered and possibly due to the fact that I might have been hopped up on anaesthetic (which does funny things to me by the way) I heard a voice not unlike my own enquire "What about a magazine?"
"Sure" he said "as long as it doesn't look like you've got busy with the child's crayons you can leave a few copies of a magazine in the waiting rooms". And the Arts Centre, and the library and the coffee shops and tourist information shop said they would all like to have copies too.
But, and here's the snagging point, there isn't a magazine promoting Folksy. I don't have one. You don't have one. The girl down the street doesn't have one.
There isn't one.
Well, not just yet anyway.
But by hook or by crook there will be. In a couple of weeks the first edition of GO handmade will be available for download.
Can you just feel the excitement?
And it won't be just a catalogue either. It will be packed with features on crafters and makers currently being slaved over by some very wonderful and creative people on Folksy. You'll find out what they do and where they do it. What makes them tick and what inspires them. There'll be crafts for kids and tips and ideas on what to do outside this summer.
You'll just have to stay tuned to find out whether it all comes together in the end.
Can you wait?
Shameful I know. What kind of person would actually do that kind of thing? In a dentist's office of all places!
Well after the incident which may or may not have happened and which may or may not have involved me, the dentist said that I was free to leave a stack of business cards or leaflets in his waiting rooms (not just my little room mind you, but all of them).
Score!
Still, never one to be satisfied with what I'm offered and possibly due to the fact that I might have been hopped up on anaesthetic (which does funny things to me by the way) I heard a voice not unlike my own enquire "What about a magazine?"
"Sure" he said "as long as it doesn't look like you've got busy with the child's crayons you can leave a few copies of a magazine in the waiting rooms". And the Arts Centre, and the library and the coffee shops and tourist information shop said they would all like to have copies too.
But, and here's the snagging point, there isn't a magazine promoting Folksy. I don't have one. You don't have one. The girl down the street doesn't have one.
There isn't one.
Well, not just yet anyway.
But by hook or by crook there will be. In a couple of weeks the first edition of GO handmade will be available for download.
Can you just feel the excitement?
And it won't be just a catalogue either. It will be packed with features on crafters and makers currently being slaved over by some very wonderful and creative people on Folksy. You'll find out what they do and where they do it. What makes them tick and what inspires them. There'll be crafts for kids and tips and ideas on what to do outside this summer.
You'll just have to stay tuned to find out whether it all comes together in the end.
Can you wait?
Menu Plan - 25-5 to 31-5
Please be on the lookout for a missing week. That one missing week.
If you find it, please return to;
1 Wherediditgo Way
Itwasrigthhereasecondagoshire
County WTF
Thanks so much.
Anyway, food. Food. I have been grubbing like you wouldn't believe this week, I'm telling you.
I've probably put on a stone.
Monday
Pizza on the barbecue. The weather's to be good, I don't have steaks, I do have pizza ingredients and in Northern Ireland, if the weather's good and you want to barbecue but you only have corn flakes and a bag of frozen peas to your name, mash the peas coat in crushed corn flakes and get on with it. Everything just tastes better barbecued anyway.
Tuesday
Chicken noodle soup. I'll throw it in the crockpot in the morning and then I don't have to think about it.
Wednesday
Crockpot again, Ill throw ribs and char sui sauce in for the husband and I'll have a salad. Toots will be with Nana for dinner.
Thursday
Snack night. Toots and I can make homemade sausage rolls, chicken skewers, onion rings and mini brownies.
Friday
Fajitas with salad and grilled bananas with ice cream.
Saturday
Risotto. I still have a mountain of mushrooms in the freezer so I'll make a mushroom and bacon risotto and poached eggs and toasted slices of crusty bread.
Sunday
Chicken olives with steamed veg and potatoes, maybe with a mushroom sauce.
Baking
I'll make flapjacks again, I made them last week and the husband likes them for a quick breakfast/snack in the morning with coffee before heading out.
Brownies, we'll cut them into small bit sized pieces and some of them can be frozen and crumbled through ice cream later with some of the fudge sauce I have in there too.
Grilled or baked bananas, I'll make a slice in the skin and push in a piece of chocolate for Toots and some rum and brown sugar for the hubs and I before wrapping them in foil and either grilling them or baking them.
If you find it, please return to;
1 Wherediditgo Way
Itwasrigthhereasecondagoshire
County WTF
Thanks so much.
Anyway, food. Food. I have been grubbing like you wouldn't believe this week, I'm telling you.
I've probably put on a stone.
Monday
Pizza on the barbecue. The weather's to be good, I don't have steaks, I do have pizza ingredients and in Northern Ireland, if the weather's good and you want to barbecue but you only have corn flakes and a bag of frozen peas to your name, mash the peas coat in crushed corn flakes and get on with it. Everything just tastes better barbecued anyway.
Tuesday
Chicken noodle soup. I'll throw it in the crockpot in the morning and then I don't have to think about it.
Wednesday
Crockpot again, Ill throw ribs and char sui sauce in for the husband and I'll have a salad. Toots will be with Nana for dinner.
Thursday
Snack night. Toots and I can make homemade sausage rolls, chicken skewers, onion rings and mini brownies.
Friday
Fajitas with salad and grilled bananas with ice cream.
Saturday
Risotto. I still have a mountain of mushrooms in the freezer so I'll make a mushroom and bacon risotto and poached eggs and toasted slices of crusty bread.
Sunday
Chicken olives with steamed veg and potatoes, maybe with a mushroom sauce.
Baking
I'll make flapjacks again, I made them last week and the husband likes them for a quick breakfast/snack in the morning with coffee before heading out.
Brownies, we'll cut them into small bit sized pieces and some of them can be frozen and crumbled through ice cream later with some of the fudge sauce I have in there too.
Grilled or baked bananas, I'll make a slice in the skin and push in a piece of chocolate for Toots and some rum and brown sugar for the hubs and I before wrapping them in foil and either grilling them or baking them.
Menu Plan - 18/5 to 25/5
Just a quick post, I'm off to collect Toots from her Nana's house and need to get my finger out.
Monday
Irish Stew with crusty bread
Tuesday
Hotdogs and onion rings
Wednesday
Chicken curry with steamed rice and naan bread.
Thursday
Baked cod with pesto and crushed white beans with Parmesan.
Friday
Snack night. Thin and crispy mozzarella pizza, chicken wings, baked crisps and dip.
Saturday
Sandwiches and leftovers to clean out the fridge.
Sunday
Roast chicken either with crusty bread, pickles and salady bits or with potatoes and steamed veg.
Baking
Raspberry and lemon oat bars or plain old fashioned flapjacks.
Madeira cake
Butterscotch tablets, more of a sugar making thing than a baking thing but the husband is running out and I can't be bothered with a trip to Newcastle at the minute for more. Don't ask me why we'd need to Newcastle, but he's convinced that they're better than the ones in other shops.
Monday
Irish Stew with crusty bread
Tuesday
Hotdogs and onion rings
Wednesday
Chicken curry with steamed rice and naan bread.
Thursday
Baked cod with pesto and crushed white beans with Parmesan.
Friday
Snack night. Thin and crispy mozzarella pizza, chicken wings, baked crisps and dip.
Saturday
Sandwiches and leftovers to clean out the fridge.
Sunday
Roast chicken either with crusty bread, pickles and salady bits or with potatoes and steamed veg.
Baking
Raspberry and lemon oat bars or plain old fashioned flapjacks.
Madeira cake
Butterscotch tablets, more of a sugar making thing than a baking thing but the husband is running out and I can't be bothered with a trip to Newcastle at the minute for more. Don't ask me why we'd need to Newcastle, but he's convinced that they're better than the ones in other shops.
Menu Plan - 11/5 to 17/5
I'm not really feeling the whole "menu plan" thing tonight, but I'll throw something together that I have the ingredients for and try my best to stick with it.
Monday
Shredded Szechuan chicken with egg noodles and sliced vegetables. The chicken is already cooked so this will be really quick to throw together.
Tuesday
Vegetable lasagna. I have a load of tomatoes, some yellow courgettes and aubergine, plus some dried pasta sheets in the larder.
Wednesday
I'll make the husband sweet and sour chicken with white rice. Toots will be at Nana's house and personally I can't stand sweet and sour so I'll have a salad.
Thursday
I'll make a pot of soup using any leftover chicken and vegetables and I'll throw in some noodles, pasta or barley.
Friday
Gammon steaks with parsley sauce, baby potatoes and steamed green beans.
Friday
I want to clean a few things out of the freezer so I'll make a bitsy dinner tonight. There are some mini sausage rolls, cocktail sausages and a few other things in there taking up space.
Saturday
I quite fancy a barbecue so I bought some minced beef and minced lamb on Saturday and made up some burgers and kofta before freezing them. Friday and Saturday look to be the best days weather wise this week so I'll just judge it and lift them out in the morning. I can always bump a meal to later in the week.
Sunday
Baked cod topped with red pesto and Parmesan and some mashed white beans.
Baking
I'm feeling a bit baked out at the minute. I made a loaf of raisin bread today, along with a chocolate and vanilla marble cake. Also I made a rhubarb crumble on Saturday so I'll stick to a couple of loaves of bread this week and I'll fill the cookie jar.
If I have the time I'd like to make some lacy ginger snap biscuits and work on my speed at making ginger snap baskets. I just means getting the biscuits out of the oven and forming them over the base of a glass jar when they're still hot and soft. They harden very quickly and at the minute I can only manage them if I have four per cookie sheet which is a bit time consuming. The bought ones taste like cardboard whereas homemade ones are delicious, lovely and light and crisp with a scoop of the vanilla ice cream I made last week and a handful of frozen raspberries snuggled underneath. Nummy.
I'm feeling a bit better at the thought of that already.
WFMW - Frugal Tips
I'm just back from the dentist. Thankfully all the work is finished now because I feel like an elephant has jumped all over my face.
It'll be fin later once the numbness wears off but for the minute it feels like both my cheeks are really swollen and I imagine I look like Pob or Buzz Lightyear.
I can't complain really. All in told I've had about £2,000 worth or work done completely free of charge, yet another benefit of being a SAHM.
Anyway, today's Works for me Wednesday is a themed edition. Best frugal tip.
I've loads, most of which I do now out of habit so when I'm asked what I do to save money usually my mind goes completely blank.
Still I'm sure I can manage a few.
Children
Buy second hand clothes where possible. Kids grow so quickly that it would surprise you just how many brand new clothes, still with the labels attached or worn but in perfect condition clothes you will find in your local charity shops. Also consider buying in advance, if you spot a beautiful winter coat that won't fit them until next year, buts it an absolute bargain, buy it and store it.
If your own kid's clothes are in less than wearable condition when they're finished with them because of rips or tears or whatever, salvage the buttons and any cute patches or appliques before using the remaining cloth as rags or cleaning clothes. Kids are forever losing buttons off clothes and quite a lot of the time you can replace it with one from your stash or cover a little worn patch or hole in the knee of their jeans with one of those little appliques.
Limit day trips for little ones to free places such as the beach or forest, some museums also have "free" days (but please do leave a small donation) and pack a lunch from home when you're going on any trips out with the kids. Have you seen how excited a four year can get when allowed to play with your wooden spoons. They don't need all that paid for entertainment, besides an over stimulated child is a miserable child come bed time.
Learn to knit and pick up a few basic sewing skills and you'll be able to alter your kid's clothes to get an extra season out of them. Trousers getting a little short in the leg but still plenty of room in the waist, turn them into a skirt or shorts. And how many pairs of mittens, scarves and hats does your child lose throughout the course of a school year? These are all very simple things to knit which you can work on in your spare moments (?) so that you have a stash ready for emergencies.
Household
Make your own household cleaners using bicarb, vinegar, lemon juice and salt. I usually just add a couple of tablespoons of cheap dish soap and roughly the same amount of vinegar to a large spray bottle and fill with water. It hasn't failed me yet. But do bear in mind that buying a huge bag of lemons out of season to clean your home isn't frugal, its green but it ain't frugal.
One of the higher ups at Barclay's Bank was once quoted as saying that he would never consider having a Barclay card because of the high charges. Now that guy was being very well paid by Barclay's and if he isn't brand loyal why should you be. Shop around, make sure you're getting the best deal and on larger items always ask for a discount, especially if you plan on paying cash. Everybody gets this idea that haggling is limited to market stalls but I don't think I've ever paid full price for anything and I've saved a hell of a lot over the years. £100 off our bed, £310 off our kitchen appliances isn't anything to be sniffed at.
Food
If you happen to have the freezer space, bulk buy when the opportunity comes up. Throw a few £££ aside somewhere when you have it so that when you spot a good offer on meat or berries who can stock up without putting a dent in that week's budget.
Learn to make jams, chutneys and relish so that you can take advantage of a glut of produce such as strawberries, raspberries or tomatoes to name a few. Also if you happen to have a "pick you own" farm close buy pack the kids up and head out. You'll get a cheap day out in the sunshine, the kids will fill their bellies with good things and learn where food comes from and at the end of the day you'll have a mountain of lovely fresh fruit and veg to take home.
Use dried beans instead of the more expensive tinned variety. Yes they're more convenient in tins, but they tend to have virtually no texture left whatsoever. Take a bit of time at the weekend and boil up a huge pot of dried beans, whichever ones you tend to use the most often, once they're cooked rinse with plenty of cold water from the tap and then divide into sandwich bags and freeze for later use. You can even use them straight from the freezer, just allow ten or so minutes extra cooking time and you can do the same thing with rice for quicker meals, just very slightly under cook the rice, separate into bags, add a tablespoon or two of water to each bag and freeze. when you need them just open a corner of the ziplock bag and microwave from frozen for 2 or 3 minutes for perfect fluffy rice every time.
Bake your own bread. There really isn't anything to learn, bread is one of the easiest things in the world to make. Even a bad loaf can be whizzed in the processor and kept for breadcrumbs.
It'll be fin later once the numbness wears off but for the minute it feels like both my cheeks are really swollen and I imagine I look like Pob or Buzz Lightyear.
I can't complain really. All in told I've had about £2,000 worth or work done completely free of charge, yet another benefit of being a SAHM.
Anyway, today's Works for me Wednesday is a themed edition. Best frugal tip.
I've loads, most of which I do now out of habit so when I'm asked what I do to save money usually my mind goes completely blank.
Still I'm sure I can manage a few.
Children
Buy second hand clothes where possible. Kids grow so quickly that it would surprise you just how many brand new clothes, still with the labels attached or worn but in perfect condition clothes you will find in your local charity shops. Also consider buying in advance, if you spot a beautiful winter coat that won't fit them until next year, buts it an absolute bargain, buy it and store it.
If your own kid's clothes are in less than wearable condition when they're finished with them because of rips or tears or whatever, salvage the buttons and any cute patches or appliques before using the remaining cloth as rags or cleaning clothes. Kids are forever losing buttons off clothes and quite a lot of the time you can replace it with one from your stash or cover a little worn patch or hole in the knee of their jeans with one of those little appliques.
Limit day trips for little ones to free places such as the beach or forest, some museums also have "free" days (but please do leave a small donation) and pack a lunch from home when you're going on any trips out with the kids. Have you seen how excited a four year can get when allowed to play with your wooden spoons. They don't need all that paid for entertainment, besides an over stimulated child is a miserable child come bed time.
Learn to knit and pick up a few basic sewing skills and you'll be able to alter your kid's clothes to get an extra season out of them. Trousers getting a little short in the leg but still plenty of room in the waist, turn them into a skirt or shorts. And how many pairs of mittens, scarves and hats does your child lose throughout the course of a school year? These are all very simple things to knit which you can work on in your spare moments (?) so that you have a stash ready for emergencies.
Household
Make your own household cleaners using bicarb, vinegar, lemon juice and salt. I usually just add a couple of tablespoons of cheap dish soap and roughly the same amount of vinegar to a large spray bottle and fill with water. It hasn't failed me yet. But do bear in mind that buying a huge bag of lemons out of season to clean your home isn't frugal, its green but it ain't frugal.
One of the higher ups at Barclay's Bank was once quoted as saying that he would never consider having a Barclay card because of the high charges. Now that guy was being very well paid by Barclay's and if he isn't brand loyal why should you be. Shop around, make sure you're getting the best deal and on larger items always ask for a discount, especially if you plan on paying cash. Everybody gets this idea that haggling is limited to market stalls but I don't think I've ever paid full price for anything and I've saved a hell of a lot over the years. £100 off our bed, £310 off our kitchen appliances isn't anything to be sniffed at.
Food
If you happen to have the freezer space, bulk buy when the opportunity comes up. Throw a few £££ aside somewhere when you have it so that when you spot a good offer on meat or berries who can stock up without putting a dent in that week's budget.
Learn to make jams, chutneys and relish so that you can take advantage of a glut of produce such as strawberries, raspberries or tomatoes to name a few. Also if you happen to have a "pick you own" farm close buy pack the kids up and head out. You'll get a cheap day out in the sunshine, the kids will fill their bellies with good things and learn where food comes from and at the end of the day you'll have a mountain of lovely fresh fruit and veg to take home.
Use dried beans instead of the more expensive tinned variety. Yes they're more convenient in tins, but they tend to have virtually no texture left whatsoever. Take a bit of time at the weekend and boil up a huge pot of dried beans, whichever ones you tend to use the most often, once they're cooked rinse with plenty of cold water from the tap and then divide into sandwich bags and freeze for later use. You can even use them straight from the freezer, just allow ten or so minutes extra cooking time and you can do the same thing with rice for quicker meals, just very slightly under cook the rice, separate into bags, add a tablespoon or two of water to each bag and freeze. when you need them just open a corner of the ziplock bag and microwave from frozen for 2 or 3 minutes for perfect fluffy rice every time.
Bake your own bread. There really isn't anything to learn, bread is one of the easiest things in the world to make. Even a bad loaf can be whizzed in the processor and kept for breadcrumbs.
Menu Plan - 20/4 to 26/4
Monday again. Where does the time go.
We're just back from another day at the beach/beaches/ancient windmills (yes we get about a bit) and I'm feeling a bit out of puff.
Somebody suggested it would be a good idea to go in the water. The Irish Sea. I'm too old to be venturing into the Irish Sea. I should know better, but more on that tomorrow.
So on to another week's worth of meals. The hubs is back to work, the house is clean and quiet. I have a stack of half finished projects to get to, so ideally I'd like to keep it simple this week.
Monday: Roast chicken and salad. I have a large chicken defrosting and I find my week goes a little smoother if I start with a big ol chicken.
Tuesday: Mild chicken curry with garlic and herb chapatis and rice. We're slowly starting to build Toots' tolerance for spicy food, she likes regular curry and fajitas now but still hasn't quite developed a taste for Indian food yet. I'll just use those little cheater cheater curry eater cubes and add some fresh garlic and parsley to the chapati recipe.
Wednesday: Toots has yet another birthday party to attend so she'll arrive home with a full belly and heavy eye lids or starving and hyper, which one would you like to place bets on? I'll use the carcass and some meat from the chicken along with stock veg in the fridge to make chicken noodle soup, just adding the egg noodles and some fresh red chili towards the end of cooking. We'll have the soup with bread or I may add some yellow lentils.
Thursday: Lightly spiced lentils with steamed cod. I picked up a few large pieces of cod at the market on Saturday and threw them in the freezer. I'll steam them and make up a basic recipe for dahl cutting back on the spices slightly. I'll put the dahl in the oven to keep the lentils as whole as possible. I'm not too keen on the smooth stuff.
Friday: Burgers with onion rings. Fingers crossed for good weather I'll light the barbecue before the husband gets home, hand him a set of massive tongs and let him get his "man" on while I settle down with a glass of wine. If the weather does look good I'll lift some ribs out of the freezer also.
Saturday: We promised Toots today that if it is sunny again on Saturday we'll have another day at the beach. I'll throw a lasagna together and into the crockpot in the morning and I'll take some sausages, beans, bread and fruit with us along with the camp stove.
Sunday: The husband wants to try meatloaf. He hasn't had it before, actually neither have I so I'm bound to make a complete pig's ear of it. Still at least this means that I can have a crack at and if it doesn't turn out well, I'll just tell him its supposed to be like that:)
Baking: I've already started for this week, because I didn't want to end up with more on my plate than I could comfortably deal with so I made a batch of coconut and white chocolate cupcakes tonight and I made a batch of bread dough this morning and popped it in the fridge to prove. Half of it is now baked for tomorrow. I also want to make some soda bread this week for lunches and some more fruit scones since the hubs swears he isn't sick of them yet. Also he wants some shortbread because he didn't get any last time.
Menu Plan - 13/4 to 19/4
Menu Plan Monday again.
A little late with the menu this week, but still better later than never.
Monday:
Poached chicken with salad and fresh bread. I just threw a large chicken, some carrots, leeks, celery and onion into the crockpot in the morning and added enough water to just cover.
Tuesday:
Chicken noodle soup. I'll use the rest of the poached chicken along with the stock created by poaching and add some egg noodles. I'll split some of this off into a smaller pot because the husband likes his spiked with finely chopped fresh red chili.
Wednesday:
Beef casserole made in the crockpot. The family really enjoyed this last week and asked for it again. They even went back to the pot and ate all my planned leftovers.
Thursday:
Burgers with the usual dressings and chips (fries). I have some beef mince and some lamb mince in the freezer so I'll use half and half to make the burgers. Plus if we happen to be out today I can throw them in the cooler box and cook them on the camp stove while we're out.
Friday:
Chicken olives with steamed veg and potatoes. I live to make my own. I usually trim and flatten two chicken thighs after I've boned them, place a few tablespoons of parsley and onion stuffing, wrap the chicken around the stuffing, wrap the whole thing with a slice or two of streaky bacon and bake in the oven at 180C (350F) for about 30-45 minutes depending on size. To test stick a metal skewer into the centre of the meat and hold it there for a few seconds before removing it and carefully touching it quickly to your bottom lip. If its hot, its cooked.
Saturday:
Homemade pizza. I have a couple of bases in the freezer along with the salami so this can be a really quick meal.
Sunday:
I'll either make fajitas or we'll use any leftovers in the fridge just to start the week fresh.
Baking:
Cherry scones for picnics.
Apple oat bars.
Choc chip cookies and p'nut butter cookies from the freezer stash for the cookie jar.
2 batches of bread dough. I'll use some of the bread to make a few pizza bases, part bake them and freeze them for later.
A little late with the menu this week, but still better later than never.
Monday:
Poached chicken with salad and fresh bread. I just threw a large chicken, some carrots, leeks, celery and onion into the crockpot in the morning and added enough water to just cover.
Tuesday:
Chicken noodle soup. I'll use the rest of the poached chicken along with the stock created by poaching and add some egg noodles. I'll split some of this off into a smaller pot because the husband likes his spiked with finely chopped fresh red chili.
Wednesday:
Beef casserole made in the crockpot. The family really enjoyed this last week and asked for it again. They even went back to the pot and ate all my planned leftovers.
Thursday:
Burgers with the usual dressings and chips (fries). I have some beef mince and some lamb mince in the freezer so I'll use half and half to make the burgers. Plus if we happen to be out today I can throw them in the cooler box and cook them on the camp stove while we're out.
Friday:
Chicken olives with steamed veg and potatoes. I live to make my own. I usually trim and flatten two chicken thighs after I've boned them, place a few tablespoons of parsley and onion stuffing, wrap the chicken around the stuffing, wrap the whole thing with a slice or two of streaky bacon and bake in the oven at 180C (350F) for about 30-45 minutes depending on size. To test stick a metal skewer into the centre of the meat and hold it there for a few seconds before removing it and carefully touching it quickly to your bottom lip. If its hot, its cooked.
Saturday:
Homemade pizza. I have a couple of bases in the freezer along with the salami so this can be a really quick meal.
Sunday:
I'll either make fajitas or we'll use any leftovers in the fridge just to start the week fresh.
Baking:
Cherry scones for picnics.
Apple oat bars.
Choc chip cookies and p'nut butter cookies from the freezer stash for the cookie jar.
2 batches of bread dough. I'll use some of the bread to make a few pizza bases, part bake them and freeze them for later.
Menu Plan Monday 23/3 to 29/3
Menu Plan Monday again.
Its Love Beef Week here in Northern Ireland so I'll try to incorporate as much as I can. Luckily I still have some cuts of beef in the freezer so this shouldn't be a problem.
The weather has definitely been a lot kinder here lately so as usual Toots and I will get out of the house as often as possible, because of this a lot of our lunches will consist of sandwiches, soup and any leftovers which I can reheat on my mine gas stove while we're out. I'm hoping for a trip or two to the coast this week.
Monday
We'll have leftovers from the barbecue today. There's a mountain of salad and chicken, so we'll have that. No sense it going to waste.
Tuesday
Crockpot lasagna. Again I'm hoping to be out today so this is something I can put on in the morning and not have to worry about it.
Wednesday
Meatball subs. I'll make some mini meatballs and again throw them in the crockpot with tomato sauce and all I have to do tonight is add bread and cheese.
Thursday
I'm going to try taco soup. I see recipes for it everywhere and it sounds interesting. The recipes seem to be a very personal thing, with everyone making it their own way, but I'm going to use Annie's recipe because I've never went wrong using her recipes before. The crockpot might get used again today (I'm being a bit lazy this week, but it just makes dinner too easy).
Friday
Steak and chips. A nice easy treat for the husband. There are definitely a couple of sirloins in the back of that freezer somewhere.
Saturday
Ok I'm slightly embarrassed to admit this, but you'll see it come up again in the future, trust me. Plus I'm sure we've all done the same thing.
Mystery meat surprise. Yep, I've thrown something in the freezer at some point wrapped in foil in a freezer bag with no label on it whatsoever. I have no idea what is in there, so I'll defrost it on Friday night so that I can spend Saturday thinking about what the hell to do with it.
Sunday
Pork fillet with potatoes and vegetables. I think I'll just roast the pork fillet but don't put it past me to just throw it in that crockpot.
Baking
Bread, but then you knew that.
Fifteens
Vanilla cupcakes using my simple sponge
Easter baskets. I'll post a recipe for this later in the week.
Menu Plan Monday March 16 to 22
Is it Monday already?
Last week's menu plan worked out pretty well.
This week I'm keeping it pretty simple. I'm determined to try to get through the huge amount of food in the freezer over the next few weeks with a few fresh meals chucked in to break it up a bit.
Monday
Lunch: leftover gammon sandwiches maybe with some salad.
Dinner: chicken fajitas with salad.
I'll also make a big pot of homemade vegetable soup tonight for tomorrow.
Just chop up some leaks, carrots, soup celery and curly parsley, throw it in a big pot along with a few handfuls of pearl barley, red & green lentils and yellow spilt peas, cover with chicken or vegetable stock and leave to simmer until barley and lentils are tender.
Tuesday
Lunch: We'll be out for much of today so I'll pack a lunch of some sandwiches, cake, tea and fruit juice perhaps with a few other bits and pieces thrown in for snacks.
Dinner: We'll have the vegetable soup with homemade wheaten bread to add a bit of stodge for the hard working husband.
Wednesday
Lunch: leftover wheaten bread with scrambled eggs and ham.
Dinner: Toots is with Nana so I'll throw some ribs in the crockpot in the morning for the hubs and I'll have either a salad or I'll just clean out the fridge. (Thanks to SciFi Dad and the beautiful google bubble I won't forget the ribs this time).
Thursday
Lunch: Again, weather depending we'll be out and about. The plan is to head to Paint and Glaze in Bangor so we may have lunch at La Princess.
Dinner: Mushroom and cheese risotto with thick slices of toasted bread.
Friday
Lunch: Tomato and pasta soup with some cheese sticks.
Dinner: Pizza. I'm reverting back to my old habits.
Saturday
Lunch: Ballet today so a quick lunch of leftovers or sandwiches. Maybe eggs?
Dinner: Grilled whole trout with salad and tomatoes.
Sunday
We'll be barbecuing today so it will just be one long day of grazing. So much for that diet.
Baking
Soda bread
Wheaten bread
My regular homemade bread
Shillelagh cookies (which I will post at some stage this week)
And Scottish Shortbread
Shillelagh cookies (which I will post at some stage this week)
And Scottish Shortbread
Menu Plan Monday - 23/2 to 1/3
Its that time of week again. Last week went pretty well. A couple of meals were switched about but apart from that I managed to stick to the plan.
On Sunday I nipped out to the local petrol station to grab some milk and they had whole chickens reduced to £1.79. There was still two days left on the sell by date so I grabbed two and as I'd already defrosted a chicken for Sunday, I roasted all three.
So whereas last week was heavy on the veggies, expect to see a lot of chicken on this weeks menu. Needless to say the husband will be having a lot of it for lunches too.
Monday:
Lunch: I have bread in the fridge which I'll bake tonight (Sunday) and we'll use that for sandwiches.
Dinner: Mild chicken curry. I'm trying to get Toots to eat more of a variety. She likes spicy as in peppers and paprika but she's only really starting to come around to the idea of curry. I'll keep some yogurt handy in case she thinks its too spicy for her.
Tuesday:
Lunch: Omelets. I helped my mum's friend with a bit of typing and paperwork over the weekend. She keeps chickens so now I have 30 eggs in the fridge.
Dinner: Chicken lasagna with salad.
Wednesday:
Lunch: Hopefully (weather depending) we'll be out, so I'll pack a lunch. Some chicken drumsticks, bread, tomatoes, fruit and maybe a couple of pieces of cake.
Dinner: Chicken and vegetable soup. We may not get back until late so (if I remember) I'll have made this on Tuesday.
Thursday:
Lunch: Leftovers. I'm finding by this stage in the week I still have a few leftovers even with advanced planning and Toots really enjoys having a choice of things to eat.
Dinner: The husband is on call so it needs to be something quick like fajitas and salad.
Friday:
Lunch: Again we'll be out but should be back around lunchtime. I'll take a snack with me in case we're a bit late and throw some pasta and sauce in the crockpot in the morning.
Dinner: Pizza. I've been getting away from this lately for some reason and it hasn't gone unnoticed.
Saturday:
Lunch: Last week I tried having a very light breakfast (just some cereal) and then a brunch around 11.30am. Toots has ballet at 1.30pm and this seemed to work well, she had more energy come 1.30pm and was a lot more cooperative. We'll have soda bread with bacon and maybe some scrambled eggs.
Dinner: Sweet and sour chicken with egg noodles.
Sunday:
Lunch: "Fingers crossed" the car will pass its MOT on Thursday and we'll be at the beach. The weather has been lovely the last few days here. I'll make up a chicken salad and a tomato salad and cook some burgers on the gas camper stove at the beach and as always I'll make the rolls myself.
Dinner: We'll be tired, I know we will so we'll probably just clean the fridge out of any leftovers and failing that I'll make some soup.
For more menu plans along with some great recipes head over to Organizing Junkie.
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