Our Family Meal Plan for this week 05/03 - £63

Our Meal Plan this includes some Change4Life Supermeals (which I blogged about here), and also some M Saver Recipes (which I blogged about here).  A huge thank you to Morrisons and Change4Life for giving me permission to blog their recipes and use their photos.  It has made compiling the Meal Plan for this week much easier than usual.

As always I will be baking all our own bread, flatbreads, crumpets and pancakes.  I may whip up a banana cake or two as I have quite a few over-ripe bananas in the freezer that I was given.

The cost of the 44 items on this weeks Shopping List was £63.08 at Asda when I ordered online today (Friday 02/03). As always I used My Supermarket to compare the cost of my shop and it would've cost and £76.64 at Sainsbury's £79.99 at Tesco.

Pasta with Vegetables in a Herb Sauce – Change4Life Supermeal

250g dried pasta shapes whatever shape you like
1 tsp vegetable oil
5 spring onions trimmed and chopped
300g broccoli broken into small florets
1 pepper, any colour deseeded and chopped
75g frozen peas defrosted
3 handfuls cherry tomatoes halved
200g lower fat soft cheese with garlic and herbs
50ml semi-skimmed milk
1 lemon (a teaspoon of the finely grated zest)

Cook the pasta in lightly salted boiling water for 10-12 minutes, or according to the instructions on the
packet, until just tender.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan or wok, brushing it over the surface. Add the spring onions, sugarsnap peas or green beans, broccoli and red or yellow pepper and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the peas and tomatoes, then turn off the heat.

Drain the cooked pasta, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cooking water. Return this cooking liquid to the saucepan and add the soft cheese, milk and lemon zest. Heat, stirring with a whisk, until the sauce is hot and smooth.


Roast Chicken Dinner

Roast chicken with roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips served with sweetcorn and peas.


Slow Cooker Pork Casserole

1 Tblsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 Tblsp grated fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tablespoon crushed coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
600g pork pieces or steaks cut into cubes
1/2 cup pitted dates, chopped in half
1 x 400g tin apricot slices in juice
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
250ml reduced salt chicken stock
Hnadful each of frozen peas and corn

Heat olive oil in a large heavy-based lidded saucepan and stir fry the onion, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, coriander seeds and cumin seeds until the onion has softened. Add the pork and stir fry to brown it ready for the slow cooker. Transfer everything to your slow cooker or a large lidded saucepan.  Add the dates, apricots, tomatoes and stock then stir well to combine everything.  Cook in slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours or bring the casserole to the boil in a large lidded saucepan and then simmer, with the lid on, for 2 1/2 hours.  Add the frozen peas and corn to the casserole at the end of the cooking time and allow them to heat through before you serve it.  You can serve this casserole with mash, rice or couscous.

Salmon and Pesto Fishcakes – M Savers Recipe

1 packet of smoked salmon trimmings
600g large potatoes
50g from 1 jar of pesto
100g breadcrumbs
300g carrots
300g frozen peas

Dice the potatoes and cook in a pan of boiling water until soft. Drain well and mash until smooth, then leave to cool. Finely chop the salmon trimmings and mix into the cooled mash potato along with the pesto. Shape the mix into four fish cakes. Coat each fish cake in a little flour, dip into a beaten egg and coat in the breadcrumbs.

Fry the fish cakes in a little oil for 2 minutes on each side. Then, place on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 10 minutes at 175C. Cut the carrots into pieces and cook in boiling water for five minutes. Add the frozen peas and cook for a further three minutes. Serve the fish cakes with the peas and carrots.



Photo courtesy of Morrisons

Pork Chops with Caramelised Apples, Parsnip Mash and Honey Glazed Carrots – M Savers Recipe

800g pork chops
1 apple
300g large potatoes
250g parsnips
250g carrots
50g honey

Dice the potatoes and parsnips and cook in boiling water until tender. Trim the excess fat off the pork chops and place under a pre-heated grill for five to six minutes on each side. Remove the core from the apple and cut into wedges. Cook the wedges in a frying pan for five minutes in a drizzle of oil. Cook the carrots in boiling water until tender and finish in a frying pan with a little honey until they are glazed. Serve the chops with the parsnip mash and glazed carrots.


Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry with Noodles – M Savers Recipe

400g stir fry beef
1 or 2 packets stir fry vegetable mix
1 packet oriental noodles

Fry the beef over a high heat for two minutes. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Get the pan hot again, then add the stir fry vegetable mix and cook for two minutes. Stir the beef through the vegetables and serve with the oriental noodles which have been cooked in a pan for five minutes.


Photo courtesy of Morrisons

Baked Macaroni Cheese with Tomatoes - Change4Life Supermeal

400g pasta
50g low-fat spread
1 small onion finely chopped
50g plain flour
600ml semi-skimmed milk
100g reduced fat mature Cheddar cheese grated
1 tsp English mustard
1 pinch ground black pepper
2 tomatoes sliced

Preheat the oven to 190°, fan 170°C, gas mark 5.

Cook the macaroni in a large saucepan of boiling water for 8-10 minutes, or according to the instructions on the packet, until tender.

Meanwhile, melt the low-fat spread in a large saucepan and cook the onion for 3-4 minutes until softened, but not brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour. Return to the heat and cook gently for about 1 minute, stirring, until the mixture has a texture like sand.

Remove from the heat and add the milk a little at a time, stirring well to mix together. Then return to the
heat, stirring all the time, until the sauce is thick and smooth. At this point, remove from the heat and add
about two-thirds of the cheese and the mustard. Season with pepper.

Drain the cooked pasta well and return it to the saucepan. Stir in the hot cheese sauce. Tip the mixture into a baking dish which can hold about 1.2 litres, or use individual serving dishes. Top with the sliced
tomatoes and sprinkle the left-over cheese on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until piping hot, then serve.

Lunches

Weekday lunchboxes for adults will probably be leftovers and will contain a pot of yoghurt, a slice of date loaf, an apple or satsuma, cucumber/carrot sticks.  Kids lunchboxes will contain either a cheese and homemade chutney sandwich and a pot of yoghurt, a slice of date loaf, an apple or satsuma, cucumber/carrot sticks or the recipes below with the fruit, yoghurt, etc.

Quick Chicken Couscous – Change4Life Supermeal

200g couscous
450ml reduced salt vegetable or chicken stock
250g leftover roast chicken torn into pieces
100g sweetcorn
2 tomatoes chopped
¼ cucumber chopped
1 tbsp lemon (just a squeeze will do)
1 pinch ground black pepper

Put the couscous into a large mixing bowl and cover with the hot stock. Leave for 10-15 minutes to swell and cool, then stir with a fork to fluff up the grains.

Add the chicken, sweetcorn, tomatoes and cucumber. Season with a squeeze of lemon juice and some ground black pepper. Cover and chill until ready to serve.


Tasty Chicken Wraps – Change4Life Supermeal

4 soft flour tortillas
4 tbsp lower fat soft cheese
4 tbsp low-fat natural yoghurt
120g skinless, boneless leftover roast chicken chopped
100g sweetcorn
¼ cucumber
1 pinch ground black pepper
2 handfuls lettuce leaves

Lay out the wraps or tortillas on a clean work surface.  Put the soft cheese and yoghurt in a bowl and mix together until smooth.  Add the chicken, sweetcorn and cucumber. Season with some pepper, then mix well. Spread an equal amount over each wrap, then top with the lettuce.  Roll up each wrap tightly, slice in half, then wrap in cling film. Keep cool until ready to serve.

Homemade Pizza

Vegetable Frittata

1 pepper, diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 onion, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 carrots, peeled and cut into small chunks
8 eggs
300g frozen vegetables, I used peas and corn

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ fan 180°C/ gas 6.

Simmer the potatoes and carrots in a pan of boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain and leave to cool slightly before slicing thinly.

Meanwhile, put a 25cm non-stick ovenproof frying pan on the hob over a moderate heat. Saute the onion, pepper and garlic in a little oil for about 5 minutes until the onion and pepper has softened.

Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl and the softened onion, pepper and garlic. Carefully fold in the potatoes, carrot and frozen vegetables. Pour the frittata mixture back into the frying pan and cook over a low-medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until it has cooked through and is set.

Breakfasts

Weekday breakfasts will be muesli or wheat cereal with milk and chopped banana or toast with spread and a banana. I’ve bought some Philadelphia Light with Cadburys Chocolate that we can have on pancakes or with toast for weekend breakfasts as a treat.

Treats

Date Loaf

1 cup chopped dates
3/4 cup light soft brown sugar
20g butter, plus extra to serve
250ml boiling water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

Preheat oven to 190C or 170C fan. Lightly grease and line base and sides of a 14 x 21cm loaf tin.

Place dates, sugar and butter in a large saucepan. Stir in boiling water and boil on high heat for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Stir in bicarbonate of soda. Fold through beaten egg and flour. Spoon into prepared loaf tin and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool and serve sliced with butter or store in an airtight container.

Baked Apples

5 apples
1 cup mixed dried fruit, eg sultanas, dates, apricots
1 Tblsp brown sugar
1 Tblsp butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup (125ml) water

Preheat oven to 180C.

Core the apples, but leave the base intact to hold in the filling. If you want to you can score a line through the apple skin all the way around the apple, about half way up, this will help stop the apples from splitting in the oven. Mix the dried fruit, brown sugar, melted butter and cinnamon together in a bowl. Carefully spoon the dried fruit mixture into the apples. Put the apples in a baking dish with the water. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the apples are soft.

Rice Pudding

600ml milk
65g long grain white rice
pinch of salt
50g white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
100g dates (optional)

In a medium sized, heavy bottomed saucepan combine the milk and rice with a pinch of salt. Place saucepan over a fairly high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the rice is tender. This usually takes about 25 minutes. Stir the milk mixture frequently using a heatproof rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stop the rice from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.

When the rice is tender (al dente) take the saucepan off the heat and sugar, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon. Mix well to combine. Return the saucepan to the heat and cook until the rice pudding thickens, this should take about 5 - 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the sultanas if you are using them. Spoon the pudding into a bowl to cool and cover with clingfilm to stop a skin forming. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. To make this into more of a Mullerice type treat add some jam or golden syrup to swirl through the rice pudding. You could also add dried apricots or sultanas instead of dates if you have some in your store cupboard.

Homemade Muesli Bars

1 x 397g tin of condensed milk
500g muesli or 250g rolled oats, 200g mixed seeds, 50g chopped nuts
100g sultanas or dried apricots

Preheat your oven to 130C/Gas Mark 1/2 and lightly oil a large baking tin. Mine measures 23cm x 33cm x 4cm.

Mix the dry ingredients and fruit together until well combined. Warm the condensed milk in a pan then mix with all the other ingredients and use a spatula to make sure everything is well coated.

Press the mixture into the tin and level the surface. The mixture is really sticky so you might want to wet your hands or lightly oil them so that you don't end up a sticky mess.

Bake the muesli bars for 1 hour then set aside for 15 minutes to cool slightly. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container.

* Check out the Meal Plan Linky on At Home With Miss M for more fab Meal Plans *

Shopping List

Cost of 44 items was £63.08 from Asda online shopping on 04/03/12.

Packets and Cereals
1x ASDA Chosen by You Wheat Bisks (24x18g) £1.00 was £1.24
1x ASDA Smartprice Swiss Style Muesli (1Kg) 98p
1x ASDA Strong White Bread Flour (1.5Kg) 60p
1x ASDA Smartprice Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg) 52p
1x ASDA Smartprice Long Grain Rice (1Kg) 40p
1x ASDA Smartprice Pasta Shapes (500g) 30p
1x ASDA Wholefoods Couscous (1Kg) £1.00
1x ASDA Wholefoods Bread Brown Flour (1.5Kg) £1.10

Tins, Jars and Cooking
1x ASDA Green Pesto Sauce (190g) £1.19
1x ASDA Smartprice Chopped Tomatoes (400g) 33p
1x ASDA Chosen by You Apricot Halves in Syrup (411g) 68p

Dairy and Eggs
6x ASDA British Semi Skimmed Milk 4 Pints (2.27L) £1.18 any 2 FOR £2.00
1x Carnation Sweetened Condensed Milk (397g) £1.44
1x ASDA Low Fat Strawberry Yogurt (6x125g) £1.00 was £1.12
2x The Happy Egg Co. Free Range Large Eggs (6) £1.90 any 2 FOR £2.00
1x ASDA English Mild Cheddar (400g) £2.48 any 2 FOR £4.00
1x ASDA English Medium Cheddar (400g) £2.48 any 2 FOR £4.00
1x ASDA Low Fat Autumn Fruit Yogurts (6x125g) £1.00 was £1.12
1x ASDA Garlic and Herb Soft Cheese (250g) 90p
1x Philadelphia Light with Cadburys Chocolate (160g) £1.00 was £1.62

Meat, Fish and Poultry
1x ASDA Smartprice Smoked Salmon Trimmings (120g) 98p
1x ASDA Whole Chicken (1.45Kg) £4.53 any 2 FOR £7.00
1x ASDA Diced Pork (600g) £4.00 any 2 FOR £7.00
1x ASDA Pork Rib Steak (850g) £4.00 any 2 FOR £7.00
1x ASDA Beef Stir Fry (400g) £4.00 any 2 FOR £7.00

Fruit and Vegetables
1x ASDA Chosen by You Pitted Dried Dates (500g) £1.20
1x ASDA Round Lettuce 59p
20 ASDA Smartprice Apples by Weight (100g) 10p
20 ASDA Bananas by Weight (100g) 6.8p
3 ASDA Broccoli by Weight (100g) 19.7p
20 ASDA Carrots by Weight (100g) 8p
2x ASDA White Potatoes (2.5Kg) £1.35 any 2 FOR £2.00
5 ASDA Tomatoes by Weight (100g) 19.9p
2x ASDA Whole Cucumber £1.00
1x ASDA Parsnips (500g) 50p
1x ASDA Cherry Tomatoes (400g) £1.20
1x ASDA Smartprice Peppers (700g) £1.57
1x ASDA Spring Onions 70p
1x ASDA Fresh Tastes Mushroom Stir Fry (355g) £1.00 any 3 FOR £2.50
2x ASDA Mandarins (700g) £1.25 any 2 FOR £2.00
1x ASDA Crunchy Stir Fry (250g) £1.00 any 3 FOR £2.50

Frozen
1x ASDA Smartprice Sweetcorn (907g) 94p
1x ASDA Smartprice Peas (1Kg) 93p

Ready Meals
1x ASDA Fresh Free Range Egg Noodles (410g) £1.00 any 3 FOR £2.50

2 comments Beef, Breakfast, Cakes, Chicken, Dinners, Fish, Lunches, Meal Plan, Meatfree Monday, Pasta, Pork, Puddings, Slow Cooker, Snacks, Vegetarian