Our Family Meal Plan for This Week 12/03 - £60

This week our Family Meal Plan has been hastily cobbled together with recipes and ideas from some of our Family Meal Plans I've blogged already this year, I've only included two new recipes.  There are also no photos this week either.  Apologies for the lack of photos and new recipes.  I've been super busy this week and also poorly so my usual level of organisation has just not happened at all.  I shall be back on form with lots of new recipes and ideas next week.

As usual I shall be baking all our bread and have used My Supermarket to compare the price of all the items needed on our Meal Plan.  The cost of the 39 items on the shopping list was £60.60 from Asda online today, the same trolley of groceries would've cost £71.64 at Tesco and £77.48 at Sainsburys.

Please remember that I am not a nutritionist or dietitian so see a professional if you want a calorie controlled, super nutritious Meal Plan suitable for specific dietary needs.  I'm a rather knackered and busy Mum who uses Meal Plans to try and manage our grocery spending whilst giving my family decent quality tasty and healthy food - with the occasional homemade treat.

Lunches

Adult lunches will be leftovers with a 1 or 2 pieces or fruit and carrot sticks.  Packed lunches for school will be either a Vegemite/Marmite Swirl, cheese and homemade chutney or egg mayonnaise sandwich, 1 or 2 pieces of fruit with carrot sticks and a small treat. 

Versatile Scone Swirls

Breakfasts

Weekday breakfasts will be toast and spread, cornflakes and milk, or porridge with either an apple or banana for afters.  Weekend breakfasts will be either pancakes or crumpets.

Pikelets/Pancakes

300g self raising flour
2 eggs
50g sugar
375ml milk

Mix all the ingredients together well and then cook ladlefuls of mixture in a greased fryingpan over a moderate heat. Serve with chopped bananas and drizzle with golden syrup, spread with jam or brushed with lemon juice and sprinkled with sugar.

Treats and Puddings

We'll probably have Dumplings in Syrup at some point this week and also some Berry Turnovers as a pudding treat.  We don't have pudding too often, usually a couple of times a week.  My daughters love homemade custard with either fresh or tinned fruit for a quick pudding, I like making my own custard as I can cut down the amount of sugar in it. 

Fruit Muffins

1 cup of any fruit (fresh, tinned, dried or frozen)
3/4 cup sugar
100g melted butter or 100ml oil
250ml milk
2 cups plain flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 egg

Mix all of the ingredients together gently but thoroughly until well combined. Spoon into lined muffin tins.

If you want to be fancy you can mix together 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 Tblsp sugar and sprinkle it over the top of the muffins.

Cook for 12 minutes or so at 180C, depending on the size of your muffins.


Flapjacks

225g butter
170g sugar
340g porridge oats
pinch of salt
3 Tbsp golden syrup
100g sultanas

Preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Line a 28cm x 18cm x 3cm or 11in x 7in x 1.2in baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

Gently heat the butter and golden syrup in a large saucepan on the hob until the butter has melted, stir well to mix. Don't let it boil!

Once the butter has melted take the saucepan off the heat and add the oats, sugar, sultanas and pinch of salt. Thorough mix everything until well combined and the oats are completely covered by the butter mixture.

Put the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth evenly into the corners. Bake in the oven for approximately 15minutes, turn the tin around and bake for another 5 minutes until golden brown.

Once cooked remove the baking tray from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. With a bread and butter knife lightly mark out about 16 pieces before the flapjack completely sets. Cut up into pieces when completely cold.

Gingerbread

2 cups plain flour
1 Tblsp ground ginger
1 Tblsp cinnamon
2 free range eggs
1/2 cup sugar
100g butter
2 Tblsp golden syrup
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3/4 cup natural yoghurt
1/2 cup sultanas

Preheat your oven to 180C.

Sift the flour, ground ginger and cinnamon into a bowl  In a separate bowl beat the eggs and sugar together until thick and pale.  Melt the butter and golden syrup together and let them cool slightly before adding to the egg and sugar mixture.  Fold in the dry ingredients.  Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda into the yoghurt and stir into the gingerbread mixture with the sultanas until well combined.

Bake at 180C for 45 - 50 minutes.  Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out to cool on a wire rack.

Dinners

Meatfree Monday – Mixed Vegetable and Pearl Barley Risotto

(Serves 7 - dinner for 5 plus 2 lunches)

I added a couple of blocks of frozen spinach for extra vegetable content and to make the dinner stretch further. This risotto makes enough to feed the 5 of us generously and provide 2 large lunch servings for the next day.

Tuesday - Chicken Casserole (5 Servings)

1 onion, finely chopped
1 pepper, diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 Tblsp dried mixed herbs
100g diced bacon
1 Tblsp flour
2 chicken stock cubes dissolved in 1 Litre of boiling water
1 Tblsp mustard
8 chicken drumsticks
4 large potatoes, cooked and mashed
a couple of blocks of frozen spinach
300g frozen mixed vegetables

Preheat oven to 180C. In a casserole pot on the hob sauté the onion, pepper and garlic in a little oil for a couple of minutes, add the mixed herbs and bacon. Cook until pepper and onions are soft. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes. Take the pan off the heat and slowly mix in the stock and mustard. Put back on the heat and make sure everything has dissolved and is well mixed. Add chicken drumsticks then cook in the oven for 45 mins. Remove from the oven and add the frozen mixed vegetables and spinach. Let these heat through with the casserole on the hob for 5 minutes or so before serving. Serve the chicken casserole with mashed potato.

Wednesday - Fish Pie

(Serves 7 - dinner for 5 plus 2 lunches)

1 onion, finely chopped
1 pepper, diced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
600ml water
1 vegetable or fish stock cube
1 tsp mild curry powder
200g rice
2 large tins tuna or salmon in spring water (drained)
4 hard-boiled eggs, cut into quarters
100g grated cheese
5 potatoes, cooked and mashed
400g mixed vegetables to serve

Preheat oven to 180C. Sauté onion, pepper and garlic in oil. Mix water, chicken stock and curry powder then add to onion, pepper and garlic mixture. Add rice, stirring occasionally until rice has cooked through. Season. Pour in fish and mix until combined. Put the mixture in a casserole dish. Cover with the egg quarters and spread over the mashed potato. Groove the mash with a fork. Sprinkle over the cheese and put in the oven for around 15 - 20 minutes until the cheese has melted and the fie pie is piping hot. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Thursday - Spaghetti Bolognese

(Serves 7 - dinner for 5 plus 2 lunches)

500g mince
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or crushed
1 pepper, diced
1 Tblsp mixed herbs
1 Tblsp mustard
1 Tblsp Worcester sauce
4 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
300g frozen mixed vegetables
1 Tblsp cornflour
1 Tblsp cold water
500g spaghetti
1 tsp oil
100g grated cheese

Brown the mince in a frying pan. In a separate large saucepan sauté the pepper, onion and garlic until softened. Add the mince, mixed herbs, mustard, Worcester sauce and tomatoes to the pepper, onion and garlic. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the frozen mixed vegetables and simmer for another 10 minutes whilst you cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Once the mince has simmered for a total of 30 minutes, mix the cornflour and water together and add to the mince mixture to thicken it. Serve bolognese on top of spaghetti and sprinkle cheese on top.

Friday - Bacon and Vegetable Frittata

(6 or 7 servings, depending on appetites)

1 pepper diced
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
100g bacon
9 eggs
200g frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 of a 750g pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks

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

Simmer the potatoes and pumpkin 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. Dry fry the bacon for 5 minutes or so until browned. Remove then from the pan and set aside. Add the onion, pepper and garlic to the pan, and fry in the remaining bacon fat 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, pumpkin and frozen mixed 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.

Saturday - Macaroni Cheese (7 servings)

500g pasta shapes
1 onion – finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 pepper, diced
150g bacon
2 Tblsp butter
2 Tblsp flour
350ml hot milk
200g grated cheese
200g frozen mixed vegetables
a couple of chunks of frozen spinach

Preheat oven to 180C. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, adding the frozen mixed vegetables for the last 3 minutes of the pasta cooking time. Whilst the pasta is cooking, sauté the onion, pepper and garlic in a little oil. Add the bacon and seasoning. In a separate saucepan slowly cook the butter and flour stirring constantly. When mixture looks a bit like biscuit crumbs add the hot milk and whisk until the mixture thickens. Add 200g of grated cheese and simmer for 5 mins, stirring frequently. Add the softened onion, garlic and bacon mixture to the cheese sauce and mix well to combine. Pour the cheese sauce mixture on to the drained pasta and mixed vegetables and stir through until combined. Serve as is or with a side salad.

Sunday - Roast Chicken (5 servings)

4 potatoes, peeled and quartered
8 chicken drumsticks
100ml oil
1 Tblsp chopped fresh rosemary and thyme
1 chicken stock cube
1 Tblsp mustard
125ml boiling water
400g frozen mixed vegetables, steamed or cooked in boiling water.
other 1/2 of Friday's 750g pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks

Preheat oven to 180C. Place potatoes in cold, salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 mins then drain. Put the potatoes, pumpkin and chicken in a roasting dish and brush over/lightly spray with a little oil. Use separate roasting dishes for the chicken and vegetables if you haven't got a roasting dish big enough to fit everything in. Sprinkle over the fresh herbs. Roast in the oven for around 40 minutes until the chicken and potatoes are golden brown and crunchy and the pumpkin is cooked and sweet.

To make gravy:
Mix cornflour, stock, mustard and water then add to the juice from the cooked chicken. Stir over a low heat until the mixture thickens.

Serve the chicken with roast potatoes and vegetables. Pour over some gravy if you like.

Shopping List

39 items. £60.60

Packets and Cereals

1x ASDA Smartprice Cornflakes (750g) 46p

1x ASDA Smartprice Porridge Oats (1Kg) 75p

1x ASDA Smartprice Spaghetti (500g) 41p

1x Silver Spoon Granulated Sugar (1Kg) 98p

1x ASDA Strong White Bread Flour (1.5Kg) 60p

1x ASDA Smartprice Plain White Flour (1.5Kg) 52p

1x ASDA Smartprice Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg) 52p

1x ASDA Smartprice Golden Syrup (680g) £1.08

1x ASDA Smartprice Pasta Shapes (500g) 30p

1x Great Scot Pearl Barley (500g) 58p

1x ASDA Ready to Roll Puff Pastry (500g) £1.00

1x ASDA East Bake Yeast (42g) 64p

1x ASDA Wholefoods Bread Brown Flour (1.5Kg) £1.10

Tins, Jars and Cooking

2x ASDA Wild Pacific Pink Salmon (418g) £1.57

4x ASDA Smartprice Chopped Tomatoes (400g) 33p

1x Kraft Vegemite (220g) £1.97

1x ASDA Smartprice Mayonnaise (500ml) 48p

Frozen

1x ASDA Chopped Spinach Leaves (1Kg) £1.25

2x ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (907g) 68p

1x ASDA Summer Fruits (500g) £2.00

Dairy and Eggs

6x ASDA British Semi Skimmed Milk 4 Pints (2.27L) £1.18 any 2 FOR £2.00

2x Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter (250g) £1.20

1x ASDA Smartprice Low Fat Natural Yogurt (500g) 55p

1x ASDA Free Range Mixed Weight Eggs (15) £2.88

1x ASDA English Medium Cheddar (400g) £2.48 any 2 FOR £4.00

1x ASDA Chosen by You English Mature Cheddar (400g) £2.48 any 2 FOR £4.00

Fruit and Vegetables

1x ASDA Smartprice Sultanas (500g) 84p

20 ASDA Smartprice Apples by Weight (100g) 10p

20 ASDA Bananas by Weight (100g) 6.8p

15 ASDA Carrots by Weight (100g) 8p

10 ASDA Onions by Weight (100g) 7.6p

2x ASDA White Potatoes (2.5Kg) £1.35 any 2 FOR £2.00

10 ASDA Butternut Squash by Weight (100g) 9.7p

2x ASDA Garlic Loose 30p

1x ASDA Smartprice Peppers (700g) £1.50

2x ASDA Mandarins (700g) £1.25 2 FOR £2.00

Meat, Fish and Poultry

1x ASDA Unsmoked Middle Bacon (350g) £1.68

1x ASDA British Beef Mince (500g) £2.40

2x ASDA Chicken Drumsticks (1Kg) £3.85 any 2 FOR £7.00