Our Family Meal Plan Week of 26/03 - £62

Apologies that our Meal Plan for this week is a couple of days late.  We've had poorly children, my middle daughters birthday (complete with cake and party to sort out), and a really busy week in terms of events and work for both my husband and myself.

OK, enough excuses, on with the Meal Plan!  Breakfasts this week will be cereal or toast with spread and a banana for afters.  Lunches will be cheese and chutney swirls, Egg and Potato Salad or Vegetable Fritters with a piece of fruit, celery and carrot sticks, and a small baked treat.  Adults will have leftovers from dinner, if there are any, along with a piece of fruit, celery and carrot sticks, and a small baked treat.  This is to avoid food wastage and keep costs down.

I'll be making all our own bread, apart from the tortillas used on Wednesday night for the Bean Burritos.  I am in London on Wednesday and won't have time to make them so I'm using bought ones. 

As usual I used My Supermarket to compare the price of the items on the Meal Plan and as usual Asda was the cheapest supermarket.  The total cost of all 48 items needed for this week was £62.49.  The same items would've cost £74.39 at Tesco and £76.53 at Sainsbury's.

Dinners

Vegetable Filo Tart – Meatfree Monday

6 cups seasonal vegetables cut into ½ inch dice, preferably including the following:
300g pumpkin, peeled
1 aubergine, diced
1 pepper, any colour will do
3 courgettes
200g mushrooms, quartered
1 whole head garlic
4 Tblsp olive oil
9 sheets filo pastry
1-2 Tblsp tomato paste
200g feta cheese, crumbled

Put the prepared vegetables in a roasting dish, slice the top off the garlic head and put it in the pan with the vegetables, drizzle with olive oil and roast for around 35-40 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.

Put the vegetables in a bowl and set aside to cool. Meanwhile prepare the pastry.

Lay a sheet of filo pastry on the bench, brush sparingly with oil and put another sheet on top, brush that sheet with oil and finish with a third sheet of pastry. Grease an ovenproof dish big enough to hold all the cooked vegetables and line it with the filo pastry.

Crumble the feta cheese into the cooled vegetables. Squeeze the roasted garlic forcing the pulp from the skin and mix this into the vegetables with the tomato paste. Put the vegetable mixture in to the filo lined dish.

Lay out the remaining pastry sheets and brush each sparingly with oil. Cut each piece in half and crumple them up, putting them on top of the tart to cover the vegetables. Bake at 180°C for 10 - 15 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve with salad or mixed vegetables.


Glazed Chicken Drumsticks - Tuesday

8 chicken drumsticks
3 Tblsp runny honey
1 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
2.5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and crushed or grated
1 Tblsp mango chutney
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
¼ tsp hot curry powder

Mix together the honey, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, ginger, chutney, orange rind and juice and curry powder in a bowl, if the mango chutney is chunky, chop the chunks very finely. Using a sharp knife, make 2 cuts each side of each drumstick. Put the chicken in a single layer in a flat dish. Spoon over the glaze, turn the drumsticks over to coat them well, cover and chill until needed.

Preheat your oven to 200C and cook the drumsticks for 30 minutes or until cooked through. You can baste them with the glaze once or twice during the cooking process. I usually serve this with rice and mixed vegetables.


Bean Burritos - Wednesday

8 tortillas/flat breads
2 tins chilli beans
3 fresh tomatoes, sliced
diced cucumber
lettuce leaves
small pot of low fat sour cream
1 cup (120g) grated cheese

Heat chilli beans in a pot whilst tortillas are warming in the oven. Put chilli beans onto tortillas and top with tomato, cucumber, lettuce, a little sour cream and a sprinkling of cheese. Fold up and serve.


Sausage Onepot – Thursday and Friday

2 onions, peeled and diced
2 peppers, diced
10 good quality pork sausages
4 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 x 410g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 x 420g tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a moderate heat and cook for 5-10 minutes, until soft, adding the garlic for the last minute or two.

Remove the skin from the sausages and shape the mixture into 20 balls. Add to the onion in the pan. Cook for about 5-10 minutes until the balls are golden brown and piping hot and no pink colour remains.

Stir in the tomatoes and beans, and cook for 5 – 10 minutes. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice and mixed vegetables.


Vegetable Pasta Bake – Saturday (M Savers Recipe)

500g pasta
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 onion, diced
1 pepper, diced
1 courgette, diced
200g mushrooms, finely chopped
1x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 ball mozzarella cheese

Chop all the vegetables into a 1cm dice and sauté them in a little oil until they start to soften. Add the tin of tomatoes and dried mixed herbs. Let the sauce simmer whilst you cook the pasta according to packet instructions.

Drain the pasta and mix thoroughly with the sauce before putting into an ovenproof dish. Chop or rip the mozzarella into small pieces and scatter it all over the top of the pasta. Bake at 180C for about 15 – 20 minutes.



Photo courtesy of Morrisons


Roast Chicken and Vegetables - Sunday

500g carrots, peeled and cut into batons
500g parsnips, peeled and cut into batons
1 red onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1kg pack chicken thighs
1 x 410g tin chick peas, drained and rinsed
400g long grain rice

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/ 170ºC fan/ gas 5.

Place the carrots, parsnips, onion and chicken in a medium roasting tin. Drizzle with the oil, sprinkle with the mixed herbs and season well with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked and the chicken pieces are golden brown and piping hot, and the juices run clear. Turn once or twice during cooking.

Add the chick peas to the tin and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the rice following pack instructions. Drain and serve with the vegetables and chicken.

Lunches

Potato and Egg Salad

6 hard-boiled eggs
4 potatoes cut into chunks and boiled
2 spring onions (green and white parts) sliced
handful of shredded lettuce leaves
3 tomatoes chopped into chunks or sliced
4 Tblsp mayonnaise

Chop the eggs and potatoes into bite sized pieces. Mix in the spring onion and mayonnaise and shredded lettuce. Serve with chopped tomato on the side. You could also add some carrot or celery sticks on the side if you want a more substantial meal.


Vegetable Fritters

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup self-raising flour
400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
400g can corn kernels, drained
1 carrot, scrubbed and grated
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, basil
oil to grease frying pan

Put the eggs and milk in a large mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. Sift flour into egg mixture, whisking well to remove any lumps.

Add chickpeas, vegetables and herbs. Mix until well combined. Spray a large frying pan with oil and put onto a medium heat. Scoop ¼-cupfuls of batter into the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden. Repeat with the remaining batter to make approximately 12 fritters. Serve hot or cold.


Cheese and Chutney Swirls

300g (2 cups) self-raising flour, and extra for dusting
50g butter, finely chopped
180ml (3/4 cup) milk
80ml (1/3 cup) tomato chutney or pasta sauce
3/4 cup (90g) grated cheddar

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

Sift flour into a bowl and rub in butter using your fingertips. Add the milk and mix everything to a soft dough. Knead the dough on floured surface until it's smooth. Roll out into a 25 x 30cm rectangle.

Spread the chutney (or pasta sauce) over the dough, sprinkle with ham and then cheese. Roll up starting from a long edge. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the roll into 12 slices. Place the spirals on trays and bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

Cool on a rack then wrap how you like and pack into lunchboxes or freeze for later.

Baking/Treats

Cornflake and Sultana Cookies

125g butter at room temperature, diced
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1 Tblsp milk
1 1/2 cups cornflakes
1/2 cup sultanas

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line two large flat baking trays with non-stick paper.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until creamy. Add the flour and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the milk and mix until dough just comes together. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the cornflakes and sutanas, and mix until well combined.

Roll the mixture into balls, I usually use 1 Tblsp at a time. Put onto baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper. Allow room for the cookies to spread. Flatten the cookies slightly with a floured fork. Bake for 12-14 minutes until light golden. Remove from the oven and stand for 5 minutes on the baking trays before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.


Lemon Drizzle or Plain Sponge Loaf

This is one of my husbands favourites and about the only cake he'll eat that isn't chocolate cake LOL It is so quick and easy to whizz up in my mixer. I call it my 2, 2, 2, 3 lemon cake because that's how I remember the recipe. If you don't want to make a lemon drizzle cake, or don't have any lemons, then all is not lost! Just leave out the zest and don't make the drizzle. This loaf cake tastes fab plain, either dusted with icing sugar or with some buttercream icing. Give it a whirl!

200g softened butter
200g caster sugar
200g self raising flour
3 free range eggs
finely grated zest of 1 lemon, give it a good wash first to get rid of any wax/grease

Lemon Drizzle:
Juice of the zested lemon
about 50g of sugar, add 5g more if you used a rather large lemon

Preheat your oven to 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3. Line a loaf tin with non stick baking paper or one of the precut liners you can buy. My loaf tin is 22cm x 11cm.

I usually have my Kenwood Mixer on minimum speed then on 1 speed at the most. You don't want to beat the mixture too roughly.

Cream the butter and sugar then add the lemon zest and give it a beat for another minute. Add the eggs one at a time with about 1/3 of the flour each time, beat for a bout 1 minute or so for each egg and flour addition.

Scrape down the sides of the mixer and beat for another 30 seconds or so. Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for about 40 minutes. Test the cake with a skewer inserted into the centre. If the skewer comes out clean then the cake is cooked. If not, I turn the oven heat down 10C and put it back in for 5 minutes before checking again with a skewer.

Once the cake is cooked, take it out of the oven and make the lemon drizzle.

Mix the lemon juice and sugar together until they are well combined but don't dissolve the sugar. Prick the cake all over with the cake tester skewer and slowly spoon over the lemon drizzle.

Leave to cool in the in for about 30 minutes then cool on a wire rack, right side up of course.

Shopping List

48 items: £62.49

Packets and Cereals
1x ASDA Smartprice Cornflakes (750g) 46p
1x Silver Spoon Granulated Sugar (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 Jus Rol Filo Pastry Sheets (270g) £1.80
1x ASDA East Bake Yeast (42g) 64p
1x ASDA Wholefoods Bread Brown Flour (1.5Kg) £1.10

Frozen
2x ASDA Chosen by You Freshly Frozen Mixed Vegetables (1Kg) £2.36

Tins, Jars and Cooking
5x ASDA Smartprice Chopped Tomatoes (400g) £1.65
2x ASDA Cannellini Beans in Water (300g) £1.16
2x ASDA Chilli Beans (290g) £1.08
2x ASDA Smartprice Sweetcorn (326g) 84p
1x ASDA Smartprice Mayonnaise (500ml) 48p
1x ASDA Chick Peas in Water (400g) 70p
2x ASDA Red Kidney Beans in Water (400g) 84p

Dairy and Eggs
1x ASDA Soured Cream (300ml) £1.00
4x ASDA British Whole Milk 4 Pints (2.27L) £4.00 any 2 FOR £2.00
1x ASDA Greek Feta Cheese (200g) £1.48
1x Kerrygold Spreadable Butter (500g) £2.00
1x ASDA Smartprice Mozzarella (125g) 44p
1x ASDA Chosen by You English Mature Cheddar (400g) £2.48 any 2 FOR £4.00
2x Suffolk Farm Large Free Range Eggs (6) £2.00 any 2 FOR £2.00

Fruit and Vegetables
1x ASDA Smartprice Sultanas (500g) 84p
1 ASDA Ginger by Weight (100g) 21.1p
1x ASDA Gala Apples (750g) £1.00 any 2 FOR £2.00
1x ASDA Conference Pears (800g) £1.00
4 ASDA Mushrooms by Weight (100g) £1.11
20 ASDA Bananas by Weight (100g) £1.36
15 ASDA Carrots by Weight (100g) £1.17
10 ASDA Courgettes by Weight (100g) £1.55
7 ASDA Red Onions by Weight (100g) 60.2p
1x ASDA Aubergine Loose £1.00
5 ASDA Parsnips by Weight (100g) 65p
2x ASDA White Potatoes (2.5Kg) £2.00 any 2 FOR £2.00
10 ASDA Tomatoes by Weight (100g) £1.99
4 ASDA Butternut Squash by Weight (100g) 38.8p
1x ASDA Whole Cucumber 90p
2x ASDA Round Lettuce £1.14
1x ASDA Celery 50p
2x ASDA Garlic Loose 60p
1x ASDA Smartprice Peppers (700g) £1.50
1x ASDA Spring Onions 67p
1x ASDA Mandarins (700g) £1.00 any 2 FOR £2.00

Meat, Fish and Poultry
2x ASDA Extra Special Pork Sausages (6 per pack - 454g) £4.00
2x ASDA Chicken Drumsticks (1Kg) £7.00 any 2 FOR £7.00

Bakery
2x Mission Deli Mini Wraps - Wheat and White (6) £1.00

2 comments Biscuits, Breakfast, Budgeting Tips, Cakes, Chicken, Dinners, Lunches, Meal Plan, Meatfree Monday, Pasta, Rice, Salad, Snacks, Vegetarian