Our Family Meal Plan for this week - The Cupboard and freezer Raiding Edition

Our Meal Plan this week is a little late, I was in London on Friday, knocked for six by a foul migraine on Saturday then worked Sunday night.

It is the week leading up to payday for us, just as well as we are counting the pennies and the days until our bank account is slightly more healthy than it is now.  As a result of us needing to spend as little as possible this week it is a clearing out the storecupboard and freezer based Meal Plan.  It is useful to have a fiscal (thankfully not physical) knock over the head once in a while to prompt a clean out and also renew our resolve to be thrifty and frugal.

Dinners

I was very fortunate to pick up a couple of packs of 1kg free range chicken pieces £1.25 per pack and two 500g packs of casserole beef for £1 each in the reduced section of the local Co-op.  Those will form the basis of a few meals this week, along with raiding our freezer and pantry.

Roast Chicken with Roast Vegetables and Yorkshire Puddings *bones used for stock

12 Muffin Tin Chicken Tarts *using leftover chicken and chicken stock

1 leek, finely sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

25g butter

2 Tblsp plain flour

250ml milk

500g leftover roasted vegetables, diced

200 - 300g leftover cooked chicken

1 Tblsp fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried thyme

1 free range egg, beaten

Shortcrust pastry

300g flour

150g butter

pinch of salt

a little cold water

Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs, stir through the salt then add just enough cold water for the mixture to form a dough. Pat into a round then wrap in clingfilm and chill for an hour before using.

Preheat your oven to 200C. In a saucepan over a moderate heat cook the leek, mushrooms and garlic in the butter until softened. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes. Gradually add the milk, stirring to avoid lumps, until a thick sauce forms. Add the leftover cooked chicken, roast vegetables and thyme. Season the mixture to taste then set aside to cool.

Grease a 12 hole muffin tray and line each muffin hole with shortcrust pastry. I find a metal tray works better than a silicon one for this recipe and helps avoid soggy bottoms. Spoon the cooled chicken filling into the pastry cases. If you have enough pastry leftover after lining the muffin tray, roll out and cut a few strips to place over each tart in a lattice pattern. Attach the strips to the pastry cases with a little water and press firmly in place around the edges of the cases.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Serve with salads or steamed vegetables. These are also fab to take to work in a packed lunch.

Chicken Soup *using leftover chicken and chicken stock

Mixed Vegetable and Pearl Barley Risotto

Brown Rice and Vegetable Bake

Beef Casserole with Dumplings

Beef Pasties *made with leftover beef casserole

Breakfasts will be porridge with apple compote made with apples from the trees in our back garden. There will be a piece of fruit for afters as well. We will all be having packed lunches, either leftovers or Falafels with crudites and herbed yoghurt dip with a small baked treat and piece of fruit for afters.

Apologies for the lack of shopping list this week, I'm using up what we have and produce from our allotments so will need to only buy eggs, milk, fruit and a few vegetables. All should be back to normal with a shopping list and more interesting Meal Plan next week.

Don't forget to check out other fab Meal Plans on the Meal Planning Monday linky over on At Home With Mrs M.