After the indulgence of Christmas we are craving a Meal Plan with lots of vegetables, and also one that is both frugal and filling because we will all be at home for most of this week. I'm trying to keep tums happy and satisfied as well as our budget intact.
Breakfasts will be porridge to fill us up, with a seasonal fruit compote which I make in bulk and freeze in portions or toast with homemade jam. Snacks will be fruit, homemade yoghurt or homemade rice pudding. As usual I shall bake all of our bread, my 3 daughters are keen to help so I will be taking full advantage of their enthusiasm. We'll be having
Twice Baked Potatoes and
Versatile Savoury Scone Swirls for lunches as well as the Crustless Quiche and soups I've mentioned below.
Lunches
Crustless Quiche
3 cups mixed vegetables
1 cup cheese, grated
4 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup self-raising flour
good grinding of black pepper
Put the vegetables and ¾ of the cheese into a greased
ovenproof dish. Lightly beat the eggs
and milk together in a jug. Sprinkle
over the self-raising flour and mix well, ensuring there are no lumps. Pour egg mixture over the vegetables and
grind over some black pepper then sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Bake at 200°C for 30 to 35 minutes or until
golden brown and set. Serve either hot
or cold.
Slow Cooker Root
Vegetable Soup
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons oil
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 large potatoes, scrubbed and
cut into chunks
500g pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks
3 Tblsp plain
flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp curry powder (use mild or medium)
1 pinch chilli powder (optional)
a few good grinds of pepper
1 Litre vegetable stock, more if needed
Heat the oil in a large pan heat the oil and add the onion and garlic. Cook until softened. Add the prepared vegetables and the flour and spices then mix so they coat the vegetables. Cook for a couple of minutes until the spices are fragrant. Tip everything into your slow cooker. Add the salt, pepper and stock. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
When the vegetables are tender, purée or process the soup
until smooth and return to the slow cooker to keep warm or serve immediately. Adjust the consistency to suit your taste by adding a little more water or stock.
Onion Soup
1 Tblsp each oil and butter
1 kg
onions, peeled and very thinly sliced
2 tsp light soft brown sugar
1 Tblsp flour
1 Litre vegetable stock
Heat the butter and oil in a large, deep saucepan over a medium
heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, for 25-35 minutes or until golden and softened. Add the sugar and flour and stir until incorporated. Slowly add the stock, stirring constantly until
combined. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat. Simmer for 25 minutes, add more stock if necessary. Serve with cheese on toast or wholemeal crusty bread.
Bean and Greens Soup
2 Tblsp oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g tin of chopped tomatoes or 4 large fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 stalks celery (including leaves), chopped
400g can beans, drained and rinsed (I used butterbeans)
750ml vegetable stock
1 Tblsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
Handful spinach or chard leaves, fresh or frozen
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and tomatoes. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until the onion and garlic have softened. Add the chopped celery (including the leaves), drained and rinsed tinned beans, stock and rosemary. Bring everything to the boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add chard/spinach to soup and simmer until the greens have wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with wholemeal rolls or cheese scones.
Dinners
Slow Cooker Beef Casserole – Tuesday and Wednesday
This is a fab, low faff warming stew that is cooked in a
slow cooker. It makes enough to serve us 5 generously for 2 nights. Great for
nights when I need a dinner that is guaranteed to be eaten without fuss. This
casserole is perfect for that. It tastes even better the second night.
Sometimes I freeze the other portion but more often than not I just serve it
the next night with different vegetables on the side. You can add other chopped
root vegetables to the casseroles if you want, such as potatoes, parsnip.
pumpkin, sweet potato, etc.
1kg beef braising/stewing steak cut into chunks
1 tsp ground ginger
1 onion, sliced
2 sticks of celery, finely sliced
2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
2 x 400g cans of kidney beans, drained and well rinsed
2 peppers, diced (any colour will do)
3 carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 bay leaves
2 Tblsp light soft brown sugar
2 Tblsp red wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce
If you have time, brown the meat in a non-stick pan, use a
little oil if necessary.
Put the beef and everything else in the slow cooker. Stir
well and cook for 7-8 hours on low, or 4 hours on high. Taste and adjust the
seasoning, if necessary. If the casserole needs thickening, stir 2 Tbsp
cornflour mixed to a paste with 2 Tbsp water into it. Serve with mash and
greens or mixed vegetables.
Creamy Bacon and Vegetable Pasta - Thursday
I can have this dinner on the table in under 20 minutes from
whine to dine LOL Great for those nights when you are really tired or really
busy with a low tolerance for faffy dinners or diners. Also fab for those nights when I have to dash off to work or a meeting.
500g spaghetti
200g unsmoked back bacon
350g frozen chopped spinach
Handful or 2 of frozen mixed vegetables
300ml pot crème fraîche
Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil,
add the spaghetti and cook following pack instructions. When the spaghetti has
about 3 minutes left to cook toss in a handful or two of frozen mixed
vegetables.
Meanwhile, in a deep frying pan, fry the bacon until the fat
starts to run and then add the garlic, fry until the bacon is lightly golden.
Add the chopped spinach and 2 tablespoons of water, then cover and cook until
the spinach has defrosted.
Remove the lid, stir everything together, season to taste,
then cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
Drain the spaghetti and vegetables and add to the bacon and
spinach mixture with the crème fraîche. Stir to thoroughly combine and serve
immediately.
Homemade Fish and Chips - Friday
Macaroni Cheese with Mixed Vegetables - Sunday
Snacks
Rice Pudding
600ml whole milk
65g long grain white rice
pinch of salt
50g white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
50g sultanas or mixed fruit (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 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 dates instead of
sultanas if you have some in your store cupboard.
Crepes
Makes 8 - 10 crepes
150g flour
2 free range eggs
20g melted butter
20g sugar
300ml milk
Melted butter to grease the pan
Put the flour and sugar into a bowl, stir to mix. Make a well in the centre. Use a whisk to mix together 2 eggs, 300ml
milk and 20g melted butter together.
Pour the milk mixture into the flour and sugar then whisk,
gradually mixing in the flour until you have a smooth and well combined
mixture. Cover and leave to chill in the
fridge for half an hour.
Heat an 18-20cm frying pan over a medium heat. Lightly grease with a little butter. Pour 60ml crepe batter into the middle of the
pan then swirl the pan around so the mixture spreads out and coats the base of
the pan. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until the crepe turns golden and the edges
look cooked. Carefully turn the crepe
over and cook for a further 30 - 60 seconds.
Transfer to a plate and repeat until all the batter has been used.
Shopping List
34 items: £55.49
Packets and
Cereals
1x Mornflake Superfast Oats (2Kg) £2.18
1x ASDA Wholefoods Strong White Bread Flour
(1.5Kg) 80p
1x ASDA Smartprice Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg) 45p
1x ASDA Smartprice Long Grain Rice (1Kg) 40p
2x Great Scot Pearl Barley (500g) £1.28
1x Asda Home Baking Easy Bake Yeast (6 per pack
- 42g) 65p
1x ASDA Wholefoods Brown Bread Flour (1.5Kg) £1.28
1x Cook Italian Wholewheat Spaghetti (500g) £1.00
1x Cook Italian Wholewheat Fusilli (500g) £1.00
Frozen
3x ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg) £2.25
1x ASDA Whitefish Fillets (500g) £2.00
2x ASDA Chosen by You Diced Casserole Beef
(454g) £6.00
1x ASDA Whole Leaf Spinach (1Kg) £1.39
Tins, Jars and
Cooking
4x ASDA Smartprice Chopped Tomatoes (400g) £1.24
2x ASDA Smartprice Red Kidney Beans in Water
(400g) 54p
1x ASDA Organic Butter Beans in Water (400g) 70p
Dairy and Eggs
1x ASDA Crème Fraîche (300ml) £1.10
5x ASDA British Semi Skimmed Milk 4 Pints
(2.27L) £5.00
1x ASDA Smartprice Salted Butter (250g) 98p
1x Cathedral City Mature Cheddar (2x350g) £4.00
1x ASDA Mixed Weight Free Range Eggs (6) 97p
Fruit and
Vegetables
1x ASDA Smartprice Sultanas (500g) 84p
15 ASDA Bananas £1.39
15 ASDA Royal Gala Apples £3.33
1 ASDA Butternut Squash (Approx 850g) 80.8p
2x ASDA Celery £1.78
1x ASDA Smartprice Peppers (700g) £1.58
1x ASDA Smartprice Brown Onions (2Kg) 98p
2x ASDA Plums (500g) £2.00
2x Inspire Premium Baking Potatoes (2Kg) £3.00
2x ASDA Carrots (1.2Kg) £1.50
2x ASDA Smartprice Pears (500g) £1.58
Meat, Fish and
Poultry
1x ASDA Extra Special Pork Sausages (6 per pack
- 454g) £2.50
1x ASDA Butcher's Selection Smoked Back Bacon
Rashers (10 per pack - 300g) £2.00
Prices and special
offers reflect those of the online grocery website My Supermarket, and are correct as
of 28th December 2013. Prices may
vary in different in-store locations.
As usual I compared the cost of our shopping which cost £55.49 from Asda using My Supermarket. Had I shopped elsewhere our groceries would've cost £63.47 from Tesco or £65.11 from Sainsbury's.
Don't forget to check out all the other fab Meal Plans over on At Home With Mrs M.
