Our Meal Plan for this week, school holidays edition - £70

It is the second week of the School Holidays and after being forced to rest last week I am back on form this week but not rushing about as much as I usually do.  You could be forgiven for thinking we are feeding an army this week but my 3 daughters eat like ravenous All Blacks and they will have friends over a few times which means extra mouths to feed.  I'm also taking the opportunity to replenish supplies after our kids almost ate us out of house and home last week.

Breakfast will be porridge this week to fuel our holiday fun and keep the kids fuller for longer. The wraps and bread/rolls for lunches will be homemade to keep the kids occupied and save money. Snacks will be fruit with homemade yoghurt in the morning and a small baked treat, popcorn or Scroggin in the afternoon. I have deliberately kept dinners low faff as I am almost always exhausted by dinner time and am still suffering from 24/7 morning sickness despite being in my second trimester.  

We'll be visiting the allotment to do some light weeding and planting, I have been banned from any heavy digging.  We'll also be harvesting chard, spinach and salad greens to have with our lunch and dinner.

Lentil and Mince Bolognese – Monday with pasta and Tuesday with baked potatoes

500g minced beef
2 large onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 peppers, deseeded and finely diced
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 x 400g tins lentils, drained
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil

Heat a little in a frying-pan and sauté the onion, garlic and peppers together until softened. Add the minced beef and brown well, breaking up the mince as it browns.

Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, lentils, and dried herbs. Stir well to combine and let simmer for at least 20 – 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the sauce is simmering, cook your pasta according to pack instructions. Serve over the pasta with steamed greens or vegetables on the side.

Thrifty Sausage, Vegetable and Pearl Barley Hotpot - Wednesday and Thursday (using 12 sausages)

Meatball Minestrone - Friday

12 meatballs
1 onion, finely diced
2 peppers, deseeded and finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely sliced
2 stalks celery, finely sliced
400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 cups vegetable stock
400g tin cannellini beans, drained
400g tin kidney beans, drained
1 cup dried pasta
1 tsp dried basil
200g spinach leaves

In a large saucepan, sauté the onion, peppers and garlic over a low heat until softened. Add the carrots, celery, and frankly any other veggies you have on hand that may need using up. Make sure all the vegetables are cut the same size so they cook evenly.

Cook the vegetables over a moderate heat until the carrots start to soften. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato paste and stock then bring everything to a gentle simmer. Add cannellinni beans, kidney beans and pasta then simmer gently for at least 20 minutes or until the pasta has softened.

Fry meatballs in a little olive oil until lightly browned all over. When the pasta has softened, add the meatballs and spinach. Simmer for another 5 – 10 minutes then serve.

Fish Pilaf - Saturday

Spaghetti and Meatballs - Sunday

Lunches

We'll have crudites along with Savoury Scone Swirls or falafel and salad wraps for lunches. One day this week we'll have baked potatoes with baked beans and cheese, probably mini frittatas (using ingredients on hand) at some point during the week and I might make some rice pudding using the leftover rice too.

Baking

There will of course be lots of baking to keep my 3 daughters both busy and fed. I've supplies to make fruit scones, flapjacks, muffins/cupcakes and cookies. We'll be using cereals to bake with (cornflakes and rice crispies) and wholemeal flour which should also help quell hunger pangs.

Shopping List

40 items: £70.36

Packets & Cereals

1x   ASDA Chosen by You Cornflakes (750g)                                   £1.74

1x   Mornflake Superfast Oats (2Kg)                                                £2.18

1x   ASDA Smartprice Crispy Rice Cereal (440g)                              77p

1x   ASDA Chosen by You Fusilli Twists (500g)                                50p

1x   ASDA Smartprice Spaghetti (500g)                                           20p

1x   ASDA Strong White Bread Flour (1.5Kg)                                    80p

1x   ASDA Basmati White Rice (1Kg)                                               £1.78

1x   Great Scot Pearl Barley (500g)                                                  64p

1x   ASDA Home Baking Easy Bake Yeast (6 per pack - 42g)            65p

1x   ASDA Wholefoods Brown Bread Flour (1.5Kg)                          £1.28

1x   Whitworths Granulated Sugar (1Kg)                                           88p

Tins, Jars & Cooking

1x   ASDA Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce (4x410g)                          £1.24

3x   ASDA Smartprice Chopped Tomatoes (400g)                            93p

1x   ASDA Cannellini Beans in Water (300g)                                     50p

2x   ASDA Chick Peas in Water (400g)                                             £1.00

1x   ASDA Red Kidney Beans in Water (400g)                                  40p

1x   ASDA Double Concentrated Tomato Puree (200g)                     48p

1x   ASDA Chosen by You Bolognese Pasta Sauce (735g)               £1.36

2x   ASDA Chosen by You Green Lentils (400g)                               £1.24

Frozen

2x   ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg)                                £1.54

1x   ASDA Whitefish Fillets (500g)                                                   £2.00

Dairy & Eggs

5x   ASDA British Semi Skimmed Milk 4 Pints (2.27L)                       £5.00

1x   Stork (1Kg)                                                                              £2.00

1x   ASDA Smartprice Low Fat Natural Yogurt (500g)                        45p

1x   ASDA Free Range Mixed Weight Eggs (15)                               £2.00

2x   ASDA 30% Less Fat Mature Light British Cheese (450g)             £5.00

Fruit & Vegetables

1x   ASDA Smartprice Sultanas (500g)                                             84p

12   ASDA Bananas by Weight (170g)                                              £1.39

2x   ASDA White Potatoes (2.5Kg)                                                  £3.00

3x   ASDA Whole Cucumber                                                            £1.50

1x   ASDA Celery                                                                            80p

2x   ASDA Garlic Loose                                                                  60p

2x   ASDA Smartprice Peppers (700g)                                             £3.14

1x   ASDA Spring Onions                                                                50p

1x   ASDA Smartprice Brown Onions (2Kg)                                      98p

2x   ASDA Carrots (1.2Kg)                                                              £1.50

2x   ASDA Apples (1.2Kg)                                                               £4.00

2x   ASDA Chosen by Kids Easy Peasy Peelers (500g)                    £2.00

Meat, Fish & Poultry

2x   ASDA Extra Special Pork Sausages (6 per pack - 454g)             £5.00

1x   ASDA Butcher's Selection Beef Meatballs (730g)                       £4.00

1x   ASDA Butcher's Selection Lean Beef Mince (580g)                    £4.50

Prices and special offers reflect those of the online grocery websites, and are correct as of 12 April 2014.  Prices may vary in different in-store locations.

As usual I compared the cost of our shopping using My Supermarket.  Had I shopped elsewhere our groceries would've cost £69.75 from Aldi, £72.52 from Sainsbury's, £74.84 from Tesco and £82.07 from Morrisons.

Don't forget to check out the other Meal Plans in the linky over on 

At Home With Mrs M.