OUR FAMILY MEAL PLAN FOR WEEK OF 14/05/18 - £68

I had a week of my blog last week.  I had hoped to get a post done before my gallbladder surgery but 3yo had a virus and fever for 4 days and 11yo had an infected toe which needed GP visits and treatments.  Thankfully both children are fine now, and my surgery happened as scheduled so I am resting and healing.  I'm finding recovery frustrating and slower than I would like, as the operation turned out to be more complex than they thought so healing will take longer.  I've planned a really easy week of mostly freezer meals to give me a second week of rest, and make life much easier for my husband.  I am so very glad we have a chest freezer, and also glad that I had a couple of days cooking a lot of meals and other goodies to stash away for these two weeks.

Breakfasts will be overnight oats with homemade compote or homemade granola with yoghurt and homemade compote as it worked well last week and was enjoyed by everyone.  The yoghurt, granola and fruit are layered in glasses parfait style if we have time or just all jumbled into a bowl if we're in a hurry.  Weekend breakfasts will be pancakes, made by one of the children or my husband, and homemade crumpets from the freezer.

Packed lunches will be Cheese and Vegetable Puffs or cheese and chutney sandwiches with crudites, a piece of fruit and a baked treat for afters.  I've baked a few batches of puffs and stashed them in the freezer for easy packed lunches.  My husband and I will of course be at home whilst I am recovering and I've got some portions of soup and vegetable curries, mostly leftovers, to use up from the freezer which will be our lunches this week.

Weekend lunches will be soup or leftovers from the freezer as we're trying to clear it out ready for defrosting and will replenish stocks once it's cleared.

Dinners

Red Lentil Bolognese

1.5 cups red lentils, uncooked
2 Tblesp oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 Tblsp tomato paste
1 tsp sugar

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Pour in the lentils and stir to ensure they do not stick to the base of the saucepan. Boil the lentils for 8-10 minutes or until soft.

Heat the oil in a medium pan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar and herbs, then stir in the lentils. Add a little water or stock if the mixture looks too dry.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer until flavours develop, around 15 minutes.  Serve with pasta and greens or mixed vegetables.

Chicken Noodle Bowls

Lentil and Vegetable Curry

2 tsp oil
2 onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups green lentils
2 Tblsp curry powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1.5 litres vegetable stock
2 cups mixed root vegetables, peeled and diced

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a moderate heat and saute the onion and garlic until the onion has softened. Add the spices to the pan and stir for a minute or two until they are fragrant. Add the lentils, stock and vegetables then bring to the boil.

Simmer for around half an hour until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has mostly been absorbed. Serve with cooked rice. We add some steamed greens on the side for added veg content.

Chicken Fried Rice Bowls


Scottish Vegan Cottage Pie from my friend's blog Tinned Tomatoes


Vegetable and Bean Hotpot 

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pepper, diced
2 sticks celery, finely sliced
2 courgettes, sliced
2 carrots, finely sliced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 x 400g tins haricot beans, drained
300ml vegetable stock

Put a large casserole pot over a moderate heat. Saute the onion and garlic until they start to soften.

Add the pepper, celery, courgettes, carrots and sweet potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may need to add a little water if the vegetables start to stick to the pan.

Add the tinned tomatoes, spices, haricot beans and stock. Stir well, bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Check the hotpot every 15 minutes to ensure there is enough liquid in the pot, add a little more water or stock if necessary. Check the seasoning then serve.

Sticky Red Onion and Sausage Bake with Gravy by Tinned Tomatoes

Shopping List

43 items: £68.03

Frozen

3x   ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg)                              £2.46

2x   Quorn Meat Free Mince (300g)                                                £3.00

2x   Quorn Meat Free Low Fat Sausages (6 per pack - 300g)          £3.00

1x   ASDA Frozen for Freshness Berry Medley (1Kg)                     £2.75

2x   ASDA Cook from Frozen Chicken Breast Strips (600g)            £5.00

Dairy and Eggs

2x   ASDA Semi Skimmed Milk 6 Pints (3.41L)                               £2.96

1x   ASDA Free Range Large Eggs (6)                                          £1.00

1x   ASDA Mature Cheddar Cheese - Light (750g)                          £3.65

Packets and Cereals

1x   Silver Spoon Granulated Sugar (1Kg)                                      64p

1x   ASDA Strong White Bread Flour (1.5Kg)                                  69p

1x   ASDA Wholemeal Bread Flour (1.5Kg)                                     69p

1x   ASDA Smartprice Self Raising Flour (1.5Kg)                           45p

1x   ASDA Smartprice Long Grain Rice (1Kg)                                 45p

1x   ASDA Egg Noodles Medium (250g)                                         59p

1x   Cypressa Green Lentils (500g)                                                £1.49

1x   Allinson Easy Bake Yeast (100g)                                            98p

1x   ASDA Dried Red Lentils (500g)                                               95p

2x   ASDA Scottish Porridge Oats (1Kg)                                        £1.78

Tins, Jars and Cooking

1x   ASDA Sweet and Tangy Onion Chutney (280g)                        90p

1x   ASDA Double Concentrated Tomato Puree (200g)                   37p

4x   KTC Chopped Tomatoes in Tomato Juice (400g)                     £1.00

1x   Organic Vegetable Bouillion Powder Reduced Salt (140g)        £2.00

1x   ASDA Onion Gravy Granules (170g)                                       60p

2x   ASDA Haricot Beans in Water (400g)                                      £1.00

Fruit and Vegetables

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Salad Tomatoes (750g)                   £2.30

30   ASDA Grower's Selection Bananas by Weight (200g)               £3.00

25   ASDA Grower's Selection Royal Gala Apples                           £4.56

3x   ASDA Grower's Selection Carrots (1Kg)                                  £1.50

1     ASDA Grower's Selection Butternut Squash by Weight (1.3Kg)           97p

4x   ASDA Grower's Selection Whole Cucumber                             £2.00

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Iceberg Lettuce                               50p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Celery                                             55p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Courgettes (3)                                 £1.20

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Garlic (3)                                        60p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Spring Onions                                 55p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Sweet Potatoes (1Kg)                      £1.00

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Oranges Extra Juicy (2Kg)              £2.00

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Pears (1.2Kg)                                  £4.00

1x   ASDA Farm Stores Brown Onions (1Kg)                                  59p

1x   ASDA Farm Stores White Potatoes (2.5Kg)                             £1.25

1x   ASDA Farm Stores Round Lettuce                                           40p

1x   ASDA Farm Stores White Mushrooms (300g)                          68p

2x   ASDA Farm Stores Mixed Peppers (3)                                     £1.98

Prices and special offers reflect those of the online grocery website My Supermarket, and are correct as of 13th May 2018 and may vary in different in-store locations.

We purchased our grocery items from Asda which cost £68.03, had we shopped elsewhere our shopping would've cost:

£73.018 from Morrisons

£76.49 from Sainsbury's

£79.97 from Tesco

My lovely blogging buddy Ciara from My Fussy Eater has created a fab Meal Planning Facebook Group so we can inspire each other. She also has a book, I have a copy and it is fab. You can order a copy for yourself here. 

And Katykicker, and Naomi from The Organised Life Project have a Meal Planning Linky full of fabulous Meal Planning posts with lots of tasty ideas.