OUR FAMILY MEAL PLAN FOR WEEK OF 21/05/18 - £70

We've got a busy week this week, and after going back to work this weekend I'm feeling knackered and uninspired as far as our Meal Plan goes.  I'm sure we all have weeks where we're lacking in motivation and inspiration.  Our freezer meal stocks are low because I used up most of them when recovering from surgery, and we defrosted the chest freezer whilst it was fairly empty.

This week we've the usual after school club, a school concert, a dental appointment for all four children, and a work meeting for me.  I'll definitely be looking forward to the Bank Holiday Weekend coming up! 

Breakfasts will be granola, yoghurt and fruit compote as that's worked well and everyone is happy to carry on having it weekday mornings.  Weekend breakfasts will be crumpets and teacakes or pancakes.

Packed lunches will be falafel salad wraps and include a piece or two of fruit, crudites and a small baked treat for afters.  Weekend lunches will be Twice Baked Potatoes and Quesadillas served with salad greens and crudites.

Dinners

Quick and Easy Vegetarian Nachos - Meatfree Monday

Homemade Pizzas with salad greens

Vegan Burgers with Sweet Potato Wedges

2 tins kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 onions, finely diced

2 peppers, finely diced

1 tsp chilli powder

200g fresh breadcrumbs

about 1kg sweet potatoes, for the wedges

Sauté the onion and pepper in a little oil for a couple of minutes until it softens then leave to cool for a bit. Mash the kidney beans with a potato masher, leave it a little lumpy – not too smooth. Add the cooled sautéed pepper and onion along with the breadcrumbs to the kidney beans and mix everything together thoroughly. Shape into 10 burgers and fry in a little oil for a couple of minutes on each side, until they’re golden brown. Then put them in the oven at 180C for about 10 minutes until completely cooked through.

Wash the sweet potatoes and cut them into wedges, not too thick. Put a little oil on your hands and rub the wedges so that they get lightly coated in the oil. To cook the wedges, bake them in the oven for about 25 - 30 minutes at 180C.

Serve the burgers in buns with salad greens and slices of tomato with wedges on the side. I sometimes sprinkle a little paprika and/or chilli powder over the wedges to give them a little more flavour.

Potato and Vegetable Bake with Sausages

Pasta with Tomato and Chorizo Sauce

500g wholewheat pasta

600g frozen mixed vegetables

225g chorizo, finely diced

1 or 2 onions, finely diced

2 peppers, diced (any colour will do)

2 x 400g chopped tomatoes

1 or 2 tsp dried mixed herbs

Cook 500g wholewheat pasta with 600g frozen mixed vegetables according to instructions on the pasta pack.

Put a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the chorizo.  Cook, gently stirring, until the oil starts to run from the chorizo.  Add the onion and peppers, and cook until the vegetables have softened and the chorizo is cooked through and starting to crisp up slightly.  Pour in the chopped tomatoes and mix through the dried herbs.  Simmer for around 10 - 15 minutes for the flavours to develop and the sauce to thicken slightly.  Stir the sauce through the cooked pasta and vegetables.

Quinoa and Vegetable Curry

1 onion, finely sliced

2 peppers, deseeded and finely diced

4 Tblsp curry paste

400g can light coconut milk

400ml milk

750g frozen mixed vegetables

300g quinoa, rinsed

Put a large saucepan onto a moderate heat, add 2 Tblsp water then cook the onion, pepper and curry paste for about 5 minutes until the onion has softened. Add the milks to the pan and warm through for 5 minutes before adding the quinoa and vegetables. Bring everything to the boil and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes until the quinoa is cooked through. Season to taste and serve with rice or flatbreads.

Leftover Quinoa Curry Pasties

Leftover Quinoa and Vegetable Curry

2 sheets puff pastry

Preheat your oven to 200C

Cut each sheet of pastry into thirds. Put mounds of leftover curry on one half of each pastry third. Fold over the other half of the pastry third and crimp with a fork to seal the edges. Prick each pastry parcel with a fork so steam can escape during cooking.

Put on lined baking trays and cook for 20 - 25 minutes until the pastry is golden and crispy. Serve with mango chutney and steamed vegetables.

Shopping List

41 items: £69.70

Frozen

3x   ASDA Frozen for Freshness Mixed Vegetables (1Kg)             £2.55

1x   ASDA Frozen for Freshness Sweetcorn (1Kg)                        85p

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

Tins, Jars and Cooking

2x   ASDA Smartprice Chopped Tomatoes  (400g)                        58p

2x   ASDA Smartprice Red Kidney Beans in Water (400g)            60p

6x   ASDA Chick Peas in Water (400g)                                        £1.98

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

1x   ASDA Curry Paste - Balti (200g)                                           £1.00

1x   KTC Coconut Milk (400ml)                                                    50p

3x   ASDA Chilli Beans in Chilli Sauce (390g)                               £1.95

Dairy and Eggs

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

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

5x   ASDA Smartprice Low Fat Natural Yogurt (500g)                   £2.25

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

Packets and Cereals

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

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

1x   ASDA Quinoa (300g)                                                            £1.29

2x   ASDA Ready Rolled Light Puff Pastry (375g)                         £2.00

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

Meat, Fish and Poultry

1x   ASDA Farm Stores Cooking Bacon (500g)                             57p

1x   ASDA Extra Special Chorizo Casero Sausage (225g)             £1.85

1x   ASDA Extra Special Pork Sausages (10 per pack - 750g)      £4.00

Fruit and Vegetables

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

4x   ASDA Grower's Selection Whole Cucumber                           £2.00

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Iceberg Lettuce                             50p

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Celery                                           £1.10

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

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

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Broccoli (360g)                              £1.10

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

2x   ASDA Farm Stores Cherry Tomatoes (250g)                         £1.06

2x   ASDA Farm Stores White Potatoes (2.5Kg)                           £2.50

2x   ASDA Farm Stores Round Lettuce                                         80p

3x   ASDA Farm Stores Mixed Peppers (3)                                   £2.97

Bakery

4x   ASDA Mexican Style Wholemeal Tortillas (8)                         £3.00

Snacks and Sweets

1x   ASDA Smartprice Tortilla Chips - Lightly Salted (180g)          41p

Prices and special offers reflect those of the online grocery website My Supermarket, and are correct as of 19th May 2018. Prices may vary in different in-store locations.

We purchased our groceries from Asda via My Supermarket, had we shopped elsewhere our items would've cost:

£77.62 from Morrisons

£79.72 from Saunsbury's

£84.87 from Tesco 

£90.34 from Ocado

£91.25 from Waitrose

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.