OUR FAMILY MEAL PLAN FOR WEEK OF 30/07/18 - £70

It's the second week of the school summer holidays and we're just going to potter around home with the occasional trip into town to the library or out to a museum workshop as this week won't be too hot.  After temperatures of over 30C most days last week, it's a blessed relief to have slightly cooler weather this week.

I had a chat with our three older children and asked them if they would like to cook more in the holidays as they all love spending time in the kitchen.  Our two middle daughters will be making some of the lunches and a few dinners.  Much to my delight they'll also be doing the dishes.  They've chosen all the dinners that we're having this week, and most of the lunches too.

Our garden is still providing salad greens, fresh herbs, raspberries and strawberries.  I'm so glad that we finally had significant rainfall over the weekend, no need to water the garden for a couple of days. 

Meal Plan

Breakfasts will be cereal with milk and fruit, or toast and spread with fruit for afters.  Weekend breakfasts will probably be homemade toasted teacakes and pancakes.

Lunches will be falafel wraps, frittatas, pasta salad, wholemeal savoury swirls, and homemade pizzas and twice baked potatoes.  We're off out for lunch on Saturday, a rare treat.  We'll be having quick, easy, and filling midday meals accompanied by crudites most of which are portable so we can have lunch out and about if we need to.  Snacks will be fruit, popcorn, yoghurt, and homemade vegetable crisps.

Dinners

Tomato, Basil and Lentil Pasta

Potato and Chickpea Curry

Orange Chicken with Fried Rice

Herbed Courgette (Summer Squash) Pasta Bake

Chicken Kwasukwasu

Spinach and Cheese Strata

Super Power Chilli

Shopping List

48 items: £69.97

Packets and Cereals

2x   ASDA Smartprice Wheat Bisks (24x18g)                                £1.48

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

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

2x   ASDA Wholewheat Penne (500g)                                            90p

1x   ASDA Good and Balanced Green Lentils (500g)                      £1.15

1x   ASDA Quinoa (300g)                                                              £1.19

1x   ASDA Corn Flakes (790g)                                                      £1.34

1x   Tropical Sun Popcorn (500g)                                                  79p

Frozen

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

1x   ASDA Scratch Cook Whole Leaf Spinach (1.3Kg)                    £1.50

1x   ASDA Cook from Frozen Chicken Breast Fillets (600g)            £2.50

1x   ASDA Chicken Thighs (1.1Kg)                                               £2.50

Tins, Jars and Cooking

3x   ASDA Smartprice Chopped Tomatoes in Tomato Juice (400g) 87p

1x   ASDA Smartprice New Potatoes in Water (550g)                     35p

1x   ASDA Smartprice Red Kidney Beans in Water (400g)              30p

3x   ASDA Smartprice Sweetcorn in Water (326g)                          £1.05

1x   Amoy Soy Sauce Dark (250ml)                                               £1.50

3x   ASDA Chick Peas in Water (400g)                                          99p

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

Dairy and Eggs

3x   ASDA British Whole Milk 6 Pints (3.41L)                                 £4.44

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

1x   ASDA Smartprice Mozzarella (125g)                                       47p

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

1x   ASDA Smartprice Mature White Cheddar (830g)                     £3.69

1x   ASDA Smartprice Hard Cheese Wedge (170g)                        £1.60

5x   ASDA Smartprice Low Fat Fruit Yogurts (6x125g)                   £2.50

Drinks

1x   ASDA Pure Orange Juice from Concentrate (1L)                     69p

Fruit and Vegetables

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

25   ASDA Grower's Selection Bananas                                         £3.00

27   ASDA Grower's Selection Royal Gala Apples                          £4.56

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Carrots (1Kg)                                 £1.00

4x   ASDA Grower's Selection Whole Cucumber                            £2.00

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Celery                                            52p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Garlic Loose                                   20p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Courgettes (3)                                95p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Spring Onions                                 50p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Large Mango                                  £1.00

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

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Giant Watermelon                           £2.50

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Apricots (320g)                               £1.58

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Ginger (125g)                                 50p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Pears (1.2Kg)                                 £2.00

2x   ASDA Chosen by Kids Easy Peasy Peelers (500g)                 £2.30

1x   ASDA Farm Stores Brown Onions (1Kg)                                 55p

1x   ASDA Farm Stores White Potatoes (2.5Kg)                             £1.15

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Ripen at Home Avacodos (4)           £1.50

3x   ASDA Farm Stores Peaches (4)                                             £2.07

Meat, Fish and Poultry

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

Prices and special offers reflect those of the online grocery website My Supermarket, and are correct as of 28th July 2018.  Prices may vary in different in-store locations.

We purchased our groceries online via Asda using My Supermarket and our items cost £69.97, had we shopped elsewhere our shopping list would've cost:

£80.44 from Sainsbury's

£80.79 from Tesco

£86.11 from Morrisons

£96.82 from Ocado

£105.87 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 out which you can order 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.

2 comments Chicken, Dinners, Lunches, Meal Plan, Meatfree Monday, Pasta, Rice, Vegan, Vegetarian

OUR FAMILY MEAL PLAN FOR WEEK OF 16/07/18 - £68

Apologies for being rather late publishing our meal plan this week.  We had a really busy weekend and there just wasn't enough time or energy left for me to get it blogged by Sunday evening as usual.  It's the last week of school for the year, that means at the end of this week my children will be home for 49 days.  I'm making sure I have plenty of coffee in the house.

It's a fairly easy and relaxed meal plan for us this week as we're all knackered.  The heatwave is still in full swing, we're all getting grumpy with the hot weather.  We could really do with some rain, it hasn't rained here for over a month now.

Our garden is still providing loads of fresh greens, lettuces, strawberries, raspberries, and fresh herbs so I've not included them in the shopping list. It won't be long until the apples on our tree will be ready to eat. 

Meal Plan 

Breakfasts will be homemade granola with yoghurt and fruit.  Weekend breakfasts will be pancakes and crumpets.

Packed lunches will be Cheese and Vegetable Puffs with fruit, crudites, and a baked treat.  Weekend lunches will be Caramelised Onion and Cheddar Swirls with salad greens, and Versatile Flatbreads.

Dinners

Quick Bean Chilli - Meatfree Monday

Chorizo frittata

8 free range eggs

2 large potatoes

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables

2 Tblsp oil

1 bunch spring onions, sliced

200g Chorizo, cubed

Scrub the potatoes, cut into 1 inch/2.5cm dice cubes and boil in salted water until just cooked then drain well. Put the chorizo into a large frying pan over a moderate heat, fry until the oil starts to run then add the potato cubes, frozen vegetables and onion. Cook until the chorizo is crispy, the onions have softened and the frozen vegetables have heated through.

Break the eggs into a bowl, add salt and pepper then whisk together before pouring into the frying pan. Add the remaining oil to the pan and then pour in the egg mixture.

Reduce the heat to low and cook gently for about 5-10 minutes. Whilst the frittata is cooking heat the grill of your oven. When the frittata is set around the edges put the frying pan under the grill. Be very careful not to melt the handle of your frying pan. Grill the frittata until the top is set and light golden. We have ours with salad or steamed greens. 

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 spinach on the side for added veg content.

Leftover Curry Pasties

Leftover Lentil and Root 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.

Sausage Flan

500 grams Cumberland sausage meat

1 clove garlic, crushed

3 spring onions, sliced

2 potatoes, grated

1 eating apple, grated

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

4 free range eggs, beaten

Preheat your oven to 180C.

With wet hands, line a 23cm diameter loose bottom flan dish with the sausage meat.

Put the garlic, spring onion, potato, apple, cheese into a bowl. Add the beaten egg and combine everything well.

Pour into the sausage meat case then gently tap on the bench to make sure there are no air bubbles in the filling. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden brown and the filling has set in the middle.

One Pot Orzo Bolognese

500g minced beef, or vegetarian mince

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 peppers, diced

330g dried orzo pasta

500ml pasta sauce, homemade or store bought

600ml vegetable stock

300g frozen peas

300g frozen corn

100g cheddar cheese, grated

Put a large frying pan on to a medium-high heat and cook the mince until it is no longer pink, breaking up clumps as you do so. 

Add the diced onion, minced garlic, and diced peppers to the pan then cook for a few minutes until the onion and peppers soften.

Add the orzo, pasta sauce and stock to the pan then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked and all of the stock has been absorbed. Stir through the frozen peas and corn, cook until these have heated through. Stir through the grated cheese then serve.

10 Minute Spicy Bean Burgers with sweet potato wedges

Shopping List

43 items: £67.95

Frozen

2x   ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg)                                          £1.64

Tins, Jars and Cooking

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

3x   ASDA Smartprice Red Kidney Beans in Water (400g)                           90p

1x   ASDA Chick Peas in Water (400g)                                                      33p

1x   ASDA Vegetable Bouillon Mix (150g)                                                   £1.40

1x   ASDA Bolognese Pasta Sauce (500g)                                                 69p

1x   ASDA Black Eye Beans in Water (400g)                                              55p

Dairy and Eggs

1x   ASDA Semi Skimmed Milk 6 Pints (3.41L)                                           £1.48

1x   ASDA British Whole Milk 6 Pints (3.41L)                                              £1.48

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

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

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

Packets and Cereals

1x   Silver Spoon Granulated Sugar (1Kg)                                                  65p

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

1x   ASDA Smartprice Plain White Flour (1.5Kg)                                         45p

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

1x   ASDA Orzo (500g)                                                                              65p

1x   ASDA Good and Balanced Green Lentils (500g)                                   £1.15

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

1x   ASDA Ready to Roll Puff Pastry (500g)                                               £1.00

Fruit and Vegetables

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Salad Tomatoes (750g)                                £1.15

25   ASDA Grower's Selection Bananas                                                      £3.00

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Seedless Red Grapes (500g)                       £1.50

25   ASDA Grower's Selection Royal Gala Apples                                      £4.80

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Carrots (1Kg)                                              50p

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 Green Seedless Grapes (500g)                    £1.50

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Garlic Loose                                                20p

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Courgettes (3)                                             95p

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Spring Onions                                             £1.00

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

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Giant Watermelon                                        £2.50

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Black Seedless Grapes (500g)                     £1.50

3x   ASDA Grower's Selection Satsumas (600g)                                         £3.75

4x   ASDA Farm Stores Pears (500g)                                                         £3.20

2x   ASDA Farm Stores Brown Onions (1Kg)                                              £1.10

4x   ASDA Farm Stores Cherry Tomatoes (250g)                                       £2.00

1x   ASDA Farm Stores White Potatoes (2.5Kg)                                         £1.15

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

Meat, Fish and Poultry

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

1x   ASDA Butcher's Selection Pork Sausage Meat (400g)                          £1.75

1x   ASDA Butcher's Selection Beef Mince - 5% Fat (500g)                         £3.31

Prices and special offers reflect those of the online grocery website My Supermarket, and are correct as of 14 July 2018.  Prices may vary in different in-store locations.

We purchased our shopping list from Asda via My Supermarket on 14/07/2018, and our groceries cost £67.95. Had we shopped elsewhere our groceries would've cost:

£73.55 from Morrisons

£80.07 from Tesco

£80.13 from Sainsbury's

£88.05 from Ocado

£89.55 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 coming out in April which you can order 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.

3 comments Basics, Bread, Dairy free, Dinners, Meal Plan, Meatfree Monday, Pasta, Vegan, Vegetarian

OUR FAMILY MEAL PLAN FOR WEEK OF 09/07/18 - £71

The heatwave is finally showing signs of letting up, but only for a couple of days midweek.  I'm really not enjoying endless days of 28C and over.  This week is the second to last week of school for the year which means there's lots of events and activities to remember, the calendar looks rather full.  

We're doing our best to keep cool and hydrated, resting as much as possible when we can as the heat tends to sap all of our energy.  Cooking will be as minimal as I can get away with this week, it's just been too hot to want to spend much time in our kitchen.  It's been over 30C in there without even turning on the oven.

I'll be baking our burger buns, and making the wraps for lunches despite the heat.  We've got an abundance of lettuces, fresh herbs, and assorted greens ready to be harvested from our garden along with loads of strawberries and raspberries so I've not included those in the grocery list.

Breakfasts this week will be cereal with milk and fruit again.  On the weekend we'll probably have pancakes and crumpets.

Packed lunches will be falafel wraps with crudites, a baked treat, and fresh fruit salad.  Weekend lunches will be Weekend lunches will be Homemade Pizzas with coleslaw on Saturday and Traffic Light Rice and Beans on Sunday.

Dinners

Rice and Vegetable Bake with salad greens - Meatfree Monday


 Fish Wraps with Asian Coleslaw

200g vermicelli noodles
1/2 white cabbage, finely shredded
1/3 red cabbage, finely shredded
3 carrots, cut into thin matchsticks (optional)
6 spring onions, finely sliced
large handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 chilli, deseeded and very finely diced
handful of roasted nuts (optional)

Dressing:
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tblsp soy sauce
1 Tblsp sugar
3 - 4 Tblsp lime juice

Combine all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake until completely combined.  Set aside for the flavours to develop whilst you make the salad.  Put the noodles into a bowl and cover with boiling water.  Leave for 3 - 5 minutes or until tender.  Drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water. 

Put the prepared vegetables in a bowl, add the noodles and toss to combine.  Pour over the dressing then gently mix through the salad.  Serve immediately.  We're having ours in wraps with grilled white fish.

Gnocchi and Mixed Vegetable Bake

1kg gnocchi

500g frozen mixed vegetables

2 cloves garlic, minced

handful of fresh mint or parsley, finely chopped

600ml full fat creme fraiche

100g Parmesan or hard cheese, finely grated

Put a large pot of water on to boil.  Add the gnocchi and frozen mixed vegetables then boil for 3 minutes or so until all the gnocchi have floated to the surface.  Drain well then mix through the garlic, herbs, and creme fraiche.  Pour into an oven proof dish, ours is 2.5 litre capacity, and top with the grated cheese.  Bake for 20 - 25 minutes then serve with a side salad.

Really Easy Vegan Chilli

Quinoa and Vegetable Curry

Leftover Quinoa Curry Pasties

Burgers and Chips

Shopping List

45 items: £70.89

Packets and Cereals

2x     ASDA Smartprice Wheat Bisks (24x18g)         £1.48

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

1x     ASDA Lime Juice (250ml)         39p

1x     ASDA Easy Cook Long Grain Brown Rice (1Kg)         £1.17

1x     ASDA Easy Bake Yeast (6 per pack - 42g)         59p

1x     KTC Vermicelli (200g)         50p

1x     ASDA Quinoa (300g)         £1.29

1x     ASDA Corn Flakes (790g)         £1.34

1x     ASDA Ready to Roll Puff Pastry (500g)         £1.00

Frozen

2x     ASDA Smartprice Mixed Vegetables (1Kg)         £1.64

1x     ASDA White Fish Fillets (540g)         £2.50

1x     Birds Eye Original Beef Burgers with Onion (10 per pack - 567g)         £2.50

Tins, Jars and Cooking

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

1x     Amoy Soy Sauce Reduced Salt (150ml)         £1.00

1x     ASDA Smartprice Mayonnaise (500g)         41p

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

2x     Caribbean Choice Coconut Milk (400ml)         £1.26

1x     ASDA Curry Paste - Balti (200g)         £1.19

1x     ASDA Borlotti Beans in Water (400g)         55p

2x     ASDA Chilli Beans in Chilli Sauce (390g)         £1.30

Dairy and Eggs

2x     ASDA Crème Fraîche (300ml)         £2.36

3x     ASDA Semi Skimmed Milk 6 Pints (3.41L)         £4.44

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

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

1x     ASDA Smartprice Hard Cheese Wedge (170g)         £1.60

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

Fruit and Vegetables

1x     ASDA Grower's Selection Salad Tomatoes (750g)         £1.15

25     ASDA Grower's Selection Bananas         £3.00

1x     ASDA Grower's Selection Seedless Red Grapes (500g)         £1.50

25     ASDA Grower's Selection Royal Gala Apples         £4.56

2x     ASDA Grower's Selection Carrots (1Kg)         £1.00

4x     ASDA Grower's Selection Whole Cucumber         £2.00

1x     ASDA Grower's Selection Celery         55p

1x     ASDA Grower's Selection Garlic Loose         20p

2x     ASDA Grower's Selection Courgettes (3)         £1.90

2x     ASDA Grower's Selection Spring Onions         £1.10

2x     ASDA Grower's Selection Giant Watermelon         £5.00

1x     ASDA Grower's Selection Black Seedless Grapes (500g)         £1.50

2x     ASDA Grower's Selection Sweetclem (600g)         £2.00

1x     ASDA Farm Stores Brown Onions (1Kg)         55p

1x     ASDA Farm Stores White Potatoes (2.5Kg)         £1.15

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

1       ASDA Grower's Selection Red Cabbage          72p

1       ASDA Grower's Selection White Cabbage          78p

Ready Meals

1x     ASDA Italian Gnocchi (500g)         £1.40

We purchased our shopping list from Asda via My Supermarket on 07/07/2018, and our groceries cost £70.89.  Had we shopped elsewhere our groceries would've cost:

£81.57 from Sainsbury's

£81.88 from Morrisons

£85.25 from Tesco

£91.39 from Ocado

£91.77 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 coming out in April which you can order 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.

4 comments Bread, Breakfast, Dairy free, Dinners, Fish, Gluten-free, Lunches, Meal Plan, Meatfree Monday, Rice, Salad, Vegan, Vegetarian