OUR FAMILY MEAL PLAN FOR WEEK OF 06/08/18 - £72

It's the third week of the holidays and I'm looking forward to a couple of hours by myself this week.  It's been 15 days since I had any 'me time' apart from time spent working.  My husband is working a half day from home so he can spend time with 3yo in the morning and I'll be taking our middle two to a pottery taster class, which will give me 2 hours to myself whilst they have fun.  Our eldest will be helping in a local coffee shop as she does most mornings, and some afternoons.

We'll probably go to the local park a few times this week, especially as there's cooler weather forecast, and also visit the library and perhaps a free museum workshop.  We're very lucky that there are so many fab museums in town, many offering free holiday workshops.

Our garden is still providing us with salad greens, chard, spinach, fresh herbs, strawberries, raspberries and apples.  I'm going to have to use up lots of apples in baking and we'll be eating plenty as snacks because the tree is fully laden at the moment.  I'll also be giving apples to any friends and neighbours who fancy some. 

I'll of course be baking.  There will probably be a batch or two of scones, some flapjacks, muffins, and perhaps some biscuits/cookies.  Snacks will be homemade vegetable chips, popcorn, fresh fruit, and baking.

Breakfasts will be cereal or granola with fruit and milk, or toast and spread with a piece of fruit for afters.  Weekend breakfasts will be pancakes and crumpets.

Lunches will be accompanied by crudites and dip (hummus, herbed yoghurt, salsa).  We'll be having Cheese and Vegetable Puffs, Super Quick Couscous and Chickpea Salad, Versatile and Thrifty Flatbreads, Salmon and Couscous Salad, Chickpea Patties on homemade rolls with salad.  We'll have the flatbreads and couscous and chickpea salad twice.

Salmon and Couscous Salad

350ml vegetable stock, boiling hot

300g couscous

juice of a lemon

1 Tblsp oil

400g tin salmon, drained

1 chilli, deseeded and very finely diced (optional)

500g frozen mixed vegetables, cooked

large handful of parsley, finely chopped

handfuls of salad greens, to serve

Add the stock and couscous to a large bowl, mix until combined then cover with a plate or cling film and leave to sit for 10 minutes.  Use a fork to fluff up the couscous then mix through all the other ingredients.  Serve atop a handful of salad greens.

Chickpea and Sweetcorn Patties

400g tin chickpeas, drained
325g tin sweetcorn, drained
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 Tblsp lemon juice
2 Tblsp gram flour or cornflour
2 Tblsp rapeseed oil

Tip the chickpeas into a bowl and crush to a thick paste with a potato masher. Stir in the sweetcorn, onion powder, smoked paprika, lemon juice and plenty of salt and black pepper.

Add the gram/corn flour and mix well until everything starts to stick together. Divide the mixture into four, then form each quarter into a burger shape.

Brush the burgers lightly with oil and place on the barbecue or griddle. Cook on each side for 2 minutes, until crisp and hot through. Serve in buns or on sandwiches with salad fillings and sauces of your choice.

Dinners

Veggie Curry Filo Parcels

1 small sweet potato, diced

1 tsp canola oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 Tbsp curry powder

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 can lentils, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp sultanas

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp sugar

12 filo sheets

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Preheat your oven to 200°C.  Put the sweet potato into a saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil then simmer until the sweet potato is tender.  Drain and set aside.

Over a medium heat, in a large frying, gently soften the diced onion in the oil.  Add the curry powder and garlic and cook for a minute or two.  Add the lentils, cooked sweet potato, sultanas, ¼ cup/60ml/4 Tblsp water, lemon juice and sugar.  Cook gently until most of the water has evaporated then take off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Lay one sheet of filo on your bench. Place ¼ cup/4 tablespoons of filling towards the short edge of the filo rectangle.  Spread out a little. Fold the long edges toward the middle, covering some of the filling.  Roll the filo into a cylinder shape like a spring roll.   Repeat until all the filo and filling have been used.

Place on a baking tray lined with foil or baking paper.   Brush with oil then bake, or brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds then bake.  Bake the filo parcels in your preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Roast chicken with roast vegetables

Chicken Fried Rice

2 cups long grain rice

600ml water

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 Tblsp/15ml oil

1 onion, finely diced

1kg mixed frozen vegetables

500g leftover cooked chicken, shredded

3 Tblsp/45ml soy sauce

Rinse the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear.  In a saucepan cover the rice with the water and bring to the boil with the lid on.  Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 20 minutes or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the rice to cool.

Put a wok or large frying pan over a moderately high heat and add the oil.  Add the onion and vegetables. Stir-fry until nearly cooked then add the cooked rice and chicken.  Make sure the rice and chicken are heated through and piping hot.  Move the rice and vegetable mixture to one side of the wok or pan and tip in the beaten eggs, cooking until scrambled.  Mix the scrambled egg through the rice mixture.  Stir through the soy sauce then serve.

Bacon and Egg Pie

Quick and Easy Nachos

Fish Burgers with sweet potato wedges and salads

Easy Orzo Bake

Shopping List

53 items: £72.14

Packets and Cereals

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

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

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

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

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

1x   ASDA Smartprice Sultanas (500g)                                                      97p

1x   ASDA Lemon Juice (250ml)                                                                39p

1x   ASDA Easy Cook Long Grain White Rice (1Kg)                                   £1.04

1x   ASDA Cous Cous (1Kg)                                                                      £1.35

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

1x   ASDA Orzo (500g)                                                                              65p

1x   ASDA Great to Bake Golden Syrup (750g)                                           £1.34

1x   ASDA Ready Rolled Filo Pastry (200g)                                                £1.30

1x   Tropical Sun Popcorn (500g)                                                              79p

1x   ASDA Scottish Porridge Oats (1Kg)                                                    89p

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

Tins, Jars and Cooking

1x   ASDA Smartprice Bolognese Sauce (440g)                                         39p

1x   ASDA Wild Pacific Pink Salmon (418g)                                               £2.19

2x   ASDA Smartprice Sweetcorn in Water (326g)                                      70p

5x   ASDA Chick Peas in Water (400g)                                                      £1.65

1x   Merchant Gourmet Ready to Eat Puy Lentils (250g)                             £2.00

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

Frozen

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

1x   ASDA Battered White Fish Fillets (6 per pack - 600g)                          £2.70

Dairy and Eggs

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

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

1x   ASDA Best for Baking Cakes Spread (500g)                                       85p

2x   ASDA Smartprice Low Fat Natural Yogurt (500g)                                 90p

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

1x   ASDA Butter - Unsalted (250g)                                                           £1.49

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

1x   Island Sun Sweetened Condensed Milk (397g)                                     £1.00

Fruit and Vegetables

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

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

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

5x   ASDA Grower's Selection Whole Cucumber                                         £2.50

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Celery                                                         £1.04

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Garlic Loose                                               20p

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

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Spring Onions                                             50p

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Sweet Potatoes (1Kg)                                  £2.00

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection Giant Watermelon                                       £2.50

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

1x   ASDA Grower's Selection British Parsnips (500g)                                65p

2x   ASDA Farm Stores Cherry Tomatoes (250g)                                       £1.10

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

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

1     ASDA Grower's Selection Red Cabbage by Weight (1.1Kg)                  72p

1     ASDA Grower's Selection White Cabbage by Weight (Approx 1.2Kg)   78p

2x   ASDA Grower's Selection Nectarines (6)                                             £2.00

Meat, Fish and Poultry

2x   ASDA Farm Stores Cooking Bacon (500g)                                          £1.14

1x   ASDA Butcher's Selection Whole Chicken (1.6Kg)                               £3.28

Snacks and Sweets

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

Prices and special offers reflect those of the online grocery website MySupermarket, and are correct as of 4th August 2018. Prices may vary in different in-store locations

We purchased our shopping list from Asda on 04/08/2018, via MySupermarket and our items cost £72.14, had we shopped elsewhere our groceries would've cost:

£80.93 from Tesco
8£1.39 from Sainsbury's
£89.01 from Morrisons
£102.99 from Waitrose
£103.45 from Ocado

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.

4 comments Biscuits, Chicken, Dairy free, Dinners, Fish, Lunches, Meal Plan, Meatfree Monday, Muffins, Pasta, Rice, Salad, Snack, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian