I feel like some sadistic elf has pressed the fast forward button on my life at the moment. Chunks of time disappear as life rushes forward, and I just can’t seem to catch up. I intend to find that elf, and when I do I am going to stomp on him. In the meantime, my little oasis of sanity is knowing that I have my meals planned for the week.
Meal Planning is something I am quite passionate about. When I don’t plan I feel lost, and I spend most of my day thinking about what to eat for dinner. When I do plan, all the ingredients I need are in the fridge, I know how long each meal will take to prepare and and each meal is appropriate to the week’s activities.
I was talking to a friend last week, who told me that she was just too busy to even think about finding anything new and interesting to eat for dinner, and was relying on a rotating menu of familiar meals to get by. It took this discussion to make me realize that some of you may also benefit from my preoccupation with weekly menu planning.
I menu plan on Thursday nights, which enables me to shop at the fresh food markets on the weekends. I don’t plan for Friday or Saturday nights as we often catch up with friends or go out for dinner.
It is my hope that I save some of you that dreaded “What’s for dinner?” moment by sharing my weekly plan. I realize some of my readers are in a completely different hemisphere, so our seasons are turned about. However, I draw a lot of inspiration from English websites and magazines, and usually find it is only high summer and the depths of winter when our weekly meals don’t really match.
So, this is my plan for next week:
Sunday:
Homemade Baked Beans with sourdough toast.
The Princess will eat leftovers for breakfast for the rest of the week.
Monday:
This is my family store-cupboard staple. I can make this with my eyes closed so it is good for busy nights. It is also a firm family favorite that is requested regularly by The Princess & Mr Grumpy.
Tuesday:
Slow Cooked Leg of Lamb. Served with Mashed Potato and Oven Roasted Asparagus.
The lamb leg will be rolled in a mix of finely chopped rosemary, garlic, anchovies, lemon zest and salt & pepper, then cooked for 8-10 hours in a slow cooker. I plan to shred it and just serve it with its juices.
Wednesday:
Mushroom, Swiss Chard & Ricotta Strudel.
OK, so this one is an experiment to try and use some of the Swiss Chard in the garden. If it works I will blog the recipe.
Plum Crumble for dessert.
Thursday:
Green Chicken Curry with Eggplant & Green Beans. Served with Jasmine Rice.
Snacks & Lunchbox Items:
Peanut Butter Cookies with Brown Rice Flour
Blueberry Amaranth Muffins
Both of these recipes are from The Homemade Flour Cookbook.
I hope this provides some inspiration. I will try to post these plans on Fridays in future (sadistic elf aside) in case you wish to shop on the weekend. Please let me know if you have any questions at all.
