Meal Planning Mondays April 14th - April 20th

Well I have to say that last week's plan to use what I have worked really well! In total I spent approximately $35 on fresh fruit, a few vegetables, some eggs and butter but that was it. Everything else came from the fridge, freezer and pantry! Total result! Of course now it has got me motivated to do that every week which obviously makes sense, although there is one down side.... If you literally eat everything you have then when it does come time to restock you are faced with one mammoth shop and grocery bill to boot! So with taking that into consideration I won't quite cook us out of house and home but I will be better at using what we have. There is also the fact I am a complete food hoarder so seeing my shelves slowly dwindle doesn't make me happy so I am working on achieving a happy balance!

I am so excited that this weekend is Easter and although it is as late as it possibly can be this year it has still managed to sneak up on me! That being said I have managed to come up with a meal plan for the weekend featuring my favourite traditional Easter meal of Roast Lamb and my husband's family tradition of their favourite, Roast Turkey. Both will be served with seasonal Spring Veg to keep it lighter and the perfect meals for celebrating Easter. And of course it means lots of leftovers for the following week! 

Today I am also going to be making a pot of my Year-Round Creamy Tomato Soup which will be perfect for lunch for a few days and some Cheese & Spring Onion Scones to go with it which are great for enjoying straight out of the oven and then I can pop some in the freezer and take them out individually whenever I fancy. And since it's Easter coming up I can guarantee there will be a few batches of surprise baking coming out of the kitchen! If you are looking for some inspiration why not try my Chocolate Easter Nests (perfect for making with children) or my Double Chocolate Easter Cupcakes, and if you are really wanting to make something special how about making your very own Chocolate Easter Eggs.

I hope you all have a great week and Happy Easter! x

Monday April 14th - Sunday 20th 

                                  Monday  -      Pierogies & Salad

                                  Tuesday -      Thai Chicken Laksa with Mildly Spiced Noodle Squash Broth
                                  Wednesday - Spaghetti with Garlic, Lemon, Kale & Parmesan

                                  Thursday -     Ginger-Poached Chicken Noodles

                                  Friday -         Good Friday! Margarita Pizza

                                  Saturday -     Roast Lamb with Red Wine & Redcurrant Sauce; New Potatoes with                                                           Mint & Grilled Asparagus with Lemon & Olive Oil

                                  Sunday -       Easter Sunday! Roast Turkey with Gravy & Bread Stuffing; Mashed                                                             Potatoes; Peas & Carrots and Broccolini with Lemon & Parmesan;
                                                      Lemon Meringue Pie

  As always don't forget you can add links to your Weekly Meal Plans in the comments section below.   

Easter Cupcakes {Double Chocolate!}

This Easter I have been thrown for a bit of a loop. Not only did it seem arrive out of nowhere, but I have been a little out of our ordinary routine for the last little bit due to family matters. Needless to say my list of 'Easter Ideas' that I did several months ago has done nothing but collect cyber dust (so to speak!). That being said I didn't want Easter to pass without some sort of baking so of course I turned to my trusty cupcakes! After all you can never go wrong with some light and moist chocolate cupcakes, topped of course with more chocolate and some mini Easter eggs!

Last year Mum sent me out some Easter themed cupcakes and rabbit decorations however I didn't get them until after Easter so I have been patiently waiting for the last year to use them! These of course are optional extras but I just love those cute little bunnies hovering over the Easter eggs, looking like they are ready to eat them! You decorate your cupcakes however you fancy.