Meal Planning Mondays March 10th - 16th

As promised here is Week 2 of my new series on Meal Planning Mondays. I had a little bit more trouble planning out this week's meals as the weather is really changing and although our clocks changed this past weekend, it's still pretty cold and wet out, so I am still in the 'Comfort Food Zone'! Apologies to those of you enjoying the sun - this is a Winter Menu!

If you like to plan your Weekly Meal Plans feel free to share and add your links in the comments section below.

Monday March 10th - Sunday 16th

                               Monday -     Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese (new recipe!) & Salad
                                                    Penne Pasta with Basic Tomato Sauce & Salad*

                               Tuesday -      Chicken Chow Mein (From The Hairy Dieters Eat For Life)

                               Wednesday - Lasagne (half original recipe) with Salad

                               Thursday -     Leftover Lasagne

                               Friday -         Gorgeous Fish Stew with Garlic Croutons (From the Hairy Dieters: How                                                      to Love Food & Lose Weight)

                               Saturday -     Chicken Provençal (From The Hairy Dieters Eat for Life) with Crostini                                                          & Salad

                               Sunday -        Family over for Dinner: Spiral Ham; Shwarties; Green Beans; Salad                                                             & Coleslaw; Vanilla Creme Brulee

                                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Well as I noted last week on the first Meal Planning Monday's post, when meal planning, things don't always go to plan so you need to allow some wiggle room. Normally I would hope that the reason for changing plans is due to being invited out or some other equally exciting event but occasionally it's not. Case in point - my lovely Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese that I was planning to make today (and photograph so I could post it here in the near future) is unfortunately on hold as I am sick and can't face a trip to the supermarket for my ingredients. In addition to that hubby is held up at work and so won't be home until late so thankfully for me my go-to meal when I feel under the weather is a simple pasta dish with a very easy tomato sauce that my son loves. I always have ingredients for that on hand! So there you have it, Day 1 and we're swapping things already! Here's hoping I am feeling better tomorrow and can get shopping and back to my plans!!

Harry Potter Hen Weekend - Part 1

The beautiful Bride to |be arriving at the house!

When you think about a hen party or stagette you can't help but picture a flurry of girls in bright pink with obligatory veils, tiaras and L Plates on the bride to be and a few other things that over the years have become popular stagette attire. What you most likely wouldn't imagine would be a Harry Potter themed Hen Party yet that is exactly what we did for my sisters Hen Party Weekend! Now I can't be held entirely responsible as it was actually her other two bridesmaids that came up with the idea of perhaps dressing up as Harry Potter (HP) characters, I simply took the idea and ran a little with it....OK so perhaps I ran a lot with it.... to the point of a full blown marathon at high speed! I admit I went a little O.T.T but it was worth every minute!

Classic Comforting Lasagne

When you are cooking for a crowd you can't beat a Classic Lasagne, layered with a rich and delicious ragu, velvety smooth bechamel sauce, tender pasta and of course plenty of oozing melted cheese. It might take a bit of time to make but the great thing about this dish is that you can easily make it ahead of time then just bake it when you are ready to. It also freezes well which is another bonus and if that's not enough, Lasagne is a fantastic family meal that is guaranteed to be a hit with even fussy eaters (trust me, I have a 2 year old!). There is a reason Lasagne is a classic recipe that people turn to over and over and it is definitely making more appearances in our house to keep everyone happy and satisfied!