Meal Planning Mondays May 26th ~ June 1st

Whoops, we have been so busy that I almost forgot to post this week's Meal Plan! Thankfully though although I wasn't organised enough to post it early this morning, I was organised to start it yesterday so that most of the week is planned. This week looks like it's another week of using things up as last week I was in a rush so I ended up buying quite a lot of my vegetables from Costco rather than where I normally get them from. Although it has the advantage of being very reasonably priced there is the issue that everything comes in giant portions and not necessarily what is needed for a family of 3! So this week I am working my way through a lot of veges before they go bad! No complaints though as at least I know we'll be eating well and I only needed to buy a few additional items this morning.

We're starting the week off with a simple, quick and easy Thai Green Vegetable Curry. Thankfully Ben loves curries as long as they aren't too spicy so I just need to keep the main dish mild and slice up some extra chillies on the side for me! This is a perfect dish for the vegetables that I have and it fits in well with it being Meat Free Monday. Tomorrow I'm using up the Mozzarella from our pizza's last week with my Spicy Tomato & Mozzarella Gnocchi, again just watching the spice level. Wednesday and it's back to the latest book that I am reviewing with another recipe from Bill Granger. I love how simple this recipe looks not to mention deliciously healthy! Thursday and we are making the most of the fact that Scott isn't eating with us with our favourite tomato pasta, although I'm using up some of the many cherry tomatoes I have. This is by far one of my all time favourite dishes and it's quick and simple to make, perfect for after swimming. Friday and I am undecided but thinking possibly fish....I'm hoping I'll find some inspiration from a cookbook so will update that once I've decided. Saturday and it's Ben's choice with some scrummy burgers and potato wedges which not only does he love to eat but enjoys helping to make which is a win-win situation for me. Finally and as usual Sunday is TBD as the forecast is looking good so hopefully we can get out on the boat meaning dinner will have to be something quick and easy and good for a hot, sunny day!

I'm also making up a batch of Creamy Celery Soup for lunches this week and we're now off to make some Priory Biscuits and possibly some Muffins to keep the cupboards full followed by our tummies!

Have a great week everyone with family, friends and of course, lots of good food! x

 Monday May 26th - Sunday June 1st

                                  Monday  -      Thai Green Vegetable Curry with Jasmine Rice

                                  Tuesday -       Spicy Tomato & Mozzarella Gnocchi & Salad
                                  Wednesday -  Spa-style Poached Chicken with Sesame Bean Salad (Bill Granger)

                                  Thursday -      Spaghetti with Cherry Tomato Sauce & Salad

                                  Friday -          Leftovers 

                                  Saturday -      Individual Pizzas

                                  Sunday -        Burgers with Potato Wedges (Ben's choice)
  
As always don't forget you can add links to your Weekly Meal Plans in the comments section below.  

Meal Planning Mondays May 5th ~ 11th

It seems it is getting to the time of year that when planning our weekly meals I also need to be looking at the weather forecast! Due to a couple of gorgeous hot days last week we had to rearrange things a little so that we weren't eating the Vietnamese Pork Curry when it was 25C outside! Not that I really mind eating spicy food when it's hot, I just don't want to cook it and be stuck over a hot oven! As it turns out the Vietnamese Pork Curry was a slow cooked recipe and was perfect for making on a lazy, rainy Saturday afternoon. It was so good Ben has already asked if we can have it again and when!

Also new last week was Ben's first swimming lesson which is late in the afternoon so now Thursday's are all about either super fast meals I can quickly make after swimming or prepare ahead dishes, which is probably the best option! This week I have decided to make the Italian Meatball Soup which I might make in the slow cooker so it can slowly simmer away all day, or failing that if I am super organised I will make most of it on Wednesday. Ben's choice this week was Spaghetti and Meatballs with Caesar Salad which again I am delighted about - so far no complaints with his choices and he is definitely enjoying helping me make dinner. Finally it's Mother's Day in Canada and the US on Sunday so that means a day off for me!! Woo-hoo!

I hope you all have a great week with great food, family and friends x

 Monday May 5th - Sunday 11th 

                                  Monday  -      Leftovers

                                  Tuesday -      Spaghetti with Broccolini, Chilli & Garlic
                                  Wednesday - Cajun Chicken with Potato Wedges & Yogurt Dip (Hairy                                                                                Dieters)

                                  Thursday -      Italian Meatball Soup

                                  Friday -          Beetroot Risotto with Parmesan Crisps

                                  Saturday -      Spaghetti & Meatballs with Caesar Salad (Ben's choice)

                                  Sunday -        Mother's Day - off duty!!
  
As always don't forget you can add links to your Weekly Meal Plans in the comments section below.  

Spaghetti with Broccolini, Garlic & Chilli

Tenderstem Broccoli, Broccolini and Broccolette - all names referring (as far as I can tell) to the same wonderful thin, long-stemmed variety of broccoli. It is one of my all time favourite vegetables and when it comes into season I am always so happy!

This is by far one of my favourite ways to enjoy it, as a quick and simple delicious pasta dish ideal for knocking up for a midweek meal that is filling but light at the same time. The amount of time needed to cook the broccoli will depend on how thin the stalks are but as a guide the latest bunch I had were almost pencil thin and therefore needed no more than 1 minute for the stalks and 30 seconds for the florets, but if they are a bit thicker the stalks might need up to 2 minutes.

Witches Hair with Bugs {Spaghetti with Prawns}

Try not to be too grossed out by the name (or look!) of this dish as it is the perfect Halloween dish to get you in the mood for trick or treating or to quickly gobble down after! There is something about black spaghetti that just screams Halloween and so I just can't resist making it to mark the occasion. I love this dish as it takes no time to make – literally just as long as it takes for the pasta to cook – it tastes fantastic and has the perfect Halloween look to keep the children happy! Of course when Halloween has past this is still a fantastic meal which can be enjoyed minus the black spaghetti and with whole wheat or regular white spaghetti instead. We eat this dish a lot as it is the perfect quick and easy mid-week meal!

{Serves 4 easily doubled for a crowd}

400g black (squid ink) spaghetti

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 long red chilli, finely chopped (de-seed for a milder child friendly dish)

1lb prawns, cleaned*

Juice of ½ lemon

Sprinkling of fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted, boiling water for the time instructed on the packet. While the spaghetti is cooking heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan and gently cook the garlic and chilli until softened but not coloured. Add the prawns and toss well and cook until warmed through (or if using raw prawns until they have cooked properly). Squeeze over the lemon juice then take off the heat.

Drain the spaghetti reserving a tablespoon of the cooking water then add the spaghetti to the garlicky prawns. Add the reserved pasta water then mix well. Finish with the final tablespoon of olive oil to give a real 'glossy' look to the pasta then if using scatter over the parsley. Serve at once.

*For this particular dish I used small prawns since I thought they better resembled bugs(!) however ordinarily when I make this I use normal sized prawns. You can use either cooked or raw prawns for this dish, just make sure they have their shells off and have been cleaned. If you do use raw prawns they will require about 4 minutes to cook whereas the cooked prawns literally just need to be heated through.

**If you like you can miss out the prawns and have a super simple pasta supper of Garlic & Chilli Spaghetti – one of my favourites! 

Lemon Spaghetti

There are 3 things that I always have in my house.....Spaghetti, Parmesan and Lemons. For some reason lemons are my thing that I always seem to buy when I don't need them then end up with an entire bowlful, so this dish is the perfect way to use them up. It's also an ideal meal for warmer days when you still want something satisfying to eat but with all the light and fresh flavours of the season. Even better it takes no time to make so it really is the perfect mid-week meal to enjoy whilst sitting outside basking in the sun as it cools in the evening. This is real happy, sunshine food!