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.   

Curried Sweet Potato & Squash Soup

This recipe came to be because I literally had a sweet potato and squash in the pantry and I wanted a warming Autumnal soup to make for a family Saturday lunch. It is so quick and easy to make and is a really homely, comforting soup that tastes great. I teamed it up with my delicious savoury Cheese and Spring Onion Scones which were warm from the oven and slathered with butter. It was the most perfect lunch for a rainy, grey Saturday spent indoors with my family!

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 tsp curry powder, plus extra for serving

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

½ butternut squash, roughly chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped

1 litre chicken or vegetable stock

Salt & pepper

Heat the oil and butter in a large pan then once the butter has melted and is sizzling add the onion. Cook for roughly 5-7 minutes until softened but not coloured then add the garlic and curry powder and cook for about 1 minute before adding the carrot, squash and sweet potato. Stir everything well together then pop on a lid and let the vegetables 'sweat' for around 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. 

After 10 minutes add the stock and some seasoning and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and a knife can cut into them easily. Leave to cool for a bit before blending until super smooth and silky.

When ready to serve gently reheat the soup and taste to check the seasoning, adjusting if necessary. Sprinkle over a touch of curry powder and serve at once.