Meal Plan Monday (30th May)

Is it cold where you are? Winter weather has well and truly arrived which means one thing around here ... comfort food! But winter warmers don't have to be heavy and loaded with carbs. Slow cooked meats, soups and hearty vegetarian dishes packed with warming spices all hit the spot perfectly.

Last fortnight was cheap for us as we used up some of our stash of freezer food. This turned out to be a good thing because we had a bit of a disaster and discovered our chest freezer in the shed had been accidentally turned off after a power surge and we lost bags full of food. So frustrating! Not to mention costly.

We're still keeping things simple this fortnight and our only meat purchases are a whole organic chicken (bought from Woolies for just $15 on special), 2kg of gravy beef and some bacon. The mince and sausages are from our freezer stock we buy in bulk every few months (luckily we hadn't gotten around to transferring all this meat to the outside freezer or we would have lost the lot).

Have you ever had a freezer disaster?

On the menu ...

Monday - Vegie-loaded Spaghetti Bolognaise with zucchini and beans

Tuesday - BLTs on homemade spelt rolls

Wednesday - Slow-cooked Beef Madras with veg

Thursday - Vegan macaroni cheese

Friday - DIY

Saturday - Pumpkin soup and hash browns

Sunday - Spelt Pizza

Monday - Lasagna (gluten and dairy free)

Tuesday - Sausage and veggie bake

Wednesday - Dhal with rice and greens

Thursday - Chicken and sweet potato bake

Friday - Brinner

Saturday - Veggie soup with foccacia

Sunday - Roast chicken with veg

What's on the menu for you this week? Do you have some favourite winter-warmers?

Menu Plan Monday (16th May)

This fortnight's meal plan is full of cheap eats.

We're going though our stash in the freezer, bulking out our meals with loads of veggies as well as having a few vegetarian meals, and then rounding it out with some mince and sausages.

My husband scored an amazing array of fruit and veg for next to nothing on the weekend, including a box piled high with apples, oranges and butternut pumpkin for the grand price of $1!

Real food definitely doesn't have to be expensive:)

What's on the menu ...

Monday - Roast chicken with gravy and potato, pumpkin, broccoli and corn

Tuesday - Spaghetti and meatballs with beans

Wednesday - Hamburgers with homemade buns, lettuce, tomato and beetroot

Thursday - Leftover lamb curry with rice and Asian greens

Friday - Grain free pancakes with bacon and eggs

Saturday - DIY

Sunday - Homemade pizza with spelt bases

Monday - Leftover pulled pork with coleslaw and homemade tortillas

Tuesday - Vegan macaroni and cheese

Wednesday - Sausage and veggie bake

Thursday - Leftover beef ragu with pumpkin and greens

Friday - Leftover chicken with potato salad

Saturday - Veggie soup

Sunday - OUT

What's on the menu at your place this week? Did you score any grocery bargains on the weekend?

Menu Plan Monday (2nd May)

Happy May everyone! Can you believe it's May already??

This week is a special one for us with our anniversary on Wednesday. My wonderful mother-in-law is coming to look after the boys so we can go out the evening, probably for a quick dinner then a movie.

So we've factored in dinner out for us on Wednesday, then we're out for a BBQ with friends on Saturday night and then on Sunday it's Mother's Day! Should be a fun week :)

What we're eating this fortnight ...

Monday - Roast chicken with sweet potato, pumpkin and beans

Tuesday - Chickpea curry (leftover from freezer)

Wednesday - DATE NIGHT - sausages and wedges for the kids

Thursday - Curried sausages

Friday - Chicken and potato salad (chicken leftover from freezer)

Saturday - OUT

Sunday - Pulled pork with tortillas and coleslaw

Monday - Beef madras with rice and pumpkin mash

Tuesday - DF GF Lasagna (with leftover bolognaise from freezer)

Wednesday - Sweet potato and bacon risotto

Thursday - Slow cooked lamb and veg curry

Friday - DIY

Saturday - Sweet potato hash browns with poached eggs and bacon

Sunday - Leftover curried lamb wraps

What's on the menu for you this week? Leave me a comment with your dinner ideas ... I'm always looking for inspiration!

Menu Plan Monday (18th April)

Is is starting to get cooler where you are? The weather is definitely changing here and we are loving the cooler Autumn nights. It means that soups, casseroles and slow cooked meals are well and truly back on the menu. Yippee! My big boy turns 7 this week and he has chosen homemade pizza for his birthday dinner with birthday cake for dessert.

On the menu this week ...

Monday - Slow cooked roast chicken with cinnamon sweet potato and greens

Tuesday - Leftovers from freezer

Wednesday - Pizza and birthday cake

Thursday - Slow cooked beef madras

Friday - Grain free pancakes with bacon

Saturday - Hash browns with poached eggs and avocado

Sunday - Baked veggie spring rolls

Monday - Sausage and vege bake

Tuesday - Lemon and coconut dahl with rice

Wednesday - Spaghetti bolognaise

Thursday - Chicken and cauliflower risotto (with leftover roast chicken)

Friday - DIY

Saturday -  Pumpkin and apple soup with focaccia

Sunday - Nasi goreng

What's on your meal plan this week?

Menu Plan Monday (4th April)

Welcome to April everyone! Can you believe it? We're a month into Autumn and although the days are ever so slightly shorter and the nights a little cooler, it's still hot, hot, hot during the day.

We have one week of school holidays left and then it's back to school for the second week of this fortnight so our meal plan reflects that change. We leave at 6.45am on Wednesdays and Thursdays during term time so I like to have breakfast pre-prepared (things like overnight oats work well) and dinner either super-quick or in the slow cooker on those days. It is an absolute lifesaver and gives me the maximum amount of time to study without domestic interruptions (I feel like I should hashtag that!).

What we're eating this fortnight ...

Monday - Slow cooked chicken with potatoes and bacon

Tuesday - Lemon and coconut dahl

Wednesday - Spaghetti Bolognaise

Thursday - Veggie quiche

Friday - Brinner (brown rice pancakes and scrambled eggs)

Saturday - Homemade pizza

Sunday - Za’atar chicken with salad

Monday - Stir fry (with leftover pork from the freezer)

Tuesday - Shepherd's Pie

Wednesday - Slow cooked curried sausages

Thursday - Creamy chicken and avocado pasta (with leftover chicken)

Friday - DIY

Saturday - Burgers (with meat patties from the freezer)

Sunday - Dinner out with family

What's on the menu at your place this week?

Menu Plan Monday (21st March)

Well here we are, just a week until Easter and then 2 weeks of school holidays! I don't know about the kids but I am counting down the days at this point. We have a busy week coming up with parent-teacher interviews and Easter Bonnet Parade at school and a ton of assignment writing for me before I lose my child-free days for 2 weeks.

With such a busy week coming up I am looking for easy, healthy meals that I can throw together with just a few ingredients or cook all in pot. You will see there is absolutely nothing fancy here (unless you count quinoa but if you don't have any you could easily use brown rice instead). Roasts, curry, bolognaise, curried sausages and even tuna mornay. These classic meals are cheap, easy, filling and most importantly delicious.

Have a great week!

What we'll be eating this fortnight ...

Monday - Roast chicken and vegetables

Tuesday - Chicken and quinoa salad (using leftover chicken and veggies)

Wednesday - Chickpea curry with rice

Thursday - Tuna and vegetable mornay

Good Friday - Fish, wedges and salad

Easter Saturday - Brinner

Easter Sunday - out for lunch - DIY dinner

Easter Monday - Curried sausages with cauliflower rice

Tuesday - Spaghetti bolognaise

Wednesday - Stir fry (leftover chicken)

Thursday - Vegetable lasagna

Friday - Hash browns and eggs

Saturday - DIY

Sunday - Mexican pulled pork with wraps and salad

Meal Plan Monday (7th March)

Oh Monday, you come around so quickly these days!

I'm one of those (seemingly) rare people who doesn't hate Mondays. It always seems like a fresh start to me - lots of things to do and a whole week to do them in. Plus all 3 of my boys happened to be born on a Monday so there's that!

I have decided to post my meal plans every second Monday from now on. We plan and shop fortnightly anyway so it makes more sense. It will also give you more of an idea of how I cook once- eat twice, as very often the meals in the second week are based on leftover bulk ingredients from the first week.

This Monday will be a big prep day as I am picking up our 20kg bulk meat order and packaging it all up for the freezer.  I will also prepare the vegetable base for the bolognaise sauce and mix up the spices for the curried sausages and burrito bowls.

What we are eating this fortnight ...

Monday - Peanut Sesame Noodles

Tuesday - Spaghetti Bolognaise

Wednesday - Curried Sausages

Thursday - Mexican Burrito Bowls

Friday - DIY

Saturday - Veggie Fritters

Sunday - Homemade gnocchi with mushrooms

Monday - Green Quiche

Tuesday - Butter Chicken (leftover from freezer)

Wednesday - Lasagna (bolognaise sauce leftover from freezer)

Thursday - Chicken stir-fry (roast chicken leftover from freezer)

Friday - Grain-free Pancakes with Strawberry Chia Jam

Saturday - DIY

Sunday - Roast Chicken and vegetables

Have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday (22nd February)

Can you believe this is the last week of February? At this rate it will be Christmas before we know it!

We have most nights free this week but I also have a lot of work to do while the kids are at school and day care, and definitely don't want to be spending too much time on food preparation.

Are you following me on Facebook yet? I posted a pic of my big bake-off yesterday to get prepared for the week. All that baking means that lunchbox snacks and afternoon teas are already taken care of for the entire week which is awesome. I love feeling organised!

This week we will be eating ...

Monday - Veggie-loaded Spaghetti Bolognaise

Tuesday - Veggie fritters

Wednesday - Chicken stirfry

Thursday - Slow cooked shredded pork

Friday - DIY

Saturday - Brinner (pancakes, eggs, bacon, mushooms)

Sunday -  Homemade pizza

Have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday (15th February)

We have a busy week with a few school functions and doctors appointments so dinners need to be easy and quick. Lots of components are already in the freezer like the meatballs and the chicken for the risotto. We usually do our DIY night on a Saturday but it needs to be on Wednesday this week. Being flexible is key!

Here's what is on the menu for us this week ...

Monday - Pork meatballs with rice noodles and greens

Tuesday - Chicken and corn risotto

Wednesday - DIY

Thursday - Curried sausages with cauliflower rice

Friday - Scrambled eggs, mushrooms and toast

Saturday - Homemade pizza

Sunday - Roast chicken and veg

Have a great week!

Menu Plan Monday (8th February)

How did your meal planning go last week? Did you need to make any changes to your plan? We did!

I hadn't bargained on just how hot it was going to be and with temps in the high 30s for a few days, I had no desire to turn on the oven, or even eat dinner at all those nights to be honest.

Our baked chicken drumsticks became slow cooked teriyaki chicken in lettuce cups, and our chicken and corn risotto became chicken and salad rolls. Much more appropriate!

So even when you've made your menu plan don't be afraid to switch things up a bit if they're not working. Oh and make sure you check the weather forecast too!

What's for dinner this week ...

Monday - Sausages with pumpkin quinoa salad

Tuesday - Zucchini fritters

Wednesday - Veggie-loaded Dairy Free Lasagna

Thursday - Slow cooked Beef Madras with cauliflower rice

Friday - Pumpkin soup with focaccia

Saturday - DIY

Sunday - Roast chicken with roast veggies