Menu Plan Monday

Another new "oven free" Menu Plan Monday  this week.  Boy am I lucky that we are coming into salad season!

Monday: Caesar Salad

Tuesday: Lamb, Broccoli, Chilli and Mint Stir Fry

Wednesday: Vietnames Rice Paper Rolls

Thursday: Roasted Pumpkin and Broccoli with Pearl Barley Risotto

Friday: Chickpea Tagine with Figs

Saturday: To Be Decided

Sunday: Haloumi with Lentil Salad

Menu Plan Monday

With the change in weather, it's well and truly time to try some new recipes.  My repertoire, however, will be significantly diminished for a while, as our oven has now ceased working.  Our dishwasher is no longer functional either, so we have decided that it is time to start renovation plans.  I don't want to buy new whitegoods until we have a plan for our renovated kitchen, so I will just need to make do without an oven for a while.  I'm going to miss my home-made pizzas and baked treats, but the challenge is kind of fun!

So here is my oven-free menu plan for this week:

Monday: Sausage Ragu with Parmesan Mash
Tuesday: Chickpea Tagine with Figs
Wednesday: Pea and Saffron Risotto
Thursday: Tuna and Olive Pasta
Friday: Santa Fe Style Omelettes
Saturday: TBC - my husband's night to cook
Sunday: Haloumi with Lentil Salad

Menu Plan Monday

Apologies for not posting for a while, I've had a big project at work that has required my attention.  Despite last week being on the stressful side, it ended up being quite a good week (excuse me while I put my "proud mum" hat on).  It was my turn to do parent duty at Miss Five's kindergarten last week so I took Mr and Miss Three with me.  I am hoping that the twins will be able to attend kindergarten next year, but as they will be on the younger side, I was starting to doubt their readiness. Miss Three in particular was so excited when I told her we were all going to kindy, she couldn't wait to choose which lunchbox to take with her!  Anyway, they both fitted right in and enthusiastically participated in the activities, so I don't think I have anything to worry about.  I was also really proud to see my shy Miss Five standing confidently in front of the class for Show and Tell.

Miss Five constructed this "Ballerina Robot" at kindy

My proudest Mummy moment happened at the end of the week.  The principal at Miss Seven's school retired on Friday, so they had a special day at school for the kids, which involved a hike, a sausage sizzle, and a farewell assembly.  On Thursday night, after I had put her to bed, Miss Seven came to me and asked for a piece of paper.  She said that she had decided that she would like to write a speech for the principal.  I gave her some paper, and she sat up in bed and wrote her speech.  The next day, she read her speech in front of the whole school.  So, so sweet!

So now onto this week's dinner menu...after revisiting my old menu plans over the last few weeks, I finally feel inspired this week to come up with something new. 

Monday: Rosemary arancini
Tuesday: Rice noodles with tofu and peanuts
Wednesday: Bean and coriander quesadillas
Thursday: Spicy lamb, tomato & chickpea broth
Friday: Soup or omelette (with whatever is left in the pantry/fridge)
Saturday: My husband's turn to cook
Sunday: Chermoula fish tagine

Have a great week everyone!

Menu Plan Monday

What a busy few weeks we have had!  My husband's new business launched on July 1st and I have been helping him out with a few projects.  While it's nice to hit the ground running, it has been a very difficult and stressful time.  It hasn't been all work and no play, though.  We've had Miss Five's birthday party of course, and a trip interstate to celebrate a good friend's 40th - lots of good food, wine, and great company!  Oh, and we also adopted another little kitten from the local pet shelter - the very dapper Pierre...

Those mice don't stand a chance now!

I've had no time to plan our meals over the last few weeks, so I was grateful to have had a collection of menu plans to draw from.  This week, I can feel things returning to normal, so it's time to add to that collection of plans and try out some new recipes.

Monday: Vegetable Quiche
Tuesday: Bean Burritos
Wednesday: Mediterranean Pizza
Thursday: Beef stew
Friday: Spicy Lentil Cottage Pie (from Aug 2010 edition of Australian Good taste mag)
Saturday:  Daddy's Special Blue Cheese Burgers (my husband's turn to cook!)
Sunday: Pearl Barley & Rocket Risotto with Pumpkin (from Aug 2010 edition of Australian Good taste mag)

For more menu planning ideas and tips, check out orgjunkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Menu Plan Monday

I'm feeling keen to try some new recipes this week, but have have also added some comfort food to this week's menu plan.

Monday: Pesto, Rocket & Bacon Pasta
Tuesday: Vegie, Ricotta & Cheddar Frittata
Wednesday: Sweet & Sour Pork & Apple Kebabs
Thursday: Coconut, Sweet Potato & Chickpea Curry
Friday: Tuna Mornay
Saturday: Tomato, Feta & Olive Pizza
Sunday:  Eggs on toast :-)

Check out Orgjunkie's Menu Plan Monday for more menu planning ideas (there's also a giveaway this week).

Menu Plan Monday

My copy of the July 2010 Australian Good Taste magazine arrived in the mail the other day, so I thought I would try some new recipes from this issue.  I really like the recipes in AGT, I find them easy to follow, the ingredients aren't overly exotic and they are reliable.  Most of the recipes find their way onto the Taste website as well, which is a magnificent recipe resource.  They have good competitions in the mag too!

So here is my Menu Plan Monday for this week:

Monday: Cauliflower curry (from AGT July issue)
Tuesday: Shepherd's Pie
Wednesday: Rosemary and mushroom risotto
Thursday: Quiche Lorraine
Friday:  Zucchini soup
Saturday: Sausage, tomato & bean tray bake followed by Orange & almond self-saucing pudding (both from AGT July 2010)
Sunday: Tuna, haloumi and butter bean salad

Menu Plan Monday

Wow, is it time for Menu Plan Monday already? Where did last week go? Here in Australia, we're enjoying a long weekend...for some strange reason we celebrate the Queen's birthday in June, despite her birthday actually being in April. Go figure. We are still super busy with work stuff at the moment, so we stayed home all weekend. It was pretty cold, so we lit the fire for the first time this year and the house has therefore been extra warm and cosy. As we weren't going anywhere, I took the opportunity to start toilet training my son. He has made huge progress over the last couple of days, so we are now so, so close to finally being a nappy-free household.

So here is what we'll be eating this week...

Monday: Cauliflower & Nutmeg Soup
Tuesday: Spaghetti & Meatballs
Wednesday: Baked Chicken with Sweet Potato and Chickpeas
Thursday: Silverbeet Pie
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday: Chicken & Shiitake Dumplings and Pork, Shiitake & Water Chestnut Dumplings
Sunday: Chickpea Curry

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Menu Plan Monday

What a week we have had! I have to admit that I am failing dismally in my quest to simplify my life at the moment. My husband is starting up his own business, so I have been very busy helping him get things sorted out. Hopefully things will settle down again soon!

It hasn't been all work in the last few days. On Saturday, we adopted this little lady from the local animal shelter...



She is 8 weeks old and is a real sweetie. I've had a cat just about my whole life but have never had a kitten (well, I got my first cat when I was around 5 so I don't remember him as a kitten). We weren't really interested in getting another cat, as it's only a few weeks since we lost our old, much loved cat. That was until I saw a mouse in the house! Hopefully Kitty with have a long life like my other cats - my first cat lived to 17 years and my second was 19 when we lost him.

So here is what we'll be having for dinner this week:

Monday: Slow Cooked Beef Bourguignon
Tuesday: Carrot & Ginger Soup
Wednesday: Tofu & Vegetable Stir fry
Thursday: Cauliflower Quiche
Friday: Fried Rice
Saturday: Chicken Tikka curry
Sunday: Red Lentil & Pumpkin Soup

Feel free to check out other menu plan ideas here.

Menu Plan Monday

It looks like it is going to be another busy week, so we'll be reverting to old favourites again this week for Menu Plan Monday.

Monday: Healthy Meatloaf
Tuesday: Baked Greek-Style Omelette
Wednesday: Bean Burritos
Thursday: Lentil Rissoles
Friday: Pasta with Tomatoes and Tuna

Have a great week!

Menu Planning Tips

After extolling the virtues of menu planning in my earlier post today, I thought it would be good to share some of my tips for designing a weekly menu plan.

We are a family who don't eat a lot of meat. My kids don't really like it that much and I have found that a predominantly vegetarian diet lends itself to greater variety (and is also a lot cheaper, especially when you grow your own vegetables). To ensure we incorporate a range of food in our diet, I use the following guidelines:

• No more than 2 meals with meat (can be any combination of either fish, chicken or red meat)
• No more than 1 pasta meal
• 1-2 rice meals (e.g. risotto, fried rice, side dish, etc.)
• At least 1 meal with pulses or legumes (e.g. lentils, chickpeas, etc.)
• No more than 1 egg-based meal (e.g. frittata, omelette, quiche, etc.)
• No more than 1 bread-based meal (e.g. burger, pizza, burritos, side dish, etc.)
• No more than 1 pastry meal (e.g. pies, quiches, etc.)

Of course, these categories are not mutually exclusive - for example, a quiche would qualify as both a pastry and egg-based meal, a beef curry served with rice would count towards both the meat and rice meals. I'm not absolutely strict, it really is just meant as a guide.

I have found that by following these guidelines, I am also able to introduce my kids to a wide range of foods. Even at 3 and 4 years of age, they understand that if they choose to be fussy, they will go hungry! It also keeps it more interesting for me, as without these guidelines, I'd probably resort to the easy option of making most of my meals with pasta and/or minced meat!

Menu Plan Monday

I am a recent convert to menu planning. Last year, I found these gorgeous lists and decided that I had to try menu planning just so I could use them.

As much as I love, love, love that list design, I abandoned it after about three weeks largely because:

1. It was taking me too long to update it (just had to use my best writing on such a pretty list)
2. My husband does most of the supermarket shopping, so I needed to send him off with another list that didn't look so girly
3. There's not much space for additional grocery items required (e.g. nappies, soap, etc.) , so again I needed to create another separate shopping list
4. Although it's a great list to keep on the fridge door, somehow I misplaced all of my older lists, so I didn't end up with a collection of menu plans as anticipated

So that was the end of my menu planning for a while. Then, in one week earlier this year, I heard three fellow mums independently discussing their difficulties with planning what to have for dinner. One mum said, "I would like to just have someone just tell me what to cook for dinner and I'll cook it". It dawned on me that for most of us mums, it is the process of deciding what to cook our families for dinner that is the bigger chore, not the process of actually cooking the meals. I decided to have a look around the blogs and see what ideas I could find to make menu planning easier.

This is when I stumbled upon orgjunkie's Menu Plan Monday. Every Monday (well, it's actually Tuesday for those of us in Oceania), Laura invites readers to submit their own menu plans for the week. There are hundreds of menu plans submitted each week, some have recipe links and photos so it can be a great source of ideas.

It is now two months since I submitted my first Menu Plan Monday. I can honestly say that it has made my life simpler - here's why:

• Having a weekly deadline is a great incentive for me to actually sit down and create a menu plan. Instead of telling myself, "I'm too busy/can't be bothered this week", I say "My (albeit imaginary) readers need my meal ideas this week and I must have it done by Monday".
• Where a recipe comes from an online source, I include a link to the recipe with my menu plan. This makes it easier to find the recipe, and also helps when it comes to preparing shopping lists.
• The more menu plans I create, the bigger the 'library' of plans I have available to me. This really helps speed up the process. I have noticed how much easier it is already, after only 2 months of planning. If I'm having a particularly difficult week, I can easily just replicate one of my previous plans (I did this just last week). I can also pick and choose individual recipes from past menu plans if I don't feel inclined to try something new.
• I no longer experience that terrible feeling at around 4pm, when the kids are home from school and everyone is tired and hungry, having to decide what to make for dinner.
  
• I am able to ensure that my family has a healthy, balanced diet. When I prepare a menu plan, I make sure that I have our basic nutritional needs covered. We very rarely resort to fast food, as I always have the ingredients at home to make a quick and healthy meal. My menu planning tips can be found here.
  
• If something unexpected happens during the week, having a menu plan and ingredients ready to go not only means that there is one less thing to worry about, it also ensures that the family has a healthy meal at a time when it is especially important to do so.
• Menu planning significantly reduces waste and grocery bills because you only buy what you need.

So after all of that, here is what will be on our dinner table this week:

Monday: Mushroom Soup
Tuesday: Cottage Pie
Wednesday: Pumpkin Risotto
Thursday: Tofu Pastries
Friday: Chickpea Curry
Saturday: Spinach & Sweet Potato Canneloni
Sunday: Barramundi Curry with Beans

Click here to see the other menu plan links this week on orgjunkie.com.

Menu Plan Monday

We had a few unplanned events last week which meant that I didn't need to make dinner on two ocassions. Therefore, I am going to carry over the Lentil & Olive Spaghetti to this week's Menu Plan Monday.

Monday: Zucchini & Potato Soup
Tuesday: Beef Casserole
Wednesday: Lentil & Olive Spaghetti
Thursday: Bean Burritos
Friday: Pumpkin Fritatta

As we will be having visitors this weekend, I am only planning the weekday menu at this stage.

Menu Plan Monday

We are still busy, busy, busy here so my Menu Plan Monday is a little late this week. I have a few recent favourites on the menu this week, so will have to leave trying something new until next week ;)

Monday: Cauliflower Soup
Tuesday: Tofu, Asparagus & Snow Pea Stir-Fry
Wednesday: Lentil & Olive Spaghetti
Thursday: Moroccan Carrot, Sweet Potato & Chick Pea Soup
Friday: Baked Greek Omelette
Saturday: my husband's turn to cook :)
Sunday: Ham & Pineapple Pizza

Menu Plan Monday

I'm a little late with my Menu Plan Monday this week...still extremely busy with work, but feeling a little bit more like cooking this week.

Monday - Risotto Stuffed Zucchini (Corgette)
Tuesday - Pork Curry with Pineapple & Snow peas
Wednesday - Impossible Quiche
Thursday - Pumpkin & Pine Nut Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce
Friday - Lemon & Thyme Chicken Burgers
Saturday - Moroccan Carrot, Sweet Potato & Chickpea Soup
Sunday - Homemade Meat Pies

Menu Plan Monday

I'm continuing the comfort food theme here this week for Menu Plan Monday. I have been absolutely flat out with work lately and have hardly had time to even think about cooking, let alone posting on my blog. Hopefully the work will die down a little this week so life can return to something closer to normal.

My mother-in law recently gave me a copy of this book, so I have decided to dust off the old slow cooker and try a few of the recipes.

Monday - Tomato pizza
Tuesday - Apricot chicken (slow cooker)
Wednesday - Macaroni Cheese (slow cooker)
Thursday - Chickpea curry (slow cooker)
Friday - Potato & Leek soup (slow cooker)
Saturday - Beef borscht (slow cooker)
Sunday - Gnocchi pesto

Menu Plan Monday

Back to normal routine this week, after Easter and school holidays.

Not feeling like anything fancy this week. Our beloved cat Spot passed away yesterday. He was 19 years old and had a very full life, having lived in two countries (Australia and Hong Kong) and having travelled in planes, trams, cars, boats, and taxis. Yet despite all that we have put him through, he was always a loyal friend and companion and we will miss him terribly. Getting old is a terrible thing.

So here is this week's menu plan monday:

Monday: Healthy Meatloaf
Tuesday: Spinach & Lentil Lasagne
Wednesday: Tofu, Snow Pea and Asparagus Stir Fry
Thursday: Baked Greek-Style Omelette
Friday: Burritos (no specific recipe for this, just mexican beans, cheese, tomato salsa in tortillas)
Saturday: My husband's night to cook!
Sunday: Roasted Red Capsicum & Tomato Soup

Menu Plan Monday

We really enjoyed the meals from last week's menu plan. The kids especially loved the salmon sushi rolls, the sweet potato and butter bean cannelloni, and the meat loaf (believe it or not, that's the first time I had ever made meatloaf, and although I forgot to add the egg, it was delicious!). There is something infinitely satisfying in serving a really healthy meal to your kids and seeing them lick the plates clean!

This week, I am opting for a vegetarian menu.

Monday: Carrot, broccoli & blue cheese quiche
Tuesday: Snow pea, asparagus & tofu stir fry (with noodles)
Wednesday: Bean burrito
Thursday: Pumpkin soup with dinner rolls
Friday: Lentil & spinach lasagne
Saturday: Roasted root vegetable salad with feta (from the April 2010 Australian Good Taste magazine - will update with link once it's available online)
Sunday: Fried rice

For more menu planning ideas visit http://www.orgjunkie.com/

Menu Plan Monday

One of my 2010 resolutions is to become more organised. As a mum of four little ones, I'm often told, "I don't know how you do it". To be honest, I don't know how I do it either sometimes, but something I have learned is that being organised makes a big difference! Whilst my basic organisation skills are not bad, I know there is a lot of room for improvement. My entire house needs a complete overhaul, which is going to take a lot of time, so I have decided to focus on one area at a time.

The first area I have decided to focus on is my kitchen. My kitchen always looked dirty, even when there were no dirty dishes on the bench. Last week I realised that the reason it always looked dirty was because I had permanent "stuff" on the benchtop (e.g. fruit bowl, coffee jar, plastic drink bottles and containers that I'd been too lazy to put away, etc) and windowsill (e.g. paint brushes, empty vases, etc). So last week I removed all of the clutter, and am exercising a more disciplined attitude towards keeping it clean. This is just the first step, and even though it is a small one, it has already made a big difference to my state of mind. I don't feel embarrassed when I walk into the kitchen anymore!

The next step in my kitchen overhaul is menu planning. There are 3 main reasons why I want to plan a weekly menu:

1. Our family does not eat a lot of meat, so I am always mindful of cooking meals using variety of ingredients in order to meet our nutritional needs.
2. I want to reduce wastage and eliminate the need to go to the supermarket every day or two by purchasing only what we need for the week.
3. I find having to decide on what to cook for dinner every day quite stressful and end up cooking the same things every week (I guess you could say I'm in a mealtime rut!)

For these reasons, I have decided to join Laura at orgjunkie.com's Menu Plan Mondays.

So here is my first menu plan:
Monday: Salmon sushi rolls
Tuesday: Spinach and sweet potato cannelloni
Wednesday: Healthy meatloaf
Thursday: Vegetable frittata
Friday: Chicken Tikka Masala (will just use a ready-made sauce for this and serve with some Jasmine rice)
Saturday: To be decided - my husband's turn to cook!
Sunday: Corn, bacon & zucchini soup

So now I have officially committed to menu planning! Next step in my kitchen overhaul - tidying up the cupboards and drawers...arghhh!

I would love to hear any tips from any of those of you out there who have done something similar.