Menu Plan Monday

Time for my next menu.....

Mains

• Chicken and Leek bake with mustard plus steamed veg 
• Slow cooker chicken (whatever I throw together) and veg served in gluten free crepes for change.
• BBQ steaks, potato bake (or mash) and mixed sauteed greens and carrots.
• Banana Curry Chicken foil packets, veg and quinoa cooked in the rice cooker.
• Steamed ginger fish, udon noodles and stir fry veg
• Spaghetti bolognaise with whatever pasta I have on hand
• Fend for self/leftovers/boiled egg night.

Baking

• Mini cupcakes - one batch of plain, one of mocha. Take some to art to share for morning tea.
• Apple crumble for the freezer so I can pull it out and simply heat it up one night for dessert

This is how I write up my menu plan. Main meals are seen at left with a space to the right for notes such as where to find the recipe.  The far right of the page is where I jot down lunch and snack ideas for the week.

 I organise my shopping list by writing my menu plan at the top. This stops me getting sidetracked and buying the wrong things!! It also has proved very helpful if I have to make substitutions due to availability once I hit the shop.  I always shop my pantry, fridge and freezer first and this usually helps me write my menu plan as well as my grocery list.  The list above is only partially done.  There we go. That's how I attempt to keep organised.

We are actually starting the week with the slow cooker meal as it suits what we have going on today. I'm pleased to say that it's already working away doing it's thing and making me dinner while I do other things.  Just gotta love those indentured servants.  My other well loved household servants are my rice cooker, my washing machine and dishwasher. Am SO grateful to have them.  They free up so much time to do other things.

Having a very slow start to the day here in the long house.  It's 10.45am and I am 'gasp', still in my pj's which is almost unheard of!  It's a public holiday here so things are rather slow.  I've spent the morning writing in my journal and curled on couch with a steaming hot cup of tea and the most recent book in The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series.  Bliss.  Now though it is time to get back into the fray and do my routines.  

Stay well and happy everyone!

What's for dinner

Since coming out of hospital I've had my wings on again and been 'Flying' as per the lovely Flylady.  I've done little bits and pieces each day to match my energy and the consistency has really paid off.  The house is quite presentable, laundry is done, there is very little clutter, meals are planned and my grocery list matches my menu.   I've even been able to tackle a couple of cupboards and clean out my wardrobe too. Brilliant!  It made me realise that I have VERY. FEW. CLOTHES.  Really. I don't usually have heaps of clothes but having lost weight and moved down a size I have even fewer. I'll have to do a wardrobe post for you at a later date because today I'm putting my menu plan out there.  So, what is on the menu this week here at Heart's Landscapes?

• Garlic Lime Chicken with brown rice and a mix of greens and red capsicum
• Oven baked salmon, my rosemary smashed potatoes and mixed greens with garlic, honey and balsamic dressing.
• Chorizo and vegetable frittata with a large mainly green mixed salad.
• Cranberry and Orange Pork chops baked in oven, mash and steamed greens.
• Tacos with salad, avocado and possibly sour cream
• Maple herb steak (marinate steak in a squirt of maple syrup - enough to coat - and fresh herbs from garden), Michelle Trute's low fat macaroni cheese, salad and apple crumble with custard as a treat.
• My seafood marinara  - as previously posted here.  Fruit for dessert if we so desire.

Lunches options consist of :

• leftovers
• A salad of some type with fish or chicken or a vegetarian protein
• a Mission Mini wrap (wholemeal) with salad or hot veg such as capsicum, mushroom, spinach, eggplant etc with or without a protein.
• Soup as is or with a cheese scone or slice of bread.

Snack options:

• Fruit
• Small cheese such as Laughing Cow segment, Babybel, or cheese stringer
• Nuts (8-10 only)
• Yoghurt
• Fruit parfait (with yoghurt and muesli)
• Home baking
• Air popped popcorn

This weeks baking:

• Madeira cake and lemon poppy seed muffins (due to the overwhelming number of lemons on my tree), will freeze some or even all of the muffins.
• Jam drop biscuits from the classic Day to Day Cookery.

So, that's our food in a nutshell and it has already made my day seem so much .... easier.  I'm yet to do the baking.  Our lunches and snacks never change much so I won't post them again but I'll work on organising myself enough to post my menu plan each week so that I have a record of it and so you can take a peep too of course!

I'll do an update on my art tomorrow so you can see what is coming out of my pencil at present.

Stay well and happy everyone.