I want this to be a bit of a 'use it up' week.
Getting all the bits and bobs out of the fridge and freezer and turning them into meals, so the menu plan for this week had to fit this idea. The first stop yesterday was to use the last of the Mediterranean veggies from the fridge, and the garlic naans that have sat in the little basket drawer for far too long.
In principal the idea worked really well the naans were lovely and tasty in their own right and the veggies were just enough to pile onto the two naan breads with a good scattering of dairy-free cheese.
Just as tasty looking when they came out of the oven.
In practice however, I found this too stodgy for me. I'll try it again in the future but perhaps switching back to pitta breads or even just a thin wrap in place of a dough base. I couldn't eat it all though, so I cut away the edges of both pizzas and just ate the middles. The birds had no objection to the dried and whizzed up crumbs made from the edges that I put out on the bird table this morning. 😄
For a change I have done a three meal a day menu plan for this week, just for the five days as is the norm now. This is working out really well, and having two 'spare days' it gives me the opportunity to add other meals in the middle if I don't fancy what I have written down on the day, or use up leftovers from previous days on the other two days of the week.
Do you menu plan, or happily wing it.
I have had a couple of missing weeks of menu plans this year, the weeks when I simply do not have the brainpower or the inclination to stand in front of the cupboard and think, let alone write things down on paper.
Sue xx
Morning, yes I menu plan every week, love reading your blog and have done since before you moved to wales, thank you, also love the books Sandy from wales
ReplyDeleteGosh you've been reading for a long time then ... thank you. Aren't you fed up with me yet? ;-)
DeleteMenu planning, once you've done it, makes the week so much easier doesn't it.
I'm having a "use it up" time. We have a small freezer, 40 years old but still working. It lives in the garage and only gets used when we have a lot of company to feed or a glut of produce to freeze. Over autumn and in the run up to Christmas it was full. Only ⅓ full now, and I'm working to get it emptied in the next couple of weeks then it will be switched off. So random meals at the moment.
ReplyDeleteForty years, that's a good fridge. I hope it continues to work, as any replacement you had to buy would no doubt die a sad cold death after only a few years!! There's a lot to be discovered in random meals isn't there.
DeleteI'm merrily working my way through the good in my freezer as I want to get a new one. They say need is the mother of invention, well I agree with that. When faced with Limited ingredients you certainly gave to put your thinking cap on. (AKA Frugal in Essex)
ReplyDeleteHiya Tania, how lovely to hear from you again. :-)
DeleteYep, that's one of the things I like best about any sort of kitchen challenge, getting that thinking cap on and discovering new favourite things.
Loving that last 'poster' - that's me today! xx
ReplyDeleteIt's a good one isn't it. :-)
DeleteAgree about naan bread being too heavy for pizza. I used flatbread last week and it was lighter although I suspect husband found it rather small compared to naan bread. Catriona
ReplyDeleteI won't be doing it again. The flavour was amazing, the stodge not so good. :-(
DeleteI don't do menus, me living alone I like to be flexible. But, I will take a recipe and try it out 'when the mood strikes me'. I, too, did a bit of clearing out the clutter in my fridge and trying to make meals of it so far this week. Hey, it's only Tuesday. We will see what happens the rest of the week.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's nice to 'wing it' and see where the mood takes us isn't it.
DeleteThere's no clutter left in my fridge now, it's getting sparse and slightly echoey. ;-)
I used to meal plan and then my brain got tired :) Now I take inventory, buy some additional items, think about what I'm hungry for and wake up and see what I'm in the mood to fix that day. I like having ingredients on hand, rather than a set meal for certain days.
ReplyDelete'I used to meal plan and then my brain got tired.' ... Love this. :-)
DeleteSometimes my brain just says 'stop thinking and go and put the kettle on' ... I always do as I'm told. :-)
I menu plan for the month taking advantage of sales. I do switch meals around though. This works for me, but I know it is not everyone's cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
It's a good idea. I tend to switch around the days as the mood takes me, so really mine is a list and instead of numbers 1-5 I just have Monday-Friday. Maybe I should just switch to a list of meals I have available and see if that works. Thank you for making me think. :-)
DeleteIn the past I've always planned meals:) These days, I have a rough plan for our main meals, but 9 times out of 10 we change our minds:)
ReplyDeleteAnd changing minds is always allowed. Just one of the few perks of being a grown-up. :-)
DeleteThat's too bad that the naan bread didn't work out well as a pizza base. I have been making a weekly meal plan, but, I tend to list meal options for the week, rather than assign a particular meal for a particular day. It seems to work out best for me.
ReplyDeleteThis list idea is really growing on me, that's a couple of my readers that have mentioned it. I do chop and change with the meals, they are rarely eaten on their given day especially as we reach mid-week and my mood changes.
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