Menu Plan October Week 1

I have just looked at my last posting date and realise that it is July - oh my. 

While shamelessly ignoring my blog - I still have been menu planning and so thought I would slowly get back into it with a menu plan post.

Here it is:

Mexican Monday:Nachos - I know it's no real Mexican food - but it's a great way to use up leftovers in the fridge!
Tuesday: Lamb chops/Harissa tofu with corn and asparagus
Wednesday: Family dinner at Grandma's
Thursday: Red curry beef/vegetable with lychees
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Omelettes with haloumi - based on Annabel Langbein's Fresh Herb Omelette recipe
Sunday: Leftovers


Mexican Monday: Tacos - bean/beef
Tuesday: Prawn and Mango Salad - based on Annabel Langbein's Prawn and Duck Salad recipe  
Wednesday: Family dinner at Grandma's
Thursday: Vegetable Quicje
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Salad with hot smoked salmon and a Caesar dressing
Sunday: Vegetable Soup

I used Annabel Langbein's Free Range in the City to plan this menu.

The next menu plan I am hoping to only have to do a shop for fresh items as my pantry is being to look a bit hoard-y - here's a few pictures to help me do it:

Yes, that is 5 packets of tortillas!

You cannot even see the top shelf!

Menu Plan

I cannot believe that I only have 4 weeks left until I meet the little person inside of me!  Here are a few shots of things I have been eating - some healthy and some necessary.

Kiwi Fruit and Blueberries

Hot Chip Sandwich

Week 1

Friday
B - Baked Beans
L - Miso Soup
D - Ginger Sweet and Sour Chicken /Tofu with sushi rice and greens - from Annabel Langbein Free Range in the City p 124

Saturday
B - Muesli and yoghurt
L - Leftovers
D - Pasta with Courgettes - Nigellissima p5 - the link has Nigella making this!!

Sunday
B - Omlettes
L - Leftover Pasta
D - Meatballs (p75 Nigellissima) /Beanballs (p189 Veganomican) with roast vegetables

See it here

See it here

Monday
B - Baked Beans
L - Tuna Melt
D - Fritters using leftover roasted vegetables

Tuesday
B - Fruit and Yoghurt
L - Tuna Melt
D - Avocado and Cob Salad (you know the one) with Sausages

Wednesday
B - Muesli and Yoghurt
L - Out - peanut butter sandwich
D - Pork Chops and Cous Cous

Thursday
B - Baked Beans on Toast
L - Leftovers
D - Fish Tacos (a cross between these from the Glamorous Housewife and Annabel Langbein’s from last menu)

Week 2

Friday
B - Date Scones and Coffee
L - Miso Soup and Brown Rice
D - Prawn Pasta Rosa - Nigellissima p34

From here

Saturday
B - Boiled Eggs and Toast Soldiers
L - Leftovers
D - Risotto (with Chorizo for the husband)

Sunday
B - Pancakes
L - Salad Box/ Salad Sandwich
D - Tuna and Bean Toasts

Monday
B - Japanese style oats (umeboshi, nori and sesame seed)
L - Chopped Salad
D - Spaghetti Bolengese/TVP with garlic bread and salad

Tuesday
B - Fruit and Yoghurt
L - Leftovers
D - Pizza - using the Delia Smith pizza base recipe from Delia's Vegetarian Collection - a great book

From here

Wednesday
B - Muesli
L - Out - Peanut butter sandwich
D - Vegetable Soup with cheesy toasts
Thursday
B - Muffin and coffee
L - Out - Shopping Day (maybe - I will be 38 weeks pregnant!)
D - Leftovers/Frozen Meal

Menu Plan

Ok, so I know I promised a Nigellissima heavy menu this time but after reading my way through it last night there were not enough recipes that I could do for the fortnight without having most of them featuring meat and spending major dollars.  I think it will take some planning to adapt the non-pasta recipes to a veggie option so maybe next time.  This fortnight's recipes come mainly from Annabel Langbein's Free Range in the City.  As she has just released a new book (I almost bought it too yesterday) I thought I should give this one a fair run before I get the new one.

From here

Week 1

Friday
B - Yoghurt and Muesli
L - Leftovers
D - Cajun Fish Tacos - from Annabel Langbein's Free Range in the City p 125

From here

Saturday
B - Baked Beans on Toast
L - Ryvitas with cream cheese
D - Wedding!

Sunday
B - Poached Eggs on Toast
L - Tuna melt
D - Orzo with roast pumpkin and curried mayo dressing

Monday
B - Oats with tamari, umeboshi and nori
L - Tuna melt with crudities
D - Ginger Chilli Sweet and Sour Chicken/Tofu with Jasmine Rice and Greens from Free Range in the City p 134

Tuesday
B - Muesli and yoghurt
L - Tomato and cheese melt and crudities
D - leftovers

Wednesday
B - Oats with banana, maple and chia seeds
L - Miso soup with brown rice bowl
D - Burgers (beef and TVP)- based on the ones from Nigella Express

Thursday
B - Brown rice bowl
L - Salad box with leftover burger patty
D - Quesadillas

Week 2

Friday
B - Toast with cream cheese and dukkah
L - Out for the day - helping set up a wedding near the DJ’s Foodhall - so something naughty for lunch!
D - Leftovers

Saturday
B - Oats with banana, maple and chia seeds
L - My Baby Shower - yummy afternoon tea
D - will probably be too full still

Sunday
B - Coffee and muffins
L - Chopped salad
D - Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi - from Free Range in the City p 192

Monday
B - Toast with tuna
L - Leftovers
D - Prawn Laksa

Tuesday
B - Boiled egg and toast soldiers
L - Ryvitas with salad and tuna
D - Tandoori fish kebabs with Basmati Rice and Cucumber Yoghurt from Free Range in the City p 169

Wednesday
B - Miso soup and Oats with tamari, umeboshi and nori
L - Ryvita’s with cheese
D - Pork Ribs with Baked Potato and Toppings

Thursday
B - Toast with jam and coffee
L - Shopping Day - out
D - Leftovers/Freezer Meal

Menu Plan

 Please click the pictures to go to the recipes

Baking this week

Chestnut Chocolate Chip Cookies - to use some fresh chestnuts and chestnut flour I have.  Based on this recipe from Pinterest.

 

 

Week 1

Friday
B - Blueberry muffin
L - out - shopping day
D - Stay at Mum’s; Freezer meal

Saturday
B - At Mum’s
L  At Dad’s
D - Semolina gnocchi with spinach pesto (based on this one by Maggie Beer)

Sunday
B - Pancakes with butter, lemon and sugar
L - Buckwheat Noodles and miso soup
D - Thai spiced calamari (based on this one found on Pinterest)

Monday
B - Oats with chia and coconut
L - Leftover gnocchi
D - Sweet and salty soybeans with rice (based on this one from Pinterest via Just Bento)

Tuesday
B - Muffin
L - Falafel wrap with yoghurt sauce
D  - Spaghetti Bolognese

Wednesday
B - Oatmeal with umeboshi and seaweed
L - Noodles with satay sauce
D - Quesidillas

Thursday
B - Oats with chia and blueberries
L - Salad box with tuna and crackers
D - Prawn and Pumpkin curry with pratha (based on this one by Nigella Lawson)

Week 2

Friday
B - Peanut butter bread
L - At my Grandma’s for wedding
D - as above

Saturday
B - Grandma’s
L - Wedding!
D - Wedding!

Sunday
B - At Grandma’s
L - Out - returning home
D - Leftovers/freezer meal

Monday
B - Butter mushrooms and fried egg on toast
L - Freezer meal
D - Avocado and cob salad with garlic bread (based on this one by Annabel Langbein)

Tuesday
B - Boiled egg and toast soldiers
L - Mochi with ginger, tamari and nori
D  - Roast vegetables with lamb chops

Wednesday
B - Peanut butter bread
L - Leftovers
D - Pad Thai with prawns and tofu (based on this one from Food Safari)

Thursday
B - Muffin
L - Shopping Day - out
D - leftovers

Menu Plan

Here we go for the next two weeks:

Week 1

Friday
B - Oats with chia and yoghurt
L - Wontons
D - Birthday dinner for little sister - so... yucky Chinese - I like Chinese just not the restaurant we have to go to for every family birthday!

Saturday
B - Baked beans on toast
L - Salad with tuna
D - Leek Tart (Laura Calder recipe from French Food at Home)

Sunday
B - Avocado and tahini on toast (this is my new favourtie)
L - Vegetable Soup
D - Beef Bourguignon (a Guillaume Brahimi recipe via Food Safari)

Monday
B - Oatmeal with chia and yoghurt
L - Leftover veggie soup and toast
D - Chinese chicken wings/tofu and fried rice

Tuesday
B - Baked beans on toast
L - Leftover polenta bake
D - Thai fish cakes (Donna Hay recipe) with cucumber salad

Wednesday
B - Oatmeal with chia and yoghurt
L - Fish cake burger
D - Burritos

Thursday
B - Muesli and yoghurt
L - Miso soup and satay noodles
D - Polenta bake using leftovers from burritos

Week 2

Friday
B - Oatmeal with chia and yoghurt
L - Leftovers
D - Pasta with rocket pesto (based on an Annabel Langbein recipe)

Saturday
B - Tomato and fate pull-apart (from a recipe I tore out of a magazine about 10 years ago!)
L - Miso soup and brown rice
D - Spanakopita (from Food Safari)

Sunday
B - Arabic breakfast (previously my Lebanese breakfast but saw the original again the other day and mine is not really the same as the Jill Dupleix one)
L - leftovers
D - Massaman curry and rice

Monday
B - Avocado and tahini on toast
L - leftovers
D - Masala stuffed potatoes (Christine Mansfield recipe) and pear strudel

Tuesday
B - Oats with chia and yoghurt
L - Cheese and tomato toasties
D - Leftovers

Wednesday
B - Muesli with yoghurt
L - Sushi rice balls (with avocado, cucumber and pickled ginger)
D - Tuna and white bean toasts (another Jill Dupleix)

Thursday
B - peanut butter bread
L - shopping day - lunch out
D - leftovers/frozen meal

A recipe and a Day Out

I have just loaded all of my photos on to the computer and realise I have so much to blog about so this is a two-in-one.  First a recipe.  On my honeymoon in New Zealand I, and my husband, fell in love with creme fraiche.  Food in NZ is very good and feels cheaper than Australia (it prabobaly is) so we ate way too much creme friache in 10 days.

Imagine my delight when watching Annabel Langbein's show and she made it!  And it was easy - well it looked easy.  I have two of Annabel's cookbooks but the recipe was not in there so I found it on a NZ TV website.  Here is the link.

I have tried to make yoghurt before without my yoghurt maker and failed so I was a little apprehensive that it could be so easy - but like the rest of Annabel's recipes it was as easy as she says.  You only need two ingredients: cream and buttermilk.

Here are my pics from my attempt:

 

The Vodka bottle I have saved from awhile ago - don't stress I haven't been drinking.

 

This is what it looked like straight away and only a tiny bit thicker when I put it into the fridge but after 24 hours chilling it was much thicker - like the stuff you can buy in the shop (but with no gelatine - yea cows).  I have used it instead of cream on pikelets, in a risotto and in a delicious potato torte recipe from Laura Calder.  I think that the total cost of the creme fraiche (about 2 cups) was around $4 - and I had cream and so much buttermilk left over.  Considering last time I priced it was near $7 I am ecstatic with the result.  Thank you Annabel!

 

And I can't help but to add this photo from our honeymoon of the area where Annabel has her "cabin"

When I am not called into work I don't tend to leave the house.  Is that shocking?  I don't know - we have a big house and a garden so I am usually cleaning or gardening or reading etc.  So when my husband has a day off and I am not called in to work I plead with him to take us for a drive.  It is my job to see to the provisions (usually a thermos of tea and some sandwiches and tim-tams).  This time we went to Soldiers Beach with is quite a famous surfing beach in our area.  In the background is Norah Head Lighthouse - I think you can actually stay there. Here are some photos:

 

 This is a close a we are getting to an outfit post as I had no make-up on and didn't feel great.  I am wearing my everyday clothes apart from the jumper - which rather than being maternity is just a lrage size - and it is so lovely and warm.

 

Menu Post

Here is my latest menu (beginning last Sunday - a bit late)

Week 1

Sunday
B - omlette
L -
D - Chinese chicken wings/tofu and fried rice

Monday
B - spaghetti on toast with cheese
L - leftovers
D - spinach and cheese triangles

Tuesday
B - Porridge with yoghurt
L - Tuna melt
D - dahl with naan bread

Wednesday
B - peanut butter bread
L - satay noodles
D - take-away

Thursday
B - muesli and yoghurt
L - leftovers
D - gnocchi pasts bake

Week 2

Friday
B - baked beans on toast
L - miso soup and sushi
D - out for dinner

Saturday
B - Lebanese breakfast (egg, feta, tomato, dukkah, olive oil, bread)
L - leftover pasta bake
D - risotto

Sunday
B - omlettes
L
D - prawn toast

Monday
B - toast with cream cheese and chermoula
L - mushrooms with buckwheat noodles (Jill Dupleix - Lighten Up)
D - burritos (bean and beef)

Tuesday
B - baked beans on toast
L - leftovers
D - baked vegetables with feta

Wednesday
B - muesli with yoghurt
L - salad box with cheese and bread
D - polenta bake using leftover veggies

Thursday
B - peanut butter crispbread
L - out - shopping day
D - Thai fish cakes (based on a Annabel Langbein recipe)

Menu Plan

 Here is my menu plan for the next two weeks (my menu now starts on a Thursday as that is my shopping day):

Week 1

Thursday: Vegetable cous cous and sausages (regular and vegetarian)

Friday: French Onion Soup and Croutons

Saturday: Hot smoked salmon gratin (husband cooking) from Annabel Langbien: Free Range in the City

Sunday: Burritos

Monday: In town for a concert - dinner out

Tuesday: Garlic and chilli prawns with turkish bread and salad

Wednesday: Lamb shanks and roast veg (with feta for me)

Week 2

Thursday: Quiche with leftover veggies.

Friday: Pasta Carbonara

Saturday: Beef stew - based on Nigella's Greek Lamb Stew from How to Eat

Sunday: leftovers

Monday: Prawn toasts - based on Macrobiotic recipe from Practically Macrobiotic

Tuesday: Carrot and Almond soup

Wednesday: chicken wings/tofu with fried rice

A Review and a Recipe

So here is the first cookbook review that I am ever doing! First I feel I should start out by saying that I own all of the books that I am intending to review and have either bought them myself (and so probably have read reviews of them some place else) or they have been been given to me as gifts by friends and family.

The book I am going to review is by Annabel Langbein and it is called Eat Fresh. I bought this book before she was on TV in Australia because I loved the photos in it and how much information there was about ingredients, growing ingredients and as well as a collection of personal stories.

Annabel has since released other cookbooks and products and here is the link to her website. I really fell in love with Annabel on my honeymoon (I know it should have been my husband) when I visted Lake Wanaka (see picture below) where Annabel's TV show is based. I know that she doesn't live there all year round but I still made my husband drive around and look for her property in the hard-to-drive-camper we hired. Love him!

The book is divided into seasons and then within each season, the focus is on produce and different ways of cooking the same ingredient. Although I am vegetarian the book is not, and I do not find the recipes for meat to take up too much space. There are many recipes suitable for vegetarians and also for pescetarians (which is what I am really). Most of the recipes are lighter than they traditionally might be. For example, the Carbonara does not have cream in it.

Each season proceeds through starters and salads to heavier meals and then to desserts.

The recipe I wanted to share is based on Annabel's Summer Cob Salad on p86. Basically the salad consists of fresh corn, avocado, tomato and basil and a pesto dressing. However I did not have any avocado (it had gone bad) and the pesto dressing I used was half mine and half Annabel's so here is my version of Salad and Petso:

• 3 Ears of corn cooked and cooled. Remove the kernels from the corn. Give a taste to the cat.
• 6 Cherry tomatoes cut in half
• Croutons made from sourdough bread toasted and rubbed with garlic and Italian herbs (2 slices)
• Pesto dressing (see below)

Pesto Dressing (really just Pesto):

• Pine nuts toasted (2 Tablespoons)
• Raw Almonds toasted (2 Tablespoons)
• I bunch Basil
• 2 handfuls of rocket (put in colander and blanch and refresh - should look much less and cooked)
• Grating of Parmesan
  
• Lemon juice
• Lemon zest
• Garlic
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil

I make my pesto in the food processor by putting in all the ingredients, except the Olive Oil, and whiz to a mush and the pour Olive Oil in the funnel until it looks like the right consistency and the taste and adjust seasonings.

This was the first time I had added almonds or rocket and I thought it mellowed out the flavour of the garlic significantly (which I like). It also means that it costs less to make as basil and pine nuts are more expensive than almonds and rocket (at least in Australia - and I cannot get Basil to grow). In Annabel's Pesto recipe she uses only almonds and rocket.

The pesto made enough for the salad (which I was so excited to eat that I forgot to take a photo of it) and my lunch (see photo below) with still some left over. The salad made three serves.