This week is going to be one of the busiest weeks we’ve had in a long time which is really saying something considering how mad our lives have been recently. In the past, I might have been tempted to not bother with a meal plan and just wing it but that never works well for me (or my bank balance) so I’m going for a meal plan with a difference this week.
Every day this week, I’ll be getting in from work about half-past four and every single day, I’ll be going back out again at some point as I have pretty much everything from a parents night to a works do and from a football match to a spa night with a Halloween party thrown into the mix. Add to that the fact that I also need to get everything sorted for my week away next week and I’m sure you can understand why this week’s meal plan is just as much about saving time as it is about saving money…
Monday – Speedy Sausage Pasta
This is something we had one afternoon last week for tea and it was so tasty that the kids have asked for it again tonight.
Tuesday – Hunters Chicken
I’m so organised this week that I have a reminder set on my phone so I don’t forget to take the chicken out of the freezer on Monday night to make the Hunters Chicken. I get my chicken breasts in bulk from Muscle Foods and then bag it in portions of two in my freezer so I’ll grab two and let them defrost overnight so by the time I come in from work they’ll be defrosted. I’ll wrap them in bacon and my cheat tonight is that I’ll then be pouring over a big jar of hunters chicken sauce before topping with grated cheese and popping in the oven until the chicken is cooked through.
Wednesday – Slow Cooker Fajitas
This usually takes around three hours on high in the slow cooker and is something that I’m hoping Miss Frugal can do when she comes in from school and it’ll be ready by the time we get in about seven-ish.
Thursday – Roasted Vegetables and Quorn Sausages
I have frozen broccoli, red onion, butternut squash and sweet potato in the freezer at the moment so the cheat tonight is that I’ll not be using fresh vegetables for my roasted veg although if I do pop to the shop for anything this week then I’ll grab a leek and some carrots and add them in. I’ll pop everything in a big ovenproof dish with a little seasoning and olive oil with the Quorn sausages and cook until it’s all cooked through. I might have to put the butternut squash and sweet potatoes in for a few minutes first if the chunks are bigger as they’ll take longer to cook.
Friday – Soup and Toasties
This is my favourite meal night of the week, mainly because Miss Frugal usually takes over the cooking on soup and toasties night. 😉 Toasties are usually basic cheese with ham, onion or corned beef and the soups are usually something pretty simple but I did spot an amazing looking recipe for Autumn Soup over on Dusky Pink Diaries this week which I think we’ll have this week if I can get Miss Frugal on board.
Saturday – Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognaise
I love my recipe for slow cooker bolognaise as it’s super simple but tastes amazing and you’d never guess it takes about 30 seconds of prep time to make. I literally just throw everything in the slow cooker, give it a stir and leave the slow cooker to do all the hard work for me.
Sunday – One-Pot Sunday Roast
Again, I’m going to be using my slow cooker today and although I’ve never done this before my plan is to just add a layer of potatoes to the bottom of the slow cooker bowl and to then add in some other veg and then add in my joint of meat on top. I’m hoping it will all just cook away so I can serve up with some Aunt Bessies Yorkshire Puds when it’s done.
So that’s my super easy week’s worth of meals that should massively cut down on my meal preparation times whilst still being nutritious and reasonably frugal. I know I could do things cheaper and I know I could cut less corners but I think I’ve found a good balance for us.
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