Menu Plan (27th July 2015)

The first week of the school holidays and I am out training everyday but today. As I am travelling on the M62 or the M6 then traffic is going to be unknown. For that reason I have planned to do things that Craig or Emma can cook just in case I am back late.

Monday - Slow cooked beef and ale stew
Tuesday - Tuna Pasta Bake
Wednesday - Homemade Chicken Goujons and Chips
Thursday -Creamy Chicken Pie with Philadelphia based sauce
Friday - Turkey Tikka Kebabs and Rice
Saturday - Burrittos
Sunday- Beer Can Chicken with potatoes and veg.

Craig went to Aldi for the shopping as I really did not feel like food shopping and spent just over £40. There were a couple of things he could not get so I will pick those up but they will total less than £5. Budget going well.

Hope you all have a good week.

Menu Plan (20th July 2015)

I know I am a day late posting this but better late than never.

As we were away over the weekend I was actually organised enough to order what we needed for delivery on Sunday evening when we were back. I probably saved about £30 on the bill as I was not able to buy things on impulse as I was walking around.

When the shopping was delivered there were only two substitutions and they were just for different brands (better than ordered) which was fine. They did forget the cereal I had ordered however so I had to phone and get a refund. I think we have probably just got enough in, especially if Matthew sticks to his toast as he has done these last few weeks.

Anyway the menu plan is as follows

Monday - Chicken Stir Fry with Noodles

Tuesday-  Barbecue  (with 12 of Emma's friends. She is making the burgers)

Wednesday - Swedish Meatballs with mash, green beans and gravy

Thursday - Chicken and Bacon Risotto

Friday - Salad

Saturday - eating out as we are at Comic Con in Manchester and then seeing Ant Man

Sunday - Beer can chicken with roast potatoes and veg.

Hope you all have a good week

A trip to the Zoo

A few weeks ago Craig, the kids and the in-laws went up to the South Lakes Zoo for the day. The weather was glorious.  We had purchased a camcorder for Emma when she goes to college and also for me to start vlogging to link to this blog.

Anyway we took the camcorder and the video below documents the day. It is my first attempt at doing any videoing or editing an for the first attempt I don't think I did too badly.

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Menu Plan (13th July 2015)

Well my first week went pretty well and I stuck to the plan. For this week I looked at what we had in the freezer and cupboards and planned to use as much as I could to make space. I went to Aldi to do the shop and spent £45 which included household products as well as food.

We are away at the weekend so the plan only covers Monday to Friday but there are things in the freezer if anyone is hungry upon our return late Sunday. I will order the shopping for next week to be delivered Sunday evening as we will not be back in time to collect.

I am also out with my WI group two nights and so those days the meals are quick to prepare as I only have about 30 minutes to prepare and cook. For one of those I will not be home in time from a meeting to prepare so it will be up to Craig to sort that meal out.

Monday - Fish, Chips and Mushy Peas (oven baked not take away)
Tuesday - YOYO (You're On Your Own)
Wednesday - Sausage Casserole (done in slow cooker)
Thursday - Chicken  Stir Fry
Friday  - Pizza before we go away (again from freezer

I know this is not the healthiest of weeks but I am trying to make room and use up what we have, Vegetables will be served on the side and there is fruit available for snacks and dessert.

I am linking up again to Mrs M as it is fun to see what everyone else is doing.

Weekend of contrasts

I had a busy weekend with totally contrasting looks.

Saturday we were all at a wedding where the theme was 1950’s / Back to the future. This was chosen because the wedding date coincided with the 30^th anniversary of the release of the film and the groom is a big fan. So big a fan he actually hired on of the Deloreans used in the film as his wedding car. It certainly caused a bit of a disturbance and  a few near misses from other road users as it drove  down the road and whilst it was outside the church.

I even managed to get Craig to join in on the 1950’s theme. It is my style anyway so I had been really looking forward to it.

The reception was a very relaxed affair with a pizza station  where they were making fresh pizzas in a wood burning stove that looked like the front of a locomotion train.  There was also a barbecue with burgers, sausages and ribs and for the kids a sweet shed where they could help themselves.

Entertainment was provided by a three piece band in the marquee which played songs from the 1950’s and 1960’s

It was a lovely day with fantastic weather. I especially liked the informality of the reception. The was none of the ostentatiousness and competitiveness  that seemed  to happen at a lot of other weddings we have been to in the past (all of which have ended in divorce, unfortunately).  

I wish the bride and groom a long and happy life together.

Sunday by contrast involved getting absolutely covered in powder paint whilst doing the Color Run in Manchester.

I had been roped into doing the run at work as most of the people in the office decided they wanted to do it. Although it wasn’t my first charity run I would like to point out that I am not a great fan of running (or swimming or cycling ). I find running alone extremely boring and I was definitely lacking the motivation to do any training for it.

Thankfully that wasn’t a problem. There were 10,000 other people competing and it was almost impossible to run a lot of the course. This was especially true at the colour stations where powder paint is thrown at you. There were people rolling on the floor and posing to take selfies. It is marketed as the ‘Happiest Race on Earth’ and it certainly was fun to do.  Would I do it again? Surprisingly the answer is Yes.

My only issue was because of the number of competitors it took us an hour to get to the starting line. I think that they need to stagger the arrival times so that people are not stuck waiting especially in the heat of the day.

What a difference in my look over the two days. Sunday’s look is definitely not a normal look for me. The 1950’s look is definitely my favourite and one that does tend to pop up quite a bit in my wardrobe, though maybe without the net petticoats unless it is an occasion.

Menu Plan (6th July 2015)

Menu Planning is something I have been meaning to do for a while, especially as our lives have become busier over the past few years. We are also looking to save some money to put towards a new roof. One of the biggest areas I think we can save money on is food. We currently do not have a budget but I have added up how much we have spent over the last few months and I found it to be a ridiculous amount. It thankfully isn't as much as the participants on the recent TV programme that I think was called 'Eat Well for Less' but it was still a lot more than I thought it would be.

I have to admit that I am an impulse shopper and walking round the supermarket can be lethal. Craig is even worse than I am, especially with the special offers. There have been some months where we have had to use the shelves in the garage to store some of the things we have bought as there is no room in the cupboards. 

I am hoping that my looking through my cupboards and freezer then preparing a menu plan and shopping list will help me cut my monthly food spend drastically. To avoid the impulse buys I am also going to start ordering my shopping online and picking it up from the store. I won't bother getting it delivered as my local supermarket is only about a mile away and I will use less money in fuel picking it up then I would by paying the delivery charge.

So my first menu plan looks like this

Monday- Steak and Salad
Tuesday - Steak pie and chips ( already in freezer)
Wednesday - Kedgeree
Thursday - Chicken Fajitas
Friday - Crispy Lamb with Jacket potatoes (from Nosh cookbook)
Saturday - Chicken Pittas
Sunday - Spaghetti bolognese (from scratch)

I am linking up with Mrs M  where I will also be checking out what other people are doing for future inspiration.