Meal Planning Monday ~ 11 March 2013

Yes, it's late! I'm having another baby, don't you know? (#36 weeks pregnant.) So yesterday, when 3rdSister was at her Gran's, the priority was getting gifts for the Sisters from the new baby, and picking up 2ndSister's party invitations from our local playcentre, because these are OBVIOUSLY things that need doing NOW in case 4thSister comes EARLY, aren't they! (I can see just a smidgen of hormonal nesting syndrome and hormonal rage creeping through everything I do at the moment....)

Anyway, here's what we're eating this week. Still a fairly plain Lenten menu ~ I'm trying to do quicker and easier meals over the next month just in case baby arrives in which case, sticking a chicken in the oven isn't even something I'm going to contemplate!

Monday ~ Wholewheat penne with chargrilled vegetable and tomato (supermarket) sauce & grated parmesan

Tuesday - Cooked Chicken in a (supermarket) Teriyaki sauce with red pepper, red onion and white cabbage, served with packet noodles and boiled brown basmati rice

Wednesday ~ Frozen tuna steaks served with oven fries & green beans

Thursday ~ Chicken salad with crusty bread

Friday - Battered fish fillets, oven chips & mushy peas

Saturday - Spaghetti Carbonara

Sunday ~ Mixed Grill AND a pudding!

See - minimal cooking, which is good, as standing up isn't even that easy right now. I've also ordered in some ready meals from Abel & Cole this week, and will be stocking up on supermarket freezer stuff too. Obviously I had great plans to freeze homemade meals but what with life and everything, they've gone out of the window, although there is a Nigel Slater Double Ginger cake in the freezer to feed people who come round to visit once we're home with the baby. I would LOVE to be doing lots of cooking and baking right now but it's just not practical! Lovely to look at everyone else's ideas though - share yours with Mrs M!

Sunday Worship ~ what do we expect from it?

Sometimes we're called to be at the foot of the Cross. Life...people...merely existing physically can be a struggle. But I've always thought that attending Communion or Mass on a Sunday morning should provide, to a greater or lesser extent, at least some of the following:

• A sense of wellbeing;
• An opportunity for joyful worship in song with others;
• A sense of reverence and prayer;
• Communion with God;
• Joining in spoken worship with other Christians;
• An opportunity to meet with the Holy Spirit;
• Finding Jesus in the Eucharist;
• An enhanced understanding of scripture;
• Time for personal prayer and reflection;
• Spiritual refreshment, and hopefully fulfillment;
• A period of peace;
• A chance to share fellowship with other worshippers;
• A break from the strains, stresses and duties of the week ~ a Sabbath.

Do you find this at your Church on a Sunday morning? 

If so, where?

If not, do you find it elsewhere?

Meal Planning Monday

Well...I missed the last couple of weeks due to the kids being off school, and generally being tired and disorganised (35 weeks pregnant, anyone?!). I assure you my menus were all planned out, even though things have had to chop and change due to aberrations like me, oh, you know, forgetting to order the essential ingredient we needed or having to collapse on the sofa and order takeaway at the last minute :-) !! Generally this is why I menu plan, to avoid spending extra money or having to dash out for something I've forgotten, but my hormones clearly have other ideas (as well as NEEDING to eat yogurt A LOT.)

Meat Free Monday - Aubergine Parmigiana I absolutely LOVE this dish, although it's very time consuming to prep the aubergine. I now usually cheat by using passata or chopped tomatoes with basil added, rather than using fresh basil, which obviously doesn't taste as great, but....

Tuesday - Tortilla Wraps with Chicken, Leaves, Soured Cream, Guacamole & Salsa

Wednesday - Fish in Passata (Jools Oliver's recipe) This isn't dissimilar to Monday's recipe ~ as it's Lent we're having fish twice a week, and this is one of my favourite ways to cook it. The recipe is from Jools' book about her first two babies, 'Minus 9 to One', and I've had more success making this and her spag bol than with her husband's recipe! 

Thursday - Chicken Salad

Friday - Fishfingers, oven chips & frozen peas

Saturday - Frozen pizza & salad

Sunday - Lamb chops & roast dinner trimmings

Read about everyone else's meals over at Mrs M's (I particularly enjoy the ones where recipe links are included as they give me inspiration...)