Food

Meal Plan 22nd March #12

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

Another week which we have smashed which is amazing because this means that Joe is off for two weeks now. He is taking easter leave early instead of the school ones and it means that we are hopefully going to be able to smash the garden renovations. Fingers crossed that we get amazing weather to be able to do it as we have a fair few days work to do. I am hoping to share the transformation of the garden with you.   So this week has been all about quick food because I have been trying to put the hours.  Meaning I do not have to do as much work when Joe is actually off. I am aiming to do half days however, I am not sure how possible this is going to be.  Today I am going to share with you the meals which we have been consuming.  I hope you enjoy seeing what we have been having.

Monday- Sausage Casserole, this is something which we choose because we have some sausages in the freezer.  I thought I would make this into a casserole the weather has not been amazing and this does mean that I want some more hearty meals.  So I think that this casserole should be able to fill a hole and keep me warm. I have some potatoes which I am going to use and make some mash to go with the casserole. I hope this is going to be a nice meal because I have not had a casserole for a long time. This should be so simple because it is all done in the slow cooker.

Tuesday- Hunters Chicken and Wedges, this is something which I love to order when we go out for a meal. This has been something which I have said that I am going to make for a long time however, I have just not got around to doing this. I am even going to make my own BBQ I am interested to see how this one comes out. Hopefully, it does come out very nice because it does mean that I can eat in more than always having to eat out.  This is going to be one of the meals which I think I am going to enjoy the most this week. It does not look that hard to make which is always a bonus for me during the week. I love simple meals which I do not have to think about too much.

Wednesday- Shrimp Pad Thai, this is something which I have never made before. However,  Thai food is something which I love, to be honest, I love most of Asain Cusine.  I want to try and see if I can make this at home because the only place where I see Pad Thai is at restaurants. Where we live I do not think we can get pad thai delivered. Speaking to Joe this is one of the meals which he is looking forward to the most.  Maybe because is something different from what we normally have.   If this works I will be sharing this on one of the meal inspiration Mondays because I am sure this is something which a lot of us would love to make.

Thursday-  Chicken, Leek and Brie Pie, this is something which I have not made before. I rarely have pie but this is something which I have been fancying for a while. Hopefully, the warmer weather is going to come very soon which means that it is going to be too warm to have pie. This is one of the reasons why I am making it now before this does actually happen.  I did actually find the recipe on Pinterest for sure this is something which I would not have made.  For some reason I did not think that brie would I would have used cheddar but for sure I am looking forward to this. According to Joe, this is not one which he is looking forward to as much as other meals.

Friday- Mexican Burrito Bowl. This is a meal which we were meant to have a couple of weeks ago and I think last week. However, this is one which we have not got around to doing this.  The ingredients are all still in date which means that we can still make this.  It is a bonus because it does mean that we do not have to pick up anything else.  Mexican food is something we both love and this sounds like it could be such a tasty meal. Again I will be sharing the recipe if I think it is worth it. Burritos are amazing but are something which we do not consume a lot at home because of how hard they can be to make.

Saturday- Cheese Burger Meatballs and Pasta this again is something which I found on Pinterest. This is something which made me so curious because of the fact that it sounds so different. I have had meatballs and pasta before but I do not think I have really ever had cheesy meatballs.  Of course, this is something which Jess is going to adore. Give her anything which is pasta based and this is something which she is going to love. If she really behaves her self she may actually be able to have some garlic bread which again is something which she is back love.  This again is another Pinterest meal. I see to be getting more and more off there now.

Sunday- Chicken Korma Curry having a curry is something which we have not done with Jess for a long time. We have chosen to have a Korma even though I know she is able to handle some more spicy curries.  We are going to make this in the slow cooker because this does mean that I do get a break from the cooking. I am unsure what we are planning on Sunday yet so having it in the slow cooker is amazing.  Hopefully, this is something which Jess is going to finish a whole plate of. I am going to serve this with rice and also nan bread as well.

There is a range of meal this week some of them so simple for us to cook.  The slow cooker is going to be used for the first time in a long time. I have actually linked up with Katy Kicker meal plan because this is where I get some of my meal inspiration from so I have a wide range of different meals.

I hope you have got some inspiration from these meals? What are you having this week?

 

Charlotte xxx

Meal Inspiration Monday- Paprika Chicken Goujons

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

Sometimes we all want a simple meal which the whole family are going to eat. Of course, you always have those meals for emergencies in the freezer. I wondered if I could make one of those meal chicken goujons from scratch because this then means I know what is in them. Plus they also seemed a really easy meal to make and could be frozen for when we needed them as well.  Today I am going to share with you the recipe which I think is originally a Hello Fresh meal to make these paprika chicken goujons.

Ingredients- Serves 2

2 Chicken Breasts

Glug Of Oil

24g Plain Flour

1/2 Lime Zest

17g Paprika

10g Dried Thyme

Method
  1. Lay one of the chicken breasts between two sheets of clingfilm and bash until 2cm thick. I did it with a rolling pin, to be honest, it helps get rid of any anger.  Do this for all chicken breasts
  2. Cut the flattened chicken breast into 6 to 7 long strips
  3. Put a glug of oil in large frying on a medium to high heat. Let it get really hot
  4.  Put the flour in a mixing bowl with the lime zest, paprika and dried thyme.  Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Mix together really well then add the chicken strips. Toss with your hands to ensure the chicken is well coated in the seasoning flour.
  6. Once the oil is hot add half the chicken to the pan.
  7. Cook until golden all over this should be 3-4 minutes.
  8. Then cook the other half and serve with wedges, chips or salad.

Hopefully, you found this very interesting because I know Goujons are something which a lot of people go for when they need a quick meal.

What are your go-to quick meals?

Charlotte xxx

 

Meal Plan 15th March #11

- cupsofcharlotte 1 Comment

Today I am sharing with you the meal plan for this week. There is a lot of meals which I have been featured before. I  have four nights this week where I am having to eat alone. Joe is away and Jess eats at nursery. Which means I get to select meals which I have already prepared in the freezer.  A bonus of him away does mean that I am going to have some more of that elusive freezer space.  Saying that I do keep purchasing reduced stickered items for a time when he is away.  I hope you enjoy reading about what kind of food I have been eating this week.

Monday- Chicken Goujons, Wedges and Spaggethi Hoops, something so simple but effective.  I actually made the chicken goujons way back sometime last year and made too many so froze them. I thought this week would be great to dig them out and consume.  We have no chips in so wedges are going to be served.  I think I prefer wedges anyway.

Tuesday- Beef Casserole and Mash this is something which I have frozen as well. I only had enough for one person.  The weather is meant to be pretty rubbish this week so I think this is going to be appreciated.  I have some potatoes in which I am going to turn into Mash Potatoes and serve. Something warm and comforting for tonight.

Wednesday- Lasagna and Salad maybe Garlic Bread. To be honest, could I have a week where I do not consume pasta I do not think I could. There are so many little tubs of lasagna in my freezer that I need to get some removed.  So I decided that I was going to have this for a meal this week.  I have some salad because I am trying to be a good girl and eat a bit better again at the moment.

Thursday- Mediterranean Fish and Wedges. There is actually one left in the packet which means that it makes sense for me to finish them off. I would actually purchase this again I know it is a birds eye one but it can be expensive if you do not purchase them on offer. I reckon I will end up serving this meal with mixed veg so that there is some greens in the meal.

Friday- Fish Pie, this is a recipe which I found on Pinterest I was looking for a fish dish. We have some to use up and I came across a fish pie now this is something which we have not had in the longest time. I think this is going to be something which we just have on it’s own hopefully it is going to be very filling. If this is something which I enjoy I will end up sharing the recipe with you on Monday.

Saturday- Pasta Bake, I have some creme fresh which I need to use up from a previous week. Of course, this meant I just went to pinterest to see what I could make with it. Then I did find a pasta and spinach pasta bake this is something that I would not have thought about before. I am looking forward to this because it is something different. Spinach is something which I am unsure if Jess would eat but because it is with pasta she should eat this. I will maybe serve this with garlic bread because we have a spare one in the fridge so I may use this.

Sunday- Sweet Chilli Prawns and Noddles. Noodles are something which I could consume very often. We had some prawns in which I fancied using up this does sound like something a little bit different to what I would normally make. I do not think I have every heated up sweet chilli sauce and I am sure this is something which I have to do for this meal. Hopefully, this is going to be a meal which Jess is going to end up eating. I may have to purchase something in case she does not like it at all.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing what meals we have been consuming this week.  As always these posts are part of the meal plan linky ran by the lovely Katy. There is so many of us who join now you are bound to find some meal inspiration.

Why are you having for your meals this week?

 

Charlotte xx

 

 

 

Meal Inspiration Monday- Chicken Katsu Curry

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

 

Katsu curry is a meal which I always seem to order when we go to Waggamama. We do not live that close to one I think the local one is around 30 mins drive and then it does mean that we spend a lot of money on food. I wanted to be able to make my own  Katsu curry at home and this is something which I managed around Christmas time. I may have to make this again because I am craving Katsu Curry.  The recipe which I actually used came from an old Asda magazine which they share recipes in you can find a lot of them on Pinterest. If you do not know what Katsu Curry is it is a Japanese curry which is completely different from any other curry which I have actually tried.  This recipe does even allow you to make the pickled veg and egg fried rice which sometime is served with Katsu curry of course this is an element which you do not have to include.

Ingredients – Serves 6

For the Chicken Katsu

4tbsp plain flour

1 beaten large egg

80g fresh breadcrumbs

2tbsp sesame seeds

3 Chicken Breast Fillets sliced in half

Rapeseed oil, for frying

For the curry sauce

1tbsp rapeseed oil

1 large chopped onion

1 large diced carrot

2 crushed cloves garlic

3cm piece grated ginger

3tbsp mild curry powder

500ml chicken stock

1tbsp clear honey

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 star anise

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

1 bay leaf

For Pickled Veg

4 sliced radishes

1/4 cucumber, halved, deseeded and sliced

1 medium carrot, peeled and finely sliced

1 red chilli, finely sliced

2tsbp rice vinegar

1tsbp caster sugar

For Egg Rice

275g Jasmine Rice

125g Frozen Peas

1 Large Carrot Diced

2 Large Beaten Eggs

2tbsp Rice Vinegar.

Method
  1. To make the pickled veg, toss the sliced vegetables, chilli, rice vinegar and caster sugar together in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. Then set aside until needed later.
  2. To make the curry sauce, heat the oil in a pan on medium and fry the onion and carrot for 5-6 mins, until soft
  3. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook for 2 mins. Sprinkle in the flour then gradually add the stock, stirring constantly
  4. Add the honey, soy sauce, star anise, bay leaf and chilli flakes, then simmer for 15 mins
  5. Remove the star anise and bay leaf, then blitz the sauce with a handheld blender until smooth. Keep warm until needed.
  6. To make the egg rice, bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the rice and simmer for 12 mins.
  7. Add the peas and carrot and cook for 3 mins. Swirl the water, pour in the eggs and cook for 2 mins.
  8. Drain through a sieve and return to the pan then stir through the vinegar, then allow to sit.
  9. To make the katsu, put the flour and beaten egg on separate plates
  10. Mix the breadcrumbs and sesame seeds, then put on a third plate. Dip the chicken in the flour, then the egg and then the crumb mixture.
  11. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high setting. Fry the chicken for 5 mins on each side until crisp, golden and cooked through inside. You will probably need to do this in 2 or 3 batches. Once cooked cut the chicken into wide strips.
  12. Serve and top with katsu sauce,and pickled veg.

This katsu curry is actually fun this is for sure something that Joe and I will be making again in the future. It is cheaper to make than going out and eating at waggamamas and it does give you some bonding time if you cook with your partner which is something which we tend to do. In total I think it took us around an hour to make this meal however, it was full of flavour and was a meal which I enjoyed. To be honest it did taste as good as the waggamamas offering which they have on their menu.

Have you ever made Katsu Curry?

 

Charlotte xxx

 

 

Meal Plan 8th March #10

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

This week I feel like our meal plan is going to be a bit different to most other weeks. We have a couple of meals out and we are using some meals which we had in. We have still managed to do a wide range of meals which is always a bonus.  So I am going to share the meals which we are going to consume this week. I can not wait to consume some of these.

Monday– Mixed Grill and Wedges, this something which we have purchased already.  We got it when we visited the Tong Garden Centre, a mixed grill is something which Joe loves so we thought we would have one for this change. We are going to share the mixed grill and serve it with wedges instead of chips because we already have some in. This is going to be a meal which is simple but easy to make.

Tuesday– Chicken Stir Fry, this is a meal which Joe has been saying he fancies for a while. So it is something we are going to get around to making. Again when we visited the garden centre they had some good offers on the meat so we picked a kit up. This means that it is already seasoned and full of sauce. I seem to remember that it a Thai style which is always good to try something different.  Of course, it is pancake day as well so we will be having some pancakes maybe before tea so we can have them with Jess which is going to be a bonus.

Wednesday– Meatballs and Pasta. Shockingly I am not making my own meatballs as I have done in the past. This time we have actually purchased some to try they come in an Italian sauce which means we do not even have to do this.  I am either going to put this with some spaghetti or some pasta depending on which we actually fancy.  This for sure is one which I am looking forward to as well because meatballs are not something we have often.

Thursday – Chicken Curry, we actually got some curry pastes for Christmas. So I am going to attempt to make one of them I think I may try the Bali or the Thai first. I will let you know how it comes out, I do not know if I have high hopes for this. We are going to have this simple with rice and some Nan bread as well.  This again should be simple and full of flavour I am hoping so.

Friday– We are actually eating out with my parents on Friday. I am unsure where we are going to end up no doubt a local pub close to them before the rugby. It will be nice to go out for a meal with them as I don’t think we since we have moved. We do not have Jess either as she is at her other grandparents for the week.

Saturday– Mexican Burrito Rice Bowl this is another meal which Joe has chosen. Mexican as I have said previously is a type of food which I love. He was searching my Pinterest for inspiration when he came across this dish. To me, it sounds like it could be very nice and it is something different for this week. I am looking forward to it because it is something different to what we would normally choose. If it is nice I think I am going to share the recipe on my blog as well in a meal inspiration Monday post.

Sunday– this is likely to be a takeaway or sandwiches something quick. We actually may eat at a party which we are attending however, this does not finish till 7pm so when we get home is going to be closer to 9.  It does depend on how hungry we are to what we are going to eat that evening.  It is likely that Jess will end up been treated to another McDonald’s on the way back so we know she has been fed.

As you can see it is a little bit of a strange week for us a meal out and an undecided day.  I hope you have found some inspiration from the meals which we are going to have this week.  As always these posts are part of the meal plan linky ran by the lovely Katy. There is so many of us who join now you are bound to find some meal inspiration.

 

What are you consuming this week?

 

Charlotte xx

Meal Inspiration Monday- Cheesey Bacon and Sausage Carbonana

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

 

It’s Monday again which means that it is time to share with you another recipe which I have made. Today I am going to share a pasta dish which is something which I have not done for a long time. Recently, you will know if you read my meal plans that we had a cheesey bacon and sausage carbonana. It came around because we had some sausages which needed to be used up so I turned them into this tasty meal.  It was a pretty simple dish but the twist of having sausage in it was something which I really enjoyed.  I feel like this meal was actually very comforting and warm and we actually had it during a cold spell when that is what you want to consume.

Ingredients- Serves 6

5 Tablespoons of soft butter

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

360ml double cream

150g cooked spaghetti

450g sliced sausage

225g bacon cut into pieces

1-2 teaspoons crushed garlic

115g Parmesan Cheese

115g Italian Blend Cheeses

Method
  1. In a small bowl, cream the soft butter by beating it against the side of the bowl with a wooden spoon until it is soft and fluffy.
  2. In another small bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolks with a whisk until they are well blended, then stir in 50g grated cheese. Set both bowls aside.
  3. Put the spaghetti into the boiling water and stir with a wooden spoon to be sure the strands don’t stick to one another. Stir occasionally, about 7-12 minutes.
  4. Add oil to the pan and fry the bacon and sausage fry until browned then flip over the sausage.
  5. Once sausage is cooked move the cooked sausages to the side of the pan, reduce heat and add your garlic and blend in with your cooked sauage.
  6.  Stir in the cream to bacon and sausage. Bring the cream to a simmer and keep it warm until the spaghetti is done.
  7. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it thoroughly in a large colander.  Stir in the creamed butter, tossing and turning the spaghetti with tongs to coat every strand.
  8. The stir in the hot bacon, sausage and cream mixture and finally the beaten eggs and cheese, mixing everything together thoroughly.
  9. The heat of the pasta and other ingredients should cook the raw egg on contact.
  10. Taste and season with garlic salt and a few grindings of pepper.

I think this meal only took around 20-30 minutes which is not very long. These does mean that you can make this on a work night.

Have you ever thought about doing a twist on carbonana? I loved the twist which we did on this meal.

Charlotte xxx

Pancake Day- What do you have on yours?

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

Pancake Day is just around the corner would you believe. I know this is an occasion which many people look forward to every year. Pancake day for me has never been that huge. I prefer savoury things over sweet which could be one of the reasons. However, it is something which I can see Jess been very into because I know people will be speaking about it at Nursery. Since we have our own house this year I may give this tradition another try. I think I may make my own pancakes and see how they come out. Something which has always interested me about Pancake day is the range of different toppings people have.  I asked a number of bloggers to share what toppings will be donning their pancakes this year.

Lemon and Sugar, this is a traditional topping but it seems to still be one of the favourites. With Sophie,  Rebecca and Katie , Christy, Kate and Jess all opting to top their pancakes with this option. While Lianne takes this combination a little bit further and actually adds some blueberry jam to the topping for a twist on a classic.  Katie also has sugar but with vinegar a recipe from her Great Grandma which happened because lemon juice was very limited in the war times.

Nutella and Bananas-  I can see why people love this as it’s chocolate. This is not one which I will be opting for as I do not love Nutella, well any chocolate spread. Despite saying this I do actually want to try the maltesters one.  I know many people who love it though so I can see why it is so popular.  Apparently, this is the only way for Jenny to go when it comes to toppings.

Lotus Biscoff Spread and Vanilla Ice Cream this sounds like it could be really nice. I have seen so many people rave about the Lotus spread recently I still haven’t tried it.  Kate may have inspired me to try this one because it is not something which I would have ever thought about before. I am always up for ice cream for sure it’s amazing . I would never have thought of having it with pancakes. Several people have said they have ice cream as a topper.  Anna, however, has a topping of ice cream, tinned cherries and also chocolate sauce.  This is one which I can get involved with as well because it has some fruit which I seem to be loving at the moment.

Golden Syrup– Oooo this is something which we do have in which means I would not have to by more. I think this would be a bit too sweet for me let alone sticky.   Golden Syrup is something which I do enjoy when it is in something like a flapjack so I may be able to get away with it and be like Erica and Chantelle. 

Strawberries and Cream- Erica and Katie both said their children love to have strawberries and cream on their pancakes. I adore strawberries and they remind me of the summer. This could be a winner for me because it is not going to be too sweet. Plus it does mean that you can have strawberries and cream after Pancake Day.  If you want a fruity element without the cream Laura has blueberries and strawberries with Nutella which is another way to incorporate fruit into pancake day.

Chocolate, Squirty Cream and Sprinkles now this sounds like a child’s heaven of course. It is not surprising that Jess and Eva stated that this is something their children love. I can see if you have a sweet tooth how you would be able to eat this but for me, it would be too much sugar. Jess would love sprinkles,  I think this could be due to looking pretty.  This topping may be one which I do for Jess and we have nearly everything in.  I am sure that this topping is very popular with the younger ones and it would look amazing on Instagram after all.

Strawberry Jam- this is something which I think is very different. Jam is something which of course I adore and have in because I use it with toast.  If this is a topping I am not a huge fan of like Jenny  I know Jess would finish the rest of it because it is one of her favourites.  This is one which I can imagine could get messy but I think that is half of the fun when it comes to pancake day.

Maple Syrup and Sugar- Now this is a combo according to Nikki who says it is what she has on her pancakes it is the flavour of the syrup and the crunch of the sugar which makes it so good.  This is one which I am not going to try.  Personally but I always think it is very interesting to see what different things people like their topping.  In a similar kind of vain Janet and Joanne like to put maple syrup and bacon together on top of her pancakes, I know this is a very American and Candian thing. The mix of sweet and savoury is something which I know I would struggle with. I know people say do not knock something till you have tried it.  For me, this is not something I fancy.  I will keep bacon for sandwiches instead.

Grated Cheese– now I know that you are all thinking that this is a very strange one. However, pancake mix is the same as Yorkshire puddings so there is nothing saying your topping has to be sweet.  Cheese is something which I adore according to Hayley you melt the cheese and then fold the pancake. This almost sounds like it is going to be like a calzone. I love cheese this sounds like it could be a perfect topping for me I am a cheese fiend.  If I do not try that this year for Pancake day it is something which I am going to try at some stage.

Tuna Mayo and Grated Cheese- now apparently this is one which you can not knock til you have tried it according to Julie.  For sure this is going to be one which most people would not think about at all because most people go for sweet things. I actually love tuna mayo  I am unsure if this is something which I would put on top of pancakes. I wonder how many of you are actually going to end up trying this one now.  Jacket potato I can imagine this on but not pancakes for sure this is different again I want to know how she actually ended up coming up with this combo.

Apple Sauce and Cinnamon- this is something which screams America to me for some reason. Maybe it is because they seem to love cinnamon out their. This sounds intriguing to me because it sounds almost like an apple pie of some sorts without the pastry. I  can imagine that this one is not going to be super sweet either.  It also has a lot of things which people may have in because there is nothing worse than only using something once and then having it in the cupboards for months. Thanks for sharing Jenni this different combination.

Melted Creme Egg– Now as someone who prefers their cream eggs cold and straight from the fridge this does not appeal. This could be super sweet it does sound so naughty but of course, if you are on the team which love creme egg this could be one for you to try. I think that it will be one which I will give a miss.  I do actually wonder how Beth came to find that she liked this combo.

Raspberries and Dark Chocolate Sauce– this is something which does actually sounds amazing because one of my favourite ice creams is this flavour.  The dark chocolate is going to help if the raspberries are actually bitter this does sound like one which I would love to try. I may have to try and get my hands on some dark chocolate sauce.   It is not one which I would have thought about doing before Emma shared this as her topping. It may be a contender for me now if I choose to make some pancakes this year.

 

As you can see there is a wide range of different toppings that people have on their pancakes. Is what you love on the list or has nobody mentioned it let me know in the comments below.

Charlotte xxx

 

 

 

 

 

Meal Plan 1st March- #9

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

So it is the start of a new month how quick did February go. I can not believe that it is now March.  Today I am going to be sharing with your our meal plan for this week there has been some different meals this week. Again we have been trying to use some things up which we had rather than always buying it in.  This was another week where we only just managed to spend enough to do this click and collect due to doing this again this week.

Monday – Chicken Fajitas, this something which we love to consume in this house. We did actually have a kit in with all of the spices which you need, I love to add peppers and onions into the mix with the chicken. We tend to only get the spicy one because we are both fans of the heat which is something which I am glad about.  Sour cream,  guacamole and salsa will also be on the table so we can use it and make the fajitas saucy. I think Mexican food is one of my favourites I could eat Fajitas every week if you let me.

Tuesday- Fish,  Chips and Mushy Peas, this is something which we fancied when meal planning. We have chosen to get some fish in and cook it at home the same for the mushy peas. I think we are going to treat ourselves and pop to the chip shop for the chips.  This is like having a fakeaway chip shop. After all, you have to treat yourselves sometimes and we are saving money not getting an actual takeaway.

Wednesday- Vietnamese Pho, this dish is something different for us.  We actually saw a kit when we were in one of the supermarkets it is not something which we usually would have picked up. However, we are enjoying trying a lot of new food recently and this does sound like something we will enjoy as it is soup with a huge twist. I will report back how this is I think it may be one of the meals which I am looking forward to the most this week.

Thursday- BBQ Chicken, Wedges and Mixed Veg. This is a meal which we are having as it is going to be pretty easy as it basically all goes in the oven. Jess has her injections on Thursday so in case she is not feeling 100% we want something easy.  She may be eating with us or I may treat her to a McDonald’s depending on her behaviour. I have a Lexi Roots Marinade which I am going to use to make the chicken BBQ, I am looking forward to seeing how this comes out. Hopefully, it will be full of flavour.

Friday- Mexican Fried Rice, this may sound like a random meal and more of a starter. I think I am just going to make more of it in order to make it a meal. Again Mexican food is something which I adore I saw this recipe over on Pinterest and I thought I would give it a try. To be honest I had all of the ingredients in as well for this meal which is always a bonus.

Saturday- Spagetthi Bol, this is something which Joe loves to cook. I am making the most of having him at home and he will make this meal. I am unsure what he actually does but whatever it is so full of flavour.  Garlic bread may be served with this meal and is goes so well. Jess is likely to consume so much of this meal. It is also something very simple to do should we have a busy Saturday doing this like we usually end up doing.

Sunday- Pizza, we are making these ourselves using the base from Home Bargains. We have some peppers some onions, sweetcorn and pepperoni which we are going to use as the toppings. This is a tea which Jess can get involved in which is always a bonus as there is not that many that she can do this with.  We are going on a day out which means we will be home later but at least this is something quick which we will be able to make.

There is a range of meal this week some of them so simple for us to cook.  It goes to show you do not have to have anything fancy all of the time.  Sometimes the simple meals are the best.

 

What are you having for your meals this week?

 

Charlotte xxx

 

 

 

 

Meal Inspiration Monday- Pork Schnitzel

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

It’s Monday so it is time to share with you another recipe which we have made recently. Today I am going to be sharing with you a recipe for Pork Schnitzel. Like last weeks this is something which Joe choose out of one of the cookery books we have. I seem to remember it is a Hairy Bikers Recipe. I will admit that Pork is something which we do not consume that much of for some reason.

Ingredient- Serves 2

2 Pork Loin Steaks

50g fresh breadcrumbs

Finely Grated 1/2 a lemon zest

1tbsp Thyme

1 tbsp Paprika

2 tbsp fat- free natural yogurt

Salt and Pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200/ Gas 6.

Cut any fat off the pork steaks and place between two pieces of cling film. Bash the pork with a rolling pin. (My favourite part). Try and keep the shape you want to bash the pork till it is around 1cm thick.

Remove from the clingfilm and season with salt and pepper.

Place the breadcrumbs in a bowl with the lemon zest, thyme, paprika and a good pinch of salt and some black pepper. Mix this all together well.

Scatter a 1/4 of the mixture over a large plate ready to make the pork schinitzel.

Put the yoghurt into bowl. Take a pork steak and then dip it into the yoghurt until lightly covered on both sides.

Press the crumbs on to the pork until evenly covered on both sides. Put the pork schnitzel on the baking tray and then bake for between 12-15 minutes.

This meal was so easy to prepare so it could be very easily made on a weekday. There was so much flavour in the meat which is not something you get with the supermarket offerings.

Have you ever made your own pork schnitzel?

Charlotte xxx

Meal Inspiration Monday- Italian Chicken Bake

- cupsofcharlotte Leave a comment

Chicken is something which we love to eat in this family. I think one of the reason why this is the case is because there are so many different things which you can do. The Italian chicken bake is supposed to be a twist on actually pizza because it does have the same ingredient as the pepperoni pizza. I know if I was going to make this Italian chicken bake again I would actually serve with pasta in order to make sure this soaked the sauce up. This is one which I could make easy on a weekend because it does take around 45 minutes. This includes the preparation time.

Ingredient- Serves 4

1 Chopped Onion

1 tbsp Olive Oil

3 Diced Chicken Breast Fillet

2 Peeled and thinly sliced garlic

2 tsp Dried Oregano

2 x 400g tins chopped tomatos

125g Mozzaraella cheese thinly sliced

50g Sliced pepperoni

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180f
  2. In a frying pan add the oil and then fry the onion until this is translucent.
  3. Add the diced chicken and fry until brown for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano for another 1-2 minutes.
  4. Pour in the tomatoes and then allow it to bubble for 5 more minutes.
  5. Pop the mixture into an ovenproof dish topping it with mozzeraella and then pepperoni.
  6. Bake for 25 minutes until the pepperoni starts to curl.

The Italian chicken bake is something which we shared served with the garlic bread. You may have seen this in our meal plan a couple of weeks ago. For sure this is another meal which I will be making in the future, it is one which I would not have thought about. I think this is going to be a meal which I could serve with in the summer with salad.

Have you made something like this Italian Chicken Bake?

Charlotte xxx