Reverse Meal Planning

joedenise

Just starting on my November meal plan but can't get to the outside freezer as it's raining too hard and don't want to get soaked.  As soon as we get a dry hour I'll nip out and do an inventory.  I've sorted the first week's plan with stuff I know is out there plus some from the fridge/freezer.  Will need to get some shopping tomorrow as we were away in the motorhome for the weekend.

@Suffolk_lass - you've reminded me I need to do something with the butternut squash I've got in the cupboard so that's something else I can fit into next month's plan!

Using up a couple of chicken breasts and some bacon to do hunter's chicken for dinner tonight.  Also got some burgers, cheese slices and wholemeal rolls out of the freezer for lunch.

Edit:  Have done an inventory and done the November/December meal plans (we have holidays planned for some of November and December so have done a combined one to cover the whole period.

Still not added in anything with the butternut squash but that will be OK into the new year!

C_J

@joedenise I have a few home harvested butternuts to use up too. I usually end up turning them into soup but fancy making a more substantial meal out of them, and quite like the look of this curry.

joedenise

I usually end up making curry with butternut squash.  This is a bought one not a home grown one - I didn't have any success this year!  Just one little one that only grew to about 3" long and then rotted plus a couple of even smaller ones so ended up pulling them up and composting the plants.

EssexHebridean

So we have a meal plan for this week -
M. Squash, chorizo & mushroom pasta 
T. Couscous with roast veg & halloumi
W. Jackets, beans & cheese
T. Ratatouille, black pudding, eggs - sort of shakshuka but not quite! 

F. Will redeem the second Dominos voucher from the confused comparison people
S. Burgers with cheese & onion
S. Roast lamb & trimmings 

Needed to buy a tub of soft cheese to use as a pasta sauce for tomorrow, so will need to remember to plan to use the rest of that inside a few weeks. It might make its way into sandwiches during the week though. 

ruby_eskimo

Afternoon all.  Many thanks for the recipe @EssexHebridean might have to make that next weekend which will make DH happy (he loves pulled pork).

Had a few off days as I've been ill and we went  out for food on Saturday so homity pie is happening tonight rather than last week (it was all about soups and things on toast 😆).  Had a few odd bits of veg to use up (courgette, onion, radish, carrot) so made a veg rosti for lunch and topped with an egg which was quite filling.  

EssexHebridean

Soups & things on toast are just the ticket when you're feeling a bit poorly, I reckon! Hope you're all better now! 

CCW007

OH is having the rest of his roast lamb tonight and I will have something out the freezer (vegan pasty?) to be served with potatoes and veg. 

Made a big batch of aubergine and tomato stew with loads of extra veg yesterday (finally used by the huge courgette I was gifted by one of my neighbours when they collected some Olio food from me). 

Realised I have a squash situation - one marrow, three butternut squash, one spaghetti squash and one crown prince (I think) from this week's veg box so need to think up recipes to use them all. Also got a red cabbage in the fridge on its way out so one day I will do braised red cabbage in the slow cooker and freeze the leftovers (add to the nine portions already in there !) 

Considering whether to cancel the veg box as I'm getting quite a bit of veg from Olio (my collections and things I collect off others) but I feel disloyal after we really relied on them during lockdown and how good they were when we needed them.  Have already dropped down to fortnightly deliveries.  When I'm on form with planning and eating whole food plant based I do use all the veg up but when I stop being organised I do find the amount of veg builds up,  Will see how I do before the next delivery and decide. 

Suffolk_lass

CCW007 said:

OH is having the rest of his roast lamb tonight and I will have something out the freezer (vegan pasty?) to be served with potatoes and veg. 

Made a big batch of aubergine and tomato stew with loads of extra veg yesterday (finally used by the huge courgette I was gifted by one of my neighbours when they collected some Olio food from me). 

Realised I have a squash situation - one marrow, three butternut squash, one spaghetti squash and one crown prince (I think) from this week's veg box so need to think up recipes to use them all. Also got a red cabbage in the fridge on its way out so one day I will do braised red cabbage in the slow cooker and freeze the leftovers (add to the nine portions already in there !) 

Considering whether to cancel the veg box as I'm getting quite a bit of veg from Olio (my collections and things I collect off others) but I feel disloyal after we really relied on them during lockdown and how good they were when we needed them.  Have already dropped down to fortnightly deliveries.  When I'm on form with planning and eating whole food plant based I do use all the veg up but when I stop being organised I do find the amount of veg builds up,  Will see how I do before the next delivery and decide. 

When we were having squash-a-geddon from the garden, I took to preparing them (chopping, sometimes peeling and de-seeding) and then simply froze in ziplock bags the amount I would use in a batch of soup (typically 3 medium courgettes sized bag) with 2-3 carrots and a couple of onions that I just add when I make it up. I also overwinter butternut and crown prince without prepping as they last ages in a paper sack (breadflour) or just stacked in my larder.

So I would say the marrow could be peeled, hollowed out and stuffed with a ragu sauce (and maybe topped with grated cheese for your non-vegan partner) and baked (I've done rings of marrow with big ones before, but do peel if they are tough). I also like it lightly steamed with salt and pepper as a vegetable, but DH thinks it is a waste of time (I think his Mum used to do the equivalent of putting the brussels on with the turkey and his memory is of it watery and disgusting with a white sauce developing a skin...).

Of course roasted chunks of butternut are lovely with roast (especially lamb or pork as they "like" the fattier meats or I make a simple curry with lengthways cut onion slices and chick peas with roasted butternut - choose a paste or sauce with a bit of fenugreek in it if you are not confident making your own paste.

I have roasted butternut on my plan for this week. We had chilli last night and have half a roast chicken to do something with (maybe that with spinach in a curry with the butternut on Thursday (we have meetings tonight and tomorrow so simple food rules!)

ruby_eskimo

Morning all.  We had roast chicken on Sunday so will be using the leftovers in salads this week as DH was harvesting yet more salad leaves last night 🙄  Dinner tonight is mushroom risotto because I haven't had it in ages and had some arborio rice in the cupboard and some parmesan in the fridge so seemed like the perfect time to pick up some mushrooms over the weekend.  Will probably be enough for a second serving on Thursday night which will be much appreciated after being in the office all day.

EssexHebridean

Butternut squash (or indeed almost any squash with that sort of texture) makes an amazing risotto too - get the rice started then add the squash cut into small cubes as you start to add the stock. For non veggies can be made even more mind-blowing with some bacon lardons lobbed in. For marrow I often tend to use it exactly as I would courgette, but as SL says it's great stuffed too and can turn it into a full meal.

Ahhh Ruby I love a mushroom risotto! 

We have the planned couscous with roasted veg and halloumi this evening - nice and quick for me to do when I get in and MrEH will simply have his cold when he gets in from rugby training. Last night's squash, chorizo and mushroom pasta was lovely, I'd forgotten how beautifully the pre-roasted squash chunks start to just slightly break down in the sauce. It was also a great way to use up the end of a bag of tagliatelle with all the little broken bits.