Well, I know I am going to be STARVING hungry this week, as my body tries to re-adapt to a regular diet, instead of the festive ‘eat and drink anything you like’ diet. So, taking my own advice, I have planned my meals for the rest of this week.
I love planning what I am going to eat (because I am always thinking about food), and I also love reading what other people plan to eat, so perhaps you will enjoy this, even if my dear mum doesn’t (she always said my meal planning posts were boring). Feel free to let me know in the comments … I know she will.
As I’ll be back at work from Monday, it’s going to be easier for me to behave myself (as I won’t be near the fridge or the Ferrero Rocher), and I’ll be back at the gym as well so another reason to behave.
Breakfast at my desk after the gym is going to be fruit salad with greek yoghurt and maybe a bit of honey. Lunch (at my desk, much to the disgust of my French colleagues) will be homemade soup: this week I am going to make spicy red lentil soup with butternut squash and sweet potato. I haven’t got a recipe for the soup, but have just chucked some lentils, squash, sweet potato, onion, garlic, ginger, chilli and spices into a saucepan with chicken stock, then boiled and blended it. Hopefully that will keep me nice and full for the afternoon.
Today I have been in the kitchen making some meals to keep me going through the week, including beef chilli and chicken and chickpea stew.
I’ll be having the beef chilli tomorrow night with some homemade guacamole, tomato salsa and lightly pickled red onions – it’s the Mexican influence from my recent holiday. I like cooking the chilli with plenty of onion, garlic and kidney beans (apart from I don’t have any kidney beans – whoops!), lots of tomatoes and chilli powder. I also like to cook beef with star anise so I’ll be adding one of those to the pan. Andrew will probably want rice with the chilli but I think I’ll do cauliflower rice for myself.
The chicken and chickpea stew will taste even better after a couple of days of sitting in the fridge – the predominant spice I use is paprika for a touch of smokey warmth. I think I’ll have a roasted sweet potato with mine – Andrew can have a normal jacket potato.
Wednesday is going to be stirfry day – just a simple stirfry with onions, garlic, ginger, beansprouts, kale – I’ll serve it with a steamed salmon fillet.
On Thursday I am out with a friend (somewhere healthy is the plan) so no need to cook then. On Friday I’ll bake fish with lemon and capers. I’ll have that with butternut squash wedges, and Andrew can have normal chips.
Next weekend I am going to undertake my first cookbook challenge and make a Mexican feast. I’d like to make lime soup (sopa de lima) from the Wahaca cookbook. I had this delicious soup on our recent holiday to Mexico: it’s chicken soup but with a tangy lime hit, topped with crispy strips of tortilla – I hope I can do it justice. I’d also like to make either slow roasted pork with tacos, or chicken mole. I need to review my new recipe book in more detail before I decide exactly what I’ll be making – I will keep you aware.
So that’s my plan for this first week of 2015 – what about you?
Chilli sounds ok – just as well I am not visiting this week!
Tracys Mum x
Glad you approve!