Our weekly meal plan! 25th - 31st May #MealPlanningMonday

Ohh! I have just noticed the dates for this week. It does please me when the last day of the month is a Sunday and the 1st of next month is a Monday. There is something so organised about it. I am not happy that we're coming up to the end of May though, this month has flown over but at the same time, we have a lot of exciting things happening over the next few months which I am really looking forward to.

Last week's meal plan went well. We ate everything that I had planned and our favourite meal to eat was the Peri Peri Spiced Basa Fish Cakes With Chips And Spicy Peas. Becky usually hates sweet potato and I didn't tell her it was in the fishcakes. She was enjoying them so much when I told her and she's now decided it's just sweet potato fries which she doesn't like, she is so fickle. lol My favourite meal to make was the chicken balls. Years ago, I never imagined that I would have the patience and know how to cook them but the Gosuto recipe boxes have taught me a lot!

This week is going to be a fun one. It's Ellie's half-term break from college and as it's the last ever holiday that she will get in education, we have a few fun things planned. Come to think of it, we have something planned for each day apart from today but I think I might spend some time out in the garden, messing with my plants.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Chinese pork steaks with veggie stir fry and noodles!

I have Chinese pork steaks in the freezer which I have hopefully got out to defrost by now and we will have them with a veggie stir-fry and noodles. I might even send someone to the shop for some prawn crackers that we can dip in!

Tuesday - Gousto Meal - Chicken Katsu Curry!

This meal is crispy coated chicken served over rice, topped with a mild curry sauce and with a bit of salad on the side. We love Katsu chicken here, even Becky who isn't a fan of curry. She always reminds me not to add too much of the curry powder to it. I never do.

Wednesday - Gousto Meal - One Pot Minty Lamb & Potato Stew!

I didn't think this through when I ordered this meal. Who makes stew when it's warm out? Wednesday is supposed to be the coldest day of the week at a warm 18C, so I think I might just pop it in the slow cooker and let it do all the work. This is a lamb and potato stew with carrots, onion, garlic and a rich stock with tomato paste.

Thursday - Gousto Meal - Cheesy Sausage & Pepper Chilli Con Carne Pasta Bake!

We have had this meal before and really enjoyed it. It is a mix of sausage casserole, chilli con carne and pasta bake. It's got sausage, sweet peppers, a smoky chilli tomato sauce and loads of cheesy pasta.

Friday - A takeaway of some sort!

Friday night is an easy night for me. I don't cook and we order takeaway. Last week we had chip shop. I shared a Doner Kebab with Becky, Stu got a burger and fries and Ellie got a chicken wrap. There wasn't a single piece of fish in sight but they deliver and they are quite cheap compared to other takeaways. Who knows what we will have this week?

Saturday - Gousto Meal - Sausage & Red Onion Tomato Chutney Baguette With Chips & Salad!

This is basically a posh sausage sandwich and chips! There are juicy sausages stuffed into a crusty baguette with sweet red onion chutney and tomato chutney which gives it a sweet, tangy flavour. Served with chips and a fresh salad on the side.

Sunday - A help yourself evening!

I have no plan for today and everyone can just help themselves to whatever they fancy.

What are you eating this week?

A photo every day for a year! 17th - 23rd May! Week 21 of #Project365

Happy Sunday!! I hope you are all having a good weekend and are enjoying the sunshine. We're in the middle of a little heatwave here and the Bank Holiday weekend. It might actually be dry and sunny tomorrow, which rarely happens on a Bank Holiday. I haven't really complained about being too hot, well apart from Friday when I was walking back from my dad's, as it was mostly up hill and the sun was shining bright. I was very glad to get home, have a cold drink and cool down! Our house is an old house, so it tends to stay cool when it is hot out, as long as we keep the curtains closed while the sun is shining right at the windows. It's nice to come back in here after being outside.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon watching football and I am planning on doing the same today with it being the last day of the Premier League season. We know who's won it, now it's the battle at the bottom and to see who gets relegated. Eek! We only have a few weeks until the World Cup starts and the whole country will go mad for football! The England squad was announced on Friday and I am happy with it. For the last couple of tournaments, I have said we needed different players and that's what the manager has given us. I hope we do well and he can say I told you so and we didn't need certain players that were axed from the team.

Now for a photo every day!

137/365 17th May

Stu and I went out on Sunday for lunch and it was the best lunch we've had in a long time! We had the full three courses and left absolutely stuffed. It was also nice to have some time together, just doing something for us without the girls.

138/365 18th May

On a Monday Stu likes to help out around the house. I think it's so sweet as it's his day off but sometimes I do question what the heck he is doing. Can you see the grey/black clouds? He could too but was convinced it wasn't going to rain. Of course it rained! 10 minutes after he had finished hanging everything out, he had to get it all back in.

139/365 19th May

This was our favourite meal that I cooked at home this week. The Chinese Takeaway Style Chicken Balls With Vegetable Fried Rice! Before getting the Gousto box each week, I would never have imagined that I could make something like this. Obviously, I could easily make the rice but the chicken balls used to be way outside of my comfort zone. Now I think they are easy to make!

140/365 20th May

Stu cut the grass in the front garden on Monday but never got around to doing the back as it started raining. It's turning into a bit of a jungle out there and it's a job for today or tomorrow.

141/365 21st May

It was that time, time to dye my hair and I gave it a trim too. It only took me two and a half hours, which seems a long time but is better than it used to be. I used to take about 4 hours to do it.

142/365 22nd May

Cow Parsley! One of the prettiest weeds and our hedgerows are full of it at the moment. Did you know it's part of the carrot family and the main food for caterpillars, moths and of course butterflies.

143/365 23rd May

I thought I would share the after photo of me dying my hair. This was shortly after I got up on Saturday morning and it was already warm. I had a busy half hour bringing the Gousto box in and unpacking it, filling the washing machine and trying on a new dress that was delivered which isn't actually a dress. I didn't realise when I bought it that it was one of those with fitted shorts underneath. It is comfy and I feel good in it, so it's not all bad. It's just going to be a faff if I wear it out when I go to the toilet. lol

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This week my Word of the Week is: Alone!! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

I have had a really quiet and slow week. I've been home alone most days. Well, Becky has been sleeping upstairs after night shifts but for the most part I have been alone. It's not a bad thing, I have enjoyed it. I am well on top of all the housework and the jobs that need doing. All in all, it was a good week and I am using the word alone, not in a negative way, so don't be worried.

I know some people hate being in the house on their own and always need company but I quite like it every now and then. After years of having the girls at home most of the time or school runs to do and someone always needing something, having a bit of peace can be quite lovely. I can potter about doing whatever I want without anyone interrupting me and if I want to sit down with a cup of tea and scroll on my phone for a while, there's no one there expecting anything from me.

Ellie was left home alone on Sunday. Stu and I hadn't planned to leave her at home while we went out for lunch. Becky was supposed to be there but she got called into work and we had only booked a table for two. Ellie is fine being by herself at home. She's 18, can feed herself and hardly moves from in front of her computer but it felt a little bit mean. I did call in the shop on the way home and bought her some treats as the mam guilt kicked in. I really don't know why I felt guilty. Ellie was absolutely fine and probably enjoyed the peace and quiet. Becky had a great time doing an extra shift at work. She doesn't usually do day shifts, it's usually just nights, so it made a nice change for her. She got to see residents in the care home, which are usually in bed when she is working.

On Thursday it was so strange being home totally by myself. Becky was at her "friends" house and Ellie went off to college to do her English GCSE exam and said she thinks she has done well. She said she wrote more than she ever has and feels confident. She still has paper two to do in a couple of weeks but this is the most positive she has ever felt about the English exam, so I am taking that as a good thing. I did have to bring the food shop in and put it all away myself but it was nice to go at my own pace instead of Ellie's.

It feels like the end of an era. Yesterday Ellie started her last ever school holidays. This time next month she will just be going into her last week in education. I know every parent says it but the years really do fly by. One minute you're helping them put their coat on for nursery and the next they're talking about full-time jobs and making their own way in life. It doesn't seem possible. I can still remember taking first day of school photos and now we're talking about the end of college. Where did all those years go? I am not going to dwell on that as I know I will have at least one blog post coming about her college years. I think I am going to make the most of being home alone over the next month because who knows when I will get it again. Yes, Ellie has a part-time job but she will still be home more.

Next week I am going to be far from alone. Like I said it's Ellie's last school holidays and we have a few things planned already. Stu has taken a couple of days off work too, it would have been three days but one of the days wasn't approved. He's pushing his luck now and he has put in to do a half day on the day he couldn't get off. He should find out about that on Tuesday. He didn't even realise he could do that until his friend did a half day so she could spend the morning baking. This woman is an amazing baker and loves doing it but doesn't have lots of people to give her treats to, so Stu keeps coming home with random things. This week it was cookies and flapjacks and they were so good!

How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one! I am of course linking up with Anne who blogs at Raisie Bay to join in with her Word of the Week linky!

What I have loved this week! Week 21. #FridayFavourites

Happy Friday! I hope you’ve had a good week. Mine has been a good one but I don't have any big favourites to share. It has been one of those weeks when I just seem to have been plodding on with life quite happily but I am going to share the little things that I have been loving and of course linking up with Erika and Andrea.

Pizza!

We got takeaway pizza on Friday evening. It was the first time we've had it in a long time from the pizza shop, so of course it tasted amazing and the best thing about it was that there were leftovers for Saturday evening too. I think pizza always tastes better the next day. I got the Beef Chef's Special with cheese, tomato, beef, onions, sweetcorn, mushrooms and I added extra pineapple. It was so good!

GCSE Exams.

Well, just the one that my youngest has to resit. It's a rule that when you are in further education here in the UK, if you didn't pass your Maths and English GCSE at school, you resit them until you do. Ellie passed her Maths first try but English has been something she just hasn't been able to pass. There are two papers, paper two she is great at, where you read a couple of non-fiction texts and write about them. It's paper one where she struggles, the creative writing. As great as her imagination is, she struggles. You are given a prompt and have to just write but she said it wasn't too bad. This year the exam is with a different exam board and she said it was slightly easier. Fingers crossed she gets it this time. We will find out in August. It's the last chance she will get as she leaves education next month. Eek!

The rain!

Usually I complain about the rain and this week it has rained quite a bit but I am not complaining, the garden needed it. Monday was a day when Stu and I tried to get things done between the showers. The grass out the front and back needed cutting but only the front was cut as just as Stu had finished that the heavens opened. He rushed to get everything unplugged and inside and came in soaked through. We also spent the day debating whether to hang washing out on the line. Stu made a bold choice to try and hung everything out and within 10 minutes he was getting it back in as it had started raining again. The back garden is still needing to be cut but that could be a job for the weekend. 

Football (Again!)

Last week in my favourites I wrote about how the football season is coming to an end and now there is only one match to play in the Premier League and even though the winner has been decided (Arsenal) the teams at the bottom still have it all to play for to stay in the Premier League and not be relegated. The EFL Championship play-offs have been a big drama. One team was accused of spying on another and have now been kicked out of the play offs so now it's my two favourite teams playing each other for a place in the Premier League. So tomorrow it's Middlesbrough vs Hull and I think I want our local team Hull to win!

Time with Stu!

I love this stage in life. When the girls were little, Stu and I rarely got any time to go for meals out, have a lot of time home alone or just time together in general. On the odd occasion we did leave the girls with a babysitter, I would worry and we would always have to be back at a certain time. Now that the girls are older and are busy doing their own thing, Stu and I have more time together and I like it. On Sunday we had an afternoon out and a lovely meal which I mentioned in my Wednesday Hodgepodge post. It was nice not having to worry about being back at a certain time. The only thing we had to worry about was catching the bus, as the Sunday service is terrible here and there are two hours between buses. Eek!

What have you loved over the past week?