Our weekly meal plan! 13th - 19th April #MealPlanningMonday

Happy Monday! I hope you have all had a good weekend. Ours has been nice, we didn't get up to much. Becky was working and Ellie was doing her own thing. I feel late writing this blog post. I usually write it on Saturday evening but never got around to it, so here I am writing it yesterday morning while having a movie marathon. I have just started the first Matrix movie and will probably watch the rest throughout the day. That is how my Sunday went, sitting in front of the TV, not doing much at all.

Last week's meal plan went well. We ate everything apart from the Japanese-Style Chicken Thigh Curry Udon Noodles, it hasn't gone to waste. I popped the chicken in the freezer and saved the other ingredients and recipe so it can be eaten at a later date. The meals were of course swapped around with us eating out on Wednesday and Stu and I having a meal out on Friday. The kids fended for themselves, which meant they ordered in. Ellie got KFC and Becky got a Doner Kebab. She doesn't know what happened with her order because she ordered a small and they sent the small as well as a large one. She did question it when it was delivered and the delivery person said just keep it. lol Stu cooked on Saturday, which was a treat. He made a rice dish, not following a recipe, just adding veg and whatever he could find out of the fridge with a bit of curry powder. It was very nice but not something he could ever recreate exactly as it was so made up.

Stu is back to work this week after a few days off but Ellie still has another week's break from college. I have no idea what we have planned for this week. That all depends on the weather but it's looking quite nice. The weekend is going to be a busy one for Becky and me. It's Wrestlemania which is wrestling's big yearly event. It's over 2 nights so we're going to go to bed at a sensible time on Saturday night and then on Sunday stay up until the early hours and watch it live. Eek!

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Gousto meal - Pulled BBQ Hoisin Chicken Thigh Burger With Chips!

This meal sounds like something we would normally eat on a weekend but we are treating ourselves to it tonight. Shredded chicken coated in a sticky hoisin sauce. Served on soft brioche buns with crispy chips on the side and salad drizzled with creamy dressing.

Tuesday - Gousto meal - Bacon & Mushroom Alfredo!

This was Ellie's choice. She always makes something similar herself and thought this looked fancier, so it had to go on the meal plan. Made with quick-cook pasta in a rich, creamy sauce. Packed with flavour from garlic, mushrooms and crispy bacon lardons, then finished with plenty of grated cheese and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Wednesday - Gousto meal - Sesame Pork & Egg Fried Rice!

Sesame pork and egg fried rice made with savoury pork mince, fluffy rice, soy sauce and a hint of sesame oil. Mixed through with peas and carrot, then finished with scrambled egg for a simple, filling meal. We have had this many times and it's one we keep getting as we like it so much. It is quick to make and delicious too!

Thursday - Corned Beef Crispbakes and baked beans!

Corned beef, potato and onion in a breadcrumb coating makes the crisp bakes and we will have them with baked beans over the top. It doesn't sound like much of a meal but the crisp bakes are quite filling. 

Friday - Chippy tea!

Friday night is a chip shop tea! No cooking, no fuss and the biggest drama is deciding what we fancy.

Saturday - Gousto meal - Chicken Katsu Curry!

Crispy coated chicken served over fluffy rice, topped with a mild curry sauce. I remember Katsu chicken being a massive thing a few years ago and we never got into it as we thought it would be too spicy but it's really not, it's now one of our favourites and the sauce is really easy to make!

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! 5th - 11th April Week 15 of #Project365

Happy Sunday! I hope you are all having a great weekend. It has been a quiet one here. I had every intention of getting out in the garden yesterday and having a good old potter but that didn't happen. It rained most of the morning and then I just wanted a cosy day inside. The sun was shining but it was chilly out. The garden can wait, it’s not going anywhere.

The past week has flown over with it being the Easter holidays and Stu having a little time off work. We have had lots of family time and Becky had the best time seeing Mamma Mia at the theatre! She said it was brilliant!

Now for a photo every day!

95/365 5th April

Sunday was all about Easter eggs! I was very happy with my choice this year, Galaxy! It’s always been my favourite chocolate. I always think about choosing a different egg but always go back to Galaxy.

96/365 6th April

Homemade chips are the best, especially when they are fried. We don't have them often but they are such a treat when we do.

97/365 7th April

Blue nails! The polish went on well but it didn't last as well as usual. It has started to chip away by Friday, usually I can get a full week out of them.

98/365 8th April

Just me. Ellie and I were off to meet Stu from work. We had a nice time until it was time to come home and the bus was cancelled. Apparently there weren’t enough drivers, which seems to be happening more and more lately. It’s so frustrating when you just want to get home.

99/365 9th April

I’m back on Cooking Fever again! I’ve had a bit of a love/hate relationship with this game over the years. I’ll play it loads, get really into it, complete loads of levels and restaurants and then get bored and stop playing. At one point, I decided to reset the whole thing and start again as I had completed most of it. It’s one of those games that is perfect when you don’t want to think too much and just want a bit of mindless tapping.

100/365 10th April

This bar was not for me! Once we got inside, I felt completely out of place. They had high chairs which were so awkward to climb onto and the lights were too flashy and bright. I think I’ve reached that stage in life where I like somewhere a bit more simple and calm. It definitely made me feel old but the ceiling was so pretty, it was fluffy and looked like clouds.

101/365 11th April

Baileys is usually just a Christmas thing for me until they bring out a new flavour. White Chocolate Flavour with Raspberry sounds delicious which sounds amazing. I haven’t actually tried it yet but I don’t think it’ll be long before I do!

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

This week my Word of the Week is: 

This week has been a good one and I didn’t even have to think twice about a word for the week because everything seems to have revolved around having my people around me. It always is when my family is home. Stu has had some time off work, Ellie has had time off college and Becky has been popping in and out like she does. I never quite know if she’s staying, visiting or just passing through for food but I’ll take it.

We have had a good balance of spending time at home and being out and about. We haven't done anything massive but I have enjoyed every moment.

The week started with Easter and even though we don't really celebrate like we used to with a big dinner and Easter egg hunts, it was still nice. For us, it is mostly about chocolate. I still have the tiniest bit of my big Galaxy egg left, which probably won't see out today as I always like a bit of chocolate on a Saturday evening in front of the TV.

Monday was a home day as it was Bank Holiday and the buses are rubbish here, so we stayed in, slept until late, caught up on some jobs around the house and that was about it. Becky's "friend" was staying here as it made it easier for her to get to work and I liked having a house full. I always say how much I love the Gousto Recipe boxes that I get delivered. I ordered it for 4 people but it fed 5. We had the Chip Shop Basa & Chip Burger With Curry Sauce and the girls didn't want the buns, so there was plenty to go around. I just made extra chips! Everyone was fed and everyone was happy!

On Tuesday, I worked myself up into a tizzy over a phone call I had to take. I'm kicking myself now, it was nothing to stress about. I do it every time. I was having a word with myself before the phone call, saying, "It's nothing to worry about but then my irrational brain was saying, "But what if it is"? It is no fun being a stress head. That's what my family call me and I have to say they are right.

Wednesday was such a gorgeous day and felt like summer. It was just the right amount of heat to go outside and not sweat! I am glad I found my sunglasses as it was shining bright. Ellie and I went to meet Stu from work and we ended up catching a bus half an hour earlier than we had planned because the previous one was late. We went to sit in the centre of Hull and just people watched which is one of our favourite things to do while we waited for Stu to come out of work. We then went to the all-you-can-eat place. We stuffed ourselves and got our money's worth.

On Thursday we stayed at home. I had a day of catching up on some blogging. I had a few posts that needed finishing and general bits to sort. Stu spent most of his day in the garage. From what I could gather he was fixing the doors and having a big tidy-up. I say from what I could gather because I was not going in there to find out. The garage is not my territory. There are spiders and probably other things I don’t even want to think about. Ellie went out to see what he was up to and got roped into helping. lol

Friday ended up being quite busy. We went to see my dad and it had been a while since Stu had been over, so there was a lot of catching up to do. My dad was in his element, showing off everything he'd been up to. He has a vintage car that he’s very proud of and wanted to update Stu on what he had done. He also showed us other bits he’d been working on and then, of course, he fed us. My dad loves feeding people. It doesn’t matter what it is but it always tastes better when he makes it. After we left my dad’s, Stu had a few errands to run and then somehow we ended up deciding to go out for another meal. Two meals out in one week. Eesh! It’s not something we do all the time but when Stu has time off work, we like to make the most of it.

Stu and I are planning to spend some time in the garden today. He’s going to dig me a new vegetable patch which I am very excited about because my plants have been doing really well lately. Other than that, it’ll be our usual Saturday routine. The Gousto box will arrive, I’ll have a soak in the bath and then we’ll settle down in front of the TV for the evening.

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 15. #FridayFavourites

Happy Friday! I hope you’ve had a good week. Mine has been an OK one. Not bad, just one of those weeks when nothing massive has happened but at the same time, it’s been nice for that exact reason. We do have plans for today and tomorrow, family time and a little bit of fun is going to happen. As always, I’m linking up with Erika and Andrea to share the things that I have loved over the past week.

An appointment!

I had an appointment earlier in the week, just a phone one and I spent days beforehand overthinking it. I built it up in my head that it was going to be horrible. I hate speaking on the phone to people I like, so speaking to a stranger was going to be no fun at all but it wasn't that bad! The man I spoke to was lovely, a bit of a joker and easy to talk to. He made the whole ordeal feel relaxed instead of formal. Phew! I was glad when it was over but annoyed at myself for working myself up over something.

Slow mornings!

With Ellie on her Easter break from college, the mornings have been calm and slow here and I love it. There have been no alarm clocks set, we have been sleeping a little later, there has been no rushing and I have even managed breakfast most days this week! She has another week off and I am going to make the most of it. Stu has been off work too and it has been nice not waking up to his alarm too.

A sunset!

Watching something different!

I’ve been stepping slightly out of my comfort zone with what I watch. I’m usually more of a Marvel girl but since getting HBO Max I’ve been browsing a bit more and ended up going down the DC route. I watched Suicide Squad and then followed it with The Suicide Squad and I enjoyed them. I think the second one was better, it was a lot funnier and less serious than the first! Harley Quinn is fantastic. Totally unhinged and chaotic in the best way!

Not finishing a book!

This might sound like a strange one to include in a favourites post but bear with me. I started listening to the audiobook of Kill Them With Kindness by Will Carver and I liked the idea of it. A Japanese scientist messing with a virus to make people kinder and then things go wrong. I just couldn’t get into it. I gave it a good go, listened for about three hours and it just didn't do it for me. At first, I felt a bit rubbish about it, like I should push through it because I’d started it and then I thought life is too short to spend hours on something you’re not enjoying, so I stopped it and moved onto my next book. It was quite freeing and a lesson that sometimes it's OK not to finish things.

Easter Eggs!

Of course we have eaten a lot of chocolate this week. I was very happy with my Easter Egg, a huge Galaxy one and I chose it well. The rest of my family chose theirs and ended up with thin oval-shaped eggs while mine was big and round. They felt very short-changed. Hehehe

Summer weather in April!

On Wednesday it felt like summer here. It was only 21C (around 69F) but that is practically summer weather. My youngest said it was freaky. The last time she remembered it this warm at this time of year was back in 2020 when we were in the first lockdown because of "the virus." I am sure it has been just as warm since in April but I get what she meant. We were out in town and everyone was in shorts and T-shirts. It feels like summer arrived early at least for one day. It was back to being grey and cloudy yesterday but still a little warm.

What have you loved over the past week?