Our weekly meal plan! 8th - 14th June!! #MealPlanningMonday

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a good weekend. Ours was a quiet one. I spent most of it watching sport which I didn't think I would be doing. I had forgotten all about the F1 Monaco Grand Prix until my youngest reminded me on Saturday about the qualifiers and then we watched some of the International football friendly matches. It's all getting a bit exciting with the World Cup starting later this week but I am not impressed with the pitches, they are lumpy and bumpy and the goals are like something I'd have in the back garden. I hope they were just temporary ones.

Last week's meal plan went really well. We ate everything and the help yourself evening yesterday ended up being chicken casserole, dumplings and mashed potato, so that felt like a bonus meal. Becky ended up with sausages and mash as she had to be at work early to practice a fire drill. I can't imagine trying to get all the residents of the care home outside quickly! Eek! 

This week we are back using the Gousto recipe boxes and we have a couple of our favourite meals from them and a couple of new ones to try. I don't have much planned for this week, I think it's going to be a nice quiet one with not much going on which I am happy about.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Gousto meal - Hot Honey Bacon & Fried Egg Pancakes!

Breakfast for dinner always goes down well here and this is one of our favourites. The Abra-ca-Debora Buttermilk pancakes that come in the Gousto box are the best and they get served with crispy bacon, a fried egg and hot honey butter.

Tuesday - Gousto meal - One Pot Spicy Gumbo-Inspired Sausage Stew With Rice!

I’m quite excited to see what this one is all about as it's brand new to us. My family always love anything with sausage, so I think they will like it. It’s a one-pot meal with smoky sausage, peppers and loads of veg all simmered together in a rich tomato sauce with a bit of spice running through it. The best part is that everything cooks in the same pot, so there shouldn't be much washing up afterwards.

Wednesday - Gousto meal - Sesame Pork & Mushroom Udon Noodle Stir-Fry!

This is one of our favourite meals from Gousto and the meal that got Ellie to eat mushrooms a couple of years ago. She loves Udon noodles that much she ignored that the mushrooms were there and since then she has been obsessed with eating mushrooms in everything! This is pork mince, mushrooms and udon noodles coated in a tasty sesame sauce which is delicious!

Thursday - Loaded waffle fries!

We haven't had this in such a long time. It is everything we love in one tray! Crispy waffle fries topped with pizza sauce, onions, mushrooms, pepperoni and cheese and pepperoni, then baked until everything goes all gooey and golden. I follow this recipe but I add extra toppings.

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 ended up getting chip shop. Becky and I had a chip butty and Ellie had a Doner Kebab wrap. Who knows what we will have this week?

Saturday - Gousto meal - Sloppy Joe Loaded Fries With Smoky Ranch Dressing!

Crispy fries loaded with a rich beef topping and a smoky ranch-style dressing. This is a new one for us and I'm hoping it will be a good one! The only reason I was drawn to it was for the ranch dressing! We are a bit obsessed with it here now.

Sunday - A help yourself evening!

I have no plan for today and everyone can just help themselves to whatever they fancy. Last week we had the leftover pizza for lunch and as it was a grey and gloomy day, I made chicken casserole with dumplings and mash.

What are you eating this week?

A photo every day for a year! 31st May - 6th June Week 23 of #Project365

Happy Sunday!! I hope you've all had a lovely week and are enjoying your weekend! Last week was hot, busy and I felt like I was constantly on the go and this week couldn't have been more different if it tried. The weather has cooled right down, we've had plenty of rain and life has slowed down a little. I'm not complaining though. After a busy week, it has actually been quite nice to have a quieter one. We did nothing exciting yesterday and we have no plans for today apart from watching the F1 Monaco Grand Prix.

Now for a photo every day!

151/365 31st May

Sunday was a quiet day at home and we had nothing at all planned apart from doing a bit of housework. That was all done by lunchtime, so I decided it was time to play The Sims. It has been quite a while since I had last played and when I loaded it up I decided I wasn't really into the family I had been playing with before, so I scrapped them and started fresh. I know some people find The Sims boring but I could happily spend hours playing it and did on Sunday afternoon.

152/365 1st June

If I had to sum up this week in one photo, this would be it. Grey skies, rain and more grey skies! The cooler weather has been nice though. Sleeping has been much easier and I haven't been a sweaty mess but if the weather could be less grey and a little brighter that would be good.

153/365 2nd June

Just me. I came home and got changed into my comfy clothes. I hate being in the house in the clothes I wear when I am out. It was too early for pjs, so it was leggings and an oversized T-shirt.

154/365 3rd June

I had planned on having a sandwich for lunch but there was no bread left and I didn't fancy going to the shop to get more as I knew the shopping was being delivered the next day, so I made do with a Pot Noodle and some sweet treats.

155/365 4th June

Walkers have released some new flavours of crisps for the World Cup and I was looking forward to trying the English Bangers & Mash but they are a bit meh! They were nice enough, tasted like sausage but they were nothing special. I also bought the Hot Honey flavour and they are good. They are a good mix of sweet and spicy. I'd definitely buy those again!

156/365 5th June

Whenever I go to my dad's house, I don't really need to ask where he is, I just listen and then I follow whatever machinery is making the most noise. I found him in one of the fields on a ride on mower cutting the grass!

157/365 6th June

The garden is slowly starting to come together. Some of my plants are in the ground and, so far they seem pretty happy about it, especially the peppers! I've never had much luck with them before but this time around they are growing well.

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This week my Word of the Week is: Changes #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

It feels like last week’s Word of the Week post was ages ago. This week has felt completely different in every way. It’s like everything is shifting at once, even though nothing massive has actually happened. It’s lots of little changes stacking up. Weather, routines, people, plans, everything feels like it’s moving in slightly different directions.

The biggest change this week has been the weather. Last week was around 30C. This week has been hanging around 18/20C. It's not been freezing or anything but definitely not the hot weather we had. It’s gone into that in-between stage where you’re not sure if you need a hoodie, a blanket or both. I think it has rained every day this week too but I don’t mind it at the moment. The garden definitely needed it, everything was starting to look a bit dry after the heat. It has also meant I’ve slowed down a bit without feeling guilty about it. When it’s sunny I feel like I should be outside doing something all the time but with this weather, I’ve been indoors more, just pottering and it’s felt quite nice.

On Saturday, I felt so lucky that I could have a little lie in while Stu went to work after our night out. We didn't get home that late but it was still a few hours after Stu would normally go to bed on a work night. The tiredness didn't bother him at all while he was at work. In fact he had a brilliant day, smashing all of his targets, then some. It was only when he ate his tea and sat down in front of the TV that the tiredness hit him.

We were all at home on Sunday and it seems like a long time since that happened. We didn't do anything special but it was lovely. I made sure I made the most of it and got everyone to help out with the housework. lol I am sure the girls would deny it but we all had fun and they finally got all their clutter from around the house put away properly.

Ellie went back to college this week for her last term there and she is so close to the end of her education. Yesterday I wrote about how Ellie has fewer lessons with the college year wrapping up and it is such a big change for her to have all the free time. She has been using that time wisely and has been busying herself applying for jobs, tweaking her CV, speaking to the careers people at college and going on a couple of shopping trips. To be honest, I thought I would have to do more to help her find a full-time job but at the moment she is doing all that she can without me having to step in and nag. It's exciting, scary and very emotional that my baby is growing up!

My main excitement came on Tuesday when I went to view a house with Becky and her partner. It was all very exciting for them. I was trying not to put them off but to tell them about the realities of having their own place! Light grey and almost white carpets look great but I would worry about staining them in a rented property. Lots of grass in the garden is great but that means buying a lawnmower and if the cooker breaks there is no just going out and buying a new one as it was built in. At the moment, they are still in the applying and viewing places stage, so it might not be anytime soon but now I have got my head around my girl moving out I am quite excited for it and she is too.

Yesterday it was just me and Becky going to my dad's as Ellie had her 2nd English GCSE exam to do. It was a real treat for Becky and my dad, as usually Ellie is there, so they got some quality time together. It was a nice change for us all. My dad had a bit of Grandad guilt as he always gives us lunch and it always seems to be the weeks that Becky isn't there he gives us something good and sometimes dessert too. Yesterday it was bacon and black pudding sandwiches with an ice cream to follow. 

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 23. #FridayFavourites

Happy Friday! I hope you’ve had a good week. I have had a really quiet one, compared to last week. Last week seemed to be full of things going on and this week has felt much calmer. I don't mind, I quite like having a mix of busy weeks and quieter ones. I am of course linking up with Erika and Andrea to share the things that I have loved over the last week.

A house viewing!

Not for me and my fella but for my eldest. I can't quite believe we've reached the stage where she is viewing houses. She had her first ever house viewing and I went along with her and her partner to keep them on track and level headed. They got carried away looking at all the fancy things, where I was more interested in the practical things, like where the boiler and fuse box were. They were obsessed with how pretty the lights were and I was pointing out that fancy bulbs usually cost a lot more than the standard ones. They were amazed by how lovely the light grey carpet was and I was thinking about muddy shoes, spillages and how difficult it would be to keep looking nice. I suppose that's the difference between people viewing their first home and someone who has spent years cleaning carpets and replacing light bulbs. lol They are planning on renting and have put in the application to go ahead. The house was nice but half an hour after viewing it another came up on a property website that was cheaper per month, bigger and in a better location. They have asked for a viewing for that one too. I told them to keep their options open and not to just go for the first one they have viewed. Eek! This is a huge step for them and I am proud of them for getting to this stage.

A night out!

Stu and I had a night out last Friday and it was just what we needed. First, I fixed the dress, which wasn't really a dress. I think I mentioned it in another post. I bought what I thought was a dress and then discovered it actually had shorts built into it. It sounds great but I planned on wearing leggings underneath and realised that every trip to the toilet was going to involve the sort of gymnastics, so I did the only sensible thing, got the scissors out and cut the section that went between my legs and it became more practical. I love it now!

We went into town, had a lovely meal and visited a couple of bars. We had a few drinks, chatted, people watched and even danced a little. We were home just after 1am which is late enough for me these days and Stu had work the next day. Thankfully, he didn't feel tired until later on Saturday evening.

Fewer lessons!

The end of the college year is almost here. My youngest only has a few weeks left and her timetable is starting to look very different because some of her classes are finishing up. She doesn't have to attend English lessons any more because she has her final exam for that today and now it's about finishing coursework and parts of her engineering course. The annoying thing is that the lessons which have ended aren't at the end of the day. If they had been, she would have enjoyed some earlier finishes. Instead, she has awkward gaps in the day but she doesn't seem bothered. On Wednesday her and her friend forgot they didn't have English any more. They arrived at college at 9am ready for lessons and then realised there was nothing for them to do, so they went into town, did a bit of shopping and picked up some Father's Day gifts.

Clarkson's Farm!

New episodes of Clarkson's Farm were released yesterday and I am very excited about them. I'm planning on sitting down and watching them today. I know Jeremy Clarkson isn't everyone's cup of tea but I absolutely love him and this show. If you don't know who Jeremy Clarkson is, he became famous through the car show Top Gear and is a bit sarcastic, outspoken and sometimes causes a bit of controversy. He reminds me a lot of my dad. Eek! A few years ago, he bought a farm, decided he wanted to run it himself but he didn't know much about farming and that is what makes the show so entertaining. We're onto season 5 now!

Rain!

As much as I loved the hot weather last week, it has been nice that it has cooled down and to get some rain this week. I don't think I'd ever survive in a country where it's hot all the time. The rain arrived at the right time, just after I had put some plants into the ground. The rain has really helped and everything looks greener already but the weeds have also taken this as a sign to grow at record speed. Ugh! The worst thing is that most of the weeds have appeared in my flowerbed where I planted flower seeds. Now I can tell what are weeds and what are flowers.

What have you loved over the past week?