The weather has really started to turn cold now, infact this has been the first week we've given in and put the heating on! So that's going to be reflected in our meal choices this week I think - lots of warming dishes. We do have some things on our agenda such as home ed groups and a day out pumpkin picking planned so we'll need some quick and easy on-the-go dinners for those nights.
Here's whats on the menu this week:
Monday
Chicken fajita pasta bake
This is a Sainsburys recipe that I discovered in their magazine a little while ago, and we all love it! It's perfect for cold evenings as it has a little bit of a kick to it, but not so much that the kids won't eat - it's really tasty and pretty simple to make too! You can find the recipe here
Tuesday
Seasonal veggie tray bake with Teriyaki Salmon and brown rice
Salmon is always a firm favorite for Jon & I, and the kids will tolerate it too. I always have it baked in the oven as I like it to be a bit crispy on the outside, and we always make a honey & soy sauce glaze to pour over too - so delicious!
We'll serve it with a side of brown rice, and lots of delicious seasonal veg such as carrots and butternut squash (maybe even pumpkin!) roasted in the oven with some olive oil. Delish!
Wednesday
Breakfast For Dinner
This would never be my own first choice as I'm not really a fry-up fan but Tyne requested this dinner as it's one of his favourites. We use our heated serving platter for this so that the kids can help themselves to bacon, sausage, baked beans, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and french toast.
Unfortunately we do all like our eggs different ways, so it can be a bit of a faff as we make scrambled, fried and poached options for every one - but it's a nice treat tea for the kids, they love it!
Thursday
Build Your Own Burgers
You've probably sensed a theme by now but the by far the most successful dinners in our house are the ones that the kids have a hand in - either by helping themselves to their portions, or getting involved in the process of putting the tea together. They love it and it really encourages them to eat!
Build your own burgers are always a big hit. We serve them naked burgers along with some toasted buns, and a platter of potential fillings such as cheese slices, tomato slices, lettuce, raw onion, grilled onion, mushrooms and pickles as well as a selection of condiments - they then put their own burgers together using whatever they fancy. We serve with a side of chips and corn on the cob.
Friday
Spaghetti Bolognese
Nice and easy, always a favorite for everybody - never any complaints from anyone and it only takes 20 minutes! IDEAL! I love spag bol night.
Saturday
Make Your Own Pizzas
Again, another favorite choice for the children. I use ready made pizza bases for conveniences sake, and the children get to put on their pizza sauce and cheese, and then choose their toppings - I usually lay out a variety of deli meats such as ham, pepperoni and salami as well as tuna, olives, sweetcorn, onions and peppers. They pretty much always go for pepperoni, ham and sweetcorn as their choices but I like to keep other options out to encourage them - and Jon & I always use those ones up anyway!
Sunday
Slow cooked chicken curry and naan bread
We're all fans of curry in this house as long as it's mild for the children (Jon & I prefer spicy so we often make two different varieties such as a korma and a madras) but this week we're going for a slow cooked option, and so we thought we'd try this recipe.
Wine Of The Week
If you've followed our meal plans lately, you'll know that Jon & I have recently started getting quite in to wine and we've decided to treat ourselves to a nice bottle for the weekend on a weekly basis.
This week, after browsing through the Independent Wines e-shop, we decided on the Peter Zemmer Riesling 2019 Alto Adige DOC - this is a very refreshing, fruity and aromatic dry white wine. Jon & I noted hints of apple, melon and elderflower.
Peter Zemmer uses a winemaking technique that enhances the wines natural flavor - the grapes are cold macerated for 8 hours before being pressed, with the juice gently clarified by gravity - this takes longer but doesn't stress the wine. The juice is then fermented in stainless steel tanks.
We're using Independent Wine for our weekly treats - they offer a hand picked selection of Italian wines for those who want to find something special but don't have the time (or, in our case, the experience) to search for it. Their knowledge base is very insightful and informative for new Wine fans like ourselves, as it's packed full of information and articles from how to pick the perfect bottle of wine to how to pair it or even cook with it.What wines would you personally recommend?
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