Back again. 

Doing a menu plan last week has helped. We still had take away one night, and I did uber eat lunch twice, so the budget spent on food for last week was probably close to the $550 mark, far too much (even for 6 people and 5 pets). 

The pulled pork was a bit hit and spread easily over two meals for the whole family and I had some for lunch on one day also. 

This week I checked the cupboards and actually wrote a list before heading to the shops. I am wanting to really make an effort to improve the food i am eating, eat less crap. So I have planned some things to cook for lunches also, since not many of us are sandwich eaters. 

This weeks menu for dinners - 

• Thai beef salad
• Pulled beef tacos (a recipe my daughter wants to me that she found on tik tok). 
• Chicken kievs and veg
• Chicken curry and rice
• Chicken wraps
• Fish and veg
• Salmon and cauliflower salad (new recipe to try out) 
• turkey burgers or turkey san choy bow - have ingredients for either. 

I have bought additional ingredients to make enough soup (Beef pho and a vegetable soup) to have for lunches also, and also have tuna and salads for lunch too. and if any left over, there will be beef and gravy rolls one day too, will have to wait and see as its a new recipe so not sure how far it will stretch). I'll make additional burger patties too as these are easy go to as I pre cook them and freeze them for reheating. 

Shopping was approx $390. An improvement so far on last week, though I forgot dishwashing tablets so will need to get them and will likely have to top up fruit before the end of the week and maybe a little veg. I also have additional fsh I bought and have sectioned and put in the freezer, so I have can have that when the family has the curry etc. 

 I was searching for a recipe recently and in my searches I came across this old blog of mine. What a trip down memory lane!

I spent a weekend reading through all the posts of my life. There were a few things that stood out. 

•  This blog runs from 2007 to 2012. There was a lot of time of unhappiness in my life during that period, especially 2007-2010, yet this blog is so focussed on my own self care and the things I enjoyed, and was all about me. I love that, sometimes I forget this side as it is easiest to remember the bad things (even though I didn't really document them) 

•  My life has only become busier, and quite different over the years, but this blog has reminded me of many things I truly value, and still do, yet don't follow as much. 

• My life has come full circle, when starting this blog I had young children - those children are now 16,18 and 21. Yet I still have young children, a 20 month old and a 7 yr old and this blog has inspired me to take time to share the things I enjoy with them more. 

So much has changed since I last wrote, but that is not for now. I wanted to resurrect this blog as a form of self care. So here I find myself. 

Menu planning has really gone out the window over the years, and the amount I spend on food each week is way too high, so I want to begin with documenting that, for me. 

Melbourne, presently, is 2 weeks into a 6 week lockdown due to COVID19 (aka coronavirus). This involves rules such as only leaving our house for 4 reasons, and not going any further than 5kms from our home, exercising for no more than one hour daily, and having no more than one person go out to the shops at any one time, amongst other rules. 

So this is a perfect time to menu plan right? Also a perfect time to work on bringing the food budget down. 

I am shopping for 6 of us (myself and kids aged 21, 18, 16, 7 and 20 months) as well as 3 cats (we also have 2 dogs but they belong to the older kids so they purchase their food and pay for any vet needs etc). 

Yesterday I went to the supermarket to purchase some ingredients for dinner. I ended up doing a full shop for one week. $465. Yes you read that right. It is far too much and in reality not even enough to get us through the week so will end up well over the $500 mark. I was attempting to think of things to cook for the week but i certainly was not planned properly, and I cant remember the last time I took a list with me to the shops so I end up purchasing things we already have more than enough of, or that we probably don't really need, any way I digress. Here is this weeks planned menu - 

Pulled pork rolls with coleslaw

Pulled pork tacos

Chicken noodle stir fry. 

Leftover spaghetti bolognaise (from in freezer). Fish and vegetables for me.

Chops (kangaroo for me) and vegetables. 

Chicken katsu curry.

Thai beef salad. 

My biggest downfall since we have been stuck in our homes is UBEREATS, it is seriously a killer on my budget and something I go to far too easily when i can't be bothered. So my goal this week is to not order through uber eats at all. 

menu plan for the week... I want to try keep track for new ideas and to see what the kids like and dont like.

Kangaroo steaks. rissoles sausages and salad
Tuna mornay pasta bake
Tofu noodle and vegie stir fry
Lentil and vegie shepherds pie
turkey shanks and vegies
Home made sushi rolls
baked whole fish and salad/veg

Menu Planning

Having a larger family to feed means I have had to go back to menu planning. It is good though but its taking laitle time ot form the new habit properly again. I noticed when I did it a few weeks ago just how much cheaper the shopping was for the week, plus we ate a lot healthier than usual with hardly any take away or buying on the run.

I try to plan for breakfasts and lunches too, more importantly too now as I am doing michelle bridges 12wbt and need to be organised foodwise to keep those calories under control (and be not hungry!)

So this week in no particular order we have for

Breakfasts -

corn flakes

eggs (poached , scrambled or fritata)

toast - with spreads for kids with avocado and tomato (or one or the other) for us.

yoghurt (need to make up a batch in the yoghurt maker)

Lunches-

kids rolls/sandwishes and left overs.

Us - leftovers.

vegie curry

penang curry

chicken and salad

beef and salad

chicken and avocado wraps with cottage cheese

Dinners

Chow mein

penang curry

vegie curry

thai beef salad

sausages.mash/veg (kids)

kievs (kids) and salad

Chicken and salad (us)

tuna pasta

fish and veg

Beef and noodle soup

Pork and coleslaw/veg

some of the meals are already cooked, I've been cooking tonight and sorting kids snacks into boxes ready to go for week etc too. Trying to save time/have better time management. we'll see how it goes.

Menu planning and organising

I am late posting the menu plan but it is done, I have a 4 week one on our new organiser board in the kitchen.

This week form memory (cause I am too lazy to get up right now) is

- Lentil shepherds pie
- chicken salad
- Fried rice and stir fry
- osso bucco and mash
- pasta (unsure if chicken and veg sauce or justa tomato and veg sauce)
- steak/rissoles and veg
- roast (whatever meat is on special when I go to the butchers mid week)

We've been tracking all spending in our tracking journal. The other half has been doing it diligently also which is good as he tends to be the one who spends more than rest of us. I think this will bring good change.

I was rereading over at lightenings blog about how she tracks and how she tracks backwards from what she has budgeted. This is what we are going to change to doing, going to draw up a new book.

I also did up charts for household choores/every day things needing doing and popped one on the new organiser board. There are alist of about 25-30 things needing doing every week, a lot needing done every day. Some days I feel I carry an unfair weight of the household duties and kids so this will hopefully inspire the others in the house to help. Its only been 2 days but everyone is enjoying adding their intials after they've completed a 'chore'

Its very late and I am constantly complaining that I am tired. Bed for me.

Menu Plan Monday

a new week, we did ok last week with the menu, ended up with take away 2 nights so moved those items to this week and we changed Sunday nights as we went to a farmers market and got a yummo whole organic free range chicken to roast instead!

So this week is:

Monday - Chow Mein/cauliflour soup
Tuesday - Fresh fish, home made chips and salad.
Wednesday - Vegiue curry/rissoles and vegies
Thursday - Beef stiry fry, w/chilli for us w/out for kids
Friday - Satay chicken
Friday - Chops and vegies
Sunday - Steak and salad.

a lot of red meat this week so will make changes to that next week!

Menu Plan Monday

Part of my getting back to (ok getting into/starting properly!!) organising my life is getting back to menu planning. Particularly now as a working mum running my own business away form the home I need to be more organised. I have 3 school aged chgildren and its important i find routine and organisation. I have anew list on my fridge and am getting a new pin board for the kitchen to put dsome of my new orgasnising tools into place. One is a 4 week menu plan, which will usually be filled in one week in advance (but having 4 weeks means if I htink of somehting for next week i can add it right away)





This weeks menu:

Monday - Pork noodle stir fry
Tuesday - Pita pizzas
Wednesday - Spag bolognaise
Thursday - Rissoles/steak and vegies/salad
Friday - Lentil shepherds pie
Saturday - Chicken salad
Sunday - osso bucco and mash/vegies.

Another thing is trying to get dinner ready earlier. I work for myself so can leave work early if I am up to date, but being a new bsuiness out of the home (run at home for the last 6-7 years) and trying to expand at present/build a base, I sometimes need to work a little later. So on the days I can leave I am planning on having dinner ready by 5-5:30pm. I did that today and found that everyone in the house was more settled for the evening, far too often do we eat at 7-8pm which is way too late for the kids. they ate well too tonight, so well i missed out on the stir fry as I was busy pottering round and they all had seconds so I had a steak salad!

a pleasant week

life feels like its settling into a nice pace.

Had a lovely week, did some op shopping one morning, decided I have ben working hard so on my drive to work I thought I had no urgent deadlines so I took the morning for me and visited 3 different op shops.

I picked up a great bookshelf for eldest dd's (10) room, its in need of another full overhaul, she is such a clutter queen!
I also got a small tv that was in fine workign order for $20 for her room, she has no idea i bought this though it will be gifted to her once her room is organised. Hope she isnt dissappointed that foxtel wont work on it though!

I grabbed myself a few books fomr the the op shop also and dd2 (7) a skirt and top.

I also headed of to the good guys sale during the week, they had an extra special discount evening where i picked up a dishwasher. We have wanted one for some time especially since i am working full time now, it will just free up some time to be witht he family and get other stuff done. It is a Bosch and is a 4.5 star water rating which is good.

I treated myself to a new snapshot camera, the new Lumix waterproof/shockproof camera, looking forward to that, i hate lugging my big slr everwhere so quote simply i just dont do it!

and I got a few things for the astudio, a coffee machine and a microwave, so now I can do a big cookup on weekends and not have ot buy takeaway for lunch (though must admit the cafes near the studio are incredibly good!)

speaking of cookups this week I have been ona cooking frenzy. (did I say how much I love the seperation of work and home home feels more homely hence I have been more homely!)
This week I cooked up 2 quiches, a big pot of stovies 9a scotish dih mum made as we grew up) a beef casserole, a lentil and chick pea curry, a lentil shepherds pie and roast lamb :) I now have alittle set of caontainers of frozen lunches and we've been eating well!

Also been starting to declutter yet again at home. Does anyone else seem to find no sooner have they finished decluttering the entire house that they have to go back to the start as its building up again!!) this week I cleaned the fridge out, cleaned 2 drawres in the bathroom and the sink top and did half my wadrobe (being more ruthless this time, I am notholding on to as many older clothes, have packed a suitcase to pass onto the girls as they grow up)

speaking of the girls growing up, I measured everyone on our wall again today, dd 10 yrs is now 5 foot tall! she's pretty much as tall as both mine and hubbys mums! Pity they arent around to see her.

Menu Planning and other stuff

I missed menu Plan Monday last week and this week its now Tuesday!

OOPS!

This time of year is super busy for me business wise, filling and getting everyone's orders to them on time!! So posting on here has had to be set aside for a bit. I am really looking forward to the slow down that January will bring. I still work but its nothing like the previous months so much more relaxed!

So back to menu Planning.
I did still menatlly menu plan last week and did well. We are loving the asian omelttes, they are really really easy and yum!
The tandoori casserole became a regular lamb one as the eggplant died before I got to use it!
The rissotto was yum, hadnt made that in along long time!

This week is:
Roast Lamb
Chicken curry/japanese
Chicken and noodle salad
a bbq - simple sausages and chicken wings/pieces.
lentil shepherds pie.

and we are eating out 2 times at bbq's/christmas functions.

On other things. I made a large purchase this week. I am NOT a domestic goddess of any kind. I am one of the slckest housewives i know. I have a strong dislike to housework but I also have a like of a clean house (it can be messy/untidy though)

So I purchased a DYSON vaccuum cleaner! Extravagent? yes? I will say I got it at a good price, or so I fell. I got $280 off the retail price (through the sale and then a little bartering)
I've never owned alot of new things, partly because of cost, partly because we get handed down all sorts of things and partly because i think its a waste if we don't need it! Plus i like to shop thriftily when i can.
Our old vaccuum was a hand me down from my grandmother. No its not a heirloom or antique, just a crappy old vac! its been borken for some time, the attchment at the bottom keeps coming off and the suction... well it sucks!
Plus I hated the waste of all those vaccuum bags we seem to constantly buy!

So I am now a Dyson owner. I love the idea of a bagless vac, less waste and I can tip it now into my worm farms or compost.

Menu Plan Monday

Had a very chaotic week. Last weeks menu only 1 thing got cooked form it so the entire thing is doing a rerun since I have everything to make everything already!

- Chicken rissotto (mushroom, spinach, pumpkin leek)
- spag blognaise
- asian style omelettes and quiche for kids.
- tandoori lamb casserole
- lentil curry (carried over form last week - will be made for hubby and my lunches)
- chicken curry - japanese style to use up some cabbage.
- leftovers and salads throw together (to make use of the sald stuff and any leftovers during the week.
- cauliflour soup (cause I just peeked and there is a full head of it stashed in the fridge vegie drawer!)

- I also am going to bake some zuchini and choc chip muffins this week for school lunch snacks and just extra snacks.

Menu PLan Monday

Its Monday again!
Doing the menu plan last week really made a difference. I've come across orgjunkie.com during the week and see they have aplanned Menu PLan MOnday each week. It looks like a great place to get lots of recipe ideas from!

Firstly as an aside, I have injured my hip. Its avery pain ful injury that means I can not excercise, that I can barely work and barely do anything really! I have been and will be posting about it and the lead up to the surgery on bitsfromme.blogspot.com . The reason I am mentioning it is one thing I can do that I do enjoy is cook. and because I will be very limited excercise wise I will need to eat healthier so to not gain back the 10 kilos I have worked hard to lose this year. Living with this injury for a period of time in the wait til surgery and the recovery wil be a very testing time personally also.

Anyway back to menu planning!
As I said last week was a success and we found we ate almost all of the vegies and fruit in the house and nothing went to waste (not that there is ever really food waste with the chooks around!)

So Left in the fridge: - cabbage (I think there is 3 of them now!), bok choy, little piece brocolli, 1 corn, cucumber, 2 eggplants.

Meat we have already : - 5-6 chicken breast fillets. half a kilo chicken wings. chicken casserole pieces 1-2 kilos

Being delivered this week- 8 litres milk, 1 block cheese, 2 litres orange juice, 5 loaves wholemeal bread.
Fruit veg box this week will contain :-


this weeks menu plan:-
- Chicken salad
- Chicken rissotto (mushroom, spinach, pumpkin leek)
- spag blognaise
- asian style omelettes and quiche for kids.
- tandoori lamb casserole
- lentil curry (carried over form last week - will be made for hubby and my lunches)
- chicken curry - japanese style to use up some cabbage.
- leftovers and salads throw together (to make use of the sald stuff and any leftovers during the week.
- cauliflour soup (cause I just peeked and there is a full head of it stashed in the fridge vegie drawer!)

- I also am going to bake some zuchini and choc chip muffins this week for school lunch snacks and just extra snacks.

need to buy:-
- half kilo uncooked prawns
- 1 kilo lamb (either shouler to cut myself or diced already)
- mince meat


- rissotto rice
- ham (for sandwiches and quiche)
- sesame oil
- choc chips
- wholemeal self rasing flour
- natural yoghurt



- extra carrots
- extra apples
- bean sprouts
- pumpkin
- beans (frozen if no good fresh)

Menu Plan Monday

Well I've gotten back into reading others blogs along with trying to make the effort to update mine.
Over at Lightening Jodie is blogging her menu planning and her shoping budget betwen now and the end of the year. I too wish to do this but will work on that for Wednesdays as thats pay day here. But will plan for Mondays.

At present we are having our fruit and vegies delivered by Aussie Farmers Direct once a week and its a mixed box that we have no choice in, we also get all our bread and milk delivered by them and orange juice and cheese. Below will be this wednesdays delivery (I can download and see online so can plan which is good)




The above doesnt quite cover all that we use so I have to top up especially fruit.
What we have left over at the moment that needs using too.
Washed potatoes, a whole pumpkin, small piece brocolli, 2 leb cucumbers, 1 bag salad mix, 2 bunches bok choy, half cauliflour, 1 zuchini, 1 green capsicum, half a red and ahalf a yellow capsicum.
Meat already in freezer - 3 porterhouse steaks (small), 3 chicken breasts (reminder must get deep freezer repaired this week as under warranty!)
Eggs in abundance from chooks.

So with the above in mind my menu plan for this week will be:
- Chicken fillets and vegetables (tonight)
- pumpkin soup (will be had for lunches)
- Lentil shepherds pie (to use up lots of the vegies)
- minestrone/vegie soup (again to make good use of last weeks excess vegies)
- chicken curry (Joeys japanese one that will use the cabbage up)
- lentil/chick pea curry.
- Pasta with either bolognaise or meatballs.
- fried rice and honey soy wings.
- quiche (lunches)
- home made rissoles or sausages/vegies
- Thai beef salad (lunches)

(I'll keep the eggplant til next Monday to use in a recipe then of tandoori lamb casserole)

What I need to buy:

mince meat (kangaroo)
chicken wings (2 kilos)


More fruit - 3-4 kgs apples and 1-2 kgs banaanas.
Mushrooms
spinach leaves
tomatoes

additional
breakfast cereal
ham for lunches
rice crackers
tins tuna
baked beans
toilet paper
hot chocolate
lime juice cordial
tzatziki dip
ham
rice
tamari

Gosh that makes shopping look affordable, will be curious to see if it really works! I plan to budget $200 a week on food as we spend over that now! The aussie direct order is $76 each week so that leaves me $124 to get everything else.
I work from home and hubby is home in the midday hours so its good to plan 3 or more cooked lunches a week if possible. This accounts for the kids lunches also.

budgeting

I'm pulling the budget in tighter than ever. I really want to get rid of all our credit card debt. I wont discolse how much it is but lets say its more than most families have, much more :(

So my budget meals this week are going to be:
fried rice with honesy soy wings
lentil/chickpea curry
chicken burgers
sausages in rolls
chow mein
baked beans and tinned spag and eggs on toast
quiche
omelettes
home made pasta and tomato based sauce.


Thank goodness for our chooks. Means we have loads more egg recipes to do.

As of today all 7 chooks are now laying so we get 7 eggs most days now, or will do.

Menu Planning and some rambling.

Firstly 1 week of no smoking! woohoo, feeling really good about it!

I was chatting with Joey today (the other half) saying how good i felt and how I feel I am getting more organised, healthier etc etc. I was talking about how after my mum died (august 1st 2004) how I got stuck right into the garden as a way of coping and for stress relief and how it really helped, how I started to go to the gym and walk often a few months after she passed away and I felt good, it again helped me cope, How I used to be more organised, I used to menu plan, cook new meals each week and just generally take better care of myself. Then on the week before her 1 yr anniversary of her death we lost Damian, a very special friend the world just crashed around me. Over the past 2 years I have gained a fair amount of weight (am currently 97-98 kilos was 80 kilos the day of his death and was at the gym 4 times a week as well other excercise) I became super disorganised and struggled with day to day tasks.
My partner and i also separated last year for 6 months which added to the stress that was mounting in my life. Physically after my mums death I was not in a good way either due to damaging my pelvis during the birth of my son.

That all sounds quite depressing, but sometimes I think we need to look at some of the things we have overcome and gotten through in life to better appreciate the things that make us happy, to better notice when we are taking good care of ourselves, when things are going good.

For me, things are good and I like being able to say that. Not perfect, but thats all the fun of it. I am now back into gardening, have goals, ideas, plans and am acting on them. I am a lot happier than I have been for a while and it feels good.

So after that ramble! Today we picked up and delivered a washing machine from freecycle to my brother in law who hasn't had a working one for a very long time, as we did it we smiled at our good deed done for the day! We then went to the shops and had some yummy sushi and sahimi as alate lunch and then did the food shopping. I was craving roast lamb so thats what is cooking now in the oven! One thing I thought of whilst shopping is how I really need to get back to menu planning, it saves money and means we eat variety and helps us to be more organised.

So after all that rambling here is my proposed next fortnights menu plan!

Sun: Roast lamb and vegies
Mon: Lentil shepherds pie
Tues: Pork noodle stir fry/sausages and veg for kids
Wed: Osso Bucco casserole
Thurs: Marinated chicken pieces and vegies
Fri:Fried rice and honey soy chicken
Sat: Take away/fend for yourself night.
Sun: Roast Pork (in camp oven)
Mon: Lasagna
Tues: Tofu noodle stir fry
Wed: Chicken curry/ sausages and veg for kids
Thurs: Quiche and salad
Fri: Chow mein
Sat: take away/fend for yourself night.