Shopping for the Week

It's a Monday morning and the sun is shining. I have my recipe books and magazines out and I have planned my meals for the week.

Spring and summer are quite difficult to plan food for. Matthew, despite being the world's thinnest man, eats huge portions and I'm afraid that light meals of any kind keep him hungry and make him grumpy. But I hate eating stodgy food in the warmer months. It's a bit of a pickle and I have to work hard to find meals to suit us well, without being the same thing we ate last week.

I have a freezer which is packed full of things that have been left unused, as well as cheap cuts of meat that were put in the day of purchase. I try not to buy desert or snacks of any kind, and lunches are generally sandwiches, baked potatoes and as I will have 4 pitta breads left over from the burgers this week, pitta breads with salad and hummous. Breakfast is cereal - any cereal which is on offer.

So! The following meals have been planned!

Creamy Courgette Carbonara
Falafel Burgers with Sweet Potato Chips
Beef and Noodle Stir Fry
Lemon and Garlic Turkey with Sauteed Potatoes
Pork Chops with Mash and Peas
Chilli with Rice or Salad

There are only 6, as chances are one of us will be out one evening and miss dinner. If not, we have a lot of potatoes and some mince in the freezer so we can just make a Shepherd's Pie.

All of this comes in at under £40 for the week. A safe budget, I feel, and one that allows me to eat decent food instead of rubbish. There is also quite a lot of meat in this week's menu but that's because I have a glut of beef and pork in the freezer which I bought weeks ago when it was on offer - always very handy to do if you have a few extra pennies as it saves you lots in the weeks to come.

If anyone would like the recipes for any of these dishes, please ask!