Woo hoo, it’s Tuesday – “Plan and Play” day in Flylady land – which means it’s the day you sit down with your diary and a cup of tea, set a timer for 10 minutes and look ahead at what is coming up. (A little forward planning is preferable to being caught off guard…) Pay bills online, send a birthday greeting to someone, make your menu plan/Errand list. (If you’re interested in the Flylady’s “daily focus” system – a simple way to keep you organised from Monday to Sunday – I have videos about it here.) I like to keep things simple while menu planning so usually it will be family favourites or tried and trusted recipes with one or two new dishes thrown in. But, as we have a little more time right now (we are on staycation), and my son is expanding his culinary repertoire (he’ll be moving into his own flat when he starts university in September), we’ve been trying out quite a few new recipes recently. So what’s for dinner at Casa Copenhagen? Read on, Macduff! If I don’t specify otherwise, we usually have a salad or a platter of raw fresh vegetables (cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, cauliflower florets, etc) on the side of all our dinners.
- oven roasted ratatouille (aubergine, courgette, red pepper, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, olive oil) with goat’s cheese and crusty bread
- a “clean out the fridge” risotto in my Instant Pot. Making risotto with the pressure cooker method is so quick and easy. Gone are the days when you had to stand at the stove for a good half hour stirring the pot…and it tastes brilliant! Going in the risotto this week: olive oil, garlic, red onion, bacon, arborio rice, white wine, stock. With some leftover chicken, grated gruyère cheese and rucola/rocket added just before serving.
- stegt flæsk med persillesovs – a Danish classic. Crispy slices of fried belly pork with a creamy parsley sauce, boiled baby potatoes and carrots
- homemade lasagne (made by dear hubby) with a rucola salad
- Spanish tortilla (potato and onion omelet – a Basque friend taught me how to make this about 25 years ago) with chorizo sausage
- the French bistro classic – a Croque Madame (cheese and ham toast with béchamel sauce, topped with a fried egg) and a mixed green salad
- one day of the week is usually leftovers, a frittata/quiche made with any veggies which need used up, or Danish smørrebrød (ryebread open sandwiches with various toppings)
- out to dinner with the family, yay! Not something we do very often, but a nice treat for our staycation! Our first choice is usually Asian food, otherwise French bistro.
Menu planning is a great tool to avoid overspending on our weekly food shop, and it ensures that we keep making healthy choices. Knowing that you have food in the fridge/pantry – and having a few ideas of what you can make with it – is a great stress reliever. Just remember to K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple, Sweetie! Hope you have a terrific Tuesday!
Need more inspiration? See my recipes and crafts playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIYCyTLBED8ZP5_UDGRXUAvbPiuxOh95