This week’s menu plan! 5 November 2023

What’s for dinner?

Happy Sunday from very grey and wet Copenhagen! I’ve got a thick beef stew on the go in my Instant Pot today (pressure cooker setting) which will be our dinner tonight – steak pie. Yum! Not sure if it’s because I’m Scottish but I will eat anything if it’s covered in – or topped with – pastry, ha ha! Our Flylady habit for November is meal planning. What’s your style? I usually draft a basic plan and then decide on the day what we’ll be eating (our plans shift quite often). Once a week is dedicated to leftovers or a straightforward “clean out the fridge” quiche or omelette. And on really chaotic days, we turn to “madder“. Danish rye bread with an assortment of toppings (a common lunch choice here in Denmark). We also factor in an occasional takeaway or dinner in the city with our grown kids. Keep it simple, Sweetie! Without further ado, here’s what we ate at Casa Copenhagen last week!

Västerbottenostpaj – Swedish cheese pie A readymade pie (Västerbotten cheese is similar to parmesan) gently heated in the oven and served with a mixed salad and baby potatoes. In the summer we usually eat it warm with some smoked salmon on the side.

Vegetarian mixed bean chili (I used kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas and sweetcorn) made in my Instant Pot (slow cooker setting) with tortilla chips, sour cream, grated cheese and coriander. I made the chili with a large cup of quinoa so we didn’t need any rice on the side. And this time I also added some smoked paprika to the chili which gave it a lovely depth of flavour.

Creamy chicken pasta – leftover cooked chicken (I had a small bag of it in the freezer) which I quickly fried with onion, garlic and herbs in my Instant Pot on sauté mode. Then I put in a layer of wholemeal pasta (enough for me and hubby) and covered the mixture with chicken stock. Cooked at high pressure for 5 minutes. When the pasta was cooked I stirred in some frozen peas (they “cook” immediately in the hot pasta). And then added quite a lot of Philadelphia cheese plus a little cream. Extra parmesan on top. Forgot to take a photo but it’s always delicious and so easy! (Sometimes I use leftover ham or beef, bacon, mushrooms, red peppers, etc)

Homemade pizza with chorizo sausage and green pepper.

Chicken and bacon pastry parcels – straight from the freezer, on a night that I was home alone. With homemade sweet potato fries and salad.

Super Speedy Thai Prawn curry – a recipe my Dearly-Departed-Mother-in-Law often cooked for us. Has absolutely nothing to do with Thailand but it is very speedy and tasty – it can be on the table in 15 minutes, once you get the rice cooking! I keep a packet of frozen prawns in the freezer for this dish (just add the frozen prawns to the sauce once it is made, and gently heat through).

Super speedy Thai prawn curry

That’s it for this week’s menu plan! Remember to clear up the kitchen as soon as you finish eating dinner (don’t go wandering off) and complete your Evening Routine. Whether you are in the northern or southern hemisphere, keep your Routines hygge – they will be more enjoyable!