It’s Tuesday which means it’s “Plan and Play day” in Flylady Land and I’m sitting here planning the week’s menu. Saves stress, time and money – what’s not to love? We are continuing to use the Lifesum app for our menu inspiration (one of my kids is using it to track exercise, water, etc). The recipes are very easy to put together but not always quite to our taste so we’re substituting ingredients and, of course, using vegetables which are in season here in Denmark right now. So let’s get straight to it – here’s what’s on the menu this week at Casa Copenhagen!

• Bacon and feta chicken with courgette
• Mongolian beef with rice (a repeat from a couple of weeks ago, very tasty)
• not from Lifesum but from our list of family favourites, my Twist on Shepherd’s Pie (YouTube video is below)

• Simple chicken curry with cucumber/mint raita (and my homemade naan bread)
• Pesto pasta with stir fried veggies
• Tandoori grilled fish with salad and coriander yoghurt dip
• one day of the week for us is usually leftovers, a frittata/quiche made with any veggies which need using up, or Danish smørrebrød (rye bread open sandwiches with various toppings)

Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday! And remember to K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple, Sweetie!

LLAP! May the Danish hygge be with you! Hugs!

Diane

Need more inspiration? See my recipes and crafts playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIYCyTLBED8ZP5_UDGRXUAvbPiuxOh95

Happy Tuesday! We tried something different last week for our menu plan – using recipe ideas from the Lifesum app – and it worked really well. The recipes were easy – perhaps a little too simple for our taste, though definitely great for those who are perhaps new in the kitchen – so we made some additions and substitutions but it was nice to change things up dinner-wise. And we certainly ate many more veggies and fruit than we normally do. This week we’re making some dinner dishes which are old favourites in our house (burritos, spaghetti bolognese, etc) but are using the Lifesum recipe versions (to see if we can add a little twist/make them a little healthier). So here’s what’s on the menu this week at Casa Copenhagen!

• Burrito chicken bowl
• Salmon and lentils in a creamy tomato ricotta sauce
• Suppe (Danish meatball, dumpling and carrot soup) with toasted cheese and a side salad
• Vegetable pasta with bolognese sauce
• Chicken and pumpkin red curry with basmati rice (I’m using the Hokkaido pumpkin which has been decorating our deck for the past week!)
• Thai Larb (from the Jennifer Joyce book, “My Asian Kitchen”)
• a rare treat for us, out to dinner in a restaurant for Peking Duck
• one day of the week for us is usually leftovers, a frittata/quiche made with any veggies which need using up, or Danish smørrebrød (rye bread open sandwiches with various toppings)

Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday! And remember to K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple, Sweetie!

LLAP! May the Danish hygge be with you! Hugs!

Diane

Need more inspiration? See my recipes and crafts playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIYCyTLBED8ZP5_UDGRXUAvbPiuxOh95

Happy Tuesday from tropical Copenhagen where the hot and sunny summer weather has returned (for two days at least), woo hoo! Enjoyed my breakfast skinnydip seaswim with one of my Besties…in my thermos this morning was scrambled eggs with sweet chilli sauce, mashed avocado, coriander and ryebread. My Scottish Grandad used to tear up his bread and put it on top of his soup, calling it “ducks on the pond” and I do the same! I often tear up a slice of ryebread and add it to any leftovers I’m eating (pads out the meal and gives you lots of fibre).

We’re trying something different this week for our menu plan. One of my kids has an exercise/food tracker app called Lifesum which suggests meals according to your goals (performance, build muscle, etc). From what we’ve seen so far, the recipes are very easy to make (great for novice cooks), use readily available ingredients and are quick to assemble. Sounds good! Let’s see if we use it beyond the one month’s paid subscription… So here’s what’s on the menu this week at Casa Copenhagen!

• Shakshuka with red lentils
• Chicken with asparagus, cream cheese and new potatoes
• Crunchy salmon (the crunch coming from chopped almonds/apple) with stirfried broccoli and spinach
• Mongolian beef and jasmine rice (we added aubergine/red pepper) We made this last night, took only 20 minutes from start to finish.
• Tuna, avocado, spinach and egg salad
• Honey ginger chicken rice bowl (with kale, mixed veggies)
• one day of the week for us is usually leftovers, a frittata/quiche made with any veggies which need using up, or Danish smørrebrød (rye bread open sandwiches with various toppings)

Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday! Remember to K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple, Sweetie!

LLAP! May the Danish hygge be with you! Hugs!

Diane

Need more inspiration? See my recipes and crafts playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIYCyTLBED8ZP5_UDGRXUAvbPiuxOh95

It’s getting decidedly autumnal here in Copenhagen so we are back to eating breakfast by candlelight to give us some extra hygge! And I’m beginning to look at some seasonal dishes which we haven’t had for a while: warming soups and Sunday roasts. So what’s for dinner this week at Casa Copenhagen? A bit of this, that and the other! If I don’t specify vegetables below, we usually serve a salad or a platter of raw fresh vegetables (cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, cauliflower florets, etc) on the side of all our dinners. Remember when menu planning to check your pantry, fridge and freezer to see what you have in hand before you add to the stockpile. Let’s use what we already have and save money!

• Bibimbap (Korean dish consisting of rice, vegetables and meat, topped with a fried egg), we use a recipe from www.mykoreankitchen.com
• Butter Chicken with basmati rice and naan bread (this one from Recipetineats is very good and simple)
• Culottesteg (Danish rump steak) with roast potatoes, béarnaise sauce and a tomato salad
• spaghetti carbonara with garlic bread and a big spinach salad
• onion, leek and potato soup with a charcuterie platter and my super speedy homemade bread rolls (my how-to YouTube video is below) and homemade cake (will be chocolate brownies or apple cake)
• Pad See Ew (description here) a Thai noodle and broccoli dish with which we make with pork tenderloin (takes just a few minutes to cook so is great for a midweek meal)
• one day of the week is usually leftovers, a frittata/quiche made with any veggies which need using up, or Danish smørrebrød (rye bread open sandwiches with various toppings)

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday! Remember to K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple, Sweetie!

LLAP! May the Danish hygge be with you! Hugs!

Diane

Need more inspiration? See my recipes and crafts playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIYCyTLBED8ZP5_UDGRXUAvbPiuxOh95

What’s for dinner this week at Casa Copenhagen? The usual mix of old and new! If I don’t specify vegetables below, we usually serve a salad or a platter of raw fresh vegetables (cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, cauliflower florets, etc) on the side of all our dinners. Remember when menu planning to check your pantry, fridge and freezer to see what you have in hand before you add to the stockpile. Let’s use what we already have and save money!

• one day of the week is usually leftovers, a frittata/quiche made with any veggies which need using up, or Danish smørrebrød (rye bread open sandwiches with various toppings)
• straight from the pantry/freezer dinner: IKEA Swedish meatballs with lingonberry jam, mashed potato and flash-fried vegetables (broccoli, carrot, pepper, onion)
• honey garlic chicken breasts with oven-baked potato wedges and a spinach/tomato salad
• beef stroganoff (made in the Instant Pot on pressure cooker mode) with tagliatelle
• Massaman curry (one of our favourites – a mild red Thai/Indian curry) made in the Instant Pot on slowcooker mode with basmati rice and naan bread
• a good old family favourite: pasta med kødsovs (a.k.a. spaghetti bolognese, pasta with meat sauce) with a mixed salad on the side
• my husband’s signature dish – creamy baked salmon – only four ingredients (salmon, leeks, carrots, cream)! I did a YouTube video (see below) on how to make it…everyone loves it!

Hope you have a terrific Tuesday! And remember to K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple, Sweetie!

LLAP! May the Danish hygge be with you! Hugs!

Diane

Need more inspiration? See my recipes and crafts playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIYCyTLBED8ZP5_UDGRXUAvbPiuxOh95

What’s for dinner this week at Casa Copenhagen? Mostly tried and trusted family favourites – I can make these recipes blindfolded – plus we are trying a new recipe for Pad Thai, woo hoo! Always exciting to try something new. As always, if I don’t specify vegetables below, we usually serve a salad or a platter of raw fresh vegetables (cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, cauliflower florets, etc) on the side of all our dinners. Remember when menu planning to check your pantry, fridge and freezer to see what you have in hand before you add to the stockpile. Let’s use what we already have and save money!

• Vegetarian (three-bean and sweet potato) chili made in my Instant pot (on slow cooker function) then finished off on pressure function to cook the rice (using the Pot in Pot method)
• all-in-one traybake meal: roasted ratatouille (chopped aubergine, courgette, red pepper, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, olive oil) and roasted chicken thighs, served with crusty bread to mop up all the juices
• a homemade quiche (I use shopbought ready-rolled pastry, and keep them in the freezer), the filling will be tuna, sweetcorn and cheese, served with cold potato salad and cold, pickled beetroot
• an old family favourite, Svensk Pølsegryde “Swedish Sausage Stew” (my video showing how I make it is here), served with quinoa or bulgur
• trying out a new Pad Thai recipe (wok-fried noodles with chicken, egg, beansprouts, peanuts, lime…)
• grilled steak salad with béarnaise sauce and crispy fried onions
• one day of the week is usually leftovers, a frittata/quiche made with any veggies which need using up, or Danish smørrebrød (rye bread open sandwiches with various toppings)

Hope you have a terrific Tuesday! And remember to K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple, Sweetie!

LLAP! May the Danish hygge be with you! Hugs!

Diane

Need more inspiration? See my recipes and crafts playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIYCyTLBED8ZP5_UDGRXUAvbPiuxOh95

Happy Tuesday, aka “Plan and Play” day in Flylady Land! This is the day I plan my menu for the week and make my grocery list for Errand Day (my daily focus YouTube videos are here). Don’t forget to check your pantry, fridge and freezer to see what you have in hand before you head out to buy more! The Danish heatwave continues so we are keeping our menu super simple – we aren’t so hungry right now and we don’t want to spend a lot of energy cooking…

So here’s what’s for dinner this week at Casa Copenhagen! If I don’t specify vegetables below, we usually serve a salad or a platter of raw fresh vegetables (cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, cauliflower florets, etc) on the side of all our dinners.

• Cold potato salad with sausages in a honey/chili sauce plus a rucola/rocket salad
• Mushroom, spinach and parmesan risotto made in my Instant Pot
• Coronation Chicken Salad (a 5 minute wonder, so easy and tasty – my video is here) using some leftover chicken from the freezer (was on the menu plan for last week but we made something else instead)
• Smoked salmon with steamed asparagus and new potatoes
• Nonya Chicken Curry (a mild curry containing cubes of fried potato) with basmati rice and naan bread
• Build Your Own Burger with homemade French fries/sweet potato fries
• 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)

Hope you have a terrific Tuesday! And remember to K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple, Sweetie!

LLAP! May the Danish hygge be with you! Hugs!

Diane

Need more inspiration? See my recipes and crafts playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIYCyTLBED8ZP5_UDGRXUAvbPiuxOh95

First up, here’s my mini video from Instagram this morning where I talk about the Flylady focus for Tuesday and my menu planning…

Menu planning is simply a framework. Do you need an easy meal for an evening that you are heading out to an activity? Do you want to make a more complicated dish at the weekend, when you have a little more time? Who is going to be home for dinner each day? Are you going to cook a double batch and freeze one? Don’t worry if your plans change and you end up making something different. I jot down a rough menu and we often decide on the day what we are going to cook. The aim is to have food in the house and a basic plan, so we are not stressing every day. 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.

• Nasi goreng (fried rice with veggies, sauce and topped with a fried egg)
• simple penne pasta with onion, pieces of salsiccia Italian sausage, tomatoes, basil and cream
• Coronation Chicken Salad (a 5 minute wonder, so easy and tasty – my video is here) using some leftover chicken from the freezer
• Bao buns with pulled pork (made in my Instant Pot on the slow cooker setting), red onion, coriander and salad
• Panang curry with cauliflower and tofu (made in my Instant Pot), served with rice (using the “pot in pot” method in the Instant Pot)
• 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)
• my son is making Thai Larb salad for us yet again (yes, we absolutely love it – so fresh and zingy!) with pork and mango and extra noodles to pad it out a bit

Hope you have a terrific Tuesday! And remember to K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple, Sweetie!

LLAP! May the Danish hygge be with you! Hugs!

Diane

Need more inspiration? See my recipes and crafts playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIYCyTLBED8ZP5_UDGRXUAvbPiuxOh95

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!

LLAP! May the Danish hygge be with you! Hugs!

Diane

Need more inspiration? See my recipes and crafts playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIYCyTLBED8ZP5_UDGRXUAvbPiuxOh95

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! Hubby and I enjoyed a long weekend (just the two of us) at our cabin on the south coast of Sweden and – bonus – there was a heatwave. We ate all our meals outside and I had three seaswims a day (before breakfast, lunch and dinner). Bliss! We also played Rummikub (something we always do when we are on vacation: the Rummikub box is the first thing to be packed) so we really feel like we’ve been on a mini holiday, ha ha!

Anyway, we’re now back in Copenhagen and, as it’s Tuesday (“Plan and Play Day” if you are using the Flylady system’s Daily Focus idea), I’ve been planning this week’s menu. I try to keep things as simple as possible: old family favourites plus one or maximum two new dishes to try. So what’s for dinner at Casa Copenhagen? Read on! 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.

• Vegetable tagliatelle with pesto
• Massaman Curry made in the Instant Pot, served with basmati rice (using the “Pot in Pot” Instant Pot method)
• Roast chicken with a goat’s cheese salad and gratin dauphinois
• Chicken tray bake Sicilian-style (our son is cooking this, recipe from the Emily Kydd cookbook “Quick and Simple = Delicious” which I’ve mentioned several times – link to the recipe here)
• Mustard pork with cider caramelised apples (again, our son is cooking this one, and it’s from the Emily Kydd cookbook mentioned above)
• Breakfast for dinner (which is usually fried or scrambled eggs, bacon or sausages, waffles or pancakes, cheese, veggies or fruit and orange juice to drink)
• 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)

Remember to K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple, Sweetie! Hope you have a terrific Tuesday!

LLAP! May the Danish hygge be with you! Hugs!

Diane

Need more inspiration? See my recipes and crafts playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIYCyTLBED8ZP5_UDGRXUAvbPiuxOh95

Good morning from slightly sunny Copenhagen where I’ve just been for my usual skinny dip seaswim and breakfast with my Besties (today I had raw porridge oats with chia seeds, raisins and cold milk)!

It’s Tuesday which is Plan and Play Day in Flylady Land so, as usual, I’m planning this week’s menu. Saves money, saves time and, most importantly, it saves a lot of stress! What’s for dinner at Casa Copenhagen? Quite a few of our simple, family favourite dishes plus we’ll be trying out an Instant Pot recipe which gets great reviews on the Instant Pot UK Facebook group – let’s see how it goes!

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.

• Burritos (I have some leftover burrito filling in the freezer) with salad, crème fraîche, cheddar, salsa, etc
• My “twist” on Shepherd’s Pie – so easy and tasty! https://youtu.be/b3Eext3iq54
• Salade Nicoise with croutons (using up old bread)
• IKEA Swedish meatballs with gravy (I have some leftover homemade gravy in the freezer), baby potatoes and warm red pickled cabbage.
• Instant Pot Thai Larb from the Feisty Tapas blog. We often make Thai Larb salad from Jennifer Joyce’s book “My Asian Kitchen” so I’m really curious to see how the hot version of Thai Larb measures up. Here’s the recipe we’ll be using https://www.feistytapas.com/2018/02/instant-pot-thai-pork-larb-recipe-thai/
• Teriyaki chicken salad with fresh orange
• 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)

Whatever you’re planning for dinner, remember to K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple, Sweetie! Hope you have a terrific Tuesday!

LLAP! May the Danish hygge be with you! Hugs!

Diane

Need more inspiration? See my recipes and crafts playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIYCyTLBED8ZP5_UDGRXUAvbPiuxOh95

What’s on the menu this week at Casa Copenhagen? We are into vacation season now, and taking things easy with a mix of old family favourites and a few new recipes. Remember when you are menu planning to “K.I.S.S.” – keep it simple, sweetie!

• Build-your-own-burger with oven-baked potato wedges and salad
• Spaghetti Carbonara with wilted spinach, my homemade foccacia (my recipe for foccacia is here) – I had written Carbonara on last week’s menu plan but we had a last minute change and made Spaghetti Bolognese instead. So this week it’s definitely Carbonara!
• Potato gnocchi with mushrooms, garlic, spinach, white wine, cream and parmesan (there’s a good simple recipe for that here https://simplyhomecooked.com/creamy-mushroom-gnocchi/ )
• Pad See Ew – Thai Fried rice noodles with pork tenderloin and broccoli (from the Danish book Foodfanatic Thai by Nadia Mathiasen – recipe is here https://www.foodfanatic.dk/stegte-nudler-med-svinekoed-og-asiatisk-broccoli
• Green lentil salad (with feta, tomato, cucumber, lemon/mustard/honey dressing) OR we might go a different route with a Baked Feta Salad with Lentils https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/mango-chutney-baked-feta-lentils Will depend on how we feel on the day!
• leftovers or out to dinner/takeaway
• and, if our plans change (which they invariably do…) smørrebrød, which is open-faced Danish rye bread with various toppings!

LLAP! May the Danish hygge be with you! Hugs!

Diane

PS: Looking for more easy menu planning inspiration? I have plenty of easy recipes (and crafts!) on my YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxIYCyTLBED8ZP5_UDGRXUAvbPiuxOh95

What a week of celebrations ahead! Our son’s graduation from Danish High School today, Danish “Sankt Hans Aften” (bonfire night, midsummer), my birthday on Thursday (which means a birthday breakfast swim with my Besties plus dinner out with the family) plus we’re hosting a big graduation party for classmates, friends and family at the weekend. Whew! My simple daily routines are keeping me sane and I’ve kept this week’s menu plan super simple, plus stocked up on various “ready meals” and easy to throw together food (frozen pizzas, sausages, mixed salad bags, etc) so that we aren’t caught out by last minute changes. So here’s what’s on the menu at celebratory Casa Copenhagen!

Takeaway sushi tonight for our son’s graduation day – congratulations to our “wee” boy! 👏🥂👨‍🎓🇩🇰💐

IKEA meatballs with readymade potato salad and a simple mixed salad (grated carrots, spinach, sliced apple, tomatoes)

Danish biksemad (chopped onion, potatoes, beef), available in the freezer section of the supermarket. Topped with fried eggs, pickled beetroot and ketchup or brown sauce on the side.

My birthday dinner will be at one of my favourite restaurants in the Christianshavn area of the city, on the canals. (Photo from autumn 2019)

At the bistro I can get my fill of my favourites…raw oysters to start, then steak tartare and fries… Yum! Plus a glass (or two) of champagne.

Danish meatloaf “forloren hare” – you may remember I made two loaves a couple of weeks ago, and popped one in the freezer for a later date. Now is the time! Will serve with new baby potatoes, warm red cabbage and a creamy gravy.

For our graduation party, we’ll have food catered from a local Thai restaurant, plus we’re going to make lots of cake: chocolate brownies and black bean chocolate cake (just whizz together and bake). My recipe for that is here…

That’s it – bon appétit! And remember, when menu planning, to K.I.S.S. – keep it simple, sweetie!

LLAP! May the Danish hygge be with you! Hugs!

Diane