Menu planning with constraints
I love vegetables, Bealers isn’t so keen, he loves pasta & bread but I can’t eat gluten, I could eat rice every day and never get sick of it, he can’t abide the stuff, I rate fish and shellfish highly but Bealers doesn’t!
On top of all these likes/dislikes we’re trying to be healthier and more thrifty with our food budget so what meals does that leave on the list of things we both like and won’t blow the budget (and are easy to make!). Luckily we are both meat eaters so are at least compatible on that.
- Pork & cider casserole with mash/rice/baked potatoes
- Hungarian beef goulash with rice
- Chilli with corn tortillas, grated cheese, avocado, salsa and greek yoghurt
- Curry of all kinds (rice for her, naan bread for him)
- Roast dinners
- Omlettes of all kinds
- Fish, chips & mushy peas
- Spicy beanburgers and salad
- Wheat free lasagne
- Thai red curry with veg and tofu
- Jacket potatoes with homemade coleslaw & cheese or houmous & salad
- Lamb/pork chops with new potatoes salad/veg
- Fried breakfasts (bacon, eggs, tomatoes, baked beans and mushrooms)
Not a huge list there. A lovely new years resolution designed by Bealers was to use our plentiful supply of recipe books and try to cook something new from one of them every week of the year so we discover new dishes which we both enjoy. So far he has stuck to his plan and last week we had a very tasty supper from the latest Jamie Oliver book ‘At Home’ with chicken thighs, new potatoes and tomatoes all roasted together in a big oven proof tray.
When Bealers is away or out for the evening I always treat myself to one of my personal favourites:
- Rataouille with rice or a jacket potato or just on its own with grated cheese
- Chick pea and spinach curry
- Risotto either plain, ‘green’ (peas, courgettes, brocolli) with loads of white wine and parmeasan
- Fisherman’s pie
- Bacon, spinach & avocado salad
- Fresh soup