This is a way to earn many brownie points; eco-friendly points for using less electricity and not wasting food as well as time management points because this takes less time and makes less mess and less mess means less time spent cleaning up. Planning is a must to ensure that all parts of the menu are complimentary and that wasted food, energy and time are minimized.
How to plan a once cooked, twice eaten meal
Choose a base ingredient – one that is flexible and can be used in different ways (hot, cold, on a sandwich, in a salad).
Make the main meal up, but before serving set aside the portions needed for the second meal. As experience grows it becomes easier and easier to link meals and not only will the base ingredient be shared out during the week, but so will the side dishes.
Yes, this is just glorified leftovers, but with a subtle difference. Leftovers are usually presented in the same format as the first meal. Planned leftovers are presented in different guises each time.
Classic Example
Base Ingredient:
Roasted Chicken (Store-bought saves time)
Eat Once:
Roast Chicken with Salad & Italian Bread
Eat Twice:
Flaked Chicken Breast mixed with Sweet Chili Mayo served on rolls with a side salad.
OR
Pasta Salad with diced chicken and honey mayo dressing
If there are only two sharing a whole roast chicken it can be stretched to cover all three meals.
Saturday, 29 November 2008
Menu Week 48
SUNDAY
Dinner: Casserole
Brown the meat (mutton & stewing steak). Fry diced onion & crushed garlic. Add your choice of vegetables (I like carrots, cauliflower & peppers) and sauté lightly. Add a packet of brown onion soup made with half the amount of water. Bring to the boil and reduce head to low. Simmer covered slowly until the meat is soft. Alternatively you can once you have brought the sauce to a boil you can transfer the dish to a casserole dish (with a lid) and place in a medium oven. I'm going to serve the stew on a bed of boiled baby potatoes (instead of the usual rice...)
MONDAY
Lunch: Leftover Casserole
This time I'm going to serve the casserole on some rice.
Dinner: Grilled Pork Chop with veg
Set oven to Grill. Coat pork chops in barbeque spices. Grill for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the chops. Serve with your choice of veg (zucchini, peppers, carrots, red onion quarters). I like to add a few lightly crushed garlic cloves and a spinkling of oregano.
Make up extra veg for tomorrow's pasta.
TUESDAY
Lunch: Grilled Veg Pasta
Cook up pasta, toss with some pesto and olive oil. Top with diced grilled veg. Crumble some feta over the top.
Dinner: Sarmies
WEDNESDAY
Lunch: Steak Rolls
Fry onion rings in butter. Once onion rings are translucent and soft transfer them to a plate. Fry beef strips in a little soy sauce and olive oil. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Serve in ciabata.
Dinner: Lasagne
Keep planned leftovers for lunch of Friday.
If you make some extra minceup you can keep it aside to speed up making the nacho's on Friday evening.
THURSDAY
Lunch: Cheesy Baked Potatoes
You can "bake" potatoes in the microwave at work...about 10minutes for an average size potato (don't forget to poke some holes into the potatoes)
Dinner: Sarmies
FRIDAY
Lunch: Lasagne
Serve with a side salad
Dinner: Nacho's
Spread a layer of nacho or tortilla chips on a large oven-proof dish (or do individual servings on dinner plates that are oven-proof). Top with spiced mince, jalapeno's, diced peppers, corn, salsa & grated cheese. Serve with sour cream & guacamole
Dinner: Casserole
Brown the meat (mutton & stewing steak). Fry diced onion & crushed garlic. Add your choice of vegetables (I like carrots, cauliflower & peppers) and sauté lightly. Add a packet of brown onion soup made with half the amount of water. Bring to the boil and reduce head to low. Simmer covered slowly until the meat is soft. Alternatively you can once you have brought the sauce to a boil you can transfer the dish to a casserole dish (with a lid) and place in a medium oven. I'm going to serve the stew on a bed of boiled baby potatoes (instead of the usual rice...)
MONDAY
Lunch: Leftover Casserole
This time I'm going to serve the casserole on some rice.
Dinner: Grilled Pork Chop with veg
Set oven to Grill. Coat pork chops in barbeque spices. Grill for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the chops. Serve with your choice of veg (zucchini, peppers, carrots, red onion quarters). I like to add a few lightly crushed garlic cloves and a spinkling of oregano.
Make up extra veg for tomorrow's pasta.
TUESDAY
Lunch: Grilled Veg Pasta
Cook up pasta, toss with some pesto and olive oil. Top with diced grilled veg. Crumble some feta over the top.
Dinner: Sarmies
WEDNESDAY
Lunch: Steak Rolls
Fry onion rings in butter. Once onion rings are translucent and soft transfer them to a plate. Fry beef strips in a little soy sauce and olive oil. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Serve in ciabata.
Dinner: Lasagne
Keep planned leftovers for lunch of Friday.
If you make some extra minceup you can keep it aside to speed up making the nacho's on Friday evening.
THURSDAY
Lunch: Cheesy Baked Potatoes
You can "bake" potatoes in the microwave at work...about 10minutes for an average size potato (don't forget to poke some holes into the potatoes)
Dinner: Sarmies
FRIDAY
Lunch: Lasagne
Serve with a side salad
Dinner: Nacho's
Spread a layer of nacho or tortilla chips on a large oven-proof dish (or do individual servings on dinner plates that are oven-proof). Top with spiced mince, jalapeno's, diced peppers, corn, salsa & grated cheese. Serve with sour cream & guacamole
Friday, 14 November 2008
Menu Week 47
SUNDAY
Dinner: Bacon & Cauliflower Soup with Parmasan crisps
Heat olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan. Saute diced onion and bacon bones over the heat for 5 mins. Add cauliflower (trimmed into florets), water and bay leaves and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer the soup for 15 mins. Remove the saucepan from the heat, set aside to cool slightly. Remove and discard the bacon bones and bay leaves and process the soup in a food processor in two batches until smooth. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place tablespoons of parmesan cheese onto baking trays, spread out to form 6cm rounds, bake in batches for 5-7 minutes mins or until crisp and golden. Working quickly lift the parmesan crisps from the tray and set aside on a cooling rack. Return the soup to a saucepan and warm gently, add cream and horseradish and season. Sprinkle with the chopped chives and serve with the parmesan crisps.
MONDAY
Lunch: Ploughman's Lunch
A slice or two of interesting bread/ryvita. Some cheese (spreadable and a slice or two of harder cheese like cheddar). Some cold meat and some salady stuff.
Dinner: Sausage, potato & fennel roast
Preheat oven to 220°C. Parboil whole baby potatoes (about 10min). Quarter the potatoes and fennel. Place the potatoes, fennel and chopped rosemary in a baking dish. Drizzle over lemon juice and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss until well combined. Add italian-style sausages and rosemary sprigs to the dish. Roast in oven, turning sausages once, for 25 minutes or until brown. Serve with radicchio & cos salad. Cook some extra sausages for Wednesday's lunch.
TUESDAY
Lunch: Korean Sesame Beef
Marinate stirfry beef in a mixture of soy sauce, rice wine, crushed garlic cloves, caster sugar and sesame oil. Place the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes. Cook rice vermicelli noodles according to packet instructions. Fry sesame seeds for 2-3 minutes until toasted. Transfer sesame seeds to a plate. Remove the beef strips from the marinade and fry. Remove beef from the pan once browned. Add in diced red onion and green beans. Cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. Reduce heat to medium. Return beef to the pan with the noodles and the reserved marinade. Heat through. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.
Dinner: Take Away
WEDNESDAY
Lunch: Sausages & Mash
Serve with some steamed mixed veg with herbed butter.
Dinner: Hawaiian Chicken and Rice
Roll chicken pieces in Robertson's Chicken Spice. Brown seasoned chicken in marg. Meanwhile combine in pot pineapple juice, brown sugar, vinegar, corn flour, soy sauce and curry powder. Heat gently until thickened and clear. Add pineapple chunks and mushrooms. Pour over chicken pieces and simmer for 1hr or until tender. Just before serving add cream and heat through without boiling. Serve on rice. Keep some aside for lunches on Friday.
THURSDAY
Lunch: Sweet & Sour Pork
Make a sauce of 3 parts pineapple juice, 1 part tomato sauce, 1 part sweet chili sauce and a dash of soy sauce. Stirfry pork strips until browned. Add diced red pepper and pineapple pieces. Lightly fry for about 2 minutes. Reduce heat and add the sauce mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes. Serve on noodles or rice.
Dinner: Take Away
FRIDAY
Lunch: Leftover Hawaiian Chicken and Rice
Dinner: Sticky Chicken Wings
Combine 1/3 cup tomato sauce 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup honey in a bowl. Add the chicken wings and toss to coat. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to marinate. Preheat oven to 200C. Place the chicken pieces on a baking try and bake for 55 minutes turning once). Serve with sweet chili sauce as a dipping sauce.
Dinner: Bacon & Cauliflower Soup with Parmasan crisps
Heat olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan. Saute diced onion and bacon bones over the heat for 5 mins. Add cauliflower (trimmed into florets), water and bay leaves and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer the soup for 15 mins. Remove the saucepan from the heat, set aside to cool slightly. Remove and discard the bacon bones and bay leaves and process the soup in a food processor in two batches until smooth. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place tablespoons of parmesan cheese onto baking trays, spread out to form 6cm rounds, bake in batches for 5-7 minutes mins or until crisp and golden. Working quickly lift the parmesan crisps from the tray and set aside on a cooling rack. Return the soup to a saucepan and warm gently, add cream and horseradish and season. Sprinkle with the chopped chives and serve with the parmesan crisps.
MONDAY
Lunch: Ploughman's Lunch
A slice or two of interesting bread/ryvita. Some cheese (spreadable and a slice or two of harder cheese like cheddar). Some cold meat and some salady stuff.
Dinner: Sausage, potato & fennel roast
Preheat oven to 220°C. Parboil whole baby potatoes (about 10min). Quarter the potatoes and fennel. Place the potatoes, fennel and chopped rosemary in a baking dish. Drizzle over lemon juice and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss until well combined. Add italian-style sausages and rosemary sprigs to the dish. Roast in oven, turning sausages once, for 25 minutes or until brown. Serve with radicchio & cos salad. Cook some extra sausages for Wednesday's lunch.
TUESDAY
Lunch: Korean Sesame Beef
Marinate stirfry beef in a mixture of soy sauce, rice wine, crushed garlic cloves, caster sugar and sesame oil. Place the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes. Cook rice vermicelli noodles according to packet instructions. Fry sesame seeds for 2-3 minutes until toasted. Transfer sesame seeds to a plate. Remove the beef strips from the marinade and fry. Remove beef from the pan once browned. Add in diced red onion and green beans. Cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. Reduce heat to medium. Return beef to the pan with the noodles and the reserved marinade. Heat through. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.
Dinner: Take Away
WEDNESDAY
Lunch: Sausages & Mash
Serve with some steamed mixed veg with herbed butter.
Dinner: Hawaiian Chicken and Rice
Roll chicken pieces in Robertson's Chicken Spice. Brown seasoned chicken in marg. Meanwhile combine in pot pineapple juice, brown sugar, vinegar, corn flour, soy sauce and curry powder. Heat gently until thickened and clear. Add pineapple chunks and mushrooms. Pour over chicken pieces and simmer for 1hr or until tender. Just before serving add cream and heat through without boiling. Serve on rice. Keep some aside for lunches on Friday.
THURSDAY
Lunch: Sweet & Sour Pork
Make a sauce of 3 parts pineapple juice, 1 part tomato sauce, 1 part sweet chili sauce and a dash of soy sauce. Stirfry pork strips until browned. Add diced red pepper and pineapple pieces. Lightly fry for about 2 minutes. Reduce heat and add the sauce mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes. Serve on noodles or rice.
Dinner: Take Away
FRIDAY
Lunch: Leftover Hawaiian Chicken and Rice
Dinner: Sticky Chicken Wings
Combine 1/3 cup tomato sauce 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup honey in a bowl. Add the chicken wings and toss to coat. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to marinate. Preheat oven to 200C. Place the chicken pieces on a baking try and bake for 55 minutes turning once). Serve with sweet chili sauce as a dipping sauce.
Why Madame Foojah?
So...why Madame Foojah?
I take a little extra time each week to draw up a Menu for the week ahead, which a bunch of friends share to get inspiration. I'm looking at other ways of sending this out rather than a weekly email.
I take a little extra time each week to draw up a Menu for the week ahead, which a bunch of friends share to get inspiration. I'm looking at other ways of sending this out rather than a weekly email.
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