I plan my meals and buy as per my menu….then I go off on a tangent and do something else completely. Last week’s plan went out the window when Alan and I realised we had two nights in a row of just the two of us for dinner. Two people were away and two were working evenings so dinner for two it was.

I was not about to make a six person dinner two nights in a row and deal with all those leftovers. What did we do instead? Sushi for the first time happened on Friday and Saturday we had a cheeky takeaway. The takeaway was naughty and though plant based it was surely full of oil and not healthy. The sushi on the other hand I am very happy with having done.

Sushi rolls went quite well and two was enough to stuff me to my gills. Should have used brown rice I guess but sticky rice was fun to have a go with for the first time. We filled them with shredded cucumbers and carrots and a bit of mashed avocado. Alan topped his with wasabi which I suspect was a perfectly healthy enough choice. I had a vegan sriracha mayo that was very spicy and yummy but probably not healthy.

Between the takeaway and a few unhealthy snacks this week I am up a couple pounds. Best laid plans and as that but I always get distracted by the shinies along the way. More than half healthy choices for the week it was. Oh well.

This week is planed to be simple. The funny part about that is the reason for having chosen simple things. My last assignment for my course is due on the 10th so I wanted to have as little to do outside of my university course as possible because….shinies. Why is this funny? I am writing this all out about 20 minutes after having submitted my assignment early. I got several hours on my own with no distractions and I got on with the work. I am not at all confident with my work but it is done and over and I can move on.

Meal Plan

1. Roast vegetables with mash and gravy. Yup, again because sushi. I already bought everything so it must be done.
2. Sushi. It was so good and the others love sushi. One even requested we do it again as a family as he wanted to have a go. I think I have some prawns still frozen in the freezer that the meaty ones can have. I want to try a few more filling options so will have to search for some inspiration.
3. Dhal and rice. It is cheap and I enjoy it. It is also quick and takes very little thought for me to put together anymore. My kids are not as big a fan of it as me but guess what…they never cook dinner.
4. Vegetable Soup with barley. Was also planned for last week and I have everything I need for it. It is not warm here anymore so warm dishes are nice and I want barley.
5. Country Potatoes and Brussel sprouts. Can’t link to this recipe until that one publishes but will have to go back and do it later. I did this the other day when doing my recipes for the blog. It was an on a whim thing while doing the roasted chickpeas as we needed lunch. I used the marinade from the chickpeas on the brussels and had them on the side of potatoes and onions cooked on the stovetop with stock and spices. This one takes a few extra minutes though I suspect I can make the potatoes as well in the oven so mostly just chopping time.
6. Baked potatoes. I will probably have mine with baked beans but who knows. Eldest does tuna, sweet chilli sauce and mayo. Alan like salsa but not sure what else he might do. The great thing about baked potatoes for dinner is that everyone does their own. I just make my own food. sometimes you need to just let the young adults (and husband) take care of themselves.
7. We have a birthday happening this week. His plan is either a BBQ with the grandaunts or a takeaway. I think the BBQ will happen and the grandparents are in charge of the meat eaters food. That means I need to just plan for three people. I will likely go for the plant based burgers from Asda, salad with new potatoes and some asparagus. Being too ‘different’ would probably cause discord and we like the burgers. The salad is a typical staple of the family bbqs. Asparagus I have found grills very well.

I am going to buy a 25kg bag of potatoes again this week. I had been trying to buy them at Aldi but the price is higher and the potatoes are usually smaller. Because I am getting a giant sack of potatoes, lunches will likely be baked potatoes most days as well. I will have to search out a few different toppings for the potatoes as no-one wants to eat the same thing everyday.