Shopping List Week 10-12 and Menu

It's been a while since I've done a proper shop as we've been using leftovers and buying basic ingredients as we needed them.   Today, I purchased enough food for three weeks worth of meals, possibly more as there was quite a lot of special deals on, particularly with the chicken and the salmon.   The total cost came to £105.34 so that's £35 per week so far.   The remaining £45 will be used for bread, milk, fresh fruit and veg and the occasional treat.   This should take us up to the Easter holidays, which is brilliant timing as I get to shop for lovely Easter type foods.

The Menu

Dinner:

Roast Beef, Yorkshire Pudding, roast and mashed potatoes and veg 

Chicken Kebabs with homemade pitta and salad

Cheese and spring onion Omelettes

Chargrilled Artichoke Hearts with Parmesan and pine nuts

Curried Parsnip soup and homemade seeded loaf

Marinaded Chicken salad

Chicken Stew with green olives

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Chickpea and leek soup

Chicken and rice soup

Homemade pizza with mozarella and potato wedges

Salmon and tuna patties

Vegetable and lentil soup and sandwiches

Baked tomatoes with basil, feta cheese, olives and hearthbread

Lemon Roast Chicken

Chicken and Garlic Ginger  Noodle soup

Fragrant Green Curry

Marinaded Chicken stir fry with noodles and rice

Mince and Tatties

Quick Chicken stew with dumplings

Chinese style salmon

Lunches:

Soups

Salads

Baked potatoes

Hearthbreads

Ploughmans

French toast

Omelettes

Scrambled eggs

Snacks, desserts, breakfast:

Danish pastries

Madeira cupcakes

Snickerdoodles

Maple pecan bread

Lemon cake

Croissants

Pancakes

Shortbread

Cereal

Toast

French toast

Boiled eggs

Sweeties!

Weekend scones

Flowers

Sometimes, only a ham and cheese toastie will do

Tulip

Chilli & Broccoli Spaghetti

Roast Chicken Stuffed with Rice

Ah, lazy days and Sundays...we chilled out today, read the papers, had some bacon rolls and made some bread. I halved my dough and made some rolls as well as bread but they didn't turn out that great...good enough though to be eaten with butter and jam whilst warm and I've chopped up the rest to make croutons and breadcrumbs for the patties and soup later this week.

We had our roast chicken tonight, with the rice stuffing, roasted parsnips, carrots and potatoes with steamed broccoli and green beans. Everything was then covered in gravy of course, made with the juices from the roasting pan. I served it all with the home made bread and lashings of sugar free lemonade.

Roast Chicken Stuffed with Rice
1 large free range chicken
Knob of softened butter
For the stuffing:
60g butter
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
200g basmati rice
500ml chicken stock
4 tablespoons chopped parsley

Blend or chop very finely the onion and garlic. Melt the butter in a pan and fry onion and garlic mix until soft and starting to colour. Add the rice and give everything a stir. Add the stock, bring to the boil, clamp on a lid and simmer really gently for 15 minutes. Preheat oven at this point to 220 degrees C /gas mark 7. Once rice is cooked and all water absorbed, mix in parsley and season with pepper (salt if required but I doubt it).

Spoon the rice into the chicken cavity and secure with cocktail sticks. Rub the chicken with the butter, sprinkle with salt and whatever herbs you have to hand...I used dried thyme...and place in oven for approx. 1.5 hours. 30-40 minutes before the chicken is ready, throw in the root veg and potatoes, depending on how well you like them cooked.

When ready (juices run clear) place on plate, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Steam the broccoli and green beans and serve.