Menu Plan Monday – 03 Jan

*\o/* HAPPY NEW YEAR   *\o/*

In case you haven’t heard we came back from our holiday on Magnetic Island yesterday, which sadly means no more restaurants or room service…. boo! If you ever get the chance to go to Maggie try Noodies (above). They do great Mexican food and you get a free sombrero with every jug of cocktails.

 

Cheers!

Anyhoo… Back to reality, work and our routines. This week I’ve tried to make the meals as easy as possible with what we already have on hand. I’ll still need to pop to the store for fresh veg for the salads.

 

Monday
Garlic & Herb (Masterfoods marinade) Chicken Kebabs and Cous Cous

Tuesday
Shepherds Pie and Vegetables

Wednesday
Vegetarian Sausage Rolls

Thursday
Steak and Salad

Friday
Spaghetti Bolognese

Saturday
Healthy Chicken Parmigiana and Vegetables

Sunday
Lamb with Chickpeas and Hummus

my recipe to try this week – Lamb with Chickpeas and Hummus
(from Taste.com.au)

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 400g lamb backstrap
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 420g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
• 150g feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 baby cos lettuce, leaves roughly torn
• 100g semi-dried tomatoes, drained, halved

Dressing

• 1/3 cup hommus dip
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon caster sugar
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed

Method

1. Make dressing: Combine ingredients in a screw-top jar with 1 1/2 tablespoons of cold water. Secure lid. Shake to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook lamb for 3 minutes each side for medium or until cooked to your liking. Remove to a plate. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine onion, chickpeas, feta, lettuce and tomatoes in a large bowl. Thinly slice lamb. Add to salad. Season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Divide salad between plates. Drizzle with hommus dressing. Serve.

Check out OrgJunkie.com for more delicious menus.

Happy Cooking

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Menu Plan Monday – 27 Dec

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. We had 4 days of celebrations with various family members. I really enjoyed hosting this year. Considering it was my first time hosting Christmas, I wasn’t stressed thanks to  menu planning and Organized Christmas.

I’m not going to do a menu plan this week as we’ll be away for a few days. We will be having salads until we go, and I have frozen meals prepared for our house sitters.

So instead here are a few shots of our Christmas fare…

White Christmas (using gummy bears, Turkish delight and macadamia nuts instead of fruit) :

A few pieces of Coconut Ice :

And some very potent Rum Balls. No driving if you’ve had a few of these :

Our Christmas Ham… I was a bit grossed out with removing the rind, but after that the process was easy and it was loved by everyone. Heaps of flavor, lovely and sweet. It was better when it was served hot. I highly recommend this recipe!

I’ll be back with a healthier Menu Plan next Monday. Until then….

Happy New Year !!!

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Menu Plan Monday – 20 Dec

Last week was busy in sooo many ways. Not only was I ill with a bug and asthma but I also had to finalize my work before going on leave. Now that the holidays are here and my Christmas planning is done I can get back into my blog. First up is my Menu Plan for this week. We are having my Husbands family over to celebrate on Christmas Eve so this will be our main Christmas meal. My Sister and her family will be popping in to visit on Christmas Day. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of ham leftover so Saturday will be a leftovers day, and something different will be done with the ham on Sunday.

Monday
T-Bone Steak with Garden Salad

Tuesday
Sausage and Tomato Pasta

Wednesday
Fish with Vegetable Medley

Thursday
Tacos
Baking for Friday: Coconut Ice, Rum Balls, White Christmas

Friday Christmas Eve
Honey and Marsala Glazed Ham
Garlic and Herb BBQ Prawns
Rotisserie BBQ Chicken
Greek Salad
Caesar Salad
Pasta Salad
Christmas Pudding with Brandy Custard

Saturday Christmas Day
Leftovers and Salad

Sunday Boxing Day
Ham Fritters and Potato Salad

my recipe to try this week – Honey and Marsala Glazed Ham
(from Better Homes and Gardens)
Preparation time : 20 mins
Cooking time : 1 hour
Serves 6

8kg leg of ham
Whole cloves
1½ cups honey
½ cup Marsala

1. Preheat oven 180°C. Line a large roasting pan with 2 sheets of baking paper. Remove the rind from the ham by first running your thumb around the edge under the rind at the widest end to loosen. Gently pull it back in 1 piece towards the shank. Using a sharp knife, cut through the rind around the shank 10-12cm from the end, cutting in a decorative pattern. Remove the rind and discard.

2. Using a sharp knife, score a diamond pattern over the surface of the ham, cutting about 4mm into the flesh. Put 1 clove in the center of each diamond shape. Put the honey and Marsala in a small heavy-based pan over a low heat. Stir until combined. Remove from the heat.

3. Put the ham in the prepared pan, then spoon over the honey mixture. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the ham is golden and heated through. If the ham colors too much during cooking, cover loosely with foil. Stand for 10 minutes. Transfer ham to a large platter, cut into slices and serve.

Check out OrgJunkie.com for more delicious menus.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

 

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