It's meal plan time! 🙌
This week we've got a little bit of everything - fall-apart slow cooker ragu, fancy (but SO easy!) vol au vents, a cheesy fritter dinner the whole family will love, and a beautiful lamb ragu for Sunday. Plus two sweet treats to keep snack time sorted all week. Save this post and let's get organised!
As always, click the recipe links below for the full recipes and tips. Let's go! 👇
Monday: Slow Cooker Italian Beef Ragu Pasta
Set it and forget it - 1kg of beef chuck slow-cooked all day in canned tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian herbs and beef stock until fall-apart tender, then shredded and tossed through pappardelle with parmesan.
Tuesday: Chicken and Mushroom Vol Au Vents
Golden puff pastry shells filled with a creamy mixture of chicken thigh, mushrooms, leek, white wine, crème fraîche and wholegrain mustard, topped with cheddar and baked until bubbling - ready in under an hour.
Wednesday: Halloumi & Zucchini Fritters
Just six ingredients - grated zucchini, grated halloumi, spring onions, self-raising flour, egg and garlic - pan-fried until crispy on the outside and soft and cheesy on the inside, all in 25 minutes.
Thursday: Lamb Ragu
Seared butterflied lamb leg slow-cooked in the oven for 2.5 hours in red wine, beef stock, diced tomatoes, onion, carrot, celery and thyme, then shredded through pappardelle with a generous handful of parmesan.
Friday: Chicken and Leek Pies with Bacon
Tender chicken thigh, leek, bacon and garlic in a creamy sauce, baked in individual shortcrust and puff pastry cases - this recipe makes 12 golden pies that the whole family will devour.
Saturday: Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken
Paprika-seasoned chicken thighs slow-cooked on LOW for 6 hours with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and Dijon mustard, then finished with cooking cream, baby spinach and parmesan - serve over fettuccine.
Sunday: Chicken Chorizo Risotto
Smoky chorizo and chicken thigh baked oven-style with arborio rice and chicken stock, then stirred through with sun-dried tomato pesto, baby spinach and parmesan - no stirring required and on the table in under 50 minutes.
Dessert: Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
A moist banana cake made with 3 ripe bananas, buttermilk and brown sugar, then slathered in a thick cream cheese frosting of full-fat cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and vanilla - the perfect way to use up those spotty bananas!
Snack: Banana Muffins
Soft, fluffy muffins made with 2 mashed bananas, self-raising flour, caster sugar, butter, milk, eggs, honey and cinnamon - ready in 15 minutes and sprinkled with raw sugar for that irresistible bakery-style crunchy top.
Snack: Jam Drops
Old-fashioned thumbprint cookies from just 6 pantry staples - butter, caster sugar, egg, plain flour, baking powder and jam - chilled before baking for the perfect shape, making 40 buttery, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits.
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