{Meal Planning}

It's Meal Planning Monday time again...  This week my Husband has taken the task of planning the menu as I've been pretty floored with the dreaded cold / flu (but I am still working away and doing all my chores but dragging a box of kleenex along with me!)

So here it is:

Monday - Chicken curry with boiled rice and chapati
Tuesday - Chilli nachos (slow cooker)
Wednesday - Sausage, beans and mash
Thursday - Ham Ham (as it's known in our house) slow cooker ham
Friday - Take away night... I'm thinking Indian
Saturday / Sunday - We have a trip to Wick this weekend, really can't wait to go!

Don't forget to hook up with Mrs M too... I loved reading through everyone's meal plans, lots of inspiration there.  I have so many ideas that I want to try out soon.... once the lurgy has gone!

Chilly Chilli

I've been saying all night 'it's chilly' so it reminded me that I hadn't posted my 'Chilli' slow cooker recipe that a few of you have asked for... sorry!  Here it is:

Brown the mince

In the slow cooker add:

1 chopped onion,
1 pepper (optional),
2 stalks of celery (optional),
500ml carton of passatta,
tin of (drained) kidney beans,
pinch of salt,
1 teaspoon of garlic puree,
1 tablespoon of tomato puree,
1 tablespoon of dried basil,
1 teaspoon of chilli powder,
pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional),

Stir and add mince and cooked on medium for 6 hours (or low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours)

That's it.. nothing fancy - just basic ingredients from the store cupboard.  You can add more chilli if you like it with more of a kick or add fresh chilli - I keep it mild as baby loves chilli!

I serve one of two ways:

1) with boiled rice (Riddock Rice as we now call it... it's the perfect fool proof technique, if you want to know just let me know) and a spoonful of natural yoghurt

2) over homemade potato wedges and grated cheese on top

Enjoy!
A x

Slow cooking and coffee

The slow cooker has been dusted off this week and we've used it twice.... yes twice!

On Monday we had chicken curry, I used the Slow Cooker range from Schwartz.  I'd never used this product before.  It was really quick and easy to prepare, which is what you want when you're a busy working Mom.  Even before the meal started cooking it smelt amazing!  Throughout the whole day the fragrant aroma of dinner cooking was making my mouth water.  I cooked this for 6 hours on medium and served with boiled rice and chapatis.  There wasn't much sauce but the meal was tasty, not too spicy at all, just a nice mellow curry which was perfect for an evening meal.  I added some natural yoghurt to my dish, not to cool it but just because I love yoghurt with my curry!

Tonight we had beef stew, this was another Schwartz product from the Slow Cooker range, it is beef and ale stew but as baby was having some too, I didn't add the ale.  There wasn't much smell before the meal cooked and throughout the day there was only the hint of aroma.  I cooked this for 6 hours on medium then I turned it down to low as not everyone would be home at the same time for tea (this is why a slow cooker meal on these nights is just perfect!).  The meal was delicious, maybe too much water / juice this time.. but next time I cook this (as there will be a next time) I will add less than the recommended 750ml of liquid (water and ale, although I just added 600ml of liquid).  Everyone enjoyed this meal, I served it with mash and puff pastry.

Do you cook with a slow cooker?  I'd love to hear your recipes and if you've tried the Schwartz range what did you make of it?

This week is also the week of our new Dolce Gusto Genio, isn't it gorgeous?

Our Genio arrived on Tuesday and I LOVE IT!  It's compact and so cute and it makes amazing coffee.  We have £10 credit on the webshop so tonight we're going to order some more pods!

A