Meal Plan Monday

Greetings everyone, I hope you're all having a lovely non-mondayish (yes I just made up that word!) Monday! How was your weekend? I had a fabulous weekend filled with Christmas decorating, coffee, Christmas shopping, giant pastries and Christmas meals out, just perfect! I'm back today to share with you my meal plan for this week. I'm definitely getting into the Christmas spirit and so, a couple of festive inspired meals have snuck in there! Well the tree is up now after all :). Don't worry though, if you want some more festive meal inspiration, that will be coming up in next week's meal plan, a whole week of festive inspired meals to get the taste buds going! This week however, it's a bit of a mixed bag, I've got some meals that I still haven't got around to eating from previous weeks meal plans, a few soup recipe favourites and some exciting new recipes to try! I feel I may have planned a few too many meals this week but that's always good for stocking up the freezer (and our bellies) for this busy festive period! So on with the plan...

Monday: Peach and Chickpea Curry with rice and peas, A Girl Called Jack.

Tuesday: Sweet Pea Fish Pie and Veg, Save with Jamie.

Wednesday: Carrot and Parsnip Soup with a cheese toastie, Avoca Soups.

Thursday: Crispy chicken traybake

Friday: Sprout and Caramelised onion soup with wheaten bread, Leon Family.

Saturday: Chilli Hot pot with green veg, Leon Family.

Sunday: Tomato, Thyme, Red Pepper and Goat's Cheese tart with veg, Leon Family.

Monday:  Veggie Burger with Sweet Potato Chips, Leon Family.

This week my recipe inspiration came mainly from the Leon family and friends cookbook! I love this cookbook, it is absolutely one of my all-time favourites. You may have heard of Leon before, they have a small chain of healthy fast food outlets in the UK, I've never been but I have heard great things. I actually got this book for Christmas last year so I though it was about time to bring it out again. The book is filled with family classic recipes with a few culinary twists in there! Every meal turns out so tasty and they have so many hints and tips along the way that really help you expand your culinary knowledge! It's a great book even just to flick through at bedtime to read the stories behind the recipes and look at all the beautiful pictures. I would really recommend this book to anyone who loves to cook delicious, nutritious meals for family gatherings, for anyone who wants to cook tasty meals and learn about cooking in more detail or for anyone who has a big family to cook for! Also, the recipes are very economical and great for eating on a budget (always a win in my book!). I'm slowly trying to collect all their books. So far I have the vegetarian cookbook, the family and friends and the fast food book but there are many more and each offers something new and equally delicious. Give'em a go!

So there you have it that's what we will be eating this week! I'm really looking forward to the veggie burgers and chips, I love a veggie burger almost as much as I love a beef burger! I'm also really looking forward to all the soup recipes, I always crave something warm and cosy at this time of year and can't get enough of the stuff, with a cheese toastie dunked in (of course!). Speaking of soup, I will be back tomorrow with a sneaky Garlic, Chilli and Rosemary Butternut squash soup recipe, so keep your eyes peeled, I might even throw in a tasty wheaten bread recipe if you're lucky! This soup would be great for a starter for your Christmas dinner too, just sayin! Thanks for reading, talk soon,

Rachael xx.