Cheap but cheerful warming food #mealplanning

As I said in yesterday’s post, it has been flipping freezing here in Essex this week. I just want to eat comforting, warming food. Actually, I can’t stop eating – the cold weather gets me like that!

I need to watch I don’t eat too much rubbish, so will plan in some filling snacks and desserts for this coming week to stop me eating EVERYTHING.

As we are on quite a strict budget, our dinners also need to be frugal. Making huge pots of soup helps, as does keeping an eye on the Olio app, where I have picked up quite a bit of free food. I have also found some decent reductions on bits and pieces in the small shops local to me.

As we had heavy snow this week, which is still hanging around, I haven’t done a proper shop at all for ages. We have topped up with milk as we have been dog walking. Other than that, there is plenty of stuff in the house.

I will go on Monday, as I think I will need to take some bits to my elderly parents. They daren’t leave the house in these icy conditions, even if they weren’t staying at home for lock down. I hope the snow has disappeared by then.

So, here is my meal plan for warming food that is also cheap and cheerful!

Warming food for a winter’s week

Snacks, lunches and breakfasts

Porridge is a great warming food for breakfast. We have this most mornings, with cooked berries from the freezer, a chopped up banana or apple, some goji berries or some raisins.

As previously mentioned, soup is a staple for lunch. This week I am intending to use some mixed frozen veg to cook up with with some lentils, potatoes and stock. I don’t usually use a recipe and tend to simply throw it in and hope for the best.

We often pick up rolls and bread from Olio, which is obviously good paired with the soup and means we have warming food that is also filling and nutritious for next to nothing.

I save bread ends in the freezer, and will make a batch of bread pudding using my favourite Cranks recipe. This is delicious either on its own or with custard.

When I was in B&M a few weeks ago, I picked up a massive bag of peanuts for just a couple of pounds. I had forgotten about these, but they are ideal for evening snacking (which I seem to do a lot of at the moment…). Rather than take the whole bag in, I will put a small amount into a bowl and stop eating when they are gone (well, that’s the plan, anyway).

Anyway, onto the meal plan.

A meal plan with lots of warming food

Saturday

Smoked salmon spaghetti with chilli and lemon. Wait? Smoked salmon isn’t frugal! This one was a gift from my mum, as she was sent it but doesn’t like it. 

I was doing my usual stock take of the freezers and remembered it was in there! A bit of luxury for a Saturday night in. We will have this with some green beans from the freezer.

Sunday

It’s Valentine’s day! We will pop into Lidl for a couple of steaks, salad and wine. Maybe a chocolate pudding too. 

To be honest, this isn’t just a lock down Valentine’s, but pretty much what happens every year. We don’t want to go into a packed restaurant and pay through the nose for an expensive dinner which will wreck our budget.

We would rather cosy up at home. A takeaway is another option, but everyone will be doing that so we might have a bit of a wait for the food to arrive.

Monday

I have a pack of chestnuts as well as some mixed nuts in the larder, so thought I would try Jack Monroe’s creamy chestnut risotto. Because we don’t have any pearl barley, I will just use more rice.

This will be nice with some winter carrot salad I think.

Tuesday

Just me for dinner tonight, so I will make it super easy and make a kind of cooked breakfast for dinner. I will use a couple of the hash browns that are in the freezer with scrambled eggs, tinned tomatoes and mushrooms.

I might even go crazy and add bacon if I pick some up in Lidl.

Wednesday

White fish in parsley sauce with mashed potatoes and peas. This is nice warming food and comforting. It makes a change from sausages and mash, which we have had a lot lately.

Thursday

More comfort food tonight, in the form of a sausage and vegetable ragu with pasta. I will change the veg around, though, and used mushrooms instead of the courgettes and aubergine.

Friday

Leftovers tonight. I am hoping there will be some ragu, but if not there is some chicken casserole in the freezer. I try to keep on top of meals I have frozen so that they don’t sit there forever.

So that’s my week of warming food. Is it cold where you live? What are you eating this week?

I am joining in with Katy Kicker’s meal planning linky. Check out her meal plan this week too. You can see more of my favourite food ideas and recipes here.