Early Winter Menus - €100 per Week Spend

Its getting dark in the evenings and early, the light goes quickly which is  a bit of shock to the system!
The best way to get into "winter mode" is  to soothe ourselves with delicious warming meals.

As always the shop is done on a weekly budget of €100 per week, feeding two adults and two
children, using produce which is in season and investing the time in the evenings making all meal from scratch.
This is critical to keep costs way down and much healthier too!
Lidl and Aldi are getting all their Christmas game produce in ,which calls for fun and creative cooking.


Saturday
 Lunch
Aubergine and cheese paninis

To do
Make pizza dough at 3pm
OO Italian Flour is available in Supervalu - it makes great thin crispy pizzas.
Soak Ham in water and change every couple of hours throughout day.
Make 2 treats for the week - Tarte aux Pommes (see post)

Evening Meal
Proscuitto and Red Onion Pizzas

Sunday
 Lunch
Winter picnic  - flask of hot chocolate, biscuits, toasted ham and cheese sandwiches wrapped
in tinfoil.

Evening Meal
Lamb stew and Mashed potato with  slow cooked red cabbage

To do for Monday - start the cook off at 5pm! (it will give a great headstart for the week)
Make salad dressing.
Make shortcrust pastry for quiche.
Cut up duck and apply rub, leave in the fridge overnight.
Simmer ham in 1000ml of apple juice for 2 hours in the am.
Let cool in applejuice to absorb flavours and take out and wrap in the evening.
Make potato soup.

Monday
Lunches
Herb and potato soup
Chopped carrots, ham and baguette sandwiches, raisins, apples

Evening Meal
Leek and Onion Quiche with baked potatoes and seasonal greens.

To do
Put Duck on when home - slow cook at 150 for 4 hours.


Tuesday
 Lunches
Herb and potato soup with bread, cheese and oatbiscuits
 Tahini sandwiches, chopped carrots with humous, pear, raisins

Evening Meal
Confit of Duck with roast potatoes, red cabbage and peas.

To do
Make bechamel sauce for macaroni
Make soup

Wednesday
 lunches
 Chard, leek and potato soup with bread, cheese etc.
Ham sandwiches, olive paste on oatbiscuits, raisins, apple

Evening Meal
Macaroni Cheese with seasonal greens

To do
Make potato gratin
Slow cook beef in Chianti (inexpensive brand in Lidl for €4.99)


Thursday
Lunches
Chard, leek and potato soup with bread, cheese etc
Evening Meal
Beef braised in red wine with roasted vegetables and rosemary potato gratin

Friday
Lunches
Roasted fennel and tomato soup

Evening Meal
Irish smoked salmon and whiskey risotto