Weekly Meal Plan - 3rd June 2013

It's June, JUNE!  Can you believe it?  Where has 6 months gone?  Dare I say the dreaded words...before we know it it'll be Christmas!  In a few weeks we are about to have the longest day and then slowly creep back into the darker days but yet where has summer been?  I hope it stops hiding and comes out soon!  In saying that we have had a day or two which has been lovely, bright and sunshiny but at the same time it'd be nice if it stuck around for a while longer.

Last weeks meal plan got juggled around a wee bit.  Tuesday I just couldn't be bothered and so we ended up getting pizza (not good for my waistline, hips or jelly bottom - but none the less super tasty!). Another night we swapped and had what we were meant to have on Tuesday.  Saturday we bought chicken and cubed potatoes from the butcher and made our own sweet chilli chicken and on Sunday we had the chilli as we're at my cousins wedding today and will probably get a roast dinner so thought it best not to have two in a row.

This week is looking as follows:

Last week was a bit stressful and well, upsetting for me.  Little JD started screaming the house down at every nap for a couple of days, which isn't like her.  She'd be screaming her wee heart out and it upset me that I didn't know what was wrong and couldn't get her to sleep for ages.  I felt like a bad mummy.  I thought at the start it was teething and she is drooling lots and constantly got her hands in her mouth, but the screaming only happens at nap time (generally).  I'm wondering now is it separation anxiety and that's why she's so upset.  I'm trying to be strong so she won't pick up on it but hate hearing her cry so sore.

Earlier on in the week we managed to get out for a wee date with my friend and her wee boy.  we went to one of the local parks and had a wee bit of fun on the swings and then had a big walk around the park (twice) and then the mummy's got a tea and a bun after! - Well why not!?

I'm linking up with Mrs M (probably on Tuesday after the wedding), why not head over and see what everyone else is having this week.

Have a good one!

Hairy Bikers Chilli Salad Bowls Recipe

A while back we were flicking through the TV channels and came across the Hairy Bikers Dieters' series.  The episode we happened to stumble upon was them making their chilli salad bowls.  Hubby and I both like chilli and I'd often make it but get bored having it with rice or a baked potato so we were keen to try this out.  We loved it and now if making chilli would have this as our first choice.  I omit a few ingredients and through in also kidney beans and chick peas to bulk it out a bit.

Chilli Salad Bowls' before lashings of sour cream

 Ingredients (serves 4)

300g/10½oz lean minced beef (less than 10% fat)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander (Optional)
1 tsp hot chilli powder
2 tbsp tomato purée
½ tsp caster sugar
300ml/½ pint beef stock, made with 1 beef stock cube
4 large flour tortillas
1 tsp sunflower oil
1 romaine lettuce or 3 baby gem lettuces, leaves thickly shredded
3 ripe vine tomatoes, sliced
15cm/6in piece cucumber, sliced
4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced (Optional)
½ lime, juice only
40g/1½oz mature cheddar
4 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche
4 tbsp fresh tomato salsa sauce (Optional)
flaked sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
red kidney beans (Optional)

chick peas (Optional)

Method

Put the minced beef, onion and garlic in a medium non-stick saucepan and cook over a high heat for five minutes, stirring with two wooden spoons to break up any clumps of meat. Stir in the cumin, coriander and chilli and cook for two minutes more, stirring constantly. Add the tomato purée, sugar and beef stock and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and leave to simmer gently over a low heat for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and stir the chilli mixture occasionally.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the tortilla bowls. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Take a sheet of foil about 1 metre/40in long and scrunch it up into a ball about 10cm/4in in diameter. Place it in the centre of a large baking sheet.

Take a tortilla and brush the centre on one side with a little of the oil – this will help prevent it sticking to the foil. Drape the tortilla over the ball of foil, oil-side down, pinching and loosely pleating it to create a bowl shape. 

Tortilla bowls ready for the oven

Bake for five minutes until the bowl shape is set and the tortilla is lightly crisped.

Take the tortilla out of the oven and carefully remove it from the foil – it should be just cool enough to handle. Place the tortilla on an upturned tumbler and press to create a flat base on which to turn the tortilla once cold. 

Moulding on the pint glass to make the bowl shape

The tortilla should still be warm enough to mould to the shape of the glass. Leave to cool while you make the next bowl in the same way. Put each upturned tortilla on a plate as soon as it is ready.

Ready for the filling

Remove the lid from the pan of beef and turn the heat up high. Cook for a further 4–5 minutes, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the beef is looking fairly dry. Take the pan off the heat.

Toss the lettuce with the tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions and lime juice. Divide the salad between the tortilla bowls and season with black pepper, then top with the hot mince. Coarsely grate some cheddar over each serving and add some crème fraîche and salsa. Tuck in while the beef is warm.

Enjoy!!