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Tuesday, October 9

Menu Planning

Over the last couple of weeks while the girls have been on holidays I fell off the menu planning wagon, it's nice to have a bit of a break from the routine. I had a bit of a mental menu plan but I didn't make much of an effort to go out to the shops, it's not one of my favourite jobs at the best of times and not much fun for the girls to do on their holidays either but I do take them if we need to.  As part of my routine I sit down on a Sunday and work out what we'll be eating for the week, three meat dishes, three vegetarian dishes and two lunchbox snacks.  On our menu this week we'll be eating:

●Mince bolognaise with rice (a nice change from pasta)
Satay chicken with rice and steamed vegetables
Pizza
Quinoa burgers with salad
●Twice baked spinach and broccoli potatoes

*Strawberry Banana Oat Muffins

Today I made these organic anzac biscuits for the girls to take to school. I really like using the maple syrup as an alternative to golden syrup, I also liked the fact that they had spelt flour, I like getting as much fibre as I can into our diets.  The website I got the recipe can be found here, and they have lots of other healthy recipes there worth giving a try.
Organic Anzac Biscuits

125g organic butter
2 tablespoons of organic maple syrup (or agave syrup)
1 cup organic spelt flour
1 cup organic rolled oats
1 cup organic desiccated coconut
3/4 cup organic rapadura sugar (I used coconut sugar)
2 tablespoons of water
1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

Options
½ cup organic raw macadamias or any raw nuts chopped
½ cup organic dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 175℃.  Grease or line two baking trays.  Melt the butter and maple syrup together in a saucepan over a low heat.  Mix together the flour, oats, coconut and sugar in a bowl.  Stir the water and the bicarbonate of soda into the butter and syrup mixture and then add it to the dry mixture, stir thoroughly.  Stir through macadamia nuts and cranberries if you are adding these (I just added cranberries).  Once combined, spoon mixture into balls.  Place them on the baking trays, spaced well apart.  Bake at 175℃ for about 15 minutes, or until golden.  Cool on wire racks. Enjoy!!

Are you a meal planner? Have you tried any new snack recipes lately?

15 comments:

  1. Hi Catherine - I fell off the menu planning wagon during the holidays and we ate a lot of meals from a jar as well as other pre-made options. Back to it this week...well...perhaps next week :).

    I love the look of those cookies and I'm always looking for lunchbox fillers that are healthy and filling. As good as fruit is, it sometimes takes a lot of fruit to fill a busy tummy. This morning I'm making a big batch of banana-raspberry-yoghurt muffins.

    - Kirrily :)

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  2. Catherine I have become a die hard menu planner with the school holidays being the one time we break away from all routine. I find it helps keep our grocery budget and my sanity in check knowing what meals we will be eating for the fortnight, that said I only plan X amount of meals and cook whatever it is we fancy on that night.
    Loving the sound of the twice baked potatoes and those cookies look really yum!
    Xx

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  3. I am planning (ha ha) to menu plan seriously this school term. Crossing my fingers it works. xx

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  4. My favourite topic. I went completely off the plan the last month - but now uni is finally out of the way until next year so I'm getting back on track.
    I baked a raspberry banana loaf, cut thick slices and froze them for lunch box snacks. Next will be some sweet muffins to freeze too.
    I love quinoa but I've not used it in burgers before. Better get onto that one. It sounds yummo.

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  5. Thanks for sharing the anzac bikkie recipe...looks lovely for something different to the original!
    Also like the sound of your menu plan...especially the pumpkin and silverbeet penne! Good luck getting back on the wagon...i am still climbing on and off unfortunately lol!

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  6. I'm a meal planner too, so I only buy what I need when I'm doing groceries. Otherwise I get really confused and buy things I don't need.

    The biscuits look really good. Never thought of using maple syrup but actually that must work well!

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  7. Oh I too have fallen off the wagon....not good . Hopefully next week with school back I can get back on and ride it all the way to Christmas. eeeek.
    xxx

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  8. I am menu planning at the moment, trying not to waist food!

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  9. I menu plan here too. If I don't, like Trishie says, I get very confused ;) But it is nice to have a break every now and again. Thanks so much for this biscuit recipe. I will give these a go in the next few week. x

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  10. I have been menu planning one week ahead for a couple of months now. It is going well and really helps me with the shopping list. I don't buy so many "Spontaneous" items now so it keeps the weekly spend within a reasonable budget!

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  11. Your vegetarian meals sound delicious. Yesterday I made Italian vege soup, asparagus risotto, radicchio salad, spicy pita chips, sauteed zucchini with parmesan and lemon. My family isn't always thrilled with my vegetarian ways but to me it is all delicious! I made oatmeal cookies earlier this week with chocolate chips, dried cranberries and chopped pecans. And once again, made your chocolate slice -- everyone LOVES it! Best wishes, Tammy

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  12. Yum yum!!I've just come across your lovely blog,hope we can follow each other!xo Coco

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  13. I've been really struggling with menu planning over the past few weeks. Sunday is usually my day for planning too but it's the grocery shopping part that I've been disorganized with lately and it's driving me crazy. I'm really desperate to find a shopping/menu planning system that I'm happy with so that meal times aren't such a stress :) Your biscuits sound delicious. I was only thinking the other day that when Grace is at kindy next year, I want to have a few set days for baking for the week like you do :)

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  15. Wow yummy!!!! I want to try this organic Anzac Biscuits because i love to eat biscuits..How much time to take this process?I want to make this dish..
    I love to read organic articles recently I read one article about organic..http://www.rchnaturalproducts.com.au/debunking-reasons-eat-organic-food/

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