– – – – – – – – – – –
YOUR MEAL PLANS
New plans are published every Friday morning (Australian time). They are delivered via email or you can access them here.
– – – – – – – – – – –
Want to join the 10-Day Healthy Dinner Challenge?
It’s not too late! More details over here.
– – – – – – – – – – –
* Meal Plan ARCHIVES
Hi Jules, have you heard of an AGA cooker and is its claim about radiant heat keeping meat moist, better tasting and less nutritional loss true?
These cookers are well beyond what most people can afford and I will never be able to afford one unless I win lotto which is very unlikely.
They are manufactured in the UK are made of cast iron, and can be fuelled by gas, electricity or a combination of both.
https://agaaustralia.com.au/
Hi John Yes a friend of mine has an Aga. It’s beautiful but takes up so much space. I think even when I have millions of dollars I wouldn’t want one. 🙂
Well, I’m cooking things in a different order, but making progress with allowing myself to be guided by your recipes and tips. I glean a lot through the videos. The visual helps me see what you mean in the written recipes.
I made Thai Fish Cakes last week and they were really neat! Me and my 24 year old son and my 17 year old son enjoyed them. My husband didn’t try them, and my son with disabilities had something else, as it would have been a bit too spicy for him.
It seemed to take me a lot longer to make this than other recipes. I’m not sure how to make them quicker. Maybe chop up the fish earlier in the day.
The next recipe I made was Fast Friday Burger Bowls. I made them on Sunday. I thought my family would like them better than they expressed. My husband seemed to like them the most, and he had the leftovers over rice the next day, and seemed happy about that. I think I need to try leaner meat next time. I had picked ground chuck because of the lower price. Maybe ground sirloin would be better.
Tonight I cooked Summer Chicken Stir Fry. I honestly had doubts they would like it, but they did! I used small chunks of chicken, but I will try the ground chicken next time. I did not think they would even try the basil with it, but they did, and enjoyed all the textures and tastes.
I do have a hard time with interruptions from my son with disabilities. I need to do some prep work earlier in the day so that I don’t get discouraged and abandon the recipe and resort to eating something else.
Thank you Jules for all these new recipes and your helpful tips with each one.
Wow Cynthia!
You are doing so well – thanks for the update.
Yes sounds like doing some prep earlier in the day will help if you have interruptions just before dinner. Even if you just get any chopping done ahead that will streamline the cooking process –
and remember to look at the prepare ahead section of each recipe for more pointers.
Chopping the fish for the Thai Fish Cakes does take a while so doing that earlier would definitely help.
Keep up the amazing work!
Jx
Love the simplicity… the plan comes out Friday to allow time to shop but since I already had a lot of the ingredients I’ve already made two of the meals… and it’s only Sunday! Favourited both of them too 🙂
Excellent work Allison!
You are on fire 🙂
As feedback for the new website in June, a site called ‘Plan to Eat’ have a ‘recipe clipper’ that can copy recipes from most websites and you then paste them back to their website.
Plan to Eat has been around for a number of years and is worth looking at for ideas that you may want to include in your coming website.
https://www.plantoeat.com/welcome
Thanks John!
I’ve seen them – excellent idea for more research 🙂
I have given my login details to my brother Tony. I am trying to get him interested in the SVCS and I would like to know how many members do you have at the moment? A rough approximation will do. Thanks.
Glad you shared with your brother John!
There are about 2600 active members at the moment.
Hope that helps!
2601. I joined today. 🙂
So fun to have you on board Samy!
The best for most people is to start small. And not get overwhelmed with all the material here on the website.
Make sure you check out this weeks meal plan. Choose 1-2 recipes to cook, get those ingredients and get cooking!
Can’t wait to hear what you make first 🙂
In your weekly Meal Plans you have a section called ‘Ingredient Storage Best Practices’. Can this section be expanded to include more ingredients in future, please? Thanks.
Excellent suggestion John!
If you want more help with ingredients not included in that particular meal plan, the best place is the short skills training Ingredient Storage.
It has a ‘cheat sheet’ spreadsheet that includes everything.
Does that help?
Thank you Jules for the new website where anyone can automatically alter any recipe quantities proportional to the number of people eating the meal, and for that feature to seamlessly update your shopping list. Lovely! I am looking forward to using this feature for meal planning, and shopping for ingredients. Thank you very much. When do you roughly think you will move to the new website?
Glad you’re looking forward to it John!
Will have the website ready by end June.
Jx
Last weekend my three adult sons came to visit, and we cooked your Butter Chicken curry for Mother’s Day lunch. We used coconut cream, and also added steamed broccoli and carrots to the “gravy”. Both the food and the shared experience of cooking together, was so lovely
ooh beautiful Sharon!
Meal Prep Fail for the WIN!
Was going to use red lentils as the protein for the broccoli pesto… but ooops those stubborn little guys overcooked. Have no fear! Jules to the rescue – searched up lentil soup in the search box, knowing it would have minimal ingredients. Boom! Spiced Lentil Soup – delicious. I love successful failures.
LOVE LOVE LOVE it Crystal! Red lentils are great in that they cook so quickly – but it keeps you on your toes!
Nice work 🙂
Did I cook anything this week?? You gotta be kidding, with no restaurants open a person could starve! Cheese & Onion Frittata was quite good. Red Lentil Risotto was a knockout, we had it with some Kilbasa sausage and a tossed salad. Feta & Meat balls were excellent with home made hummus and some steamed carrots. Left over meatballs with spaghetti and a nice salad made another dinner. Amrita’s Chicken was also good. I thought the sun dried tomato “salsa” was a little odd but my son loved it. We had that with baked sweet potato and some sautéed squash.
Wow Wally you have been cooking up a storm!
Love all your additions.
I’m sure even with restaurants closed there are a lot of people who are missing out on cooking for themselves. You’re obviously not one of them!
With the sun dried tomato salsa – are you a sun dried tomato fan to begin with? They can be quite intense and I know some people find them too much. Glad your son loved it.
Keep up the excellent work!
Jx
First time I used sun dried tomatoes for anything 🙂 I had the kind that comes in a jar packed in oil. Kind of rubbery. May have been better with the dried ones that come in a plastic package?
Different brands really vary in texture and flavour Wally.
Trying different ones is a great idea.
My favourite are called ‘semi-dried tomatoes’ which have more moisture left in. So less rubbery and I think nicer flavour.
Good morning Jules,
My biggest handicap in cooking for my tribe of two girls and husband is ways with broccoli and cauliflower. I am grateful that they eat a fair variety of veggies in general but those two are staples as far as I am concerned. I did cook cauliflower up with white potatoes and mashed them together with sour cream, salt and pepper and nobody knew the difference! I would love some ideas you might have as flavourings that might entice them into eating a big plateful of it. I love your site, your videos, your recipes and all the hard work you obviously put in to keep everyone happy in the kitchen.
Hi Megan!
I have the same problem! At the moment I just cook broccoli and cauli for myself and make sure they see me enjoying it. So one day they will change their minds.
The thing to remember is that young taste buds are much more sensitive to bitter flavours (like those in these veg) so what you experience isn’t the same as what they do.
I’m also really wary of forcing people to eat things because of my own childhood experience with peas.
All that being said here are a few ideas:
Quick Cauliflower ‘Hummus’
Cauliflower ‘Pizza’ Bases
Spiced Roast Chicken & Cauliflower Salad with Tahini Dressing
Beautiful Broccoli with Creamy Tuna Sauce
Roast Pesto Chicken & Broccoli
Cheesey Broccoli
Let me know how you get on!
Jx
Hi my first meal was Cheesy Chicken, so simple to make solo, added leftover red pepper and salted ricotta, very compatible. A one dish wonder eating straight from a little oven casserole dish.
Excellent Deb!
And nice additions with the red pepper and salted ricotta – I haven’t bought salted ricotta in ages. So yum. Thanks for the reminder.
And especially love that you didn’t even get a plate dirty 🙂
Jx
I made the one pot Brokkoli chicken last night and my husband loved it. And then he realised that all your recipes have low-varb/keto-options which he is really happy about
Glad you enjoyed the Broccoli Chicken Irina!
Was it this one One Pot Chicken & Broccoli with Peanut & Lime Sauce or Roast Pesto Chicken & Broccoli?
Some of my older recipes don’t have low carb / keto options – so if you see one that doesn’t and you’re keen to try it, just let me know. There’s always a way to adapt.
Hi Jules et al- I am in New Orleans- so southern end of Northern Hemisphere. We have had a fabulous spring with vegetable and herb garden growing really well. I have eggplant starting to fruit- not a big eggplant fan, but my son planted 4 and they are doing well. Just starting to see fruit. What are some favorite recipes for fresh small eggplant?
I love them roast and stuffed like these:Mexican Roast Eggplant with Green Chorizo or Curry Stuffed Eggplant with Yoghurt.
Or roast like these:
Smoky Eggplant & Sausage Bowls or Easy 1-Dish Ratatouille or Lebanese Roast Ratatouille with Hummus
Enjoy!
Jx
While hand washing with hot running water for at least 20 seconds is a far better remover of bacterial and viral pathogens on your hands. The use of hand sanitisers that have an ethyl alcohol content between 60 and 80% of volume, is a convenient method of cleaning your hands in the absence of soap an hot water.
There is a rush for hand sanitisers in supermarkets and pharmacies around Australia. What may be of assistance to anyone who is interested is that hand sanitiser can be easily and safely made at home.
There are a number of YouTube videos that can teach you to make hand sanitisers. The best three videos that I have ever seen are here for your reference.
https://youtu.be/I-e9AEaz0FQ
https://youtu.be/kJYX70o9ELg
https://youtu.be/jlLXe8m6zdk
Thanks for sharing John!
Hi Jules
Hoping you have ideas for a glut of bramley apples and of quinces. I have some ideas for the bramleys but very few for the quince – not a fan of either quince paste or quince jelly. And yes we are giving them away!
Thanks for all the support and positive energy you are putting out there – many of us are taking refuge in the kitchen and revisiting old favourites while also experimenting with new and I find your recipe collection is inspiring me in both directions triggering memories and planting thoughts of things to try out.
Stay safe!
Jane
ooh I love quince Jane!
I’d recommend making these poached quinces (definitely not low carb or simple) but definitely good!
Then you can freeze them in the poaching liquid, And use anywhere you’d use cooked fruit… with yoghurt and granola for breakfast, with cream and roast almonds for dessert.
Here are some very old recipes of mine using quince:
Quince Crostata
Chocolate & Quince Tart
Honey Baked Quinces with Macadamia & Date Stuffing
And if I had a glut of apples I’d roaast them like these pears and freeze.
You might find my class on preserving helpful:
https://stonesoupvirtualcookeryschool.com/2012/01/preserve-like-your-nanna/
And I’ve seen recipes for pickled quince which might be worth googling 🙂
So glad you’re having a nice time in the kitchen!
Jx
Hi Jules
Thank you for the wonderful and varied suggestions – the apples arrived yesterday and quinces are scenting out the kitchen begging to be used so looks like a plan for the afternoon. Getting sun showers today so ideal timing.
Something else I think we are going to have in glut, because of the strange summer we had, are green tomatoes. Beyond an old family recipe for green tomato chutney I have no ideas here – hoping you do!
Cheers
Jane
I don’t have much experience with green tomatoes Jane. But you can fry them and have them with eggs. And I’m thinking they would work well fermented as per my fermented veg recipe https://stonesoupvirtualcookeryschool.com/2014/08/fermented-vegetables/
Hope you had a wonderful afternoon in the kitchen!
Hi Jules
Thanks for reaching out. I had maybe a month on the meal plan and was pleased to be cooking more, although it was only two meals a week. I ate leftovers some of the other evenings. Then my city went into shelter in place. To top it off I’m one of those at higher risk. I am pretty much house bound. I only recently managed to get any groceries delivered. I had to use two different stores and Amazon Fresh to get what I needed delivered. I am in a large city, so I do have options. At least that is working. I’m hoping to get back to using the plan in the upcoming weeks and at least order food that I can use for the recipes. Things were in such short supply that this time around, I ordered what I could find.
Thanks for the update Karen. Sounds very sensible to be staying home. I hope you have better luck with Ingredient sourcing this time. Stay safe! xx
Just rediscovered your Pantry Cookbook – what a joy!
With coronavirus ramping up in Australia I can finally justify my fully (perhaps overstocked) pantry and freezer! I looked through your recipes and I can make almost every one of them – hooray!
Looking forward to experimenting with my “hidden pantry gems” and doing a bit of surprise cheffing! Nothing like a an induced crisis to bring out my inner chef!
Thanks for the inspiration!
Glad to hear you’ve found the pantry cookbook helpful Coralie!
And wonderful that you’re able to see the positive side of this crisis.
Have fun surprise cheffing!
Jx
and if you need any help with ingredient substitutes – just ask 🙂
My why is because I already enjoy meal planning for my family (and do it every week) but I just started a new job with a 1.5 hr commute each way – I greatly appreciate someone else doing the planning for me! This program allows me to focus on other healthy habits in my life while maintaining this one. PLUS I love all of Jules’ recipes – I’m excited to see the combinations she comes up with each week! Thank you, Jules!
ooh that’s a big commute Katherine!
So happy to look after the meal planning for you. So fun!
Hope the new job is great
Jx
Our why is because we have gotten too much in a rut of what we eat, and we want to be able to eat better but not be in the kitchen much. There’s so many other things we want to do!
Excellent!
We have resolved to review our meal plans on Thursday evening and to shop on Fridays.
Excellent Ian!
Have fun on Thursday 🙂
A little while back my wife and I started the longest period of being on our own since our first child was born 42 years ago. We have found it difficult to adjust to cutting the amount of food cooked to a more appropriate level and with less need to plan ahead we have become a bit prone to just throwing whatever’s on hand together at the last minute. I’ve been receiving your recipes for some time but not making adequate use of them and we have now decided to take the plunge and again introduce a bit of discipline into our dietary regime.
Wow 42 years is a long time Ian!
Excited to help you get more discipline into your planning and cooking.
It’s going to be fun 🙂
I signed up for the meal plans because seemed a good fit to eat better, save on wastage and have some help along the way. I have many favourite recipes from Jules/ Stonesoup already and so a weekly plan for healthy, quick and tasty recipes is ideal. I love the shopping list! Great work Jules and many, many thanks!
Wonderful Yvette!
And thank you for your kind words 🙂
I joined this meal plan in order to become more disciplined in my grocery shopping and eating habits. I find that I buy too many things impulsively and then these things usually just sit in my cupboard unused. This plan will not only help me eat healthier, but will help reduce my bad shopping habits.
Excellent Daniel!
Meal planning is brilliant for overcoming an erratic shopping habit 🙂
Skimming the other comments, I don’t think these reasons that I signed up to the Meal Plans are original, but here goes: 1. To save time 2. To eat more healthily 3. To increase variety into our meals (we often select meals based on whether the kids will eat it, which means we don’t enough variety).
All excellent reasons Nerida!
With cooking for kids, I generally just add the ‘carb lovers’ option for them and stick to the original recipe for my Irishman and me.
A good place to start would be to choose 1-2 nights a week where you cook something new and exciting for the adults and serve the kids a simple pasta / rice / whatever they love. It won’t take much extra effort and will make dinnertime more enjoyable for everyone.
Keen to have a wider variety of food in the form of tasty meals that don’t take a lot of ingredients or time to prepare
You are totally in the right place then Warren 🙂
Hi,
I’m wanting to spend less time in the kitchen, and less time trying to think of healthy food the whole family will eat.
Wonderful Megg!
Welcome 🙂