Our weekly meal plan! 31st August - 6th September! #MealPlanningMonday

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. We had a great one celebrating Ellie's birthday and we have it all to do again in a week and a half when it's Becky's birthday! I will of course write all about it when I find time. Things have seemed so busy here over the last few weeks but I don't know why I'm acting all surprised. It's always like this in August. Can you believe tomorrow is the 1st of September? I do love the "ber" months.

Last week's meal plan went OK with me not getting a grocery delivery. We ate lots out of the freezer and there were many complaints and asks of can we just get a takeaway! We didn't until Friday evening and that was only because Ellie was out and she isn't a fan of Indian food, so Stu, Becky and I made the most of it. I did realise by Monday we were running out of a lot of random things, which was annoying, so I was very excited about getting the food shop delivered over the weekend.

We don't have much on this week. It is a bank holiday here today so we have even less going on than usual. Stu is back to work tomorrow after a week off, Becky has this week off work and Ellie has another job interview! She's averaging one a week at the moment but is getting nowhere. I feel disheartened for her but she is just plodding on applying and taking the no, thanks like a champ. I suppose she's doing better than a lot of people who are applying for jobs at the moment, at least she's getting the interviews.

I asked my family for help and ideas with the meal planning this week and they said they want to get the Gousto boxes again but I said why? We have folders full of the recipes, so they went through them and picked a few out.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - No idea!

Stu is doing the cooking tonight, so it will be a surprise. I don't think he knows what he's planning to cook either but I think it will be something out of the freezer.

Tuesday - Sesame Pork & Egg Fried Rice!

Ellie asked for this one and it took some finding as there are lots of pork and rice dishes from Gousto. lol Sesame pork and egg fried rice is made with savoury pork mince, fluffy rice, soy sauce and a hint of sesame oil with peas and carrots added and finished with scrambled egg!

Wednesday - Carrot & coriander soup with mango chutney pastry twists!

I know soup isn't usually a summer meal but this one is light and fresh. I will make plenty so we can have some for lunch the next day too. The mango chutney pastry twists are great as a side, they're just puff pastry with mango chutney spread on. I always make a few extra and have them for lunch on the day I make the soup.

Thursday - One Tray Sticky Hoisin Sausage Traybake!

This one is a good one! Sausages, potatoes and peppers are all coated in a sticky Hoisin glaze and cooked in a tray in the oven. They are one of my favourite type of meals because you can just shove everything in the oven and let it do its thing without too much washing up.

Friday - Pizza!

Homemade or just frozen ones out of the freezer, I am not too sure yet.

Saturday - Saturday - Red onion and bacon tart with baby potatoes!

This one is inspired by a Gousto recipe for Bacon and Leek Tart that we had years ago and it’s stuck with us ever since. I decided to make our own and Red onion and bacon tart became a thing. Ready-made puff pastry, a layer of soft cheese, topped with red onions and smoky bacon. I will make a little extra so I will have some for lunch the next day because it’s just as nice cold.

Sunday - A help yourself evening!

I have no plan for today and everyone can just help themselves to whatever they fancy.

What are you eating this week?

A photo every day for a year! 23rd - 29th August Week 35 of #Project365

Happy Sunday!! I hope you've all had a lovely week and are enjoying your weekend. I am keeping it short and sweet today as I don't have a lot of time to write this post. I am writing this yesterday morning before the big celebrations for Ellie's 19th birthday began and so far she's opened her presents, we are waiting for a McDonald's breakfast to be delivered and we have lots of plans for the rest of the day!

Now for a photo every day!

235/365 23rd August

Sunday was a day of sport here with football, F1 and more football. One of the highlights was seeing the tribute to Kevin Keegan before the Newcastle v Liverpool match. It was amazing to see and such a lovely way to remember him. There are some footballers who have just become part of the history of a club and Kevin Keegan is definitely one of those names that both Liverpool and Newcastle fans will always remember.

236/365 24th August

You could tell by the whiteboard in the kitchen that I didn't get the usual grocery order delivered this week. Instead, we were eating out of the freezer and using up things that we already had in which meant lots of random things were already added by Monday.

237/365 25th August

I got myself some Gilmore Girls pj's from Primark. From what I can see online they some stores have a whole range of things. The store here just has these pjs. Hmmf.

238/365 26th August

I was not expecting to see this pop up in my garden! It wasn't with the rest of my sunflowers, so I am guessing that it came from the mixed flower seed box that I bought.

239/365 27th August

I needed to dye my hair, just to top the red up and realised I didn't have any of my usual dye, so I had to resort to this one. I forgot how much I hate it, my hair feels horrible and it is not as red as I want it.

240/365 28th August

The big boots were out, which meant Ellie was off out for a night with friends on her birthday eve! They are not as scary as they look. I've tried them on and apart from the big platform, they are comfier than my comfy boots, they're light and easy to walk in.

241/365 29th August

The birthday girl opened all of her presents and was very happy with what she received. Phew!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

My youngest is 19!

I write a post every year on or around my girls birthdays and this year is no different. It is Ellie's 19th birthday today and I still can't quite get my head around that. Nineteen is so grown up. I know she's technically been an adult for a year now but there's something about saying she's 19 that makes me stop and think about just how quickly the years have gone.

Ellie's 18th year started off great and she has definitely lived her best life over the last year. It's been a pretty big year for her with lots of changes and plenty going on. There have been some really good times, some difficult moments and because it wouldn't be Ellie without a little bit of drama along the way. There were a few weeks, late last year which weren't great but Ellie handled it really well. She had to deal with something that wasn't easy and she came through the other side stronger. There were quite a few positive things that came from something that wasn't great so I am taking that as a win. When I look back over the last 12 months, I think one of the biggest things I see is how much Ellie has grown as a person.

She started back at college in September for her final year in education and she chose to do mechanical engineering instead of electrical. She had done two years of electrical engineering but decided that mechanical engineering was something she wanted to try too and it turned out to be a really good decision for her. She really enjoyed the course! There have been times over the years when education hasn't always been easy for Ellie, so I was really proud when she got through her final year. Finishing college felt like a massive achievement and a very big reminder that she was moving into a completely different stage of her life. The job hunting started and is still happening but she's had a few interviews and things are looking good. Hopefully, it won't be too long before she finds something that's right for her.

One of the big moments of the past year was also when Ellie got a tattoo. I didn't approve at first, she got a big Medusa on her arm and as her mam I had my opinions but she was 18 and it was her decision. Medusa has become a symbol of female empowerment, strength and survival, especially for women who have faced trauma or injustice and my girl has had a fair bit of that in her life. So when I look at the tattoo now, I don't just see a big tattoo, I see something that represents everything she has been through and come out the other side of! I think having adult children teaches you quite a lot about letting go. When they're little, you're making so many decisions for them. You decide what they eat, what they wear, where they go and what they can and can't do. Then they get older and suddenly they're making those decisions themselves.

Another big part of last year was Ellie's routine heart check-up in January. She had surgery to fix a hole in her heart when she was a baby, along with her sister and they both have checks every few years. Her leaky valve is still leaking and it's a little worse than it was before but thankfully, no one is worried about it. She's back in a couple of years for her next check-up, so I am taking that as a good sign. She might be 19 now but she's still my baby girl and I do worry.

Looking back over the last year, I think one of the things I'm most proud of is seeing Ellie become more confident in herself. She's starting to understand what she wants, what she doesn't want and what she will and won't put up with. She's learning to stand up for herself and she's becoming more comfortable making her own decisions. So happy 19th birthday to my youngest girl! I can't wait to see what this year brings. There are so many things ahead of her and while part of me would quite happily slow everything down, I'm also excited to watch her take those next steps and see where life takes her.

What I have loved this week! Week 35. #FridayFavourites

Happy Friday! I hope you've had a good week. I have had a really good week with lots of little things to enjoy. We've had plenty of family time, got a few jobs done around the house, had some nice evenings out and there has been a lot of sport on the TV to enjoy. I am of course linking up with Erika and Andrea to share all the things that I have loved this week.

Friday Fun!

Ellie and I were sitting here last Friday afternoon and were a little bored. We decided we fancied going out somewhere and had a look on Facebook and saw there was a singer on at a local pub, so off we went. It was such a fun evening. The singer only sung 90's songs, which is my favourite era and even Ellie enjoyed it as she knew all the songs. I have brought her up well. hehehe It was one of those evenings that wasn't planned at all but ended up being a really good night. Sometimes it's nice to just decide at the last minute to go somewhere rather than having everything planned weeks in advance.

A whole load of tomatoes!

Our tomatoes have gone a little bit mad! We have picked loads of them this week and there are still plenty left on the plants. We have had a few strange looking ones too, the darker looking ones. At first, I wondered if something was wrong with them but then I remembered I bought a few different varieties and this is quite normal, or so Google tells me.

Sport Sunday!

Sunday was a real day of sport here! I watched some of the Man City match, partly because I wanted to see if Erling Haaland, the striking Viking who played for Norway in the World Cup, really had cut all of his beautiful hair off. He has! Eesh! Then it was time for the Dutch Grand Prix, which was of course full of drama. After that, I turned over to watch the Newcastle United match. They were doing so well against Liverpool and were winning 2 - 1 right until the last minute and then Liverpool scored and it ended up as a draw. Typical football! The tribute to both Newcastle and Liverpool's old manager who passed away was something really special though. Seeing everyone coming together to remember him was lovely and I was almost crying.

Having Stu home all week!

My fella has had a week off work and I have really enjoyed having him home. Partly he's taken the week off just to have a break but we've also used the time to catch up on a few jobs around the house. He helped with the housework, cooking and shopping for Ellie's birthday. It has made the week feel a lot easier for me. I could get used to not having to do everything around the house. He also helped Ellie get to a job interview this week. She had a fair idea where it was, but had a little panic beforehand because it was in an area she hadn't been to before. She didn't get the job, she didn't want it anyway but it's more interview experience and a bit of life experience travelling somewhere new.

Gilmore Girls Pjs.

I have never seen anything Gilmore Girls in Primark before but it looks like they are getting a whole range of things in and I couldn't be happier. I got this set for a bargain price of £11!

Autumn in the shops!

I was in town during the week and saw all the Autumn things in the shops. Pumpkin decorations, cosy blankets, lots of candles, fluffy socks, mugs with Autumn leaves on them, hot chocolate sets, pumpkin-spiced everything, wreaths for the front door, chunky scarves, boots and fleecy pyjamas! I know August isn't over yet but I love Autumn everything and I want to buy all the things I definitely don't need! hehehe

Ellie's birthday tomorrow!

We are all excited about her big day. It isn't that long since we were celebrating her 18th birthday and now she's almost 19! I went out during the week and bought her a few extra gifts and I have to wrap them sometime today. I hate wrapping presents! We've got a few things planned, there will be food, presents and probably plenty of cake, which sounds like a pretty good Saturday to me.

What have you loved this week?