Here is this week’s meal plan free to download and print out!
This week we have been very budget-conscious, and have also tried to have most meals meat-free!
Hopefully this healthy, budget-friendly meal plan gives you some inspiration of what to feed your family this week!
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Y’all… if you want a vegan and vegetarian-friendly meal that comes together with about 2 minutes of prep, and cooks in one pot… in less than 30 minutes… then this recipe is for you!! This orzo pasta and vegetable recipe is the perfect weekday or weeknight lunch or dinner recipe, it’s totally adaptable and you can use any veggies that you happen to have on hand. The end result is a savory, filling and healthy pasta dish that the whole family is sure to love.
Check out the video on my YouTube channel!
I N G R E D I E N T S
Instructions:
Tip: if your pasta is still a bit undercooked by the time all the water has evaporated, then add in a few tablespoons of water and give it a good stir. The end result should not be soupy – you want all the water absorbed, leaving a rich and flavorful sauce.
Y’all, this week’s grocery shopping was a struggle. I haven’t done a big grocery shop in ages, because I’ve been getting deliveries. But this week we decided to brave the supermarket – I did not enjoy it. I do pretty much all of my shopping online because it’s so much more efficient, and it’s a lot less tempting to just throw random things in my cart. Plus of course you don’t have to worry about waiting in line at the check-out, carrying everything out to the car, getting it all into your apartment… clearly this is not my favorite activity!
We survived the outing though – and Zoe loves the grocery store – and I’m here to tell you all about what we bought.
Check out the video on my YouTube channel!
My number one tip when grocery shopping, whether online or in person, is to go in with a plan. Whenever I don’t have clear recipe ideas in mind, I always end up with a bunch of random ingredients, and no clear cut meals. This leads to both over spending and food waste, both of which are things that I am desperately trying to cut down on.
Here’s a peek at this week’s menu, for breakfast – lunch – dinner:
As you can see I don’t usually meal plan for the weekend. We will eat leftovers to clear out the fridge a bit, or get take-out, or eat out in restaurants! Meal planning a full week – at least for now – is just a little bit more than I’m willing to commit to!
I hope this gives you a bit of meal inspiration, and good luck shopping if you decide to brave the grocery store this weekend 🙈
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Hey folks! Today I’m showing you how I prepare a delicious and easy roast chicken dinner – perfect for a hearty and healthy weeknight meal.
Everything cooks in the same pan in the oven, and only needs around 5 minutes of prep. The beauty of this recipe is that you do *not* need a bunch of fancy ingredients: just a few items come together perfectly to create a medley of deliciousness on your plate!! We eat a roast dinner at least once a week – when it’s this quick and easy to prepare, it’s hard not to!
Check out the recipe video on my YouTube channel here.
Ingredients:
Full recipe:
Click here to skip my blah blah blah and go straight to the recipe video (I won’t be offended, I promise).
I have been wanting to get into recipe video production for a while, and now that I have a new DSLR camera (with auto-focus!), there’s no longer any excuses not to do it. Like most folks, I’ve been watching the likes of Tasty go absolutely viral and for good reason – I love watching the short videos that give me daily inspiration when I’m trying to decide “What’s for dinner?”. In my video, that question is answered with a resounding chicken fajita bowls!! Scroll down below to check out my first crack at a recipe video 🙂
Being a visual learner, I definitely prefer following a recipe with a video tutorial, so in the spirit of bringing my readers more top quality content (ie, selfishly, the type of content that I enjoy), I’ve decided to give it a go on little old seefoodplay.com!
The idea of filming a recipe from start to finish was surprisingly intimidating, so I wanted to go for a recipe that would look good on camera (lots of color!), that I make often so comfortable with the recipe, and that I actually wanted to share with readers. Now, the thing that I am absolutely most comfortable with is pasta (all pasta, any kind of pasta – I can make it perfectly al dente practically in my sleep). But in the interest of trying to branch out, I decided to go for another one of my favorites: a chicken & veggie ‘fajita’ bowl. I’m a huge fan of meal prepping, especially the lunches that I take to work, and this recipe is perfect for just that.
In the spirit of the ubiquitous Tasty recipe video, my take on this was to keep it simple and healthy, packed full of fresh ingredients, and easy to make ahead… all in about a minute-long video. I hope you enjoy the video and recipe – it’s filling, super easy, and a great idea to add to your meal prep catalog!
If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to let me know either in the comments below or by tagging a photo of your version on Instagram under #sfprecipes.
23 Easy & Healthy Breakfast recipes, including drinks & smoothies, savory egg-based meals, and finishing with a list of sweet (but still healthy!) dishes to round out the list.
I’m a firm believer that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but when I’m rushing to get to work, I don’t usually have heaps of time to mess around in the kitchen whipping up a healthy and hearty breakfast. My go-to in the morning is almost always something I can throw in my bag and eat once I get to work, or something that I’ve prepped in advance that I can heat up and eat while I’m getting ready. Yes, I’m a fan of multi-tasking, especially in the morning…!
Don’t get me wrong – I’m a big fan of a Full English on the weekend, but that’s when I have time to take it easy and make breakfast more of a chill and relaxing experience, than a necessary step to fuel me for my busy day. Since I moved to London, one of my absolute favorite things is that you can get a savory breakfast pretty much anywhere. During my ten years in Paris, a good savory breakfast was probably one of the things I missed the most. I know, I know – I realize that probably sounds blasphemous, given that Paris is home to some of (if not the?) best pastries in the world. But croissants and pains au chocolat have never been my thing. Before the mob starts gathering their pitchforks, there are lots and lots of other French delicacies that I adore – just not the sweet and bready varieties. Now that I’m in London, I can pop into an EAT or Birley’s to grab a quick breakfast, but that gets old fast, and it certainly isn’t ideal for my budget!
One of my resolutions for 2018 is to eat less prepared food, and focus on homemade and healthy breakfasts and lunches, and I’m always on the lookout for recipe inspiration. So I’ve pulled together a list of 23 easy & healthy breakfast recipes that I’ll be adding into my morning meal rotation. Whether you’re looking to eat healthier during the week, save money on breakfast, or just looking to spice up your morning breakfast recipe catalog, the recipes below should provide some inspiration. I hope you’ll enjoy this Recipe Roundup, and please do check out the blogs linked from each photo in the galleries below for the full recipes!
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If you’re like me and you prefer savory to sweet breakfast recipes, then I suggest taking a look at these ideas! They’re not over-the-top sugary, and pack lots of vitamins and protein and other good stuff, and are a great way to change it up without overloading on sugar.
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I hope you’ll enjoy these recipes as much as I do! A big thank you to all of the bloggers who allowed me to include their recipes in this list – definitely check them out for these recipes, and more!
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Big British Meatballs
Serves 8
2 hours
363 calories
Meatballs
2 large onions
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Olive oil
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground chuck steak
1 handful of bread crumbs
3 oz good-quality sharp Cheddar cheese
Gravy
7 oz finely ground chuck steak
1 large onion
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 beef bouillon cube
¾ cup pale ale
2 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon blackcurrant jam
2 teaspoons English mustard
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
For the meatballs, peel the onions, pick the rosemary leaves, then finely chop them together (or blitz in a food processor) and put into a large frying pan on medium heat with a lug of oil, the Worcestershire sauce, and a good splash or two of water. Cook for around 20 minutes, or until the liquid has disappeared and the onions are sweet and lightly caramelized, stirring occasionally. Season to taste, leave aside to cool, then put into a bowl with the ground meat and bread crumbs. Using clean hands, mix it all together beautifully, scrunching for a minute to create a delicious texture. Divide into 16 equal sized balls, then wash your hands and cut the cheese into 16 cubes. Poke and push a piece of cheese into the center of each ball, then gently roll into perfect balls. Take pride in your balls, repeat, until they’re all done, and place in the fridge.
For the gravy, put the ground meat into a large saucepan with a little oil and cook until golden, stirring regularly. Meanwhile, peel the onion and finely chop with rosemary leaves, then add the ground meat and cook for another 5 minutes, or until lightly golden. Crumble the bouillon cube, then pour in the ale. Cook away until nice and dark, then stir in the flour, jam, mustard, vinegar, and 3 cups of water. Simmer for around 30 minutes, or until rich and thick, then season to perfection. Preheat the oven to full whack (475 degrees Fahrenheit) and preheat a high-sided roasting pan.
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With the weather a bit dark and gloomy, and cold and rainy if you have London-like January weather, it’s very tempting to reach for a heavy and hearty breakfast. I’ve definitely been chowing down on full English breakfasts over the past few months (maybe a few too many…), but after all of the Christmas parties and holiday eating, I’m finding myself longing more and more for simple, fresh and light breakfast options: like fruit and yogurt!
I’ve always preferred savory over sweet food in the morning (and in general tbh), so those smoothie bowls and fruit muffins just don’t do it for me. Poached eggs and avocado toast are my typical go-to for a weekday brekkie, but sometimes that gets old and sometimes it’s hard to get avocados with any flavor (first world problems…).
When I got back to London after Christmas, I a) couldn’t fathom the idea of another full English breakfast and b) didn’t have any food in my fridge anyway, even if did want one. I am cursed blessed with a pretty big Asda grocery store right downstairs my apartment, so I grabbed my reusable Monoprix shopping bag (because who uses plastic bags anymore?) and headed downstairs to stock up my fridge. Instead of heading straight for the turkey bacon (okay, I did buy some, but for a different recipe) I grabbed some Greek yogurt pots and blueberries.
In about five minutes, I whipped up this light, fresh and healthy breakfast snack, that didn’t send my taste buds into a sugary sweet tailspin. If you’re like me, looking for a quick and easy breakfast without all the sugar, then give this a try – hopefully you’ll like it as much as I did! Greek yogurt is a great option because it is higher in protein than regular yogurt, and has less lactose. It’s also thicker and creamier, which I definitely prefer.
Anyone else see a bird’s face on my spoon in this shot…?
Ingredients:
Add your blueberries and cashews to the yogurt, and drizzle a bit of honey on top. I had a small piece of cheddar on the side, and this made for a very filling and slightly sweet breakfast that kept me going until lunch.
One of the things I told myself when I started this blog was that I would not do tons and tons of pasta recipes. See, my favorite food is and always has been: pasta. I have to force myself to not eat pasta every day of the week (and twice on Sunday), and part of the reason I wanted to start cataloguing my recipes was so that I could use this as a resource for myself, when trying to answer the age old question of what’s for dinner.
I spend lots of time working, like most folks, and don’t have too much time to prepare elaborate weeknight meals (though that certainly doesn’t always stop me, even if I end up eating at 9:30pm or sometimes later…!).
A quick pasta dish is often my saving grace after a long day in the office, and spaghetti carbonara fits the bill perfectly: it’s made from mostly pantry items (or things that I always have on hand) and comes together in the time it takes to cook the pasta (yes, really).
Carbonara was totally unknown to me until I moved to France, where it is on every menu, from restaurants to home kitchens. I was never a big fan because it is usually kinda thick and creamy, and not the light sauces that I tend to go for.
Then, my spaghetti life changed: I had this dish in Italy. You guyyyyyysss. It was nothing like the clumpy mess of cream and lardons that they’re serving up elsewhere, this was a delicate balance of parmesan, eggs and black pepper. You might be thinking, what about the guanciale (pork, similar to lardons or bacon) the recipe also calls for? I stopped eating pork ages ago, so no bacon, ham or traditional carbonara for me. I’ve always been able to manage a ‘vegetarian’ version in the past, which as you can imagine has always lacked that smoky salty bacon flavor.
Then I thought, if carbonara can be this good without meat, imagine if I kicked it up a bit with some turkey bacon and made it myself? After a few attempts to get the recipe right, I was nothing short of amazed at how good this came out. Despite not having as much fat as the traditional recipe from the pork, the sauce came out perfectly balanced, savory and creamy, and the turkey bacon and parmesan added that extra flavor to complete this so-simple-its-complex recipe.
I’m definitely not one to say that recipes should be followed to the letter for them to be ‘authentic’, as experimentation and mistakes often lead to some of my favorite kitchen creations. But some things are just so good as they were meant to be, that you have to try it the ‘real way’ at least once before you start changing things up. For spaghetti carbonara, this means: no chicken, no mushrooms and certainly no cream. Give it a try, then customize as you like 🙂
For anyone looking to try a slightly slimmed down take on the classic spaghetti carbonara, or anyone like me that doesn’t eat pork, please give this recipe a try – you will not be disappointed!
And don’t give up if you don’t get it right the first time you try it. Recipes with only a few ingredients are often the most difficult to get right, because every ingredient counts. The main difficulty I encountered when making this recipe was preventing the eggs from scrambling – once you get past that hurdle, you’ll be a pro at whipping this up in 15 minutes tops.
As always, my recipes are for two people but this can easily be doubled and is lovely reheated for lunch the next day 😉
Ingredients:
I’m including lots of detailed steps for any readers that haven’t ever made this before, but it really boils down to: make the pasta, fry up the turkey bacon, mix together the egg/parmesan/black pepper, add cooked pasta and turkey bacon to egg mixture and serve. Easy peasy.
Instructions:
Warming the egg mixture slightly, and letting the pasta cool a bit will help prevent the egg from scrambling. Adding the pasta water will help to cook the egg in the sauce, and will give the pasta a luxuriously creamy texture.
I hope you enjoy this simple pasta dish as much as I do! If you make this recipe, I’d love to see – snap a pic and tag @seefoodplay on Instagram to share your take on this classic Italian fave.
October, November and December are definitely some of my favorite months of the year – they’re just so festive! We kick things off with Halloween, then glide into Thanksgiving, then wobble into Christmas. The year is winding down, people tend to be in a good mood, and there’s lots of good food and drink to go around. I love the autumn/winter holiday season and everything that goes along with it, mostly because it’s the coziest time of year. There’s nothing quite like getting tucked into a nice cup of tea watching classic holiday movies on Netflix over the weekend, while admiring a decorated Christmas tree and wrapping presents. That my friends, is the definition of a perfect weekend. Well to me, at least, because I’m old now! 😊
While Jonathan was out and about last Saturday I went to pick out our Christmas tree (meaning: I went without him as I always want a bigger tree than he’d approve) and I’m quite proud of myself! I didn’t pick one that would have to be cut down to actually fit in our living room…! It’s gorgeous of course, and I’ve been lovingly admiring it as much as possible.
The weather almost always dictates what I’m in the mood to cook, and this past few weeks I’ve been craving one thing: cinnamon! I’ve been in a bit of a bake-y mood lately, too, so decided to try my hand at carrot cake. I’ve followed recipes in the past and they always come out…. OK, but nothing special. I’m particular in that I realllllly can’t stand dry cake. My worst nightmare would be in cakeform, as a fruit cake ::shudder::
Carrot cakes are special because you cannot really mess them up, and they have vegetables in them so they count as healthy 😉
Because I was worried that they might come out a bit dry, I’ve added an additional step to make sure they were nice and moist, without being gross and gooey. Hence the “tres leches” in the recipe name. Keep reading for steps to making the easiest carrot cake ever, gauranteed to wow any carrot cake lover (or hater, for that matter).
Wet ingredients:
Dry ingredients:
Tres leches sauce:
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius, and prepare your baking dish using parchment paper or butter.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl, and wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
3. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until completely combined.
4. Pour the batter into your baking dish, and bake for about 15-20 minutes (depending on your oven and baking dish).
5. Once cooked through (ie, when a knife inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean), remove from oven and allow to cool down for about 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, combine the condensed milk, heavy cream and milk in a small pot and heat on a low until the mixture is uniform and heated up (doesn’t need to come to a boil).
7. Pour the milk mixture onto the cakes, leaving them to rest for about 15 minutes (or until the sauce is absorbed into the cakes) before serving, topped with a bit of whipped cream (optional).