You've had last week, now it's this week!

This painting is entitled "Jesus Eating With Sinners" ...I just like it because it looks like everyone's having a good time. We are lucky enough to be able to enjoy our food, to choose what we eat and to spend time and money (though many of us are trying to spend less!) preparing and eating it. Over at Tracing Rainbows Ang posts about the 2012 Live Below the Line campaign. I won't say much about it, as she explains it better than I, but basically, one is challenged to spend no more than £1 a day on food (per person, I think) in order to experience how millions of people below the poverty line live on a daily basis. She links to the official site, and it was interesting to read the comments of other people who had done this, some saying how much food became less of a pleasure, but more of a necessity, more just a refuelling exercise, when one is reduced to eating the very cheapest foods. To be fair, others seemed to approach it more rationally, spending money on vegetables (rather than tinned soup and spaghetti!) and found it challenging but enlightening. I'm not sure I could bring myself to do this, but it is certainly a concept worth considering...

And having said that, I will consider our menus for the week...

I have put Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to one side for a while, and am going back to my own folder of collected recipes for a while. I'll return to River Cottage in the summer, because I do want to complete my challenge to try all the recipes in the book, but for now I want a change. However, we will still be eating at least two, but probably more vegetable based meals a week.

I have been a little inspired to think more carefully about what and how I cook by The Frugal Queen's post about using energy wisely. Often I pop just one thing in the oven (admittedly our smaller "top oven" but oven all the same) without considering the cost. I should try to use the space a little more. So with that in mind, I'm planning on cooking several things this evening, which can be used through the week, or frozen for a later date.
Here's Frugal Queen's oven; I really need to take lessons!

SUNDAY (today) We're having "Spice rubbed turkey breast" from the booklet Ang sent me. I didn't get a turkey breast, but instead I bought what is labelled as "Turkey roasting joint". I think it should do. I don't have the recipe to hand, but this looks similar. I'm hoping that it will do for another meal plus sandwiches, but it does look a bit small; I may be being a bit ambitious! I may have to forgo the sandwich filling. Here is a photo of a turkey who doesn't look very cheerful...perhaps s/he already is aware of his/her impending use as a turkey roasting joint.

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MONDAY: I'd planned a meatloaf yesterday, but we went out. So, following FrugalQueen's example, I'm making the meatloaf tonight (Sunday), at the same time as cooking the turkey. We'll have it cold with pasta and tomato sauce tonight (Monday). The recipe uses loads of meat, and no filler (oats/breadcrumbs etc) ; I'm thinking I will add some filler, and also use FQ's recipe to make faggots which I can then freeze. I have loads of carrots so I should be able to make a carrot-filled gravy to go around them. Gilles-from-Shopi gave us some past-their-sell-by date apples and pears, so I'm going to cook them and make individual crumbles for Mr FD, plus a kind-of appley/oaty/crumbly flapjack (this recipe looks a possibility)

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TUESDAY: Turkey from Sunday, served with couscous salad and something else. The recipe from Ang's booklet suggests a couple of salads, but I've not got the ingredients, so I'll make it up as I go along, and see what's in the fridge!
WEDNESDAY: Meatloaf with jacket potatoes and salads. I may make coleslaw for Tuesday, so that will be one. Plus the usual lettuce, tomato combo, and maybe something else too. 
THURSDAY:  Puttanesca pasta - who else but dear Nigel Slater to give you the recipe This is a fast, easy recipe and I might run to making some garlic bread to go with this.

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FRIDAY: Spinach and ricotta tart which I've made before and really like. It's a creamy tarty-quichy thing. We'll have it with sweet potato chips and green bean salad.
SATURDAY: Ages and ages ago I downloaded some recipes from the Innocent website (I've looked, but they're not there now, but this guy has very kindly typed the recipe out for you! ) which provided at least 3 of your 5-a-day fruit/vegetable portions. I've never cooked them, but I thought that Saturday would be a good time to try falafels with imam bayildi and tzatziki.

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I think it looks very tasty! It seems a bit faffy, but on Saturday I usually have more time and feel more inclined to cook stuff. It uses the oven so I'll have to try to get prepared for other things - maybe a casserole for Sunday, to be reheated in portions in the microwave. Goodness! You do have to be organised don't you!!!

Tonight, I look forward to watching Silent Witness on TV and tucking into chocklit from Easter. We have an egg plus minieggs to eat. And then I bought some more chocklit when I went to Noz. And then some just happened to leap into my shopping trolley (nobly aided by Mr FD !) when I was shopping. No wonder we are members of the Fat Dormouse Club and not the Thin Dormouse one!