Meal Planning Monday; 5th November 2012

Happy Monday and happy birthday to my nephew who is two today! As you read this I will be visiting him with my mum and Bubbah to hand deliver his presents and some bee cupcakes as a nod to his favourite t.v. show The Hive. I'm rather excited because small children always get so excited about opening presents and he's particularly hilarious with it, taking the present round to everyone in the room demanding they "look" before running off just as quickly. Lovely.

This last week has been a bit of a hibernation one, simply because I had no plans and couldn't be bothered to leave the house in this hideous weather! I just about managed to convince myself we needed some fresh air by the end of the week and braved the cold and the rain for a trip to Tesco where I stocked up on baking stuff (courtesy of their 3 for 2 special offer which got me a bit excited) and promptly made two cakes. One was my normal marshmallow cake and another was a Smarties and marshmallow cake.

I've also taken the plunge and taken part in NaNo WriMo. I'm quite happy with my progress so far, the first few days have seen me manage to write 8,000 words amidst Bubbah's naps and evening times which I'm pretty impressed with. Is anyone else taking part in it this year?

As usual Bubbah has been displaying his mischievous side by turning completely around in his high chair and using me as his climbing frame because clearly that's what mummies are for! He's had a bit of a cold this week but it hasn't dented his playfulness in the slightest. We have, however, been keeping him wrapped up extra warm in cute little jackets such as the red one in the picture below, complete with ears on the hood, something I always find adorable.

Due to the horrendous weather I'm sticking with the warming, comforting food of the last week or two. I'm also thinking of stocking up on soup and casseroles to have ready in the freezer for equally nice, warm lunches. I've already made extra batches of food this week; something about winter makes me want to bunker down and have lots of food ready in the freezer. This week I made cheesy tuna pasta bake for myself and Bubbah (OH hates tuna to the point he can't feed Bubbah this meal because of the smell) and a vegetable bake for OH. I also used a baby sauce pouch (one of those stir in ones) to make Bubbah mild fruity curry with veg, something I'm hoping to replicate myself this week now I know Bubbah likes it.

Anyway, this week's meal plan looks something like this:

• Toad in the hole
• Breaded mayo chicken (for me during OH's fast day)
• Mild curry
• Cheesy mushroom pasta
• Jackets or freezer meal for when OH is on his fast day
• Pizza and the last of some dough balls we have in the freezer

I'm also hoping to bake a bit this week. I found a yummy recipe for Nutella cookies and I'd also like to make gingerbread cake and smores (courtesy of one of my many foodie magazines)

Clearly I'm anticipating that we'll be snowed in or something in the near future, or perhaps I just turn into a bit of a nester this time of year! What are you like come winter, do you like to stock up on meals and yummy snacks or is it just me?

As usual, I'm linked up with Mrs M so head on over there to look at what everyone else is cooking up this week for some foodie inspiration.