This week had a seafood focus. We’re lucky to live close to local trawlers, so we often buy fresh squid for homemade calamari. This week we picked up locally caught prawns and squid—enough to freeze and use throughout the week. Both boys rank crumbed calamari rings among their favourite meals, which makes it easy to include them in our weekly menu.
If you don’t have access to local trawlers, the frozen sections at major supermarkets offer good-quality frozen squid that you can crumb and cook at home.
Here’s what we enjoyed for dinners last week, along with some baking to keep the ever-hungry children happy.
SUNDAY
I slow-cooked beef chunks with mushrooms and onions most of the day to make a comforting beef, mushroom and onion pie. When I have time I make shortcrust pastry from scratch—it’s cheaper, tastes better, and I enjoy the process. I followed a slow-cooked pie method that produces a rich, tender filling perfect for a family meal.
MONDAY
On Mondays I work and my husband looks after the boys, so he cooked a roast pork in the Weber Q. The roast had no skin, so he coated it with mustard, garlic and thyme and wrapped it in prosciutto. It sounds fancy but it’s really simple—the Weber does most of the work.
TUESDAY
We used the fresh prawns and squid to make a homemade prawn and calamari mornay pizza. It was a delicious way to showcase the seafood and fed the kids easily.
WEDNESDAY
My husband gets home before me on Wednesdays, so I prepare a chicken for him to pop into the Weber Q. When I returned I made a sweet potato rice—this week I substituted carrot because I didn’t have sweet potato. It’s made in the rice cooker, so it’s really a set-and-forget recipe—perfect for bath time and getting a load of washing on after work.
THURSDAY
Thursday is the night before bin day, so I usually clear out small bits and leftovers from the fridge. With leftover roast chicken, prawns and calamari on hand, I combined them into a quick and easy noodle stir-fry. It’s a great way to use up small amounts of protein and vegetables while still making a satisfying meal.
FRIDAY
We had family over for dinner. I marinated lamb chops (they were on special) with fresh rosemary from the garden, minced garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil, then grilled them on the BBQ alongside sausages for the kids. I served everything with a Greek salad and garlic bread. Simple to prepare and great tasting.
SATURDAY
Saturday is my night off from fussing over dinner. Usually it’s just the boys and me while my husband works, so I make something super easy or we opt for a takeaway.
BREAKFAST
Breakfasts this week were mostly smoothies. The boys had banana, Weet-Bix, honey and milk. I had frozen berries, milk, chia seeds and quick oats—quick, nutritious and easy to prepare in the morning rush.
BAKING
This week I tried a kid-friendly carrot cake with maple cream cheese icing, which the whole family enjoyed throughout the week. I also baked a batch of chocolate chip and chia seed muffins, adapting my basic muffin recipe to include healthier seeds and extra chocolate chips—great for lunchboxes and snacks.
What’s on your menu this week?