Pinspiration

I downloaded the app, and began saving a shortlist of meal ideas. The shocking realisation was that my usual diet is a rotation of five different foods, only slightly varied and almost entirely chicken-based. So. Much. Chicken.

Why am I not making my life easier? And cheaper? A quick search for ‘cheap batch dinner’ gave me heaps of ideas: lamb and spinach curry, marmalade chicken (I can’t go completely cold turkey) and a bean and sausage hotpot, which has actually got me excited about cold evenings in December, preferably when it’s snowing. I also discovered nine different ways to eat chilli. NINE. My joint favourites are; in a hot dog bun with guacamole and layered over sweet potato fries.

Meanwhile, searching for ‘meal prep combinations’ introduced me to a spinach and pumpkin lasagne and a cheesy fajita pasta both of which have secured a spot on my new, very creativelynamed board: “Batch Cooking Inspiration”. Staring at my freezer (which is basically a cold shelf), I had to narrow down my options to three. The chilli was a definite, what with its with nine new incarnations, and my next choice was lasagne, as I could use a lot of the same ingredients.

It’s also my ideal hangover food and with a 30th birthday party coming up at the weekend I knew I’d be patting myself on the back for this one come Sunday lunchtime. Lastly, I decided to make paella, with extra chorizo. I also discovered an amazing recipe for baba ganoush from Corinne Springthorpe’s fabulously-named board “Nom nom nom” and made two bags of it to freeze – tripling the ingredient quantities because I’d live on the stuff if I could.

Spice of life

Three weeks since stuffing my fridge Jengastyle, my life has changed. I love my new Sunday routine, when I cook three different dishes for variety. There are always enough ideas on Pinterest to avoid another chicken rut, and I haven’t fallen into a red lentil curry trap.

I don’t avoid Sainsbury’s altogether – but my more organised approach to dinners means we’ve demoted our relationship. Mere acquaintances, rather than close friends.

Making a meal of it: we tried planning our meals with Pinterest