Hectic Host A Week’s Shopping In The Bag

7 Quick, Easy & Healthy Meals for 2 that Fit into 1 Shopper

Back in 2007 local campaigners SNUB (Say No to Unwanted Bags) got the whole country thinking about the unnecessary number of bags consumers accept every year. Almost 3 years on and the issue has gone global. 

Not only are we now saying ‘No’ to unwanted bags, we are saying ‘Yes’ to shopping locally. The benefits for all cannot be underestimated; fresh seasonal food, less waste, a buoyant local economy and an improved sense of community.

I could see all the plusses, but what about the downsides? Not always knowing what to make and struggling round the shops laden down is no pleasure at all. I set myself a challenge, a week’s menu for two that would easily fit into one SNUB shopper and guess what? I bagged it! 

Monday: cut an aubergine into quite thick slices, coat with olive oil and grill. Once brown top two slices with feta cheese and serve in brown bread rolls with organic ready prepared salad from SMBS Foods. Set the rest of the aubergine aside in the fridge.

Tuesday: blend the leftover grilled aubergine with a little olive oil, a decent sized sprig of parsley and a clove of garlic. Add some tahini if you want a stronger taste. Serve with toasted pita bread. 

Take four fillets of salmon and poach in two glasses of white wine for 10 minutes. Serve two fillets with boiled Jersey new potatoes and a blended cucumber, dill and yoghurt sauce.

Wednesday: flake leftover salmon fillets on a bed of baby spinach, topped with cherry tomatoes and pine nuts.

Thursday: take four Portobello mushrooms, cut off stalk and place upturned on an oiled baking sheet. Lay slices of mozzarella, tomato, fresh basil and oregano in the caps and bake for about 5 minutes. Serve with remaining salad.

Friday: weather permitting barbecue tuna kebabs, place alternate cubes of tuna with slices of mushrooms and pepper and whole cherry tomatoes. 

Saturday: grill two steaks and serve with cauliflower mash and green beans. Steam some cauliflower florets and mash them with a little butter, just as tasty as mashed potato but miles better for you with a Gylcemic Index of zero. 

If you haven’t already, try Roullier White’s Smood Masher, it mashes in half the time with no holes to trap residue, it’s the ideal gadget for any hectic host!

Sunday: roast two chicken leg joints over thickly chopped carrots and remaining new potatoes. 

For a quick and easy dessert pour an espresso cup of coffee over a generous helping of Green and Blacks white chocolate ice-cream or try old-fashioned baked apples. Cored and stuffed with sultanas, raw cane sugar and cinnamon. Remember to score around the circumference of the skin to stop it exploding. 

Shopping list;

Mimosa Deli

Mozzarella, feta, tahini and pine nuts.

SMBS Foods. 

Basil, oregano, dill, aubergine, salad bag, baby spinach, pita bread, small pot natural yoghurt and ice-cream.

Pretty Traditional Green Grocers.

Two cooking apples, Jersey new potatoes, green beans, cherry tomatoes, carrots, red pepper and cauliflower.

Moxon’s Fishmongers.

Two tuna and four salmon fillets.

Walters Butchers.

Two chicken leg joints and two sirloin steaks.

Hectic Host appears in the monthly issues of SE Magazines