Well, this is my last week of menu planning before having a week off in HAWAII!!!! Yahoooo - can't wait!! (A little excited, can you tell?) Actually, I'll also be planning the meals for next week so everything's organized for the family for while I'm away. My hubby says he's happy to cook with the Thermomix, as long as I have all the ingredients and recipes ready to go... he can never find anything in the fridge or cupboard! (Men!) Last time I was away for a week, he went to the shop and bought every ingredient for each recipe, as he figured that was easier than finding it at home. Ha! Well, I must admit, my cupboard and fridge are rather crowded and messy most of the time - maybe I need to get them cleaned out before I leave too... Ugh. My un-favourite job. The freezer is desperately crying out for a clean too - and that is an urgent job, as I have bags and boxes from my bulk order covering my kitchen floor waiting to be sorted and placed in the freezer... So it looks like it's going to be a week of organizing and cleaning before I go. Ah well, my rest will be well-earned.
My kitchen at the moment - rather crowded with my bulk order
waiting to be sorted and put away!
If you are a follower of my Facebook page, you would've noticed that the past week was a big week for our bulk food co-op. We received our latest order, and it took us three days to sort it all out. It's so worth the work though (which is all volunteer) - we all pitch in and help, and the reward is organic food at much cheaper prices than you can get it any other way. We have a really big co-op, and I've been in it for about 11 years now - I'm not sure how long it's been going, but the lady who started it has done a great job, and we all really appreciate her hard work. It is a lot to organize when so many people are involved!
Here's a quick overview of how it works, for those who are interested...
First the order is picked up from the train station in Cairns by some of the guys in the co-op - a big job in itself, involving a couple of trailer loads of bulk food. (We order from Demeter in NSW and Fitness Products in Brisbane, and the orders come up by rail.)
Next we unload the trailers and check everything off against the invoice to make sure it's all there. (Thankfully, they've started packing stuff in 12.5kg bags instead of 25kg bags - I used to be sore for days after lugging those bags!!)
As we check it, it slowly gets sorted into sections so we know where to find everything. Outside in the garage we sort the big bags and boxes of grains, flours, rice, seeds, boxes of dried fruit, nuts, boxes of pasta, etc...
Inside we sort all the smaller stuff - oils, pasta sauces, tins, bottles, jars, small packets of pasta and dried fruit, juice concentrates, almond milk, tea, coffee, etc.
Here's the pasta being sorted - so many different kinds! They're in sections - wheat, wholewheat, spelt, kamut, rye, gluten free.
The next day, we start bright and early with as many people as can come, and divide up the orders into smaller groups - a group for each area. There's someone in charge of each group, and they check off the list as they sort their group order, making sure everything is there. Then we double check each other's orders. (I didn't get any photos of this part of the process - we were too busy!)
Next the small group orders are packed into cars, utes, trailers and vans, and taken away to the home of the person in charge of that group to finish sorting. My van is packed to overflowing with goodies, so I drive home carefully!!
At home the kids get involved, unpacking the car, helping to sort everything into sections, and just generally getting in the way helping out. Ha! Then each person in my small group comes to pick up their order, paying for it by direct deposit into the main account.
All done for another few months. Well, except for our other co-op order which is on it's way too... nuts and things from Trumps! Better go get my freezer cleaned out...
[Note: If you'd like more info on how a bulk food co-op works, or how to start one, read this article: Bulk Food Buying and Co-ops]
So now there's so many goodies to cook with, I'm dying to get started! This morning I got up bright and early and made an old-fashioned chicken, vege and brown rice soup for breakfast (it's so wet and miserable here - definitely soup weather), so I'll have plenty of energy to do all that cleaning. THEN I can start cooking...
So here's my basic menu plan for the week - of course, there'll be lots of other cooking going on too. Come and link up your menu plans, it's great to see what others are having, and share ideas. If you need help with menu planning, read How to Menu Plan. If you would like to link up your plan to this blog post, read Thermomix Menu Plans, and don't forget to leave a comment below so I notice you've linked up! Thanks, and have a great week.
Oh, by the way - be prepared for lots of photos of Hawaii... they'll be popping up on my blog and Facebook page within the next week, and also on the official Thermofest Facebook page! Looking forward to meeting some of you there :) (WOO HOO!!!)
Mexican black bean and chorizo soup - mmmm...
Monday:
Mexican black bean and chorizo sausage soup & leafy green salad (I love this soup - it's a great meal to pop in the slow cooker for a busy day. Or you can make a smaller batch in the Thermomix.)
Tuesday:
Fish mornay with white sweet potato mash topping & leafy green salad
Wednesday:
Steak, salads and baked sweet potato
Thursday:
Chicken & cashews with coconut quinoa & cashew satay sauce
Friday:
I'm off to Hawaii!! Time for daddy to take over the cooking...
Family will be having Chilli con Carne (from the EDC) with salad & corn chips
Saturday:
Sunday:
Lunch with G'ma
Link up your menu below!
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