That coleslaw looks delicious!

I'm usually at the shops every day to grab groceries not very good at planning as I'd want to eat something go there and the ingredients are not fresh so I'd change my mind and cook something else from what I can find ..I'm spoilt because we live so close to Box Hill..I can hop on train at 424pm be there by 430pm hop back on the 513pm train and dinner will be on the table by 730pm

it's not traditional..hehehe he popped cabbage ..gourmet salad leaves Spanish onion ..mango..fried shallots ..chicken from the congee..apparently just whatever he found in the fridge lol then fish dipping sauce

couldn't taste any Vietnamese mint

We keep a nice supply of canned tomatoes, canned beans and lentils, and plenty of dried herbs and spices in the pantry. Although our garden is tiny, we've got rosemary, basil, Italian parsley, oregano and thyme growing, along with a miniature bay tree, and also a pot with lettuce in it. Next year, we'll try adding tomatoes and capsicum. That gives some flexibility to menu planning.

That said, one of us does shop for food most days. We've got three butchers, a fishmonger, three bakeries and two supermarkets within walking distance and a weekly farmer's market as well. The menu therefore tends to be based on what's fresh and in season. We like Italian, middle Eastern and Indian food, so we get plenty of variety. And great leftovers for lunch the next day.

bigreader when we first moved here I didn't know my way around so after doing groceries silly me took the main roads home..it took me 20 minutes by car at 430pm lol ..if I had walked 30 minutes..so now I just take the train..where we are to turn right we have to wait for a train to go by so the boom gates are down or a pedestrian pressing for the lights..thank goodness our main road has lots of cafe..lots of foot traffic or else I won't be able to turn right lol

jmm1837 lucky you would love to live near the shops makes it so much easier..

Coles is trying to get in..if they do they will be a few doors down from us..that would be heaven since we tends to run out of milk lol

problem is it is an old area and people are very conservative..can't think why our clients are all old and apartments are going up all around would serve everyone lol been a few years now they are still at VCAT lol

wuff you're organised ..when I'm in Geelong working hubby cooks..so that's Mons and Tues taken care of..sometimes there's left overs for Weds..I tend to ring home when I leave on Wed to see if he's got anything planned or else I'll buy groceries before I leave Ocean Grove and pop them in my eski and drive home to cook..

if not I'll catch the train to Box Hill to grab groceries

Thurs and Fri I cook..Sat and Sun we eat out ..sometimes if I'm too busy at the business we have take aways so it depends ..he's whinging a lot as I don't cook as much now ..well after 22 years of cooking I think I'm allowed some time off lol

I am with you Uyenvy Le, we often eat out Sunday nights, we live centrally, I walk to Coles, I have a granny trolley and use virtually no plastic bags, occasionally I need one for anything that looks like it will leak . We also have 50+ cafes and restaurants in walking distance. I like to walk to the furtherest away then I can justify dessert!!

I only have time to do shopping for groceries once a week and I stock my fridge to the brim, freezing meets and food that is easily perishable. Just the Opposite of Uyenvy, I cook a huge pot each time which could amount to 2-3 meals for both my partner and I. I love to cook huge pots of vegetable and meat soup. When we do have time, we cook steak, bake a chicken or other form of stir fry dishes. Salads are fuss free to whip up and take for lunch.

wuff me too..I only put good quality food in my mouth now as too hard to work it off lol we have accounts with most of the cafes for the kids' sakes so they can go and not ask us for money for a pie here and there or stuff for school lunch..I don't frequent them..

Crystal..I only freeze pate if I make them and chicken stock..we eat freshly cooked stuff most day..left overs are devoured for breakfast and lunch so not much left for dinners ..I've got 3 teens so they eat the house down lol

I get bored easy and very scattered brains hubby hates it as I'll ask him for ideas for dinner and then change them a few times before I actually cook it lol he tells me off as I change my mind that frequent ..like tonight I have no idea what to cook and I've got a whole blog full of recipes lol

we'll go to lunch soon so I'll see what's available..not in a cooking mood..last night made tuna Mornay and nearly burnt the White sauce..things goes wrong or comes out bland/ mediocre when I don't put my heart into it lol

stir fries are quick ..quickest is scallops ..I'd blanche the vegies then quick case of stir frying the scallops and then combine them all..my dishes are done within the time of me cooking the rice in the cooker.. I portion my chicken stock into meal sizes and then it's a case of bringing it down 6 mins in the microwave then add some bok choy or zucchini or carrots and cauliflower and you've got soup

this is an easy one salad with basalmic dressing then beef cubes stir fried on top to have with rice

Plan around the specials in the supermarket, and what's in season.

Uyenvy Le, how is it possible that I have had lunch but reading your comment makes me hungry? :) Thanks for sharing!

Uyenvy - part of our retirement plan was to move to a place where there were lots of facilities within walking distance. We left our beautiful but remote coastal village where we had to drive 60 km to a dentist and 35 km to the doctor, and moved into a town where the dentist is at the end of the street, the doctor around the corner, and all the shops within walking distance (for when we have to give up the sportscar ;). We can "age out" here in comfort!

nicely done..jmm1837 are you still close to the beach though? we are pretty close to everything need to install a lift when we are older and can't climb the stairs anymore..

the doctors and dentists are just across the road..so is the train and bus..liquor store is up the hill..nursing home down the road ..we are servicing it so we know it's a good one to go in when we need to hehehe got contacts lol

I work in a hospital and well all those years of up and down the stairs are wearing me knees out..now I'm working on the ground level so not too bad..

pretty much set unless we move coastally

Would love for you guys to share your thoughts here:

[Do you have a retirement plan for your home?[(https://www.houzz.com.au/discussions/do-you-have-a-retirement-plan-for-your-home-dsvw-vd~3747686)

both are my fast food dishes when I'm lazy lol

beccstar78 sounds so nice to have fresh meat..at least you know where it comes from sometimes I buy meat and have to throw it away as they've over defrosted it half cooked it try to cover it up so you can't tell and most time it's rotten inside

wuff ..thank you..I love to cook it's the only thing that I ever finish hehehe my home cooked Phở

emerald ..very organised some days I wish I was more organised..I fumble around too much..

nothing for dinner planned as yet..need to groceries shop soon..fed the kids pizza yesterday so had better cook today lol

Yummy pho!

Uyenvy your food looks amazing! Stock must be essential to your quick food.

Do you have any quick chicken recipes?

LouieT..you can make ginger chicken ..to save time I buy thigh fillets..cut them into 6 pieces..

sautee some onion in a bit of oil..pop in the chicken ..some sweet soya (Kecap Manis) ABC brand some fish sauce and ginger slices..simmer covered until cooked..

not too much sweet soya as it will darken the chicken..

you can add a bit of water if you like when simmering .

easy and quick to have with rice ..

I always have a pot of stock in the freezer..divided into meal size containers that way it's 6 mins in the microwave and into the pot with some chicken powder , sugar fish sauce and whatever you're making

Lemon grass chicken
6 medium chicken chops deboned and sliced into strips (the bone portion I use to make my soup) or use thigh fillets..

2 brown onions sliced thinly
2-3 stalks of celery sliced
1 red capsicum cut into strips
1-2 stalk of lemon grass minced (I chopped mine and popped it in the Bamix to mince) or if you're lazy you can buy minced ones in the frozen section of an Asian groceries

fish sauce, sugar to taste
chilli, sliced ( I only used 2 as the kids were eating it as well, but can go as hot as you like)

Some oil, sautee the onion...pop in the chicken, fish sauce, sugar, lemon grass and chilli
Once chicken is cooked then add the celery and capsicum to warm. Only takes a few minutes and it is ready, celery and capsicum need to be crunchy..

can marinate the chicken first so more taste

Triple yum Uyenvy, thank you so much for the recipes & tips!

Now when are you coming to live in Brisbane, lol!

emerald..don't know how you full time mum does it..I wouldn't be able to cope lol I only work part time and yet on the days I work I don't even look after myself properly lol.

took the kids to Yum Cha today so I bought groceries at Melb Central before hopping on the train back ..

just making a stir fry tonight..was going to have stir fried noodles..turned out my Hokkien noodles are expired..this is the reason why I don't buy stuff beforehand lol so will wing it and have with rice..one wok wonder with some scallops from the freezer..

my kids are easy they don't ever whinge about what I cook they know better..as sometimes I don't cook at all lol

Emerald, when I was a teen I had to help with the cooking. Mum used to make this bulk minestrone with tiny diced vegetables, a big tub full, and I had to dice them. When I moved out she bought a gadget to do it. Maybe why I still hate chopping verges, lol.

point is, I enjoyed cooking other things, Mum was working by then, and it helped. We also had to do cleaning and gardening.

Dinner party dilemma at Easter no. 1 , where to sit for the family photo:

Tribbletrouble so did I mum worked full time so once she's home at 5pm she'll give orders as who's doing what..dad walks through the door at 6pm ..dinner was served every day at 6pm so if you're late you miss out lol my dad was in the army so the household was run like an army barrack lol

I understand many Asian families still work like that. I was in a mothers group where we compared notes, and none of our teens would do chores. The best I could get mine to do was a bit of weeding and sort of tidy their rooms. My son could also mow, but he didn't do it much.

Maybe you guys could add any other recipes to [this[(https://www.houzz.com.au/discussions/share-your-favourite-recipe-dsvw-vd~3178181?n=4) post!

I usually plan a couple of main meals at the start of the week and then just mix and match with leftovers or whatever I find in my fridge. Some weeks I’m all about prepping things ahead, but other times I just wing it and get creative with canned stuff, frozen veggies, and whatever else is around. My go-to when I’m lazy is pasta or throwing random things in a stir fry.

I have a friend who works in the food production business and tells me a lot about salad dressing packaging equipment making things easier for big meal prep services. Sounds way less stressful than having to cook everything at home every day.