Chicken Noodle Soup - Meal Prep with Sunday Roast Leftovers

I don’t know about anyone else, but I really like the concept of Sunday meal prep, so you have healthy and nutritious lunches set up for the rest of the week instead of relying on packaged sandwiches from the shop (which can definitely be a bit hit and miss!).

I also hate waste. I like to use everything I can and not waste food if I can. And on top of that I'm a bit lazy, so if I can get away with cooking one big dinner to serve as the basis for my meal prep then I’m all over that too.

Meal prep Sunday nights

So, this meal is perfect for me. It’s a really yummy, packed-full-of-veggies soup that is almost no effort, seeing as I am basically using all leftovers from the Sunday roast I already made. I already was chopping leeks and carrots for the dinner, so doing another one each wasn’t much more work, and the chicken was roasted for dinner and then the leftovers were shredded.

Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Curry

Would you believe that someone specifically asked for got a slow cooker for Christmas!

Now, I’ll be real with everyone for a minute. I was pretty resistant of the slow cooker juggernaut. I know, I know. The benefits are endless. But I was scared of leaving the house with something cooking. It worried me. What if I came home and everything was on fire, an ashy lump of rubble where my home once was? But then, I thought how useful it could be for times when I’m mainly in the house but don’t want to stand over a pot, stirring. So, while I don’t think I’ll be throwing things in it and wandering off to work all day, I find myself using it on weekends and half days, where I basically put dinner on after breakfast and allow things to slowly cook and infuse with delicious flavours all day.

And onto one of the best slow cooked meals I've tried in it! It's a lovely noodle stew with Thai inspiration. And it took like 10 minutes to prep everything, then I was done until the food was ready to go! Technology is grand. This is a perfect slow-cooker meal.

Chicken Satay Noodle Soup

More toppings than soup - my kind of bowl!

Yum yum yum. Hello Monday night dinner!

One of my absolute favourite things to get from a Chinese takeaway is chicken satay. There is something about spicy, thick, silky nutty sauce smothered over some chicken that just gets me every time. Here, the noodles really shine, they cook in with the rest and help the sauce thicken up and become silky smooth. The creamed coconut helps with the sauce texture as well, without making it taste overwhelmingly of coconut.

This is one of these great midweek dinners which I love. Flavourful, quick, and all made in one pot = minimal washing up! I have to admit, I am not the biggest of noodle fans, but you could easily cook some rice in a separate pot and put that in a bowl first and pour some noodle-less soup on top. That would also be excellent. Good plan, rice fans,

You should make this for dinner next week, your family will love you for it!

Chilli Beef Noodles

So, I received a book voucher for Christmas, and immediately went and bought cookbooks (fiction? I don’t need no stinkin’ fiction). One of which was an Asian noodle cookbook, full of recipes for stir fries and curries with a range of meat and veg. I have to admit, I have never been the biggest fan of a stir fry, because I love a bit of sauce in my meal, which is why this noodle dish is perfect! Feel free to change around the vegetables to your favourites or whatever you have on hand. I just love broccoli.

Every once in a while I find myself a little bit bored of chicken, but there is something very intimidating about all the cuts of beef you can get. So, I chickened (HAH!) out for this recipe and bought some stir-fry beef strips. Convenience!

Lime and Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

I have to admit, I’ve never really made a stir fry before. I am just not a big fan of noodles, in general. But of course, noodles are my boyfriend’s favourite thing ever. I have combined a regular stir fry with another recipe I love for lime and ginger chicken, and it turned out deliciously. The flavours are complimentary, and it is packed full of my favourite veggies! Note, I did not add beansprouts because they are totally pointless and gross, but feel free to mix and match with the vegetables of your choice. Mushrooms, sugar snap peas, baby corn.. all solid options.

If you have a wok, this is the time to break it out. I do not have one, so a non-stick pan has been drafted in instead. Improvisation is a big part of how I cook. Don’t have the exact utensil/ingredient? Improvise and you never know, it might turn out better than the original! If not, eh, lesson learned. There’s a fairly laissez-faire attitude which predominates in my kitchen.

Chicken Laksa

It's really messy. Messier than this photo gives credit for.

Got this recipe from Jamie and his 15 minute meals. Or, as I call it, “Hannah getting flustered and making a huge mess in the kitchen over 35 minutes.” Seriously, I never use as many pots/pans/chopping boards/food processors and knives as when I make stuff from this book.

I have never had nor made anything remotely like this before but the spiced, salty, thick and creamy broth is fantastic. In fact, it is so incredibly flavourful that you could easily eat this without the meat. 

Usually, I am not a fan of noodles (RICE 4EVA), but this is a definite improvement on the boil in the bag variety. And it uses my favourite veg. I think that peppers or baby corn could work instead of the green beans, but I always just work with what I have.

Sesame Noodles

These noodles are ridiculous. You will literally wonder why you have never eaten noodles this way before, and weep. They are also a total breeze to make, and go with about everything you can think of. Brilliantly, they can be eaten on their own as some kind of delicious dinnertime treat.

None of the ingredients should be hard to find, my local Asda had them all, and I use them regularly.

Dream noodles.