This week has been really exciting. For anyone who has seen pictures of our kitchen, it will come as no surprise that we have been desperate to rip it out and put a new kitchen in since we moved in here. It’s very dated and old, definitely not in a cool vintage way.
We have a bright orange floor and beige cupboard doors that hang precariously off their hinges. Our fridge freezer is tiny and most of the shelves have broken, meaning we have very little usable space in there. (A pain when I like to batch cook to make life easier on days when I’m working.)

Another thing I have been dreaming of is getting a dishwasher (sad I know). I do a lot of cooking as you know and that means I also end up doing a lot of washing up. I feel like half my life is spent stood at the sink in the kitchen washing pots again and again. A dishwasher would mean I could spend more time with Harry. If they could make a self cleaning floor as well that would be a dream!

So this week we came a step closer to getting our new kitchen. We ordered our new fridge freezer, dishwasher from ao.com & our cupboard units, doors and worktop from diy-kitchens!
I’m so excited! We have wanted to change our kitchen since we moved in here but maternity leave and a change of job meant money has been very tight. It still is and we are on a strict budget but we are at a point now where we can start making changes that I had started to think weren’t going to happen for another 5 years. It’s going to take a good few months until I will consider it finished, we are doing the work in phases as we can afford it, but its so exciting to be making a start.
The order we are planning on doing things in is:
- Old kitchen out, new units, worktop, sink, tap, gas hob dishwasher and fridge freezer in!
- Extractor fan in, new tiles on the wall and walls painted.
- Plinths and new flooring put in.
- Shelves on the wall, finishing touches (blinds, pictures etc.)
This will probably happen over the course of the next 4 months. I know we are spreading it out quite a bit so will be living with a kitchen without tiles and flooring for a few months but I’m so excited just to be getting started! After we have completed the initial changes our kitchen will work better for us already, the rest is just cosmetic. I will keep you all updated with how things are going (including how we are coping with cooking for a toddler with no kitchen whilst it is being done!)
Meal Plan

Anyway, on to our meal plan! This week I am planning to use up as much freezer food as possible ready for when we start the work on the kitchen. For this reason it may sound a bit unimaginative and repetitive but hey, let’s not pretend we don’t all have these kind of weeks!
Monday
Harry is eating at Nursery
- Sandwiches
- Omelette
Tuesday
- Pinwheels with salad
- Spaghetti and meatballs
Wednesday
- Beans on toast
- So juicy chicken and homemade chips with mixed vegetables
Thursday
- Mini quiche with salad
- Pasta sauce and ratatouille sauce with garlic bread
Friday
Harry eating at Nursery
- Sandwiches
- Chilli and rice
Saturday
- Egg on toast
- Chicken curry
Sunday
Flexi day
What are you eating this week? I love new ideas so please keep sharing! Also look out for more of Jen’s amazing, simple slow cooker tutorials on our YouTube channel! Feel free to subscribe using the link below to get notifications when a new tutorial is uploaded!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4jZPMscQYYym-4_YwkwL4Q