Friday 8th June is World Ocean day, which is an opportunity to honour, help protect and conserve the world’s oceans. The ocean is important because it:
- Regulates our climate
- Generates most of the oxygen we breathe
- Cleans the water we drink
- Helps feed us
This year, the theme is preventing plastic pollution and encouraging solutions for a healthy ocean. The organisers are encouraging us all to stop using single use plastic bags, straws and bottles.
I’ve recently written a blog post with ways to help reduce plastic pollution. One of the tips in the post is to use reusable shopping bags and produce bags. Previously, Amanda and I hadn’t been using reusable produce bags and had been using the bags for vegetables and fruits that are provided by the supermarkets. Some of the supermarkets use biodegradable bags for produce but there are others that use a mixture of paper and plastic and we aren’t sure if they biodegradable or not. So, Amanda bought some reusable produce bags and has been testing them. She has written this blog post about her experience of using reusable produce bags.
To celebrate World Ocean day, I have included a sea bream on a bed of lemon fennel recipe in this week’s meal plan.
Monday: Sea bream fillet parcel on a bed of lemon fennel
Fennel is one of my favourite vegetables and I love to eat it raw as a snack as I just can’t get enough of the aniseed flavour. I love this dish because the fennel isn’t cooked too much so keeps its flavour and crunch. Plus, the lemon adds a nice bit of a zing. I hope you enjoy my sea bream fillet on a bed of lemon fennel.
Tuesday: Couscous and grilled vegetable salad
This salad is packed with the vegetables in season in June; courgette, aubergine and deliciously sweet red pepper. Plus, it is also suitable for anyone following a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Wednesday: Chicken Pad Thai
I have to admit that I might be slightly obsessed with Thailand and Thai food. I’ve backpacked Thailand five times so far and could easily go another five times! Tonight’s recipe from my meal plan is chicken pad Thai. With the thunderstorms and warm weather we’ve had this week, I can almost picture myself in Thailand in the rainy season…… I can’t wait to go back!
Thursday: Cured ham, peaches and mozzarella salad
I am loving mixing fruits with salads at the moment and these grilled peaches are so nicely caramelised that they are divine. They work super well with the mozzarella and cured ham in this salad.
Friday: Lamb chops with potatoes, tomatoes and courgette gratin
My mum made a vegetable gratin (also known as a tian in French) this weekend whilst she was telling me that she was going to cook every meal from my meal plan this week. When I told her that it would mean that she’d be eating a vegetable gratin twice this week, she responded “I can eat tian all the time in summer!” She’s totally right (as Mum’s always are), a tian is a perfect summer vegetable dish for BBQs. Why not invite some friends over, crack open some beers and cook the chops on the BBQ and accompany it with my Mum’s tian of course!!!
