Meal Planning and Me.

[Trijian]

So I'm trying so hard to get back onto SW properly, but my biggest issue is meal planning. I just can't seem to get my head around organising meals and planning ahead. I've been told in the past to use the 7 day planners provided in the magazines or on website, but find myself picking through all the stuff I'm not keen on, and end up with practically nothing.

If ever I do manage to get a plan sorted out, the issue is then turning it into a shopping list on a budget!

Does anyone have any tips that I can try out to overcome this hurdle? I feel once I have myself organised, the rest will be easy.

 

[*EB*]

Cooking a few big meals and having leftovers as lunches i find is a good idea - a chicken (roast) for example is quite reasonable in cost and makes a large meal - and then some!

I think there are some threads on here for students - which may help with budgeting.

Green days tend to be cheaper as you can get more pasta/potatoes at a cheaper cost than Meat.

Best of luck

 

[Felix]

I've just started SW this week and have never planned a weeks shopping in my whole life! I usually just wing it and end up spending a fortune.

I wrote down a week of dinners, some which have the same ingredients so I didn't have to buy loads of different stuff. I bought as much fruit and veg as I could, and I'm having meals which you can bulk out cheaply (pasta, jacket potato, lentil curry etc). I got weetabix for my breakfast and yoghurt/fruit, and I'm having left over pasta from last night for my lunch today. I have realised the key for lunches is making a little bit more the night before then saving a portion to have the next day

I don't really like meat, so the only meat I bought is lean bacon. So I've managed to keep costs down by not eating much meat. You could always buy cheaper cuts of meat and slow cook it to save money.

Oh and I forgot to say I usually do all my shopping at Asda but this time I did the majority of it at Aldi and other bits I couldn't get from there I got from Asda. Saved myself a fortune!!

 

[Coz12]

I done my meal planner last night & my shopping online at Tesco (normally do mostly Aldi but didn't want to drive in the ice).

I spend 10/15 mins flicking through SW mags, books & on here picking out the meals that I fancy & writing them down next to the days taking into account what we will b doing for example tonight is swimming so I need to do something in the slow cooker so it is ready when we get in.

I am also on a budget and spent £65 on this weeks shop that's 2 adults & 2 kids.

This is my meal planner 4 this week:-

Tuesday - Chicken Cacciatore
Wednesday - Beef Stew
Thursday - Minestrone Soup
Friday - Chicken & Leek Pie
Saturday - Grilled Lamb Cutlets & Sautéed rosemary potatoes
Sunday - Sausage, Egg, Chips & plum toms mushrooms etc.

I will see if I can attach a photo of my list, obviously there is some bits 4 the kids. Also dog food which I haven't included in the £65.

Corrine x

 

[Shirleen]

I've got a wipe clean board I do two weeks planning so it doesn't repeat.
But cooking one eating twice is something you can do quite easily, say today you have a casserole and save half, tomorrow fry up some onions, garlic, cumin, garam masala, curry powder add a little water to slacken add you casserole and voila! You have curry!

A mince ragu can be changed up for chilli, or curry, or Bolognese, it can be frozen easily and defrosted in the microwave. I do mine in 2kilo (mince) batches then divided into portions for the family, it can even be the base of a soup with lots of veg.

To decide your meals think back up what you've eaten recently in a week, CIA even takeaways have their SW equivalent. Then just change the way you cook!

 

[sweet pink]

I have just started doing meal plans after almost 18 months on SW & it is sooo much easier than I thought. I have done a 2 week meal plan & will just keep alternating the 2. I have them printed out & stuck on the fridge. Even the kids joke whats on the menu tonight!!!!

Before this I just kept lots of SW friendly food in the house & took it a day at a time but this way I am saving soo much money in comparison & wasting absolutely nothing. I wish I had done this months ago

 

[JezVonSavage]

I find meal plans help me save money as I know exactly what I'm buying rather than just buying whatever looks nice If you repeat meals like Sweet Pink you'll also save money on condiments- you won't have to buy new herbs and spices all the time.

I can get three sets of meals out of a chicken- roast of the legs, pasta dish out of the breast and soup out of what is left.

I save ALL of my leftovers- invest in some cheap tupperware and your leftovers will do for lunch the next day

I also buy frozen veg when I'm poor as it obviously keeps longer! I am a serial veg-throw-awayer!

Good luck x

 

[sweet pink]

I find meal plans help me save money as I know exactly what I'm buying rather than just buying whatever looks nice If you repeat meals like Sweet Pink you'll also save money on condiments- you won't have to buy new herbs and spices all the time.

I can get three sets of meals out of a chicken- roast of the legs, pasta dish out of the breast and soup out of what is left.

I save ALL of my leftovers- invest in some cheap tupperware and your leftovers will do for lunch the next day

I also buy frozen veg when I'm poor as it obviously keeps longer! I am a serial veg-throw-awayer!

Good luck x

I have started buying frozen veg too!!!! Its an absolute godsend when it comes to saving money & of course time oz its already chopped

 

[JezVonSavage]

I have started buying frozen veg too!!!! Its an absolute godsend when it comes to saving money & of course time oz its already chopped

I used to be a proper frozen veg snob!! Lord knows why. Although when I cook for people I still don't tell them the veg is frozen, haha. Ghetto snobbery.

 

[sweet pink]

I used to be a proper frozen veg snob!! Lord knows why. Although when I cook for people I still don't tell them the veg is frozen, haha. Ghetto snobbery.

I honestly dont think anyone could tell once its cooked. Really got to love frozen diced onions!!!! No more tears at tea time

 

[Hamish's Mum]

I have started meal planning our evening meal. I have a notebook with a list of al our evening meals that we like to enjoy and each week before I go shopping I go through the list and try to pick 7 meals that we have not had for a while.

It means OH is more organised and knows what to get out of the freezer for next day when I am working, and I know what to buy when I go shopping. I find it is much cheaper, stops me buying things we will never eat for weeks. Also a great way of making space in your freezer if you already have things in there that you actually plan to use.

 

[piX128]

some great advice here. I also nose through other people's food diaries for inspiration of how to put a day's food together, especially those who've been doing this a while.