meal planning - where do i start?

swampytiggaa

ah - see i think i am doing the pantry thing combined with meal planning - I just listed everything we had then decided what i could cook with it and bought what i needed to make the meals

will see how it goes.....

Sarahsaver

maybe its https://www.recipe-monster.com

Smiley_Mum

Sarahsaver wrote:

www.recipemonster.com i think is the right address;)

http://www.agalinks.com/RecipeSearch.asp

hypno06

16011996 wrote:

try writing down favourite meals to get you started, and think about which nights your going to have most time to cook, i tend to do double batches some nights, that are then easy to warm up. on this website, there are some meal planner forms you can print off, i use these, i find they really help.

http://www.organizedhome.com/printable/index.php/cat/501

160.

Thank you for that link - what a fab site - I can see my printer working overtime today!!

jubarnes26

Penny-Pincher!! wrote:

Hey

As your a virgin meal planner..LOL. I would start easy and small. Just plan for 4 days at a time. For me it would be (1)Roast Chicken (2)Sausage, mash & veg(3) Chicken Curry & Rice (leftover chicken from roast) (4)Shepards Pie & Veg.

Just buy the food needed for these meals, then next time if you manage OK, plan for 5/7/10 days etc. Once you get in the swing, its quite easy. Each week we seem to have the same meals but normally do a 2 week meal plan and buy the main food items needed. Meals are like this for the fortnight (roughly..LOL):

2 X Roast Dinners
2 X Shepards Pie
Toad In Hole
Pie, Spuds & Veg
Fish Pie
Sausage, Mash & Beans
Curry & Rice
SpagBol
Fish Breaded, Spuds & Veg
2 X Egg & Chips
Chilli Con Carne & Rice

I would say these 2 weeks of meals should cost about £15 including all veg, pulses etc for the 3 of us.



PP
xxx

OMG - you eat exactly the same things as us - that 2 week plan is perfect.
I'm always starting plans and never acting on them - i have loads of spreadsheets of meal planners but never seem to follow through, maybe this year will be better.

1 thing i have done in the past is write a complete weeks worth, split it right down into everything i need, tick off what i have already then do a virtual shop on tesco's to get a price list, print it off and head off to Tesco's or Morrisons armed with money off coupons !!! Hope this helps someone

Happy New Year to all moneysavers:beer:

Penny-Pincher!!

jubarnes26 wrote:

OMG - you eat exactly the same things as us - that 2 week plan is perfect.
I'm always starting plans and never acting on them - i have loads of spreadsheets of meal planners but never seem to follow through, maybe this year will be better.

1 thing i have done in the past is write a complete weeks worth, split it right down into everything i need, tick off what i have already then do a virtual shop on tesco's to get a price list, print it off and head off to Tesco's or Morrisons armed with money off coupons !!! Hope this helps someone

Happy New Year to all moneysavers:beer:

Of course it will be better:D You CAN do it!

Hugs

PP
xx

ashlea170706

i was just wonderin if anyone had any easy recipe sites? i am a 19 year old mum of one and i want to start cooking the stews curries etc but i dont know where to start. My partner works so i want to start giving him filling nutricious food when he gets home, hes quite good and eats most things! at the moment we spend 200 pound a month on food and never seem to have anything to show for it! so i just need to know where to start and what i can cook also does anyone know if it will be cheaper for me to go and buy my meast from a local butcher and if it will be cheaper to buy my veg from a local grocer? Many thanks ash

Sarahsaver

Go into any branch of somerfield and get a copy of their free magazine which has easy recipes in it. They use some things like bagged salads occasionally , but if i use these recipes what I do is scale them down, so instead of the bag of salad I would get a couple of 'real' lettuces.
also Delicious magazine is good as it has a monthly article called 'assembly cook' which is easy to prepare meals, plus another which is one base item cooked then adapted to make 3 different recipes.

Sarahsaver

http://www.magazine-group.co.uk/magazine-group/categories/food-and-drink/9807922/delicious.thtml?cmp=GOOGLE04
3 issues of delicious for £1.

ashlea170706

thanks very much for your help also dont know if u have an idea but wondered if local butchers and green grocers will be cheaper than buying it from the supermarket?