Meal Planning - how do you do it?

digitalia

Oh and once frozen do you need to defrost for 24 hours or just reheat.

irishwexford

I am doing things different for February. I have managed to buy such a lot of reduced items that meal plan will work around these instead of other way round. I have enough food for dinners for two weeks. I would love to do one big shop from Tesco or Asda and have it delivered but I like to buy meat from butcher and veggies from market, however I do try and batch cook when possible. I bake a whole try of potatoes and freeze, have bags of baked parsnips, carrots and runner beans from allotment, also I slice up bags of onions and freeze. Just lately have noticed lots of mushrooms reduced to 25p per carton so we bought lots and they are sliced in freezer. Meal plan will have lots of veggies as I am running out of space in freezers.

Nancy888

Odette wrote: »

Thanks Nancy888 that would be immense!

Just realised I'm not going to be able to post a link so please drop me a PM if you want me to email it over to you instead

Gigervamp

digitalia wrote: »

I would love to batch cook, but i have not got a clue where freezing is concerned. Eg.

If you cooked chicken from frozen for a stew for instance, can you freeze the stew for another time. (Its this freeze then refreeze once cooked that confuses me!)

Yes, once it's been cooked, it can be re-frozen.

digitalia

Gigervamp wrote: »

Yes, once it's been cooked, it can be re-frozen.

Thanks Gigervamp!!!
Now to start batch cooking. :T

Chuzzle

Nancy888 wrote: »

Just realised I'm not going to be able to post a link so please drop me a PM if you want me to email it over to you instead

Hi Nancy, hope you don't mind but I've pm'd u my emaill address if you wouldn't mind sending a copy to me please??

PetuliaGristle

Hi all, We've been mealplanning for over a year now, three of us here, me, dp and dd(5). We have two freezers, a one with drawers and a little chest freezer. Once a month we list what's in the freezer, then do the mealplan trying to have one fish, one meat and one veggie meal a week, plus a roast. We get a Tesco delivery once a fortnight, topping up from local Asda.

Dp is the head cook and every so often we go to Costco and get a load of meat and fish then he batch cooks ragu, fish pie, chilli and cheese sauce. We use the slow cooker, as others have said we make double quantities to eat one and freeze one.

I've found the weekly meal planning thread a great source of ideas.

sunshine6650

This is brilliant!

There is 2 adults in our house as well. Im in middle of making big 'stretch' mince to make lasagna, chilli, shep pie, wrap mix etc (few extra portions of this for my nana!!) Ive bought some veg to roast tomo as well for extra dinners..I might follow your plan as we need all the cash we can!!

Lets keep other going & give updates!

I have more slow cooker books that i can shake a stick too..if anyone has any idea what they want to make ill see if there is one in one of my books!

Im excited now!!

£100 it is..(just worried about lunches for work!)

x

freakyogre

I was thinking about this today and might give it a try. I have a lot of food in my (new!) freezer as well as the cupboards, so might go through everything tomorrow and make a list.

The only 'problems' I find with meal planning is sometimes i'll make something out of leftovers and it ends up making more than I started with and also, I can't always plan around when I won't be at home (rarely, but I go and see my brother and sister most weekends and my dad every so often so eat there) and that nights meal ends up being scrapped (not literally). It will be easier now I have the space to store it though.

Shame I still can't make myself use something before buying more of it...how much pasta does one person really need?!

p00

irishwexford wrote: »

I am doing things different for February. I have managed to buy such a lot of reduced items that meal plan will work around these instead of other way round..

I agree with this. Super 6 from Aldi and other offers from supermarkets then make your menu list round what you have. If you can buy reduced food then plan your meals it works out a lot cheaper than making a menu then buying the ingredients. Not good if you plod round the supermarkets just putting anything in your trolley though.