Meal Planning - how do you do it?

Ches

GoodFortune wrote: »

This is an excellent idea. It will mean you only go out and buy exactly what you need to add to your main shop. I have batch cooked for almost four decades and love every minute of my time in the kitchen. I make basic cooked mince, roast beef joints, soups, batch amounts of cooked and whizzed up vegetables to name but a few. I don't have set meals as such, but when I see meat bargains in the supermarket tend to buy it in bulk and then cook and freeze. Happy cooking. I am sure you will enjoy everything you cook. Just make sure you have room to freeze it all .......

I shop this way too. OH always 'doesn't fancy' the meal I am planning to have that evening so a new plan is to freeze down my batch cooking into ready meals for 1 then he can choose what he wants as can I. Whats the betting when we sit down to eat he will look at my plate and say 'mmm that looks nice I wish I had chosen that'. :eek:

Picklepud

Hiya

Trying to get my planning started, are there any batch meals that you can cook from frozen... i keep forgetting to take things out of the freezer! and quick meals are a necessity some nights with late working and clubs etc.

Gigervamp

Ches wrote: »

I shop this way too. OH always 'doesn't fancy' the meal I am planning to have that evening so a new plan is to freeze down my batch cooking into ready meals for 1 then he can choose what he wants as can I. Whats the betting when we sit down to eat he will look at my plate and say 'mmm that looks nice I wish I had chosen that'. :eek:

Don't give him the option. I've found that whenever I say "I'm thinking of making such and such tonight" I get the "Oh, I don't really fancy that", but if I just cook something, it gets eaten.

Nancy888

Hi

Just seen this for taking some of the planning out of your hands...

I get these newsletter things from time to time and some of the recipes are quite good.

They seem to be following Economy Gastronomy kind of way of doing things but incorporating other chefs recipes....will have a propoer look and see what tips I can pick up later

freakyogre

I have gone through my cupboards etc. today and done my plan for the next month. I only bought my new freezer a week ago and it's full already, so I need to use what I already have! Everything I have listed, I have/have the ingredients for (except for maybe a couple of things).

Monday 1st - stuffed pepper with potato wedges
Tuesday 2nd - sausage pasta bake with garlic bread
Wednesday 3rd - broccoli and red pepper quiche with potato wedges
Thursday 4th - sweet and sour chicken with rice/noodles
Friday 5th - scampi, chips and peas!
Saturday 6th - chicken and broad bean tagliatelle
Sunday 7th - going out for an indian for my sisters birthday


Monday 8th - beef stew with mashed potato
Tuesday 9th - lemony prawn and pea pasta
Wednesday 10th - egg, chips and beans
Thursday 11th - broccoli and red pepper quiche with chips/wedges
Friday 12th - corned beef crispbake with beans and chips
Saturday 13th - stuffing and lentil burgers
Sunday 14th - tuna and sweetcorn pasta bake


Monday 15th - [STRIKE]fish fingers, chips and peas[/STRIKE] had a chinese takeaway
Tuesday 16th - [STRIKE]sweet and sour chicken with rice/noodles[/STRIKE] had leftover chinese takeaway
Wednesday 17th - [STRIKE]sausage casserole with cous cous[/STRIKE] will be sweet and sour chicken with rice
Thursday 18th - pesto pasta with garlic bread
Friday 19th - sticky lemon chicken with noodles
Saturday 20th - sweetcorn and spinach tortilla with potato wedges
Sunday 21st - garlic prawns in coconut cream with rice


Monday 22nd - salsa chicken and cheese tortilla
Tuesday 23rd - chilli sausage sandwich/'bap' with fried onions
Wednesday 24th - chicken korma with rice
Thursday 25th - mexican bean burgers
Friday 26th - southern fried chicken with potato wedges and corn on the cob
Saturday 27th - sausage pasta bake
Sunday 28th - thai chicken cakes with sweet chilli sauce


I'm going to write them in my diary now and hope I can stick to it as much as possible.

rosh12

Wow freakyogre! How come when I do my (rubbish) attempts at monthly shops or batch cooking it's a cucle chilli, fajitas, shepherds pie or curry...? I am in awe of the list of meals you have there!

conradmum

Ches wrote: »

I shop this way too. OH always 'doesn't fancy' the meal I am planning to have that evening so a new plan is to freeze down my batch cooking into ready meals for 1 then he can choose what he wants as can I. Whats the betting when we sit down to eat he will look at my plate and say 'mmm that looks nice I wish I had chosen that'. :eek:

Your husband gets to choose!?!

I really hope my husband never gets wind of this strange custom. :rotfl:

Ches

Anything for an easy stress free life.

I bought 3x 1000g mince for £10 from Mr S yesterday. I cooked 1 packet today with 2 large onions, pkt chopped value mushrooms, diced swede, diced carrot and a tin of baked beans. Added a couple of oxos and a stock cube. Cooked and mashed all the remains of a large sack of potatoes I bought before Christmas. This made 21 portions of shepherds pie which are now in the freezer. I had plans to batch cook lasagne and chilli with the other 2 packets of mince but have had to freeze them down for another day owing to lack of freezer space.

misscousinitt

Hi

I do this every month - but I don't really do the batch cooking thing. I normally check out whats in the freezer and the cupboards, work out the meals for a month. Do the main shop, then just top up once a week for fresh stuff, bread & milk etc... It works quite well - I tend to make more of things like cottage pie, chilli, spag bol, lasagne, stew etc... then I have quick meals in the freezer for if I'm busy or tired.

Well done for taking up the challenge - I'm sure you will do well.

cagneuk

Hi,

Hope you don't mind me joining in but I'm new to this whole planning and cooking malarky. But with an ever decreasing bank balance and a growing family (not to mention waistline), it's about time I changed from takeaways to careful cooking. I don't have a slow cooker or a chest freezer so working with standard 4 drawer freezer and oven.
Can anyone tell me, if I make things like bolognese, chilli, beef stew, cottage pie etc, and freeze them, firstly, what should I use to freeze them in (tuppaware, bowls with cling film etc)?? secondly, how long will they last in the freezer, If I make something today and freeze it will it be ok to eat in two weeks time? three weeks? do certain things have shorter shelf life, any foods in particular that don't like to be frozen ?

also is there any thread on this forum you would reccomend I read for other tips on this sort of thing?

Thanks

Cagne