Meal Planning - how do you do it?

hotcookie101

JulieGeorgiana wrote: »

I always batch cook. Most meals last 2 days... but I can bulk out a pack of 500g mince and make spag bol for 6 nights (3 people), we will freeze 4 meals worth for when we need it.

Do you mean you get 6 meals out of 500g or 18 meals? I make bolognase with 500g mince, carrots onions and celery and it will do 3 meals for me and OH (who has a big appetite) so thats about 80g mince per portion, but if you get 18 then thats just over 25g of mince per portion, which seems like a very small amount to me (there is no way I'd get away with that with OH and I think I would rather just have a veggie one :cool:)

I meal plan, mainly monthly, but I don't have a set rota as to what we have. I work full time, 10-11 hour days, 4 days a week, and my OH commutes, and shifts vary, so sometimes home at 6, sometimes 830, so weeknight meals tend to be relatively easy ones, mon/tues I finish earlier (usually home by about 630 those nights) so we usually have something I cook from scratch those nights, or have pre-prepared at the weekend. Wednesday is my day off so I will quite often make a stew or a chilli or pasta sauce to have on the thursday or friday (when I don't get in until later-7/730, sometimes much later if we get an emergency in and I am on call )
Wednesday we also tend to have something that takes longer to cook, as I usually try to get the chores/gym/shopping done in the morning and use the afternoon as me time, and I love to cook. (and read cookbooks, a LOT, recent discovery Jamie's 30 minute meals is really good, everything I have cooked out of it so far turned out really well, and certainly within 30-40 minutes )
Weekends OH and I like to cook together, its generally the only chance he gets to cook unless he's home before me in the week.

I use my freezer a lot. Because there is only 2 of us, I tend to cook large amounts of the things that take a long time (beef shin stew in stout-delicious, make it with over a kilo of shin, carrots onions and mushrooms, and then split it into 5 meals for 2, its great just as stew, or its a ready made pie filling) and so I have ready meals in there for the nights I'm working late and we need something easy. Chilli, baked potatoes and corn on the cob is a favourite easy meal, but sometimes with rice as the baked potatoes take too long (dont like done in the micro unless they then have at least 30 mins in oven to crisp up) so with rice can be on the table in 10 minutes.

When I plan my meals I sit down, look at the list of stuff I have in the freezer, my rota, and my cookbooks for inspiration. We do probably eat too much meat, but we are trimming that down, and are having generally 2x fish and 1x veggie meal a week. We don't have set days for things, although I do try to have fish on a friday (its a hangover from an irish upbringing I think:rotfl:)

We are lucky that we are not really struggling financially, but the less we spend on meals the more we have for holidays, trips, meals out and other luxuries. I buy only free range chicken and pork, and beef from the local butchers, get a veg box delivered every 2 weeks, and buy top up veg (found with a weekly box, we couldn't use it all, but 2 weekly we don't have quite enough, especially with carrots and onions)

I hope this helps, or at least makes sense! The main thing is to be a little flexible. We don't stick to it religiously. and there are some days where I truly cannot be bothered-eg last night I had a RUBBISH day at work, got home at 730, and did not feel like cooking, so we had a takeaway, and it was delicious :cool: . but I didn't use any vouchers or codes or anything:o;)

quintwins

i have a family calander it has 4 colums but we only use the first one so i use the last one, then i can look at wat were doing that day aswell, incase i need to do something in the slow cooker, i can then see the whole month to make sure it's not to repetitive, i then do a list of everything i need to make said meals then look in the cupboards/fridge/freezer and cross off wat i don't need, whats left goes on my shopping list along with the usual bread, milk butter ect

tumptyteapot

Hi, is there a section on here that helps with meal planning please, I did my first ever weekly plan yesterday and it was much harder than I thought!

tumptyteapot

what a great thread, thank you! I did my first meal plan on Sunday and I am surprised I found it so difficult. There are only 2 of us, me and my 7 year old and he has a self restricted diet (special needs) so I generally cook 2 meals although I always said I wouldn't. I try to get us to eat the same as much as possible but I wont eat curly fries or processed cheese and he won't eat anything runny :-)
So I think the problem with my meal plan was trying to get to much of it to match up, does that make sense? Has anyone got any good ways to meal plan if people don't eat the same things? Also, because I am cooking for one I tend to automatically cook for 2 so I have lots left over.

skintbint_2

check out this link - old style moneysaving thread - they have the veery thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/135227

tumptyteapot

skintbint wrote: »

check out this link - old style moneysaving thread - they have the veery thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/135227

fantastic, thank you!

alwaysonthego_2

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zippychick

ive merged this with our meal planning thread for you. here is a great post by Rosieben with some more links

Zip

RhiBi

I'd really like some help with this! How do you plan your weekly or monthly menu's?

I spend most mornings wondering what to have for tea, and then I end up going abd buying something even though I have cupboards and a freezer full.

Are you super organised and have a spreadsheet type thing (thats what I'd love to do but don't have a clue where to start)! Or do you do it mentally based on what you have in the house?

Do you trawl recipe books and buy for the month based on what you decide?

Any hints and tips would be really welcome - and if anyone does have a spreadsheet or something that they'd be happy to share I'd be very welcome - if it can be viewsed on a mac

Thanks again everyone!

tjp70

Hi Rhian,

I shop weekly and meal plan weekly too. I have a list of what I have in my freezer and I use that to plan what to make each day. I plan for the next week, and add additional items to my shopping list to supplement what is in my cupboards and freezer.

If I see any yellow stickered items whilst shopping, they get thrown into the freezer upon my return (and added to the freezer list of course) and get used in the following weeks plans.

I find meal planning stops me from eating out or buying takeaways so often. I also plan an 8th meal for the week because it is not unusual for my family not to feel like eating what we have planned for that night, so we allow an extra option.

Hope this helps.