Menu Planning Tips (merged)

marie_em

I just found this part of the forum after MSE's last email. I have been on other websites with similar ideas.

I am a busy (slightly stressed) full-tim working mum with an over weight husband, a 22mth old son and a crazy dog! I am on a quest to get better organised in all aspects of my life. I've read/ an reading the following books:
The household manager takes charge - Kathy Peel
Confessions of an Organized Home maker - ??
and been on
https://www.organizedhome.com (all are American I think)

All talk about menu planning and freezer cooking. I am also a recent convert to my slow cooker (Crock Pot). My mum has used hers since I was a kid. Ekk! I am turning into my mother.

I have started a 'month of meals' plan. I don't intend to stick to it religiously, but use as a guide. We are also trying to change our bad eating habits and my husband it trying to loose about 4st. He is not on a diet, we are changing to healthier food (less ready meals) for good.

I can't post my plan without lots of re-typing - It was typed in Excell as I hope to figure out how to link it to generate shopping lists. I'll post it later

Good luck everyone with your planning
Marie

marie_em

Right I re-typed it out. It is my first draft of my planner. I want to do some 'batch cooking' and freeze things like lasagne or bolognese mince.
I want to almost completely cut out ready meals and make things from scratch.

Any coments would be apreciated in terms of time & money saving. But remembering my ultimate goal is healthy.

Week 1 Dinners:
Sun - Slow cooker, Beef Casserole with veg & pot
Mon - Chicken Ready Meal with Mix Veg
Tue – Lasagne (home Made Frozen previously)
Wed - Stuffed Chicken Breast Sun Dried Tomato with Roasted Veg (peppers, courgette etc)
Thur - Slow cooker Veg Curry with brown rice
Fri - Fresh Lemon Sole Fish in breadcrumbs with oven chips & peas
Sat - Chinese Chicken Stir Fry with Rice

Week 2 Dinners:
Sun - Salmon with chinese egg noodles & brocolli
Mon - Homemade (beef or lamb) burgers with Chips & Salad
Tue - Quorn Mince Spaghetti Bolog
Wed - Grilled Turkey with Veg
Thur - Chicken Ready Meal with Mix Veg
Fri - Slow cooker pork recipie with veg
Sat – Chicken Curry with Rice or naan

Week 3 Dinners:
Sun - Slow cooker beef recipie with veg
Mon - Meatballs & Pasta
Tue – Veggie Ready Meal (mushroom burgers, quorn sausages)
Wed - Stuffed Chicken with mushroom & cheese with Sweet Potato Wedges
Thur - Slow cooker recipie with veg
Fri - Special Chinese rice - Basmatti & veg
Sat - Chicken Fajitta wraps with rice

Week 4 Dinners:
Sun - Roast Chicken with Veg & Potato croquettes
Mon – Gammon Steaks with pineapple and boiled baby potatoes
Tue – CajunTurkey & Veg in Griddle
Wed – Filled Pasta & stir in Sauce
Thur - Slow cooker recipie with rice
Fri - Chicken Legs Baked in Soy Sauce, Honey & Garlic with Brown Rice
Sat - Basmatti Rice Risotto with Bacon, Leek & Mushroom

Yes - we do love chicken and rice!

debtworrier

greenlogo wrote:

Snacks
every day Apple, pear and two clemetines
if I'm hungry
ryvita (the multi seed one) which I like dry
More Apples
Brocolli (I'm aware this might be a bit odd)
Extra Breakfast.

you're not alone! I have a thing for raw cabbage - YUM! so crunchy and peppery- why does anyone ever cook it?

pariskate

You could also look in at flylady.com, a great site to help you get organised and plan - it's American so has a slightly 'gushy' feel to it but is grea for practical things too.

Kate

Horace

You could always mince your cooked leftover beef (or other meat) and then use it to make a cottage pie (something my mum always did) now I am having to cook for myself I do the same. I also don't have a microwave but I did buy a freezer which is more use. One of my work colleagues gave me a whole raft of easy recipes - my current favourite is cheese and potato pie - basically boil up some spuds and mash them, mix in some grated cheese or even a tube of primula cheese with chives then put mixture in a dish (like those for lasagnes) and bake in the oven until crispy on the top. You can use any cheese and even add some fried onion for variety. Yum, its cheap and cheerful.

kha_2

Hi
I am new to meal planning so I thought I would go through this Forum and find some ideas - so we don't end up eating the same things week in week out!
I was amazed by how many there are out there so I compiled a list of breakkie, Lunch, Dinner, Pudding and Snack I have found:

Breakies
•toast,
•cereal,
•fruit,
•juice
•yoghurt
•porridge
•Lean bacon, toms and toast
•Tom, mushroom and onion omelette
•homemade muesli
•Toast and honey
•Boiled egg on toast
•Porridge topped with bran or banana
•Bagles
•Crumpets
•Poached eggs on Toast
•Home made waffles

Lunches
•baked spuds
•salads
•beans on toast
•sandwiches
•LO chicken, feta and olive salad
•Mixed bean wraps with salad
•Greek salad
•prawn and avocado salad
•pea and mint soup
•sweet potato and garlic soup
•quinoa and red grape salad with toasted almonds and honey dressing
•spicy carrot and orange soup
•chicken wrap with lots of salad, hummus and a dash of sweet chilli sauce
•Pasta/rice salad (leftovers)
•Home made quiche
•Lentil dahl with rice
•Mushroom risotto
•Pancakes and fruit
•Cheese on toast with fried mushrooms

Dinners
•1970's Risotto 'Proper' risotto with leftover chicken and prawns
•Baked bean chowder
•bangers, mash, port & onion gravy peas & carrots
•Basmati Rice Risotto with Bacon, Leek & Mushroom
•bean burgers in buns with relish and salad
•Beef burgers, HM potato wedges, raita and salad
•Beef curry (HM) & HM E F rice (from freezer)
•beef fried rice
•Beef in Guinness (HM), jacket potato, peas and sweetcorn
•Beef in gravy, Jacket potatoes and veg
•Blackend salmon with pineapple salsa and avocado, tom and onion salad
•Braised Steak, roast potatoes, veg
•Cajun Turkey & Veg in Griddle
•Caramelised onion & feta tarts, salad
•Cauliflower, Potato and Broccoli curry with rice
•Cheese / egg / bacon frittata
•Cheese flans, mash and baked beans
•Cheesy leek & potato bake
•chestnut and vegetable burgers
•chicken & chick pea curry, & rice
•chicken & spinach calzone with jackets & salad
•Chicken and mushroom pie (buy puff pastry & mushroom condensed soup)
•Chicken casserole in SC rice and peas
•Chicken fajitas
•Chicken Legs Baked in Soy Sauce, Honey & Garlic with Brown Rice
•Chicken Nuggets (HM), Stir-fry noodles & veg
•chicken satay skewers with rice & stir fried honey & soy veg
•chicken stir-fry (HM)
•chicken strips in soy sauce in pitta pockets with Cesar salad
•Chicken White Wine & Cream Sauce,
•Chilli and HM Wedges
•Chinese chicken and almond
•Chinese Chicken Stir Fry with Rice
•Creamy mushroom stroganoff
•curried cod with broccoli, carrots and potato wedges
•dill veg stew with mash
•fish and chips (HM)
•fish in a white wine and mushroom sauce
•Fish pie – fish in white sauce with mash on top
•Fresh Lemon Sole Fish in breadcrumbs with oven chips & peas
•galette au chou with carrots & roast potatoes
•Gammon Ham (Home-Cooked), Egg & HM Chips (with HM Bread rolls)
•Griddled chicken, butternut squash mash and spinach
•Griddled salmon steaks on asparagus and parmesan risotto
•Grilled trout and ratatouille
•Grilled Turkey with Veg
•Haddock, parsley sauce, mash potato
•Lamb burgers with sweet potato and red pepper wedges
•lasagne, salad and wedges
•lentil shepherds pie & sweetcorn
•macaroni cheese
•Meatballs (HM), ratatouille and green beans
•Moussaka cauli carrots & peas
•Mixed bean tacos with salad
•mixed bean supper
•Mushroom Risiotto
•Mustard Seed Salmon & Gratin
•Nachos – Chilli, tortilla chips, cheese, salad, guacamole
•Pasta bake
•Pasta Cheese & Garlic Bread
•Pasta with lemon, parmesan and basil
•pea risotto
•pesto salmon, potatoes and veggies
•Piquant fish fingers
•Pizza and Nachos with salad and garlic bread.
•pizza, HM coleslaw and jacket pots
•Pizza (HM) & Salad
•poached egg and shhhh oven chips
•Pork chops, mini roasties, peppercorn sauce, carrots, green beans
•Pork chops, potato gratin, corn, peas
•Pork stew and dumplings
•quorn burgers with HM coleslaw & salad
•Quorn fillets in mushroom soup, new potatoes, peas
•Ratatouille (HM) with pasta
•Red onion and goats cheese tarts
•Roast chicken and all the bits
•roast chicken "nandos style" rice & beans, corn cobs salad HM bread rolls
•Roast lamb
•Roast Pork, Roasties, Veg, Yorkshires & Gravy
•Salad, meat, cheese, boiled eggs etc
•Salmon\fish fingers, HM chips and peas
•Salmon with chinese egg noodles & broccoli
•Saucy chicken and spring veggies
•Sausage and Mustard pasta,
•Sausage Casserole
•Sausage pasta bake
•Sausage, mash and baked beans
•Sausages wrapped in bacon, mash veg and onion gravy
•Savoury pancakes with mush and cond mush soup filling
•sesame roasted tofu with satay sauce and broccoli
•Shepherds’ Pie (HM), roasties and veg
•Sliced pork in Peppercorn sauce, HM Chips, Peas & sweetcorn
•Slow cooker, Beef Casserole with veg & pot
•Spag Bol (with hidden veg for littlies)
•Spicy quorn mince and rice
•Spinach & Ricotta dumplings (HM), salad, warm bread
•spinach and ricotta lasagne
•spinach, gorgonzola and bacon risotto
•Steak, peppercorn Sauce, HM chips, mushrooms, onions and courgette
•Stir-fry and noodles
•Stuffed Chicken Breast Sun Dried Tomato with Roasted Veg
•Stuffed Chicken with mushroom & cheese with Sweet Potato Wedges
•Stuffed potato Skins
•Swedish meatballs with spaghetti
•Sweet and sour chicken and rice
•tender stem broccoli and lemon pasta
•Toad in hole, HM Wedges, peas & sweetcorn
•Veg chilli - with pasta, garlic bread and salad
•veggie bangers n mash with peas & carrots
•Vegetable lasagne salad and toasted ciabatta rubbed with garlic
•vegetarian Moroccan couscous
•White Fish Curry & Rice

Puddings
•rhubarb and strawberry crumble
•fruit scones with jam and cream
•Pineapple pudding
•angel delight
•jelly
•yoghurt
•Raspberries, blueberries - with HM meringues and cream
•Apple pie
•Plum, sour cream and cinnamon tart
•summer fruits and custard
•tropical fruit sorbet
•fruit crumble
•Cheesecake
•Fresh fruit salad
•Jelly made up with juice from a tin of fruit + the fruit
•Stewed apple and plain yogurt
•Plain yogurt with soft brown sugar sprinkled on-it melts like a brulee
•Fruit pie
•Pancakes
•Rice pud
•A bar of nice choc divided between you all.

Snacks
•bio yoghurt with berries
•nuts
•fruit
•Rice cakes
•pumpkin seeds,
•sesame seeds
•dried blueberries
•HM biscuits
•Flapjacks
•Shortbread
•homemade lemon drizzle cake (frozen in slices)
•Apple and chunk of cheese
•HM banana flapjacks

If we tried each of the dinners we would only have to have the same meal 3 times a year !!!:j

As I can't remember every individual that originally posted these I would like to say a BIG thankyou for sharing them, and I hope that I haven't offended anyone by using them to compile this list.

warm regards
Kirsty x

Mint1955

Wow thats an amazing list. I have got so bad at menu planning again and of course my shopping bill just creeps up and up. The other thing I have noticed is that my cupboards are full of "odd" stuff again.
Thanks for reminding me to get this back on track.
SHeila

Spooky_Pooky

MATH wrote: »

When you make your shopping list write it in isle order, it saves you loads of time when shopping and the quicker you shop the less you notice the tempting displays/deals - the less you spend!

I was recently complimented on my shopping list in Tesco - so maybe it will be useful for other money (and time) savers too! I write everything in aisle order - and I have saved on my computer a list of all the things in each aisle I regularly buy. When it comes to shopping day, I cross off all the things I don't need and then add any extras which are irregular and whatever I need to cook the next week's worth of meals - these are all planned ahead and lunches are always worked around what was for dinner the night before - now I've been using this system a while I tend to need to remove more things from the list than I add... it saves me ages and means I can do a big shop even when I've left all my mental faculties back at home after a long week! it also means that apart from the occasional little treat, there is no need and no temptation to stray beyond my list. The exception to this is if something I regularly buy is on special offer, I buy extra - but ONLY if it is something I would have bought eventually anyway!

countrymusicfan

Found out from a children's book on the net, that if you are looking for recipes using ingredients you have in your cupboard, go into your search engine and type in recipe then space, then + then the first ingredient space + and the second ingredient ie recipe +ingredient 1 + ingredient 2 If you want to add an ingredient use - :j

xplizit

i'm bumping this because i just found this piece of software which looks very handy but costs a fair amount so i was wondering if anyone knows of any free alternatives...