Meal Plan Ideas?

Poppy7

Morning everyone!!

I was wondering if anyone had any luck with meal plan sites? Or what everyone does? Ive tried a few times but rarely lasted longer than a week. But i am much more determined to stick to it this time as we waste a huge amount of food in our house. Something which is stopping now!!

My DS is allergic to milk and soya and i have to eat a particular diet to help with my health problems and my DH is super fussy. SO it makes meal times more of a dread than anything.

Any tips for success?

Thanks Poppy xx

ragz_2

I tend to break it up into things like..
One pasta meal
One meal with rice
One meal with chips
One Roast
One jacket potatoes
One meat and two veg
One fish meal

Or whatever foods you tend to eat... make a list of the meals you cook regularly an catagorise them like above, then fit in what meats you want, what veg you like etc. I find it easier to have a base plan to work from rather than try to write a plan from scratch.

Poppy7

The big thing i do is think of a few meals and get the stuff ordered. where as maybe i need to say on monday im having x and tuesday y. instead i decide on the day and sometimes i fancy nothing i have. Not sure if im the only one doing that. But im shocked at the amount of food i waste.

Ill make a list of the foods i tend to eat and take it from there. thanks

rachbc

Yep - make a list of food you like/ can all eat and take it form there - also if one of those meals uses half a pack of soemthing or requires a specific ingredient - find a recipe to use the rest of the pack so there is no waste. Make a list for the week then be flexible about when you eat it.

Linda32

I've personally never used a meal plan site. I didn't know they existed

As previous people have said, its best to write down what sorts of meals you like to eat and can eat with the various restrictions.

After all, a site might suggest something which you just don't like or the arrangements for making it simply don't fit in with the comings and goings of your daily life, which is where waste can occure.

Myself and OH only really eat meals together at the weekend, for a variety of reasons, so my meal plans consits of a list of meals which we have in the cupboard or the freezer. So its more of an inventory rather than a plan.

We have food in that we both like to eat. So when something is used up, I strike this off the inventory list and if we want it again I put it on the shopping list.

These lists are simply two pieces of paper and a pen in the kitchen drawer :rotfl: not spreadsheets or anything remotely technical.

HTH

LameWolf

I just use an Excel spreadsheet for my meal plan. And I have a list of meal ideas, which we put together when I started trying to meal-plan, and we add to it when we try (and like) a new meal.

I also have an inventory of the freezer and cupboard contents.

What I'd do to start with is get your ideas list together - sit down with DH, and DS if he's old enough to contribute, and think of all the meals you all like. Colour-code them, perhaps, for whose preference they are, and if there's something that's OK for one family member but not another (I'm probably not explaining myself well there) and that should be a sort of jumping-off point for meal-planning.

poppy-glos

Hi there. I tend to write a list of the freezer and fridge stuff i have in, plus of the cupboard food. I write an a4 sheet, with the days of the week down the side and the meals I need.
I check my diary and add to the sheet when guests are coming or when we are out.
Then I plan the meals to fit with lifestyle , ie, having quick pasta meal after my long day at work.
I try to do the empty fridge Friday thing, so don't mealplanfor Friday and aim to eat up anything left.
On the right hand side of the page is my shopping list, so as I add meals I am missing ingredients for the shopping list is done too...

Good luck

lostinrates

We tend to eat seaonally, so ATM, chestnuts are starting to feature, we're well into the pumkin type of squash amd mushrooms. Because we are back in months with an 'r' shellfish is on the menu. (we had oysters last night and will have mussels tonight). Taking what's in season into consideration stops meals becoming 'samey' and monotonous year round, but also means that you are buying those 'fancy' ingredients when they have no put of season premium on them.....or can forage your own. We have two carrier bags of sweet chestnuts from a sweet chestnut tree DH walked under this week, for example. So our snacky weekend lunch is likely to be roasted chestnuts!

Then I go to what meat I might want to use.

We buy meat mainly direct from farmers, so I buy about 30k plus of beef at a time, or a half or whole lamb, a half pig. When I meal an I tend to try and use the cuts I am least confident with first. Not only does this 'get them out of the way' it also means I am most enthusiastic about them. I made Mongolian lamb with a belly of lamb Very early in spring, and it was delicious.

By default the In season stuff tend s to give us a coue of vegetarian meals, I also like to have a couple of 'storecupboard' meals on hand....pasta pesto, something we make with tinned sardines etc etc, in case someting goes wrong and we need a quick, no brain supper.



I am thinking, this year, of getting a cheap calandar and doing my meal planniong for the year on that. I try and avoid too much repetition in the year, and having my own 'kitchen diary' would show me how successful I am being with that and eating well.

SpikyHedgehog

I've used Weezl's site before, & am trying again but only really doing the main meals & snacks, & breakfasts/lunches what we'd have anyway - I find evening meals tend to be the ones I struggle with...

The other thing I've done, is get a bit of paper, write down the days of the week & who's in for dinner, when it needs to be (eg, DS2 Beavers - dinner early; DS1 after school club, his dinner late). I've also had a list of meals we like & are economical to make, noting when they join up to prep for the next day/create leftovers for the next day. So then I compare the lists & work out what I'm planning to cook over the week.

Poppy7

Thanks so much for everyone's replies that certainly helps me get motivated.
I've struggled with food since I was a teenager and had cancer and ever since then ive kinda "hated" food. So it's a real struggle for me.
But I'm determined to be organised and stop wasting so much money on food.
My DS is only 18 months and going thru that adorable fussy phase lol. What he enjoyed last week i now get the "how could I do that to him" face when I give him it again. Fun fun.

I'm going to do an inventory which might sound stupid but I would never bbe thought of doing that. Just thought I know what's in the cupboards cause I go look. But I bet I'd be surprised. So that's Saturday sorted before the football. Woohoo thanks guys

117pauline

lostinrates wrote: »

I am thinking, this year, of getting a cheap calandar and doing my meal planniong for the year on that. I try and avoid too much repetition in the year, and having my own 'kitchen diary' would show me how successful I am being with that and eating well.

Hi Lostinrates, just tried to send you a PM but your box is full!!

http://www.trex.co.uk/calendar/

Thought this link, posted last month, might be suitable for you and there are coupons as well!!!

Pauline