Desperately need help with my menu planning

BAGGY

I plan our weeks menu around what we have for Sunday lunch. The meat portion is generally spread at least twice, sometimes four, times throughout the week. If we eat too much meat in some peoples opinion so what? We may eat it frequently but not in great quantity. And we are not averse to veggie meals either.
If anything we eat a lot of carbs and rarely wholemeal/grain. We also eat a lot of fruit and veg. I think it is all about balance.

pukkamum

We are on8ur meat free week this week, dh is on lates so won'be here for tea and I don't eat much meat bar chicken.
My weeks shop cost £46 including stuff for pack lunches for 4 people.
Last night we had homemade pesto with smartprice pasta twists 24p a bag and homemade garlic bread.
The night before we had halloumi burgers with oven chips.
Tonight we are having homemade cheese pie and mash with veg.
Tomorrow is cauliflower and broccoli cheese with cheesy mash, hmmm bit of a cheese theme here.
Friday is takeaway night, saturday is favourites night usually curry for dh 2 yr old and I and pizza for the older two.
I always have a menu before going shopping ohterwise as you have done you end up with random food that doesn't go together, and please don't buy baby food puches of jars, they have no nutritional value and are ludicrously expensive, it is so easy to either save a portion of the nights before tea to give for lunch or stick a potato in the microwave for baby.

picklekin

I also don't know how you shop without a meal plan... I do all my shopping online and have basket in one tab and bbc good food in another and a pad in my hand! My shop is not super cheap as I like to try interesting dishes but we eat for two at well under £50 a week (not including vouchers).

I often start with checking out the deals first and working back from there, and follow of with "using up" other ingredients bought in the shop (ie, I'll only use half that cheese, what other recipes use that).

If your not used to much home cooking, try having two "days off" in the week, where you have a kiev and just some spuds!

DUTR

gunsandbanjos wrote: »

I find it easier to plan my meals and then buy what I need rather than buy stuff then plan round it, I always find I don't have something for a meal then have to go back to the shop and end up buying more than I need.

It seems so obvious, I don't know why the OP bought 1st thought later, but I suppose we all do that from time to time.
Planning my meals for a week or 3 days drastically reduced my grocery bills.

CH27

BAGGY wrote: »

I plan our weeks menu around what we have for Sunday lunch. The meat portion is generally spread at least twice, sometimes four, times throughout the week. If we eat too much meat in some peoples opinion so what? We may eat it frequently but not in great quantity. And we are not averse to veggie meals either.
If anything we eat a lot of carbs and rarely wholemeal/grain. We also eat a lot of fruit and veg. I think it is all about balance.

I do that too.
If beef we have chunky beef chilli, spag bol, cottage pie or beef stew etc on the monday & tuesday.
If chicken it's chicken pasta bake, chicken & leek pie or sweet & sour chicken etc on the monday & tuesday.

heartbreak_star

I eat loads of meat - I just buy it from the freezer section of the supermarket and pad it out with veg...also from the freezer section as I can never be bothered to chop, de-seed etc.

A lot of my recipes involves throwing things in a pan with stock and waiting am on semi-Paleo so don't do bread, pasta or oats.

I have an idea of what I want to make before I go shopping...just not usually what days. Thankfully there's only 2 of us to cook for!

HBS x

motherofstudents

I used to spend a fortune on food shopping and end up throwing stuff away. I have stopped going to the big supermarkets and now I buy 14 chicken breasts (large size) for £10 on Bury market. They do some good deals there where you can get the chicken breasts, two steaks, huge bag of mince, a gammon joint and of course black puddings all for £20. I don't buy that as we don't eat much meat. I also get fruit, veg and salad on the market as it always seems nice and fresh. I get free eggs from a friend.

I find it easier to manage 3 days at a time and also as lots of people have said, I make extra and freeze some. I also make soup, jam and chutney.

Even doing all this I still feel that we spend too much so it's interesting to read what everyone does.

Tea-and-Cake_3

Thank you for all the tips so far. I will try to work out a 7 day menu plan tonight once the kids all asleep and post it for feedback. Tonight however I have the kievs in the oven, frozen green beans boiling and microwave rice!:( (Should I run for cover).

gingin_2

Tea-and-Cake wrote: »

Tonight however I have the kievs in the oven, frozen green beans boiling and microwave rice!:( (Should I run for cover).

No, course not. I thought your shopping was fine. Yes, you had processed stuff but your fruit list put mine to shame and you had loads of pulses and fresh veggies.

I cook fresh but I cook from a recipe book about once every 2 weeks. Most of the time it's chuck it all in stuff, tonight I am roasting a chicken and doing it with ratatouille which half will then be served with some fish in a few days time. It will probably take me 10 mins to prep the ratatouille and then it's just throw everything else into the oven. We eat a lot of simple meat/fish and tend to have lots of veggies on the side, I have no real love for cooking any more but like fresh food.

Sezzagirl

One thing I've found I have to do to make menu planning work is to remember all the times that I have sat there with no idea what to cook for dinner and pledge to STICK TO THE PLAN!!!!

Sometimes it feels easier to not have to make the decision as well as the dinner!

The only way I let myself change is for something else within the same week so I have all the stuff in already

I brainstormed myself one day and came up with a list of meals our family likes and then worked out a 4 week rota. It doesn't say exactly what but just give an idea

so
Sunday - Roast
Monday - Pasta (often using up the roast l/o's)
Tuesday - Something quick with chips
Wednesday - maybe chops or bolognaise or pizza
Thursday - Can't remember - similar choices to Wed
Friday - often stew or something slow cooking as we are out (or fish n chips if I'm not organised
Saturday - Work it out on the day to see what's happening or if I can persuade Mr Sezza to buy a takeaway!