Meal plan help please

McFilly

Hi, I really do need some help please. I am not a great cook and am quite late getting home in the evenings so whatever we do eat needs to be made fairly swiftly, within about half an hour if possible. Some days I get a short amount of time free in the morning before I go to work to prep vegetables but not every day. We are on a very tight budget, I am a vegetarian and my husband is not. What I need is a menu for the week that can adapt each day for us both, possibly with me being able to utilise some ingredients over from one day to the next to save time and money. Is there anyone that can help please? I seem to struggle every day with our food especially as one of us is vegetarian. Thanks.

scaredy_cat

if you do mash one night, make extra and do a cheese n potato pie - ash mixed with cheese and a sauteed onion, more cheese on top - i like marrowfat peas, but any veg will do and you could add sausages for your OH, and gravy.

Pink.

Cook (soya?) mince and veg to make a bolognese sauce. First night use it to make lasagne, second night have spaghetti bolognese, third night add chillies and kidney beans to make chilli with rice.

Cook quorn (normally I'd roast a chicken) and serve with veg and potatoes , second night use cooked quorn and veg in a creamy white sauce and pop some of it into pastry to make a pie. Third night add some spices and mushrooms to the remaining quorn in sauce and serve with rice.

Cook (soya) mince, carrots and onion, second night add in potatoes to make a kind of stew, third night thicken or mash potatoes in and make into cornish type pasties.

I'm not vegetarian, so these suggestions may not be suitable, but hopefully they'll give you some ideas.

Another alternative is that when you do have time (weekends?) batch cook 'ready meals' for both of you and freeze in individual portions, some vegetarian some carniverous. That way you can just lift what you want out of the freezer in the morning and reheat it when you get in from work.

Pink

K9sandFelines

If you do an inventory of what food you have in already, maybe we can also come up with some meal suggestions? If you look on the grocery challenge, there are pages of links directing you to recipes and meal plans. Also if you look on www.agirlcalledJack.com, http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk. Plenty of ideas for vegetarian meals from Jack and the second gives lots of ideas for meals on a budget

McFilly

Thanks so much for all your replies. You have given me some ideas to work on. Will check out the links that give the vegetarian meals from Jack too.

WantToBeSE

It's an old one, but this vegetarian Meal Planner from Gingham is brilliant! There are links to her other threads on there as well:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/257885