Meal Planning Help Please!

Gemmzie

Just tried doing a meal plan for the week and well, got stuck

We have about six staple meals which just get permanently rotated and we are all a bit bored of them (except my father who doesn't really notice :rolleyes:). How do you change old habits without spending a fortune?

Plus my mother's just changed her working week, so will be home fairly late and gone early on Tues, Weds and Thur. We all work and if I'm working that day I get home even later (around 7pm). But she has Fri - Mon off, so we can bulk cook then do quickies and re-heats mid-week? Does that seem feasible?

This week we have...
Sat - Dad's choice for Father's Day - probably steak, sautéed potatoes, fresh green beans
Sun - ??? - Mother is out for a big lunch with work and I'm working late so need something quick and just for me / Whatever dad has
Mon - Tuna and Pasta bake / Whatever dad has
Tues - More of Tuna and Pasta bake (does it freeze?!)
Weds - Salmon Fishcakes, noodles, sweet chilli sauce, brocolli
Thur - Omelette with mushroom, onion, tomato (quick as possible night)
Fri - Sausage and mash

Other notes -
I have no dairy - we get around most things but it means 99% of things have to be made from scratch, I have a milk, cream, butter substitute if required.
I don't eat meat, do eat fish and seafood (a lot of it)
Dad eats a totally separate diet to me and my mother - faggots, pies, baby's heads (I can't think what they are actually called).
Mother eats anything really, but needs to be healthy as she is trying to lose weight.

See why it's hard :rolleyes:

Chipps

Hi Gemmzie

Not sure I can be a great help, cos I seem to have got in a bit of a rut recently, & have just come back to MSE OS to get some inspiration!!!

Having said that, there are quite a few threads on here about menu planning & with different ideas for meals. I have been having a look through & listing some of the ideas & when I get some time to spare will sift through & see what I can use.
For example there is this thread
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=478463
but if you take a search through the forum you will find lots more

Better still, one of the board guides (pink-winged perhaps) will know how to do it all properly and point you in the right direction!

Sorry not to be more helpful, but hope you find what you are looking for.

Pink.

Hi Gemmzie,

Gosh your schedule sounds difficult!


If you have a look at the The Complete Menu Plans Collection you will see lots of examples of the meals that other members cook and it might give you some inspiration.


Also these threads should help with ideas for the batch cooking:

Batch cooking ideas please

Nutritionally good meals for the Freezer?

Cooking for the freezer... Help!

Batch cooking tips

Once a month cooking

Once a month cooking (freezer cooking)


There are some fish ideas on these threads that you and your mum could have:

white fish?

fish

fish

Value Frozen White Fish


And these threads might help with the 'dairy free':

Dairy Free diet

A bit of a challenge! Dairy Free Ocean Pie??


Sorry for all the links, good luck with sorting something out that will make life easier for you.

Pink

thriftmonster

Gemmzie, ds1 and I are also dairy free - we use soya cream and yoghurt, vegan sunflower marg and lactofree milk - however we can tolerate small amounts of goats cheese and ewes milk cheese if used in cooking. for example we had a lovely veg lasagne tonight - we also love chinese and thai food and indian (using soya yoghurt) Most Italian is also ok. Pm me if you feel that I could help - ds1 recently took a lovely choc cake into school that I had made and was quizzed very suspiciously by his classmates - "I thought you were lactose intolerant" - we have also found bought stuff that is ok even in the value range