Meal planning tips

elliesmemory1

I need to plan my meals better. Both to save money and eat more healthy and lose weight.
Im a vegetarian and live alone. I have a small freezer and a slow cooker.
Im fairly busy with work and when i get in im often to tired to cook and end up eating junk.
Id like to lose a stone and save money. Any tips please

maddiemay

I can be of no help at all being a retired meat eating half of a couple, but have a read of some of the posts on Cooking for One and see if you can glean any ideas from the lovely posters there.

I can be found here

elliesmemory1

Thanks, im looking around the site for inspiration.

maddiemay

One thought, do you eat vegetarian chilli/curry/dahls? if so making say 3 or 4 portions in the slow cooker and freezing them individually is useful, This would give you 1 meal a week for the next 3 or 4 weeks. I have a microwave steamer and cook 1 or 2 portions of rice in there fresh each time.

Sorry - another thought :rotfl: googling slow cooker risotto brings up some tasty looking recipes, one of them cooks it on high for 1 hour.

maman

I agree with maddie . If you're busy/tired during the week then HM ready meals are the way to go. Then filled jacket potatoes and omelettes are quick and easy too. I'm not a vegetarian but I do have vegetarian meals. I eat a lot of pickles (especially cornichons and beetroot) alongside my meals rather than salads as it saves waste.

I'd start by taking an inventory of everything you have in your fridge, cupboards and freezer. Then write a healthy meal plan 'shopping' from your stores and buying the minimum ingredients to make meals. I'd make an exception for any bargains (YS or offers) that you see when you're shopping. If you want to save as much as possible then shop at Aldi or Lidl.

Good luck.

Islandmaid

Hi Elliesmemory,

In our house, we are omni and 2/3 adults, but the premis is basically the same, just maybe spread over a longer period to cut out endless repeated meals.

I would start my making a list of your favourite meals, Maddimays suggestion are a great start, I would add pasta sauces to use on pasta (obs), but also quick put together for veggie lasagna etc I am also another fan of risottos.

Quiche/frittata etc is another easy make, and will happily be frozen, just add salad. Jacket potatoes with various toppings are tasty and filling and can be frozen after cooking, omelettes are another quick meal.

My planning, like many of us, starts with what you have in already, plan busy day meals (late night at work, off to gym, out with friends etc) make those quick grab meals

Try and find a day to bulk cook, I use those cheap, reusable Chinese type containers for DS's HM ready meals, easy to stack in freezer too. Just take one out of the freezer before you go to work, ready for when you get home.

Again, as Maddi said, you should be able to build up a small range of meals to eat over a few weeks, without repeating too often

Good luck :beer:

Edit: snap Maman :rotfl:

maman

Another idea is to shop just once a week. Have a list and stick to it. If you must go into a shop midweek then just buy your milk or whatever. Don't be tempted by chocolate or other rubbish.

Keep a spending diary then you can review where you're money's going and see what you could manage without or buy more cheaply. Don't buy take aways as they're rarely healthy.

kimplus8

meal prep, its easy and will only take up a small amount of time. make a huge batch of stew/ jacket pots, ratatouille, chilli etc and then you only need to heat up each evening to eat. slimming world recipes are quite nice all free to on various websites. take leftover for lunch with some salad and a yoghurt for pudding. :-)

buildersdaughter

Building blocks are popular too. My current favourite is roast vegetables - onion, pepper, aubergine, courgette, tomato, roasted with a bit of chilli and herbs (could even be done on the BBQ). Hot one evening, with barbecue food. Stir into cous-cous to make a nice salad (add some feta or goats' cheese if liked). Layer into a sandwich. Warm up with a bit of left-over bacon, sausage, or other meat.
basic mince (like a bolognaise) is another. Freeze some portions, make a lasagne for 2 and freeze a portion. Add sweetcorn / kidney beans and chilli. Make some mash and make a cottage pie. Save the left-over mash to re-heat with sausages & mushy peas. Save left-over mushy peas to make soup with bacon bits.
Invite a friend for roast chicken. Cold left-overs make coronation chicken (yum!). Put some in sandwiches. Chicken Caesar salad. Finally, last bits into soup (make stock with the carcass).
You will soon find out what works for you and can post your ideas on here for the rest of us!
If something doesn't work, don't be discouraged - try a different way.

buildersdaughter

And a PS on omelettes: Spanish omelette one evening is great cold for lunch!

K9sandFelines

buildersdaughter wrote: »

Building blocks are popular too. My current favourite is roast vegetables - onion, pepper, aubergine, courgette, tomato, roasted with a bit of chilli and herbs (could even be done on the BBQ). Hot one evening, with barbecue food. Stir into cous-cous to make a nice salad (add some feta or goats' cheese if liked). Layer into a sandwich. Warm up with a bit of left-over bacon, sausage, or other meat.
basic mince (like a bolognaise) is another. Freeze some portions, make a lasagne for 2 and freeze a portion. Add sweetcorn / kidney beans and chilli. Make some mash and make a cottage pie. Save the left-over mash to re-heat with sausages & mushy peas. Save left-over mushy peas to make soup with bacon bits.
Invite a friend for roast chicken. Cold left-overs make coronation chicken (yum!). Put some in sandwiches. Chicken Caesar salad. Finally, last bits into soup (make stock with the carcass).
You will soon find out what works for you and can post your ideas on here for the rest of us!
If something doesn't work, don't be discouraged - try a different way.

Good ideas, but the OP is vegetarian.
I do much of what you have mentioned above though, even if it is one portion of something in the fridge ...we then add it to something else.
Good thread OP, i need to cook more healthily and lose weight also, so i will be following.
I will try and have a think of meals. Mine get very samey due to work, and not wanting to waste ingredients if trying something new and it turns out not to be nice.