Hi.
I have in the past done month (4week) meal plans, usually has the benefit of saving us money and because it's done over a month meals don't become too repetitive. I usually do batch cooking one day a week on rotation so have a rolling stash of about a dozen precooked meals. These include spicy pork tagine with pulses, beef stews, roast chicken portioned up for stir fries, curries and a few vegetarian options from HFW. We have a roast at the weekend, then use meat up over a few meals, nothing fancy usually stuffed pork belly or a chicken.
However there has been a mutiny in our household about previous mainstays of this menu (I don't do it over summer as we are often out, salads and simple fare suffices). Both DC (4y and 15m) flatly refuse to eat mince, so no bolognaise, no chilli, no meatballs. And I'm also on a mission to cut out sugar.
The menu runs Friday -> Thursday with food delivered on a Friday afternoon (butchers and tesco) and a top up on Tues if needed from Aldi. DH bakes a loaf every night which is soon eaten as toast and his sandwiches.
Here are the factors for my fussy family;
- NO Dairy or Soya and many frugal meal plans seem to rely on cheese.
- We aren't big soup eaters but I could be persuaded, last year I made a vat of chicken stock, froze it in small portions then never did anything else with it and threw it out last week!
- I hate sandwiches for packed lunches.
- Two nights a week I'm at work so we have to feed DC seperately but need an easy reheat
- DC hate minced meat, any kind!
- DH refuses to eat fish but the rest of us like it.
- We're on a very very tight budget as only one wage until the New Year
- Need to include weekend breakfasts, tend to have a poached egg on toast, lemon pancakes made with oat milk, mushrooms on toast etc, snacks for DC that aren't sugary, and packed lunches for 2 adults 5 days a week, and 2 small DC 2 days a week.
So I'm trying to populate this format;
Fri breakfast - cereal or toast
Fri lunch - DC (nursery), Me (Soup with ?), DH (Wrap with cheese and mustard, crisps, small tomatoes, apple, banana, pepperami)
Fri DC snack - (after nursery so in car)
Fri dinner - DC (something simple, bath & bed) Us - Burgers with buns and wedges
However I'm going around in circles trying to think of interesting meals that are quick, or to cook up in batches, I too often resort to meat and two veg. There's a world of food out there and I've loads of cookbooks. But between now and January we need a plan, I could do with losing a few stone so this should help.
Is anyone willing to throw some suggestions my way? We only do desserts at the weekend, very very rarely during the week.
