To ask your advice on meal-planning, please?

[FoxtrotGolf]

AIBU to ask your advice on planning cheap, tasty and healthy meals that don’t take long to prepare? (Especially if you also don’t have much storage space and normally cook for one)!

I think the main thing I find hard is that I don’t have much space to store food (either batch meals that I’ve prepared or fresh ingredients), I often find it hard to think of what to cook and I don’t often feel in the mood for cooking when I get home from work (tired and hungry, so want something quick, and often go for pasta as my go-to meal ). I also just get quite bored, as I’m usually cooking just for myself unless I cook with my housemates.

I love cooking and food though, despite all of the excuses! I’ve also just ordered a couple of recipe books (one’s all about one-pot oven cooking, which I’m (tragically) really excited about ), so hopefully that’ll be helpful with thinking of recipe ideas.

Looking forward to reading your tips! :)

Curries, stews, bolognaise sauce, soups, cottage/shepherds pie. All can be batched cooked and portioned our and frozen.
Also try stir frying - it’s quick and healthy.

Same old really batch cook and freeze stuff like veggie lasagne, various types of veggie soup, veggie curry and then for the meat eaters chilli and sausage casserole. Gets boring too!

Thanks :)

Try BBC food for recipes, I find them really good. Just made a sweet potato, lentil and spinach dhal that I found on that site, it was delicious and quick. And cheap!

If you're short on space I'd probably but every other day and then reheat for tomorrow's tea or take for lunch the next day. . I.e buy two salmon fillets and have with a pack of roast veg and cous cous (cook salmon with sweet chilli sauce it's lovely) so for one meal prep you have two meals?

Spaghetti with pasta - again can have with lunch the next day.

Curry can be taken to work with a wrap or naan to dip in etc or a jacket potato.

Cook two chicken breast but then have one in a salad the next day.

A frittata can be served cold etc

Layer up veg (peppers/onions/beans) and rice (micro rice is good for this) then store in fridge. Chuck all in a pan when you get home with a sachet of stir fry sauce and a handful of chicken or prawns etc and just heat.

Monday - aubergine
Tuesday- fish
Wednesday- lentils/pulses
Thursday- mince
Friday- eggs
Saturday- chicken
Sunday- meat

This way you can do

Aubergine and pea curry and rice
Stir fry prawns, veg and noodles
Puy lentils and chorizo
Bolognaise
Omelette
Peri peri chicken and sweet potato wedges
Pork satay and rice

Or

Aubergine parmigiana and pasta
Baked salmon and salad
Dhal and rice
Thai pork balls and noodle salad
Shakshuka
Chicken and barberry rice
Steak and new potatoes

Or

Grilled aubergines and sourdough
Hake and chorizo stew
"Shepherd's" pie made with lentils
Burger and chips
Poached egg and fish cakes
Honey mustard chicken skewers
Lamb chops and potato gratin

Obviously doesn't have to be aubergines or chicken or lentils or whatever. You just pick whatever you eat often.

Thanks so much, everyone - these are all great ideas :)

Frozen veg really helps me as so much stuff goes off if something comes up so im not home.

Are you near reasonably priced shops on your way home from work? If you can shop every couple of days to get around the storage space issue.

I too would do, and do actually do, as a PP suggests and always cook for 2 or 4 and eat the left overs the next day and/or freeze.

Freezing 3 portions of chicken curry in little freezer bags doesn’t take up hardly any room in the freezer.

Then you can grab a bag out to defrost when you leave for work, and cook rice or whatever when you get in. Very easy.

And so you don’t waste thing like packs of vegetable, plan eg green beans with cod, potato’s and spinach then the next day maybe do a potato, spinach and green bean curry with what’s left of the veg.

If you have shops that sell veg loose you can just pick up 1 carrot or whatever you need on your way home.