Food Planner/Budget - Help needed

[Fridha74]

Hi all,

I am a "new" mum to a girl of 8m. I have never been really interested in cooking and not very good at it. Me and my boyfriend has been working different timings so in the past we sadly been eating our own dinner. So really not need to cook, just grabbing a salad, jacket potatoes something very easy!!!

I am doing baby led weaning for my little girl which she loves and would like to give her a balance and varied diet. I do have couple of books that I get recipes from however, I end up cooking almost everyday and I haven't got the hang of the budget so spending a lot of money!! So wonder how you all doing? Practical tips would be great and some suggestion for baby led meal planner, weekly/monthly. Anything would be great.

The Novice in the kitchen!!

i suggest whatever you make, make a big batch of and freeze baby size portions so sometimes you dont need to to cook.

or freeze in trays with enough for you and baby if you want to eat with her too.

I'd suggest that you cook the meal for yourself and your boyfriend and that the baby has a small portion for herself rather than making special food just for her. It's less hassle, cheaper and she's less likely to be fussy in years to come. If you're making casseroles or bakes, make a double quantity and serve it two days running or freeze the spare portions for another day. Use meat sparingly to keep the costs down... things like pulses (beans/chickpeas), vegetables, pasta and eggs are very good value for money and extremely nutritious. Chunky soups are very cheap and easy to make... served with crusty bread it's a filling meal.

Thank you both for your answer, I will do a planner and see how I get along. Have a nice day and weekend!