Weekly shop

[moose234]

We are finding it hard to keep to weekly plan of meals, we have a 9 week old, and I just find by the evening i am exhausted! Anyone got any good ideas for meals to have? Is online shopping better than going to the supermarket? Thanks

I have a three week meal plan - so it doesn't get boring. I have two deliveries a week with Tesco delivery saver.

So I just order what we need for the meal plan and anything else. The app is great because as soon as I run out of something I add it to the basket and just check out the day before delivery.

Thanks, any suggestions for easy meals to have?

I’d probably go with batch cooking once a week and fill the freezer, then most days you can get something out to defrost and you don’t need to do much.

Curries
Chilli
Ragu
Steamed chicken (do loads of chicken breasts in individual foil packets, freeze in the packets and then use them to make fajita/stir fry etc. Saves loads of time as you don’t need to faff with raw chicken at dinner time, just chop the veg. Chicken is lovely and moist too as cools down then freezes in the juices, then defrosts in them!
Freeze mash

Lasagne
Pasta bake
Meatballs in sauce

I always cook a roast on Sunday so there is meat left over to add to dishes (we are a veggie/meat/pescetarian family). Often make egg fried rice, curry, baked potatoes, cottage pie, sausage cassoulet. Ready cooked salmon is useful for flaking into tomato and veg sauce or making frittata.

Fish is always quick to cook.
Tuna steaks with boiled eggs to make a tuna nicois is one of my favourites.
Stir fry veg (I just buy the packs in the supermarket) with rice noodles and salmon again really quick.
Roasted veg fritata
Pasta with cream cheese, smoked salmon and peas
Butterflied Cajun chicken breasts in ciabatta rolls (like burgers)

Batch cooking is your friend! My DS is 16 weeks and I have at least 2 batch cook dinners a week feeding us over 4 days so I only have to worry about 2 other dinners which tends to be stir fry or something from the freezer with veg! Our stir fry is so simple, Quorn chicken, whatever frozen veg is knocking around, frozen pineapple and a sweet and sour sachet served with egg noodles. Takes about 10 mins to make!

We don't freeze the dinners we just eat it 2 days in a row. Things like curries, lasagne, pasta bake are great and spag bol can be eaten on day one with pasta and day 2 over a jacket spud!

I love the BBC good food site, so many ideas and great recipes and they have a section on batch cooking!

Batch cook in a big 6.5l slow cooker.

Lamb tagine, bolognaise, stew and dumplings, curries, cottage pie fillings, hot pot all freeze well.

The trick is not to add water, drain everything.

A slow cooker is your friend, if you search on here you will find loads of great recipes. Remember to be kind to yourself though...your baby is still so young and sleep deprivation is grim! I found filled pasta like fresh ravioli or tortellini with pesto/pasta sauce was great as it’s on the table in 5 minutes (throw in a handful of frozen peas to ease the 5 a day guilt). Baked omelette is an easy prep one too.

You can save a shopping list into Tesco, and reorder it as you need to. I find that useful to order a set amount of milk, bread, salad for example, then add meal stuff on top.

Filled pastas are very easy- dried tortellini don't need to be in the fridge, cook in boiling water about 5 mins, yummy with a little pesto or a knob of butter.

Also, make a gravy of softened onions, coconut milk powder (Maggi) garlic and ginger cubes (frozen) add rice noodles and cooked chicken or prawns. Again, only takes 10 mins.

I second the slow cooker. I don't Brown anything, just bung it in and leave it on. Put the left overs in the freezer for another night.

Frozen prepared veg are a lifesaver too. Onions spinach and peppers, garlic ginger chilli, all sit in the freezer until you need them.

So put a layer of dried pasta in an oven dish. Pour over a tin of tomatoes and the same tin of water, add a pinch of mixed herbs. Sprinkle on some onions and peppers, sweet corn. Cover with grated cheese (you can buy it grated). Bake for 45 mins. Lovely. Add some chorizo or peperami before you cook it if you like.