Meal planners - novice could use some help!

[Katsma]

I have a DP and 9mo DD and have been meal planning for a few weeks. However, looking back over the past few weeks I realise that red meat features heavily (I'm not the best of cooks, and mince is easy!)

Netmums (the competition?!) recipe book suggests main meals as follows

chicken/turkey once a week
red meat once a week
egg/veggie once a week
white fish once a week
oily fish once a week

Great, except I have two problems with this. Firstly, my DD is allergic to eggs. Secondly, there are 7 days in the week!!

Assuming I do the veggie option and try to keep it full of iron due to DDs lack of egg, what do I plan in for the other 2 days?

Takeaway not an option

errrr, surely that is meant as a guide, so that youdont do red meat five times a week?

What about pasta, rice, cous cous based stuff.

I have been doing

oily fish
white fish
chicken x2
red meat x3

Too much red meat, I think.

I understood a baby shouldn't have fish more than twice a week. Veggie is tricky to get enough iron in. Can't have chicken x4 surely?

kola - I do pasta, spuds, rice and other carbs as part of the meal as well.

There are plenty of other ways to get iron other than red meat (oily fish for a start) - see this page for ideas. Why not something like a vegetable risotto? Or a hearty soup (with lentils for extra iron) plus wedges & bread etc.
I've just ordered the netmums book, if it has advice about meal planning, sounds great!

I think the book's really good.

Would especially recommend Beef and Bean Crumble and Sweet Sausage Casserole.[licking lips emoticon]

Great link by the way, hadn't thought of liver, and it's got tonnes of iron.

Well 10.9 milligrammes anyway

Urgggh, can't bring myself to eat liver! Does it still count as red meat? You're obviously a meat lover as the 2 recipes you picked out are meat again!!! I'm looking forward to it arriving, bought the one on being a mum too in hopes of some tips.

I've got that Netmums one! It's quite good full of advice. The recipes are ok (but then I do have loads of recipe books so huge competition)

I would be interested to know what you thin of the being a mum one.

What about pork chops, fillet, sausages?

Baked potatoes with a selection of fillings
Fajitas again with a few fillings and salad
Sausages are great - cowboy casserole a favourite in the McDreamy house!

My dd loves falafel, Made out of chickpeas so I think that has iron in. I hate liver but its really nice in Bolognese. Also loves pasta sauce made out of courgette garlic cream and parmesan all blended up.

We don't really need as much protein as a 'normal' Western diet provides. Just cutting out down on a bit the meat will be fine, you don't need to replace it with other sources of protein and iron.

That said, spinach is a great source of iron, especially if you include fresh fruit in the meal - but not dairy, as that binds with the iron so less is absorbed. Also very easy to prepare if you buy it frozen chopped. IIRC many dried fruits are a good source as well.

Macaroni and cheese:
Mix pack of coocked macaroni with 650g healthy living cottage cheese(Tesco), 2eggs, big hand full of mature cheddar, black pepper. Mixture, then slices of tomato, mixture, slices of tomato and top with loads of mature cheddar. Not that healthy, but delicious. My 15 month old is also allergic to eggs, I just mix hers separately without the egg.

Make cottage pie with grated carrots, finely chopped onions and celery and lentils with of without mince (can even try Quorn, meat replacer) Top with mashed potato and sweetpotato. (500g sweetpotato and 300g potato)The sweetpotato with the potato mash is delicious and lowers the GI of the meal.

I would do two more veggie options - but you do need to be a bit careful of ready made veggie meals - they are often quite highly processed.

A very quick easy store cupboard meal my dcs both love. Cook rice (boil in the bag is easy) Cook a lot of frozen peas and a tin of sweet corn. Mash up a tin of sardines. Mix them all together and dinner's on the table. Any leftovers are delicious made into little patties and shallow fried til brown and crispy on the outside.

Another REALLY easy one - but it only works if you've got a delicatessen at your supermarket. Ask if they've got any scraps of smoked salmon. Ours nearly always does and they are nice and cheap. Cook pasta. Cook some broccoli in tiny florets. Chop salmon. Mix all together with a small tub of creme fraiche or single cream. Serve with garlic bread.

I have dh with high cholesterol and do the following:

Red meat x1 (could be any kind as long as visible fat is removed)
Pork x2 (usually lean mince and chops)
Chicken x 2 (skinless breasts once, whole chic once)
Fish x2 ( oily once, white once)

Exrtas

Pasta once
Brown Rice at least 3 x
fresh veg ( I try 2 each main meal)
Roast root veg once
We usually eat salads with fish, sometimes oven bake chips (once every 2-3 weeks) you can add avocado or feta and olives to your salads for some good fats.

Oh and we have one glass of wine each every evening!

I eat mainly tuna or jam sandwich with cheese for lunch, dh eats fruit only for lunch.

Use Katelyles Salmon pasta recipe and replace salmon with tesco healthy living bacon cut into small pieces and pan fried. Add tesco healthy living creme fraice(have tried full fat one, but became watery in food?) to bacon in pan and then brocolli and pasta.

Fry choped bacon and sliced chesnut mushrooms. add cooked pasta then stir in fresh spinach and cubes of gorgonzola for a minute or 2 until spinach wilted. really quick and easy

You can use that pasta recipe with anything - we use fish because dd is a fish eating vegetarian. But it's also nice with shredded ooked chicken. And with just vegetable - left over from a Sunday roast for an easy Monday tea. If I use just vegetables, I put some veggie stock powder in the water when I cook the pasta and serve it with parmesan or it can be a bit bland.