Calling all meal planners. Can you share your monthly menus??

[VanillaPumpkin]

I am soooooo bored of Spaghetti Bolognaise and Shepherds Pie . I am only after evening meal inspiration really...
Any top tips for cheap meals also appreciated thank you.
I know this has been done before but having trawled threads I am still wallowing in unenthusiasm. Help!
I have ordered another cook book from the Book People but until that arrives I am miserably dreading my beef casserole for tea....

Roast on Sunday(lamb, beef, chick, boiled bacon, pork)
Mince dish(sheherd pie,spagbol, chilli, moussaka, lasagne)
risotto
Casserole(beef, pork, chicken, veg &bacon)
Stir fry
Pasta with veg
fahitas
fish and chips(homemade)
fish pie
layer bake( fish or chick sliced potatoes and veg in a white sauce baked in oven)
curry
veggie soup with crusty bread
toad in the hole

plus many others, just think at the beginning of the week and plan weekly we always have a roast and a mince based dish and I always have a casserole in the frezzer or the day of the week when I am too busy, can't be arsed to cook.

Puddings are yogurt, fruit, slice of cake from the tin and then a special pud with the roast on Sunday

Veg soup, cheap
roast chicken dinner
chicken kievs
pie
pasta with courgettes and mushrooms in a tom sauce
sausage ragu
sweet and sour
lamb with veg and mash
jacket potatoes, do after a roast and use leftover meat and have with salad.
fish with either chips or mash and veg depending on lazy scale.
chilli

Thank you.
I seem to have forgotten the existence of fish pie and sausages . They were old faves of mine...
How do you do risotto. I have the rice but the one time I tried it it was soooo boring and tasteless. It was a Jamie recipe my mum did and none of us enjoyed it.....

Yup - Roast on sunday
soup (veg) once a week,
pasta (veg) once/twice a week,
curry once a week,
Bread-based (felafels, sandwiches, baguettes with sausages etc) once a week,
egg-based (omelettes,hard-boiled in salad etc) once a week.
Fish-something once a week.
Salad once a week

• That's 9 per week! I do alternate loads of dishes, eat meat/fish two-three times a week, and don't worry too much about serving up a 'full' dinner - sandwiches or scrambled eggs once in a while is fine, esp if you make/buy a nice pudding for afters!.

And pie...and jacket potatoes . What a rut I have been it ....

Do you buy the kievs or make them?
I have fallen into this rut as I do a monthly internet shop and then get a veg box. The veg box is great for variety but not enough quantity and I have fallen into a spag bol trap...

rissoto this is the one I use but normally put in some smoked bacon for added flvour

So I can aim for a
Sunday roast
Monday left overs
A fish meal
A minced beef meal
An egg meal (omlette/ quiche) Oooh quiche yum.
Chicken meal
Sausages / Pork
Soup and bread would suit me but not dh who has an active job and does a lot of training (for the marathon...)

I do a fornightly internet shop and use the butchers and greengrocers in between

That risotto looks nice. I don't buy wine in at the moment though. What could I use instead??....

You can make a 'big' soup - ie lots of bits of meat (saausages/ham/chicken) and new potatoes/rice/lentils and veg. Don't whizz it (or jsut whizz some) and its just like meat-and-2-veg, but in a bowl!

True, and to be fair some of my slow cooker casseroles have been more like soup .

Vanillapumpkin - you can use stock instead of wine, or cider if you have any. Even aplle juice is you like.

Just stock would be fine it only injects a bit of extra flavour

Just stock would be fine it only injects a bit of extra flavour

Oh good stock is good.
You have inspired me thank you. My next months planner is in progress . I have pinned down the Sunday roasts so far.....

I aim for one (preferably 2) meat or fish free meals each week (for the adults at least). For example

Veg curry (Indian or Thai)
Veg stiry fry
Pesto pasta

That must be cheaper too?

Oh yes! A jar of curry paste or pesto sauce can last for several meals and you get to use up your veg box!

Which curry paste would you recommend? I have had a Pataks one before which seemed to be good. That was years ago though. I used to buy Sharwoods sauces in a jar but they were never as good as the take away so I stopped. We can't afford the take away at the moment though so I might start again...
My casserole is smelling quite good now actually so with that and all your ideas I am feeling better thank you .

VP - if I do a "soup and bread" meal, I always serve cheese with it too (or ham for the carnivores) and then have a "big" pudding like a homemade crumble and custard. That way, dp can't complain that he's not had enough to eat!

Good thinking! Thanks.

one click to cook - google it it is a recipy weekly planner menu site and I used it last year for the free first month.

You can tell them which foods you dont like, how many fish meals you want, that you only want eve meals then they send you a meal plan each week along with a shopping list.

Was it 'One Click dinners'?? Looks useful. I will investigate....Thanks.

I must confess I didn't join after the free first month, but liked it for the four weeks as it gave me some easy ideas.

I also use the good housekeeping and bbc recipy websites and try to do a new meal once a week - every now and then for a change.