Benefits of a menu plan

[lisalisa]

Just thought I'd share wiht you all the benefits of doing a menu plan.

My 5 were always arguing over what's for dinner. Ds1 doesn't like non meat dinners and can't stand pasta, Dd1 hates red meat and its products, Dd2 is a pasta junkie and "cries" at chicken and DD3 hates salmon. Little ds2 eats most things but "agrees " wholeheartedly wiht his siblings when there is an aurgemtn over food!

It was driving me crazy as whatever I made met with a fuss from someone.

So I decided that the children were going to set their own menu plan ( provided it was reasonably sensible) for hte next 2 weeks and that we would pin it up on the kitchen wall. Then everyone would know what was for dinner every night - there could be no accusaitons of favouring any one child or their choices or slanting the choices in favour of a particular type of food. There was also one major condition - that each child had to eat the choices put furward by the other designated child on his or her day.

So for e.g. - Dd1 chose stir fry chicken fo rher choice. All the other children have to eat it even if it is not their favourite knowing that their nominiated chioce is coming up.

It has really really worked. Some things which are obvious real dislikes ( like ds1's for pasta) are a bit trickier and he does still look dismayed when presented with lasagne but he soon rallies when told that his super unhealthy choice for hte next day ( sausages and chips) has been agreed. Have to say that these are 100% beef sausages with no additives and home made chips shallow fried in olive oil and servicved with compulsory salad but ds1 acknowledges that this is the closest he'll get in our house!!!!

So this is my child chosen menu plan for next 10 days

Today - fish pie and veg ( my choice - mummy's got to have one choice!)

Friday - lasagne - home made

Saturday - Chicken stir fry ( tons of veg)

Sunday - jacket potatoes and various filllings - but out of tins - beans, tuna etc as well as cheese and served with salad

Monday - spaghetti bolognaise

Tuesday - pasta wiht green sauce. This sauce I have been making for 11 years since Dd1 was a baby . It's a deliciouis recipe using spinach, basil, garlic and cream cheese all cooked and pureed to green sauce.

Wednesday - shepherd's pie and veg

Thursdy - dahl and brown rice.

Has made meal times a lot quieter and less shouty in my house!!!

Does it work out cheaper to do meal plans? I've beenreading the moneysavingexpert form and someone on there manages to feed their entire family for £12 a week.
Would love to be able to make absolutely anything from scratch.

Did you ever get your knickers back by the way?

Wont answer thelast question....... will i ever live that down

Re working out cheaper - i'm the wrong one to ask - I spend a bloody fortune in tescos every week - I would say including cleaning stuff and nappies etc about £250.

but don't let that put you off my menu plan

Think lisalisa would struggle to feed all those children for £12/week.

Lisa if you can manage it could you post the recipe for the green sauce - I have spinach to use. Thank you.

It is making me ponder whether I should give my family one choice each a week. Cos there are only 2 (3 if you count DH) of them I would still get plenty of choices. But I do try to double up on quantities so I don't have to cook when I am working.

Yes it does work out cheaper, especially if you stand in front of the freezer/fridge on a Sunday night, make a list of all you've got and plan from there on outwards.

oh yes and don't clean the house - that saves a fortune in cleaning products

Green sauce - approx recipe as I don't do measurements - I'm from the chuck it all in and see if it needs adjusting camp

1 packet spinach
1 onion finely chopped
1 small bunch basil -leaves only
3or 4 cloves garlic crushed
1 small packet mushrooms ( optional)

Fry gently the onion and garlic in olive oil till gently browned. Then add spinach and basil and cook till spinach is wilted - no more really than 10 mins. It mustn't be still chewy though. Then add about half tub of cream cheese and take off gas. That bit is important as you don't want the cream cheese to curdle.

When slightly cooler and cream cheese has melted and you have stirred it in puree mixture to a thick consistency ( think slurpy drinks) and pour over pasta.

Btw - the garlic and basil are essential and give hte sauce a quite wonderful flavour and aroma

Tis much loved in our house - started giving to children when about 7 months old and still loving it ( aprt from carnivore ds1) at nearly 12!!!

Thanks very much for that. Approx quantities are great for me. Sounds fantastic and will be on this week's menu plan.

I like the spinach recipe - we make a grown up equivalent with a good strong blue cheese instead of cream cheese, which is delicious, but my kids don't like it. So yours sounds a good alternative.

We menu plan (usually) and another bonus is we never waste any food - we buy exactly what we need and nothing ever gets chucked out. Plus we eat more healthily and more interestingly than if we made it up as we went along (though not at the moment due to builders redoing our kitchen!!!).

I like the idea of getting the dc to do the menu plan - I might give it a go actually.

How old are your children? My ds is 4 and very difficult when it comes to food and negotiation tbh but this is certainly worth trying.

Bozza - you're weclome - let me know if they like it

Pidge - never thought of doing it with blue cheese. Do you put that in tat tghe end after pureeing?

Mercy my dcs are aged 2.9,4,7,9 and 11.9 yrs. Didn't work so well tonight - there were mighty complaints about fish pie ( my choice). Ah well - at least they ate it!!

Bozza - you're weclome - let me know if they like it

Pidge - never thought of doing it with blue cheese. Do you put that in tat tghe end after pureeing?

Mercy my dcs are aged 2.9,4,7,9 and 11.9 yrs. Didn't work so well tonight - there were mighty complaints about fish pie ( my choice). Ah well - at least they ate it!!

Lazarou - that woman on MSE that feeds her family on £12 a week gives them virtually no fruit or veg - check out her sample weeks mealplan - heart attack on a plate stuff

Really? I didn't really read it thoroughly. Just noticed that someone else feeds their whole family, plus the dog on about £53 a month or something similar. I will go and have another look.

Actually, it was £53 every six weeks, but she wouldn't say what she bought and made.

Fruit and veg is very expensive, and my kids eat loads of fruit so I have to buy it frequently.

M&S fruit seems to stay fresher for longer, tastes nicer too.

Think I'm going to start going to the supermarket in the evening to see what's been reduced and buy food for the next couple of days rather than doing a huge shop, whereby I have to bin things because they've gone out of date.

I also spend an absolute fortune on fruit and veg every week - i buy before the weekend and usually have to top up tiwce in teh week.

I've started shopping just for a couple of days at a time and I find I throw a lot less food away. I'm going to make lisalisa's green sauce tomorrow - sounds lovely and should appeal to all 4 dcs!

Oooh - polease do all let me know how it went..........