Meal planning, how do YOU do it?

[DustyTV]

Probably a dumb question, but do you plan 3 solid meals a day and shop accordingly or do you plan the main meal of each day? Also do you do the same week in, week out or do you have a 2 week meal plan.

I need to do this to be able to bring our food shopping down a bit. DH can be quite fussy when it comes to food. He is unwilling to try anything new and I have to be ruthless and hide veg and stuff to be able to get him to eat anything other than meat So much so that I sometimes cannot be bothered and end up cooking two different meals, one for DD and I and one for DH.

TIA

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I plan the meals for the following week, ie main meals. It is easier when doing the shopping on line as I look at what is on offer etc. I then buy only what I need. It saves me money as I am terrible for having loads in the freezer and store cupboards. I don't "plan" lunch and breakfast. I just buy the basics every week.

I do tend to do a massive spag bol with hidden vege in and then make it into lasagne the following day one week and then shepards pie the following week as they are both meals everyone eats. I cook for dh and I each day and then put food on plate for dc for the next day to heat up in the microwave. Otherwise I feel like I am cooking from 5.00 until 8.00 every evening!!!

Thanks lovingthepink, what sort of evening meals do you do? I just need to get some more ideas, to help keep DH interested. It's like I will suggest something for tea as I know what we have in and he will say no I want something else and I dont have any stuff in for what he has asked for!! It's easier to feed DD (BLW) than it is DH

Thats how I feel sometimes, as I seem to have to do 2 seperate meals as DH can be so fussy.

Dh isn't used to fresh homemade food, MIL microwaved/s frozen ready meals when he lived at home. Even 10 years on he can be hard work.

i plan all meals for each day over a two week meal planner though we dont have to stick religously to the meal plan its not for shopping more to stop the;

h; whats for dinner?
me; i dont know what do you fancy?
h; i dont know just pick something

and then when h gets home
h; whats that?
me; dinner, its kievs
h; i dont like it im not eating that im phoning the chinese!!

i cant do a weekly shop as im on my own with the dcs and have no car!! i just buy things as i go and freeze what i dont use to use later so meal planning for shopping is no use to me

Is he completely anti-veg, or just pro-meat, iyswim? I sometimes do a spaghetti sauce (say roasted tomatoes, courgettes and carrots, whizzed up with a stick blender, fry an onion, bung it all together with a bit of mascarpone - v easy) and then fry a wee bit of bacon/chorizo separately which dp can have on his while we have ours without.

Similarly, rather than cooking two comeplete meals, things like baked potatoes are good because each person can have their own filling and the potatoes just look after themselves in the oven. So we might have a load of grated cheese, plus sweetcorn or baked beans for the kids, and bacon for us with a salad.

Other things that I find everyone will eat are shepherd's pie, home made pizza (again you can vary the toppings a bit to satisfy the carnivores), sausages and mash.

Alternatively you could just give DH a slap and tell him to grow up/cook his own.

LOL shesells, do we have the same DH?, although mine loves kievs and would eat them with gusto.

I think what I may do is work out seven meals for the weeks shop accordingly and cook whichever one takes mine and DH's fancy.

Do you think that would be workable??

I also have a fussy dh. His mother would just ask what they wanted and then cook up to three meals. I now just cook and serve - no discussion involved!!! I have cooking weeks when we have lovely food!!!! But then weeks when we have fresh pasta and sauce, pizza and basic crap!!!!! I often serve a token vegetable like peas on those weeks!!!!

Mostly I use a slow cooker which I find really easy as everything is done and ready by the evening.

Fortunately where we live is rural so no takaways for dh to resort too. lol midnight express about the slap!!!

Midnightex, he will eat veg if I nag, and I hate nagging, it's just not worth the hassle. I already do a spag bol like that and hide loads a veg in the sauce. He hates cheese and eggs!!!!

Homemade pizza sounds like a good idea, I haven't made pizza base in years, I will try that. Good for DD too.

I have told him loads of times to cook for himself, but he would seriously live on bloody super noodles. If he has to cook for himself that is all he would eat. He is very lucky that I love to cook

God I'm so lucky DD is like me and will eat anything and everything. She loves her fruit and veg.

I have a dull repertoire of weekday evening meals. I vaguely choose from my repertoire as I wander round the supermarket and buy accoprdingly. Must be able to cook all of them quickly using zero brain power.

All teh meals are cheap (although include chicken in a couple) and I know that everyone likes them (hence dull) or can make very easy alternative for fusspots.

re home-made pizza. For a very cheap, quick and fun option, buy muffins (the savoury ones). SPlit in half, toast both sides, add toppings. Mini pizzas.

I'm pretty similar to pointydog in that I have a repertoire of about 20 meals I know dh likes and I can rattle off in about half an hour and I do a selection of those each week, it often depends if there's a deal on something in the supermarket. I don't work full time so I'm happy to do something a bit more involved on my days off. I tend to spend about £100 a week on food and groceries for the three of us.

Thanks everyone for all of your ideas. I have some meals that I know DH loves so I will put them down on the planner and get him to choose on the one he wants for tea before he goes to work.

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I plan for 2 weeks but not in a sit down and decide we're having certain things on certain days way. I write a list of 16 meals to give us a bit of choice then what i need to buy ot make each and online shop with list in front of me so i dont get sidetracked into offers that we dont really need. Brekky and lunch not planned but i get 2 or 3 lots of cold meat from meat counter over 2 weeks, fresh fruit and veg and spuds weekly from market. Any munchies we get when we want them but only if we have some spare change not £ notes (daft as it sounds!!)

Also, i always freeze leftovers from spag bol, shepherds pie, curry etc n we have them for lunches or if we cant be bothered to cook