Please someone, come and guide me through meal planning

[BlueCowWonderss]

I'm feeling pathetic about starting. I'm au fait with why etc, but really need a step-by-step instruction manual to get me started.

I shop everyday (go past 3 supermarkets at least twice, often 4 times a day), but spend far too much time wondering what we're going to have.

Please help! [needy!]

It's really simple. Write down a list of all the meals you can make, then choose one for each day of the week you're about to shop for (or fortnight, or month), and then just buy that food and that food only. In fact, before you shop, look in your cupboards and find out what you've already got so you don't buy stuff you don't need.

this is what I do:

think about what I have in house that needs using up.
think of meals I can do that use them.
jot them down.
make sure I have a list of at least 6 meals (doesn't all have to be using stuff you already have in, but it makes sense to note down things that you'll need to use up iyswim?)

so, with my 6 meal ideas I then write my shopping list.

I divide my page into fruit and veg, chilled/dairy, tins and cupboard stuff, bakery and frozen.

then use your meals you have got planned to write your list. bear in mind some things you;ll already have at home.

and erm, that's about it really!

only 6 meals tiy??

Are you like me and make an excuse to have a take away once a week?

for some reason I'm hesitating to put pen to paper....

Do you need to shop everyday? in my opinion this detracts from the benefit of meal planning as if you are in there everyday you are more likely to see something and think 'ooh i fancy that' whereas if you just shop once a week you are much more likely to stick to your meal plan (cos you wont have any other option!)

True, I don't have to shop everyday, but it does kill the 20 min gap between school and pre-school...

Maybe I need to wean myself off a daily visit (which is more likely a twice daily visit )

If the aim of your meal planning is to save money then, OMG yes, stop going to the supermarket twice a day!!!! This will instantly save you a small fortune.

When i started meal planning and only shopping once a week it instantly cut our shopping bills by a third and they have stayed there- even though food prices have gone up so much.

I live only 2 mins walk from a supermarket but i have trained myself to only go there once a week. That really is all thats needed. Yes by the end of the week the fruit is looking a bit tired but its still totally edible.

As Lindenlass suggests, why dont you start by writing a list of all the meals your family like and you cook regularly.this will be the basis of your meal plan.

I do it week by week.

Write down 6 meals (seventh night I either cobble together something out of what we've got leftover or get a takeaway). I also write down 6 lunchy things for me and 6 for DS.

Write down all ingredients needed.

Buy them!

Easy peasy. Saves you a fortune, too. And if you shop online you can get it to 'remember' your orders.

Current weekly meal plan:

Monday - Teriyaki salmon, soba noodles & stirfired greens
(Lunch for me: Halloumi & salad; Lunch for DS - Halloumi toasties)

Tuesday - Veggie curry & roti breads
(Lunch for me - tuna & cannelini bean salad; Lunch for DS - tuna pasta)

Wednesday - Prawn & veg stirfry & rice (Lunch for me: Avocado & salad wraps; Lunch for DS - Macaroni cheese)

Thursday - Roast chicken breast, roasted veg and baked sweet potato
(Lunch for me: Omelette & salad; Lunch for DS: Eggy bread & baked beans)

Friday - Grilled tuna steak with baked potato & steamed veg
(Lunch for both me and DS: Soup & bread)

Saturday _ Curried chicken, rice & peas, fried plantain
(Lunch for all: Pizza & salad)

You get the drift...

Thurs - fishfingers, chips and beans for the boys....

Fri - Chilli con Carne with rice and tortillas

Saturday - Italian Beef Stew with Polenta and Gorgonzola

Sunday - Roast Chicken and all the trimmings

Monday - Chicken and Mushroom Pie, Vegetables

Tuesday - Lentil Soup

Wednesday - Leftover Beef Stew with mash

Thursday - Tomato, Basil and Olive pasta with Garlic Bread

I shop on a Thursday, so anyhting very veg-based or based on something that will go off soon, will be thurs, fri, sat, etc. at the end of the week itll be meals which rely more on 'storecupboard' ingredients eg a chickpea curry

iwishiwasmoreorganised... sort of! lol
we always go to my parents on sunday for a roast, that's my day off :D

there was a plan circulating on here a while back that LittleLapin kindly downloaded .. will try and find it for you ...

Wow Mrs M you do lunches as well. Duh - of course I need to too. Can't work out why I am so totally overwhelmed by putting this on paper (maybe it's a shrink I need, not a meal plan )

Wow Mrs M you do lunches as well. Duh - of course I need to too. Can't work out why I am so totally overwhelmed by putting this on paper (maybe it's a shrink I need, not a meal plan )

oops sorry

can't find it yet but there's loads of ideas on this thread:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=food&threadid=72099-all-you-food-planners-out-there-any-advice#1597467

and here

www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=good_housekeeping&threadid=518566-i-cannot-belive-folk-dont-menu-plan#1 0528020

BlueCow - maybe you're feeling a bit daunted by the idea of being 'restricted' about what you're going to eat and when? Do you like being a bit spontaneous generally?
If so, maybe you could do a search through some recipe books and find 3-4 dishes you'd like to make but never had, and put those on your weekly list of meals, then have 3-4 that you already know.
Don't assign days yet - just get some meals down and buy the ingredients for those.
Then you have a list of meal possibilities and bunch of recipes to choose from - still a bit flexible but you're not buying stuff that won't be used.

LadyBee you're too nice! I'm more OMG what are we going to eat tonight panic panic. I need to get rid of the panic. But I like the idea of flexi days.

I really don't mind shopping everyday, we never waste food and it's not to save money necessarily. I just don't want to have to think!

Counting - thanks for the links. MIght just waste a few more hours reading about meal planning instead of just doing it!

I was like you, wanted to meal plan...just didn't want to actually write the plan. I found one online that was already done and then just substituted stuff I actually wanted to cook. I love it now. It's not all about saving money for us, we've scheduled in a takeaway or two, but DP and I now know which days we're cooking on and what meat to take out of the freezer, what fresh stuff to pick up, rather than trying to think about it on the way between coming home from work and picking up DS.