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Food/recipes

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Original poster

All you food planners out there............... any advice?

97 replies

BubblesDeVere · 18/04/2005 09:34

I am just thinking about food planning for the weeks ahead.

I have a few questions.

How far ahead do you plan? Do you do a month or a week.

Do you find it saves you money.

Do you have the same thing each day, eg, tuesday is always spag bol etc.

Do you find it easier than just deciding to do something 'off the cuff'?

I am thinking of doing this.

If you have any more tips or advice please let me know, it will be just for myself and the kids because dh is such a fussy eater.

OP posts:

WideWebWitch · 20/04/2005 08:34

Please be impressed with me: the salmon steaks are marinating for supper for me and Dp tonight, the potatoes are cooked and just need making into potato salad, so all I have to do it cook the salmon (10 mins max) and some baby sweetcorn. I made lentil hotpot this morning, ready for dd's and my lunch and as supper for ds and his friend who is coming to tea tonight. It's the only benefit of a 5.45am waking baby, there's tons of time before school.

Bozza · 20/04/2005 08:56

[impressed emoticon] just for you www.

Last night I did my meal plan for next week so I can do the internet order today. We are having orchard pork, meat and potato pie and mushroom and parmesan risotto, plus I'm going to make a butternut squash soup for lunches (might also have soup for my tea because DH is away next Weds and the kids will have been to nursery so DS can just have fruit and DD can have soup and bread for her supper) and Ive decided to allow us one dessert a week so I'm going to order some rhubarb and make a crumble. Am ordering brocolli, cauliflower, leeks, cabbage and babycorn as veg because two of the meals need side veg. Other lunches will be whatever I can be bothered with tuna, beans, pasta, couscous, scrambled eggs, cheese sandwiches etc.

ggglimpopo · 20/04/2005 09:00

Message withdrawn

Enid · 20/04/2005 09:04

[admiring emoticon] for www

Bozza · 20/04/2005 09:28

Prices the same as in store but there is usually a delivery charge of something between £3 and £6 although Sainsburys have certain days free delivery and Asda is free over £99. HTH

handlemecarefully · 20/04/2005 09:58

I hope that you will be impressed by my huge project.

I am part way through a 5 week rolling programme of food planning. Basically it's got 3 steps:

Select 7 days of main meals for each week. Complete 5 weeks (I make sure that there is a veggie meal, a chicken dish, a red meat dish, a fish dish etc for each week). I've done this bit. I won't have to menu plan again for months now, just keep rolling through week 1, week 2, week 3 etc
Do 5 corresponding shopping lists on the Sainsbury's To You website - hence week 1 shopping list corresponds to the ingredients needed for week 1 menu planner, and week 2 shopping list corresponds to week 2 menu planner (there is a facility on the website to save draft shopping lists). Will be doing this next.
Enter all the recipes onto my food planner in the weightlossresources.co.uk website so that I can easily maintain an electronic food diary monitoring my calories.

It's been time consuming but will be so worth it when finished. Not having to obsess and make decisions about what I am making for dinner tonight (5 week rolling menue planner), and being able to order my Sainsbury's to you shopping with just 1 or 2 mouse clicks (as I have pre-populated shopping lists)

Cool eh? - or perhaps a bit nerdy

handlemecarefully · 20/04/2005 10:08

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

bossykate · 20/04/2005 10:09

wow, hmc, i am impressed.

PuffTheMagicDragon · 20/04/2005 10:10

Yeah, I'm impressed !

I only do weekly, not nearly as strategic as you hmc!

PuffTheMagicDragon · 20/04/2005 10:10

Yeah, I'm impressed !

I only do weekly, not nearly as strategic as you hmc!

PuffTheMagicDragon · 20/04/2005 10:10

oops

iota · 20/04/2005 10:13

I'm impressed hmc, but I suscribe to the Lavenderr scheme - buy loads of stuff and decide on the day.

Speaking of which today is shopping day........

handlemecarefully · 20/04/2005 10:13

That's better! A bit of admiring....

yoyo · 20/04/2005 10:16

hmc - that is an amazing system. Don't think I could ever be that organized. Extremely impressed that you even monitor the calorie count.

handlemecarefully · 20/04/2005 10:18

Keep it coming. I'm loving this. Never get praised for anything normally

PuffTheMagicDragon · 20/04/2005 10:19

Ok, you're an all round supa dupa person

handlemecarefully · 20/04/2005 10:22

Thank you, thank you - my ego is well and truly bolstered up so you can all move on now

TracyK · 20/04/2005 10:28

excellent hmc- how long do you think it took you to set it all up. I really need to sit down and do it too. I have approx 2hrs spare at lunchtime while ds naps - but I usually end up watching Despereate housewives or the OC!!

noddyholder · 20/04/2005 10:31

hmc that is major!!I plan 1 week at a time I have a list with 3 columns what we have in then the days of the week with meals allocated to each and finally in the 3rd a shopping list.I always stick to it and it has saved a fortune There are 3 of us ds and dp take packed lunch and I buy as much organic as poss We spend 45 per week inc washing powder and cat food I do make batches of soup/stew etc and buy no ready meals at all we have a takeaway or meal out twice a month HTH

handlemecarefully · 20/04/2005 11:16

TracyK,

It took me about 4 hours to do step one (come up with 35 recipes) - spent a lot of time pouring over recipe books and trying to get approp. nutritional balance over each week. But now that's done it doesn't need to be done again any time soon. I might want to change it in a few months time if we tire of the meals - but it includes loads of variety anyway so that is unlikely.

I've started preparing my week 1- 5 shopping lists on the Sainsbury to You website. I've done 2 lists so far (3 to go). It's taken about 20 minutes per list. But again once done, on line shopping will be super quick in future.

Have not done step 3 yet. That's next. Will probably be time consuming up front - but saves time in longer term.

Merlot · 20/04/2005 11:18

WOW hmc - how much do you charge for copies of your recipes and lists [wink?]

Merlot · 20/04/2005 11:19

that was supposed to be a not a [wink?]

Original poster

BubblesDeVere · 20/04/2005 11:20

These meals that you are all mentioning all sound fab.

The only thing is dh won't:

Eat any raw veg
Eat tomatoes
Eat cheese
Eat any kind of cream sauce

The kids are also quite fussy, I have prepared one weeks menu but it sounds very very bland compared to everyone elses

OP posts:

SkiBunnyFlummy · 20/04/2005 11:40

you know that not eating stuff thing. well my dh does that, don't like this, don't like that.

but i cook it anyway - and he eats it because is hungry!!

just cook something and see what happens. can't stand fussy eaters, is a real bug bear of mine

Bozza · 20/04/2005 11:42

Well we are all working around our own individual preferences bdv. My meals don't include any fish for example because DH and I don't like it. I do occasionally feed it to the kids at lunchtime because I don't think they should be limited by us but its not in the dinners.

You can just try out your first week and then take it from there and maybe become a bit more adventurous over time. We have increased our variety recently - was surprised that my DH didn't turn his nose up at spicy chickpea cutlets.

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