Menu planning - how do you do it?

[Loueytb3]

Currently on maternity leave and SMP about to run out. Really need to save money and particularly on food as we spend far too much and throw too much away. I would like to properly start menu planning but I was wondering how others do it. I was thinking of setting up some kind of spreadsheet as I'm a geek but I figure there must be something out there already which I can nick just fill in. Or some kind of iphone/ipad app. Does such a thing exist? Any oher tips welcome please before my DH kills me for spending too much money

(Not sure if this should be here or in food, please let me know if it should be moved)

There's a fab app for iPhone called Mealboard. It takes a while to set it up with your recipes, but once that's done it's so easy. You can choose what you want to eat for the week, then generate a shopping list from your meal plan. It definitely saves us time and money.

I do similar to D0G with similar meals each week.

I cook spag. Bol and Sweet and sour beef in the slow cookery, making double portion and freeze half.

We then have salmon something one night and a veg stir fry or curry.

Roast chicken on Friday night
Steak in sa

Dh

D0G - I'm a lazy mare too and we are having the same few meals so I want to try and have a list so I can see what we have done in the past when I'm totally lacking in inspiration and time. Otherwise it's variations on pasta amatriciana in our house.

MrsIcarus - oooh that sounds just what I need. Will go and have a look. Don't mind about it taking time to set up if it will save time in the long run.

I like your thinking Dog and intend to copy you! I usually just plan about five meals, which we eat in any order depending on whether or not dp is working and what time I get home. But turning one thing into something else the next day is a brilliant idea.

I'd love your casserole recipe, providing it doesn't use tinned tomatoes please.

I usually think along the lines of -

a curry meal
a pasta meal
a something with homemade wedges or with baked potatoes meal
a something that dp knows how to cook meal
a soup meal
a something with rice meal (if we had the curry with naans or chapattis)

We have a similar sort of routine which helps as a starting point:-

Sunday - roast of some sort, usually a big chicken, then do stock on sun night

Monday - soup with half the stock, veg, lentils. With the soup we have bake at home baguettes, and bits from fridge like cheese, salad, houmous (which kids stir into the soup?!)

Tues - meal with leftovers from roast, if chicken I do chicken risotto with rest of stock, if lamb I do a curry

Weds - eggs of some sort - usually cheese omelette, or fried egg, baked beans and homemade chips

Thurs - mince - big lot of bolognaise and use half for chilli & rice or spaghetti Bol

Fri - fish night! We have a fish van outside school on a friday so I buy White fish and make goujons or bake with spread of pesto and have with mash & veg

Sat - rest of bolog into lasagne or shep pie.

I find it easier to have a plan then change it if needed or stick to it if I'm stuck for creative ideas. Our plan is also determined by after school clubs - so eggs are on a weds because we get home late from activities and they're quick, whereas we get home on thurs before 4 so easy to do mince.

Thank you for that. How much roux do you make? We have a big problem in this house because I won't eat sauces with tinned tomatoes in and dd1 won't eat them with cheese sauce in!

we go food shopping, look what deals are to be had (seasonal veg, bogof) and plan from there.
often I cook something meaty like goulash and bulk the rest out for the next day with mushrooms/more veg.

Thanks again. :)

If I don't mealplan then I end up spending more and then end up wasting food too as it doesn't always get used up.

I also end up eating more rubbish though.

I start by thinking about meals that we like, including meals that use up leftovers. Then I make a list of what I need. THat way I don't end up doing laps in the supermarket when I realise I've not got something I need for a meal.

I go along the lines of
Sun - Shopping day
Sun - Something fresh e.g. roast chicken dinner
Mon - Something using leftovers e.g chicken wraps
Tues - Something DH cooks (day he gets kids and makes tea) usually something like egg, beans and toast or noodles.
Wed - Something not too heavy (Wed is my exercise day! and is too late to not eat, but to early to digest a heavy meal)
Thurs - Something from the freezer e.g. mince to make spag bol
Fri - Leftovers e.g. cottage pie
Sat - Whatever day. Kids and OH tend to graze and pick what they like. Sandwiches or soup etc. Sometimes we plan for a chippy tea instead.

The biggest key to it all, after the planning is in the committing yourself. Once you have planned it, write it down somewhere. My SIL has a chalk board with 2 weeks of dinners on it that she rotates through. When you get in hungry and don't know what to make then it can go out of the window. When you get in and know what you have planned to make then you are more likely to actually stick to your plan.

Ive used the resourceful cook website for the first time this week, and so far I think it's great. I'm doing a menu plan for 4 that the website said would cost £41 for7 nights but because I shop at lidl it only cost £26. There are lots of meal plans to choose from and they can be personalised. Once you have chosen one you can print out a full shopping list that is even organised into sections.