Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Menu plan

7 replies

NickiSue · 05/04/2008 10:20

Has anyone got any menu/meal plans I could steal borrow? We're trying to cut back on the cash we spend on food, and the waste but need inspiration! Theres me, DH and 21month old who'll eat mostly anything.

OP posts:
Minkus · 05/04/2008 13:41

Have you had a look at the Old Style Thread on Moneysavingexpert.com? They've got loads of ideas for cheap and nuritious meals. And they are the experts on meal planning! Good luck.

ivykaty44 · 05/04/2008 13:44

I am just writing mine out so if you want a copy bear with me for a bit

Minkus · 05/04/2008 13:44

here's the link

ivykaty44 · 05/04/2008 13:59
  1. Omlette with either bakebeans and crusty bread or smoked haddock. (get just one small piece ? tail end as it has no bones.)

  2. Pasta and bacon with pesto, buy cheep bacon bits in asda for £1 (divide into 4 and pop in freezer bags for the next three weeks) Cut the bacon into pieces, fry in garlic and put boiling water in pan for pasta to cook, when pasta is nearly cooked some sweetcorn from a bag of frozen sweetcorn or a tin. Drain pasta and sweetcorn and return to pan, add a tablespoon of creme fraiche and let it melt, now add a 2 dessert spoons of pesto and add the bacon. Serve with cheese grated on top.

  3. Chicken curry, using curry paste, chicken thighs and a tin of economy chopped tomatos - put all food in casserole dish and cover, cook on gas 2-3 for 2 -3 hours. Serve with dalh (google recipe for dalh, tis easy to make and extremly cheap.) Use a packet of pitta bread instead of naan for dipping. Toast the pitta bread and cut tinto fingers.

  4. Chicken thighs skined and cut into strips, place in bowl and sprinkle with chinese 5 spice and soy sauce, use vegtables for stir fry that you like - sweetcorn, carrots, cabbage shreded and stir fry chicken first then vegtables and then add noddles.

Or chicken thighs cut into strips and use fish sauce and sweet chilli sauce and toss this in with the noddles and use some corn carrots etc ( I usually use the mixed frozen as it is nearly as good and not as expensive as getting all the fresh stuff individually)

I buy froozen chx thighs as they are good value for money, usually about 8-9 thighs in a bag. A bag of sweetcorn, use in more than one dish through the week. Mature cheese is better value as you dont need as much to get the flavour.

  1. Filleted and skinned cod (get frozen packets of 6 in Sainsbury for £2.70 ish) and use one fillet per person, put in slow cooker or casserole dish, add blardy mixedfroozen vegetables a tin of cocmut milk and two tablespoons of thai curry paste. Cook for one to two hours on gas 2-3 and serve with rice of any kind you like.

  2. Fish cakes made with tinned tuna, salmon and mash potato ? serve with vegetables.

  3. Jacket potato served with tuna, bakebeans and cheese. Good tea for cooking itself on a Friday.

Once you have the thai curry paste, Indian curry paste and fish sauce, soy sauce they will last you at least one month so although you have an initial outlay they keep you going and work out cheaper.

I buy the chicken and fish frozen and buy enough for 4 weeks - this way it keeps me out of the supermarket and stops me picking up stuff I don?t really need.

Breakfast is porridge, weetbix (supermarket own brand) mixed with sultanas and a banana.

Yogurts buy in bulk and serve as pudding after tea, fruit or fruit salad. Rice pudding, cheap to buy the rice and make a good pudding. Know anyone that grows rhubarb ? make crumble or add to rice pudding, or rhubarb fool.

Puddings when on a ?going? cheap make life more bearable and are not that expensive and a good way to get fruit.

I make my own bread but if you buy bread get several loaves and freeze them. Use cheese spread, marmite for pack ups, a yogurt and I now buy squash and have a drinks bottle to fill up as this works out cheaper than keep buying drinks cartoons.

ivykaty44 · 05/04/2008 14:02

To tame the curry's down a tad add either natural yogurt (buy the economy large pot for 35p in either tesco sainsbury or asda - look down in the corner you will find it tucked away!) The yogurt can be added just before serving and it will cool down the curry in temperature and spice hope you like.

VanillaPumpkin · 05/04/2008 14:02

I have a six week plan somewhere on here. I will search....

VanillaPumpkin · 05/04/2008 14:04

here. Lots of other good ideas on here too.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page