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Original poster

I cannot belive folk dont menu plan

176 replies

FluffyMummy123 · 23/04/2008 12:37

Message withdrawn

OP posts:
suedonim · 23/04/2008 13:26

A family member put me off menu planning. She planned a weekly menu and is still using it, 40yrs later!!

One of the restaurants here in Lagos offers lasagne on its menu, but asks that you give them two days notice if you actually wish to order it, lolol.

oiFoiF · 23/04/2008 13:30

think shirley cvalentine suedonim

but its steak night on a friday, wheres my steak?

tuesday night is chips anmd egg

blueshoes · 23/04/2008 13:38

I menu plan. It is lovely to eat home-cooked restaurant-style meals every day and try a new dish every week for a song.

And we hardly ever throw anything out.

The corollary of menu planning is shopping lists. Can't imagine going to a supermarket for the weekly shop without one. That way, we also never run out of toiletries or fairy liquid or plasters etc etc. without having to stockpile mountains of stuff that I need to find storage for.

Iklboo · 23/04/2008 13:41

I don't menu plan but I know what we've got in and what goes with what

suedonim · 23/04/2008 13:41

I'd forgotten all about SV, Fio!

oiFoiF · 23/04/2008 13:42

i can still remember her feeding the steak to the vegetarian dog

peanutbear · 23/04/2008 13:45

I thought this menu planning was a myth !! I just buy meat and we have a desision on what its going to be !!!!

Dont you ever walk around tesco et al and wing it

I buy what I fancy god I must be more slummy than thought

YohoAhoy · 23/04/2008 13:45

I menu plan. Can get a bit desperate sometimes when I feel like there is NOTHING DIFFERENT left to cook in the entire world, but I do find it takes the pressure off a bit to have a rough idea of meals for the week.

However, that doesn't mean that despite my best efforts, there is probably an unseemly number of times I think "sod it, beans on toast is perfectly nutritious."

This usually results in trying to cook and eat 3 main meals on a Saturday. "Don't be silly - lasagne is a perfectly normal breakfast."

frumpygrumpyhasnofaceon · 23/04/2008 13:45

people MENU PLAN

I might remember to pull out something from the freezer the night before........

Wheelybug · 23/04/2008 13:45

Twig - its a Waitrose problem... an issue with their own branded pasta. Don't know why though but the shelves were bare for a while ! Now they are full of De Cecco.

keepcalmandcarryon · 23/04/2008 13:51

blueshoes - agree on shopping lists. I now have a spreadsheet with all shopping basics on it, can zoom round kitchen checking it off so we don't run out of shampoo, gin etc.

Agree with Cod on the afterschool stuff - Thursday night is soup from the freezer night after DC's swimming. Cd not bear to have think of anything else to do - but wd lose the will to live if I knew what's for supper EVERY night.

at cappucino's MIL - I browse cookbooks with photographic memory, then when I spot esoteric ingredient in shop I can buy it, then make esoteric recipe.

artichokes · 23/04/2008 13:52

Waitrose fell out with their own brand pasta supplier. Supplier wants to put up its prices. Waitrose won't pay. Some other pasta supplires are now also refusing to sell to Waitrose as they stand in solidarity with the original supplier, or they are just more expensive.

De Cecco are the black leg miners of the pasta world!

SmugColditz · 23/04/2008 13:53

I menu plan, it's chicken with pasta and carrots (and cheese for the kids)

Wheelybug · 23/04/2008 14:00

ooooooh Artichokes very interesting. So what's the MN stand on this - should we boycott Waitrose or De Cecco or just carry on as normal, panic panic ? (wheely panics that someone says WR and I'd have to shop in our local somerfield )

Psychomum5 · 23/04/2008 14:02

I have a rough idea of a menu plan in my head when I do my online shop, and then we have a poorly week and it all goes to pot.

I guarantee that if I decide that I will stick to a plan then it all goes tits up in my house!!!

instead, I buy chicken peices, a whole chicken, mince, lamb medallions, fish, and then make it up as I go along.

and then, if I have a shite week, I fill the freezer with all the stuff I bought and didn;t use, and start agian the following week with 'winging' it!

I do have 4 nights with ballet/footy/dance/beavers/scouts etc, and so have to have easy stuff to hand on those night.

wednesday is the best night as no plans then, altho I have had physio today and so don;t want to do the planned roast now as feel all horrid and achy.

one night is always takeaway (fri or sat), and sundays DH cooks.

only problem tho with DH cooking....he doesn;t also think about what to cook...it is still down to me to get the food sorted and tell him what to do.....now THAT is the chore!!!!

ho hum

Fimbo · 23/04/2008 14:06

I think menu planning for me went out the window as a teenager, as I had a friend who's mother did this, with the same foods on the same days every single week.

My friend's favourite was Tuesday night when she had soup and pudding. Normally tinned chicken and rice pudding. .

I think the memory of this has always stayed with me.

Iota · 23/04/2008 14:13

menu planning is far too anal for the iota household

I just by a shedload of stuff each week, have a massive storecupboard of tins and packets, and pop to the shops a couple of times a week ( always need fresh bread for school packed lunches) so get a few things then as well. I don't have to be meag-organised because I am lazy arse SAHM with kids in school

We don't throw much away

bozza · 23/04/2008 14:15

I menu plan based round the veg box ingredients but it is not boring because half the time it goes tits up anyway and I have to use my iniative. Like this week I planned:

Friday - wedges, ham and pea frittata and salad. Asda substitute wafer thin turkey for my handcarved ham. Get over this by buying some at farm shop. DS's friend says he doesn't like salad. So I cook a carrot for DS and friend - plus DS has cucumber and red onion and friend has celery.
Saturday - lasagne and salad
Sunday - roast chicken dinner. Only we go to SILs for lunch expecting sandwiches and get huge buffet. So freeze chicken and make veggie bake with the veg we were going to have and a tin of toms and some cheese. Make garlic bread out of frozen ciabattas to go with.
Monday - was planning on using leftover chicken. So defrost some chicken breasts and poach. Then have wraps, wedges and sweetcorn
Tuesday - end up in A&E with DD so DH and DS have spare lasagne (I made two) after football practice, as do I when I get home.
Wednesday - DD is being very fussy with her eating due to going over her handlebars and smashing her mouth up. She has agreed to tinned tuna, mash and veg for tea. So the rest of us will be having mash, veg and something yet to be decided. Sausages are DD's favourite so would not be fair.

CountessDracula · 23/04/2008 14:17

I can't believe people call people "folk"

bozza · 23/04/2008 14:17

The main reason I menu plan is because I work 3 days a week and so like to have something made for those nights and so try to cook double on the other days. Plus clubs etc.

Original poster
FluffyMummy123 · 23/04/2008 14:20

Message withdrawn

OP posts:
Oblomov · 23/04/2008 14:20

LOL At Dr Northerner's MORON and at Twig with her dishcloth.
I don't get he rigidity of menuplanning.
I plan a bit, say to dh shall we have spag bol tomorrow and I need to use up, ..., so we'' have that the day after. Then off I go to sainsburys to buy the bits needed. That is as far as it goes.

DrNortherner · 23/04/2008 14:20

Do folk realyy cook from a recipe when cooking for family?

I chuck stuff together.

Recipe if entertaining.

Original poster
FluffyMummy123 · 23/04/2008 14:22

Message withdrawn

OP posts:
DrNortherner · 23/04/2008 14:22

Too much tennis cod. Sat mornings for chilling out in my house.