Meal Planning

I have number three coming, Im just 'revising' our usual dishes at he moment with the change of weather, but Im just going to eat the same food over and over lol. I thought If I work out a two week meal plan, it wont make it too boring and just buy the same thing each shop. We arent lucky enough to get delivery being rural but thats probably the best way of ensuring you have what you need for each meal and only pop out for bread milk and fresh vege and fruit as you need it

I had two lists. One had one weeks worth of meals and one had another weeks worth and I just rotate them I have a summer one and a winter one.

Then you can make your shopping list off your meal plan.   

ETA spelling

Edited by pudgy

I've used two different meal planning systems, both of which have worked great but just suited our differing circumstances at different times.

One was to have a template meal plan for each week that had two or three options for each day that I would rotate through. So for example, Tuesday night was curry night - either Indian chicken curry (I make a mean butter chicken from scratch) or Thai green chicken curry or sometimes a Malaysian one.

Wednesday night was Mexican - tacos, nachos, enchiladas or fajitas. 

Thursday night was pasta night - spag bol, penne/spirals with either pesto and tuna or prawns cherry tomatoes pesto and feta, tuna pasta bake, or spaghetti carbonara.

I don't work on Fridays so have a bit more time - on those nights I might try a new recipe or do something a bit more complicated like a risotto, otherwise it would be a stir fry or something. 

Saturday is date night for DH and me - we get a takeaway of some description (usually burger Wisconsin, hell pizza or fish and chips) and watch a movie at home - sounds lame I know but we really look forward to it! We wait till Toby is asleep (he has leftovers or whatever I feel like making him).

Sunday night was a roast or similar - something with loads of leftover veges that I would use for Monday night with either lamb chops, chicken drumsticks, schnitzel or something like that.  Then you need only reheat the veg in the microwave and cook the meat. Sometimes I like to make some couscous as well ( which is SO easy it's not funny) and chop up the roast veges, mix them up with the couscous and add some chopped feta for a yummy veg salad - which disguises the fact that the veg is a rehash of the night before.  

In summer we would often have a BBQ instead of a roast, with veg and salad.  leftover sausages are great tossed with oregano, garlic and tri colour capsicum (which you just chop up roughly and heat through in a frying pan with a little olive oil). 

So each week I would choose which option we were going to have each night and make a shopping list accordingly. You end up having a list of core ingredients that you always need in the house but last a while (eg spices) so don't need to buy every week and just top up with meat, and fresh fruit and veg.

Every meal I make is super easy - I do really enjoy cooking but I work pretty much full-time so during the week dinners need to be quick and easy. I always make at least twice as much as we need and the leftovers are used for our lunches (DH and I try to take lunch to work rather than buying to save money) and Toby's lunches, and his dinner on date night. Our fridge is always chock full of leftovers! Handy if we unexpectedly have people over for dinner.

That system worked really well for us. I changed it when we had to tighten our belts a bit (saving money for when i had to stop work for the baby i've just had) and now I only buy meat from the "reduced to clear" section in the supermarket. So our meals for the week are determined by whatever is in the freezer.  

Before doing the shopping I go through the freezer, pick meat for each night and decide what to do with it, and then write my shopping list accordingly to get whatever other ingredients I need to make those meals. At the  supermarket I just buy whatever meat is available on the cheap and freeze it.

If anyone wants recipes for any of the meals I've mentioned I'm happy to post them - I promise they are all quick, easy and fairly cheap. 

We eat dinner early with the kids. We both work full time and there's not much gap between getting in the door and needing dinner on the table. So we have to have a good plan in advance.
Sunday = roast
Monday = cold meat and something (salad, wraps, rolls, etc)
Tuesday - Friday = one of about 10 super quick meals
Satuday = I like to do something that takes a bit more time, or takeaways.

I write up a plan for the weeks meals on Friday night/Saturday morning based on my meal list and this weeks specials flyer. 1 shop per week.

It's written on the whiteboard on the fridge so I know what to take out of the freezer etc.

Sorted

@myfullhouse: You are my idol. My husband thinks I am a total geek because I record our grocery shopping in excel to keep track of what we're spending on various categories of stuff (meat; staples; cleaning products; baby stuff; luxuries etc) but you have gone one better!!

I usually just do it when I'm writing my shopping list. I think of enough dinners to cover the week we are shopping for then write down what ingredients I will need for those dinners, then buy it in the shopping so those are the meals I have to cook. I have a folder of recipe ideas so I choose from that or I have staple sort of dinners that I choose from. I don't think I could function without my plan hehe

I have a 2 week list of meals and we just go through that every 2 weeks and that's what I shop for as well. I wrote the list out in word of what meals we will have and some weeks I change it for something different. Just write down meals you like to eat. For us it was 2 weeks worth - was hoping for 3!

I am a fulltime working mum with a fulltime working partner and with a tiny gap getting in the door and dd wanting tea we have been terrible lately and doing quick opitions - eg buying roast or simple meals like real simple more ike what you would have for lunch. DD is getting a hot meal at daycare so that will be great .. Our biggest problem is getting home and not feeling what eating what we had planned to cook hence th quick meal opition.

When you mean plan dod you sort of give or take eg money chicken (could be sweet and sour chicken, chicken salah or chicken and vege say) or do you decide and keep it that way ek chicken pasta and no changes??? I guess what i'm asking is meal plannign very flexiable?? I can see how it works out cheaper because you don't impluse buy and come home to 3 jars of pasta sauce and no pasta ... or 5 packets of gravy but say no cheese sauce? hahha hope that makes sence?

I try and make a roast on sunday then leftover meat used for mondays meal, so tues, wed and thursday are what gets us. Friday is take aways/ out for dinner and sat is either or

Myfullhouse I would also love your spreadsheet! I had a little giggle when I read your post as it sounded like something totally geeky that I would do :-)