Meal Planning

Bread & Butter Pudding - nom nom

Cedar over at THE VINTAGE WIFE recently did a POST about meal planning, asking for tips on sticking to it. She received quite a few replies, including my own, so I thought I would share my meal planning routine here too.

Firstly, before your eyes glaze over, it isn't as bad as it sounds. I find sitting at 4pm every day trying to think up what to cook for dinner much more difficult and dull, not to mention costly. Shopping to a pre-planned menu is much more cost effective.

I only plan for 6 nights a week, because like everyone else I enjoy a take out (or if you are unlike me, go out for a meal), or visit friends or relatives etc. And sometimes you just want something not planned (when the mood for a bangers and mash comes over you and you cant shake it).

I choose 1 recipe book a week and choose my 6 meals from this one book, moving on to another the following week. I know some people have their recipes on the laptop or they have carded folders, but I am just not that organised.  Because I am following recipes, I am too lazy to be going through a dozen books all week so that's why I choose 1. It also encourages you to try new recipes.

Because this is a cost cutting exercise as well, there is no point is choosing complicated faffy or gourmet recipes, the simple books are better for weeknight cooking. I normally have a range of recipes from very simple (mac cheese maybe) to things needing a bit more effort. I save the ones you have to stand over until the weekend so Duncan can keep half an eye on Oscar.

* I will list some of the books I use at the end of the post.

I don't allocate specific nights for the chosen dinners because I definitely would find this pretty dull. I usually check my list around lunch time and see what I am in the mood for making and or eating.

If you are in the position to shop fresh every day then lucky you, I whole heatedly approve especially if you are supporting a local grocer. Unfortunately its not an option for most of us, location is key. Because of this, perishable item are usually consumed at the start of the week, and anything which can be frozen is frozen.

Another thing I would say, is remember to shop for your accompaniments. Most menu's give the ingredients for the main dish only, don't forget to count in your side salad, veggies, potatoes or rice etc. The less times you need to go into the supermarket the better, because if you are easily persuaded by pretty colours and store psychology you will end up spending more than you need to.

I have a meal planner notebook which I use to stay organised. I keep a weekly plan including the name of the recipe book for that week, the names of the recipes and their page numbers, then I list all the ingredients (to be transfered to a main list along with the loo rolls and baby wipes etc). I usually keep the meal planner notebook and the recipe book for the week someplace handy in the kitchen (on top of the microwave usually, but dont take that as a tip, I dont want to be blamed if your microwave blows up because the top vent is covered by a recipe book).

If you are not in the habit of cooking from scratch then you might find the first few weeks a bit more expensive than you anticipated. Mainly because you will find yourself buying a fair amount of herbs and spices, which in general you will only need a teaspoon of at a time and will therefore last for ages. 

I am also not against a bit of cheating here and there. If a recipe asks for 500g of fresh chopped tomatoes I usually skip it and buy a tin. It probably doesnt taste as good, but I am perfectly happy with tinned toms. I also use a jar of lazy garlic as opposed to chopping up a bulb, its more expensive but it saves so much time. If you have any cheats of your own please let me know, I am always looking for tips.

And lastly, just try and stick to your plan, even if you dont fancy anything left on the list for the week. Chances are, you will enjoy it perfectly well once you have made it.

Here are the list of books I regularly use, please let me know if you have any other 'simple' cooking titles to add to the list.

How to feed your whole family a healthy balanced diet, with very little money and hardly any time, even if you have a tiny kitchen, only 3 sausepans ( one with an ill-fitting lid), and no fancy gadgets - unless you count the garlic crusher.

By - Gill Holcombe - AMAZON LINK

Fish pies and french fries, vegetables meat and something sweet, affordable everyday food and family friendly recipes made easy.

By - Gill Holocombe - AMAZON LINK

Delicious - 5 nights a week

By - Valli Little - AMAZON LINK

The Good Granny Cookbook

By Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall - AMAZON LINK

Tana Ramsey's Family Kitchen

By Tana Ramsey - AMAZON LINK

Good Food 101 Simple Suppers

By Good Homes Magazine - AMAZON LINK

Jamies Food Revolution : Rediscover How To Cook Simple Delicious Affordable Meals.

By Jamie Oliver, David Loftus, Chris Terry - AMAZON LINK

The essential vegetarian cookbook

By Murdoch Books - AMAZON LINK

Gorgeous Greens

By Annie Bell - AMAZON LINK

* We are not vegi, but it does no harm to have a meat free week every now and then, also we have one free night to stuff as much peperoni pizza in as we can manage.

Valerie

xxx