meal planner... how do i do it??

[iamLilysmummy]

i need a weekly meal plan, for myself n my 2 yrold DD

how do i do it..
wat do i buy??
whats the cheapest way?
is ther one on the net i can fix n print?

whats on ur meal plan??

[mitty]

Hi there

Basically all I do is grab my A4 page shopping book and go to a new page. Write the days of the week down the page.
Mon-
Tues-
Wed-
Thurs-

Like above. I shop Mondays.
Then I grab all recipe books, weekly special sheets/or use computer and go to woolies website

I look for items that are on special and work out what i could use it for for tea's. I don't tend to do lunches but you could if ya like.

it helps so much with grocery shopping. I even work out how many pot's I need to buy per meal with vege's in it etc.
Good luck

[iamLilysmummy]

oh thanx.. that heaps of help..

what dinners do u do

[mitty]

I do things like
Beef stroganoff and steamed rice
snags and vege's
fish, chips n salad
stews
curries
apricot chicken
burgers-one of my favourites(burger rolls, steak, pasta salad from deli, tomatoes, sliced pineapple, onion)-cos it is easy and hardly any clean up
spaghetti bolognaise and garlic bread
sheperds pie
roast and vege's
sometimes we do a whatever-which is spaghetti on toast, scrambled eggs etc

[PeppaH]

I did a fortnight dinner plan this week (yesterday) and what I did was, have
Monday nights as sausage night,
Tuesday is out take away or 'fend for yourself night,
Wednesday is vegetable night,
Thursday is chicken night,
Friday is Beef mince night,
Saturday is special night (ie, homemade pizza one week and nachos the other)
Sunday is Roast or bbq night.

So for most of the fortnight I bought bulk to have over the fortnight.
It was a real cheap shop this fortnight and I was very suprised! I just shopped at Woolies. Most of the stuff I spent expess money on was lunch and snacks, which I had a look at before I went and thought of stuff I can make from scratch. Piklettes, quiches, muffins, sandwiches etc etc.

[elleandsam]

We get vegetable and fruit boxes delivered from Coles and buy all our meat for the fortnight and freeze it. We also go to the markets and stock up on things like canned tomatoes and flour etc in bulk.

[mitty]

Yeah we do buy in bulk as much as we can. but having a little house and no storage and hardly any kitchen makes it hard.
I do buy meat in bulk. I buy about $60-$70 worth of meat and it lasts us about 4 weeks. I normally then just buy a roast when on special, corn meat and chicken breasts from woolies.
I just go to the butcher and ask for
2kg of snags
2kgs of bbq steak
2kgs of mince
2kgs of chicken snitz
700gs of diced steak(for stews or curries)

Then i get home and break up mince into 500gm packs, snags into 8-9 snags per pack, 3 chick snitz to a bag etc
would love a massive freezer so i can buy bread in bulk, milk etc. I would love to cut grocery shopping down to once a fortnight or every 3 weeks

[Mathermy]

I tried this just today for the first time in ages but was absolutely shocked at the counter when it came to $400:eek: That is for 2 weeks mind you but we usually spend around $280 a f/n and I thought a meal plan would make it cheaper. Who the heck knows how i managed to screw something up that is so simple :rolleyes:

but this is our meal plan for the following fortnight

Tonight: Chicken pad thai

Wednes: ham and pineapple pizza on a home- made wholemeal base

Thurs: Lasange and vegetables

Friday: Tortillas with mince and beans +
salad with home made salsa served with reduced fat cheese and sour cream

Saturd: Fish and salad with baked potato

Sunday: Homemade chicken and coriander patties surved on wholegrain buns with salad

Monday: Spinach and ricotta stuffed canneloni with salad

Tues: Chicken and vegetable curry with basmati rice

Wedn: Lamb served in pita breads with tzaziki, hummus and tabouli with salad

Thurs: cheese ham and tomato toasties LMAO!:p

Fri: Lentil and vegetable burgers with salad

Sat: Ham and vegetable crustless quiche served with chutney and salad

Sunday: Tandoori chicken with vegetables and basmati rice.

Monday: Pasta with mediterranean vegetables, basil and fetta and salad.

[arabesque]

Wow, Malolly! Your dinners sound delish!

Guess what we'll be having round my place for the next two weeks...your menu!!

Thanks :D

[Mathermy]

Wow, Malolly! Your dinners sound delish!

Guess what we'll be having round my place for the next two weeks...your menu!!

Thanks :D
:laughing: Well at least someone is happy about it! Dh was like :eek: <- that at the checkout and I was like->:o Whoops!

I have a simple formula it has to be quick, simple, something DD can help with and have a serve of complex carbs, veg, lean protein and healthy fat.

[NonnyMouse]

I do a weekly "menu" and it usually runs something like:

Monday - fish
Tuesday - Chicken
Wednesdat - Beef
THursday - Vegetarian
Fruday - Lamb
Saturday - Pork
Sunday - Beef

The meals themselves are usually new recipes I've found in magazines or sometimes old favourites. This week's recipes are:



Lamb Chops with couscous (celery, toms, spring onions, capsicum, raisins)
Swordfish steaks with stuffed baked potatoes and coleslaw (made with apple/mushroom/mustard)
Steak with mashed kumara, corn on the cob and green beans
Slow Cooker beef casserole (mushrooms, red wine) with mashed taties
Chicken schnitzel with roasted veg (toms/red onion/spuds) and beans
Pork and noodle stirfry

And one meal is takeaways (cause I'm having an op that day and ain't blardy cooking!)

[maliwoo]

the Best Recipes website is a great Australian site with masses of yummy recipes - something for everyone. They also have a great meal planner section to help you get organised.
www.bestrecipes.com.au (http://www.bestrecipes.com.au)

Also there are some good weekly cookbook/magazines with recipe and meal planners in them, even including a shopping list! try Australian Good Taste magazine or Super Food Ideas:)