[Closed] Doing weekly meal plans - great idea imo

My wife has been doing this for years - she used to do it all on a spreadsheet so she didn't have to keep typing in 'staples' we got every week. I used to take the kids shopping whilst she went for a run. Freinds we met at the supermarket would be really surprised that we had a meal list plus the shopping list broken down by dpartment.

Now we shop online she just writes the meals up on the 'family calendar' so whoevers cooking knows what to do. I work at home and when workmates come roudn their always surprised we're doing it so I don't think many people do.

Works for us though.

we try to do it, purely for the convenience element. quite often we arrive home at different times and making stuff in advance or something that will keep warm (like a stew) is great.

Also a slow cooker is a must have - jam it on in the morning and when you get in you have melt in the mouth meals waiting for you.

My biggest problem is getting away from the "easy" staple meals like spag bol and baked potatoes and trying something more interesting. made a few great stews earlier this year but need to explore quick meals more - they dont have to be complicated!

Stir fry is awesome for a quick meal and done well can be really tasty.

We started planning meals too after realising how much got wasted. We often plan one meal less than to accomodate for a change of plan or me working away and arriving back late.

Another tip is to cook more than you need when you make stuff like chill, bolognaise, soup, casserole etc and freeze some. That means we also end up with some 'ready meals' that we can just cook from frozen.

I call mine a "Shopping List".

I got the idea for the name when brain storming a bluesky out of the box ahead of the paradigm futuristismistically pro-innovation enabled nomeculature advancement session. Feel free to use it.

I call mine a "Shopping List".

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One thing we are trying to incorporate is to cook one new thing every week - this week it's lamb tagine with caramelised pears and baby onions. MMMMMMMmmmmmm

Yup - we are doing this, week's plan, then onto Tescos Online, job done.
First home cooks.
Agree, slow cooker is brilliant as is a breadmaker.
Kids love to get involved too.
Last night - Mixed Veg Frittata - new one for me but brilliant.

Eccles - did anyone salute it as you ran it up the flag pole?

We plan our meals for a week before going shopping. Reduces the number of impluse buys that don't get eaten, plus we don't bin much food as I eat anything going spare 😆

So how does "I'm doing a weekly meal plan on this spreadsheet to involve lamb tagine with bager noses" actually provide any practicable advantage to getting a bit of paper and wrting down "500g lamb, rose harissa, onion, loo roll, catfood..." other than the fact that you have an excuse to take your laptop round the supermarket?

Presumably you can actualy remember independently that cillit bang and catfood do not a happy tagine make?

well, we used to print the spreadsheet so there's was no laptop toting. it just speeds up the process if you don't have to write the same stuff down week in and week out.

When I (and I reckon most people) normally make shopping lists, I think of staple things that I usually need, things I have run out of that I might want to replace, and what might be nice for a meal or two, then go to the shop and buy that plus whatever is on offer/takes my fancy.

If you plan your meals then you buy specifically what you need for those meals and are not tempted to buy loads of other stuff you don't really need/end up using.

Like I said, in my limited experience you end up eating better too.

Government officials, food experts and representatives of the retail trade brought together by the Food Ethics Council argue that excessive consumption of food in rich countries inflates food prices in the developing world. Buying food, which is then often wasted, reduces overall supply and pushes up the price of food, making grain less affordable for poor and undernourished people in other parts of the world. Food waste also costs UK consumers £10.2bn a year and when production, transportation and storage are factored in, it is responsible for 5% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/08/food-waste

Having a family of five with both adults working means that we tend to do the same.

Shopping online is the best tip for saving on waste and avoiding buying things you don't need.

That is where buying online has major benefits - there is far less temptation to impulse buy or be seduced by the aromas pumped into the aisles.
You can also leave a "staples" list on the site and adjust as required.
Tescos, deliver so more time to go for a ride and no 15 mile drive to a supermarket 😀

Another tip is to cook more than you need when you make stuff like chill, bolognaise, soup, casserole etc and freeze some.

We also use old takeaway cartons to freeze it in - the perfect size for a portion, they stack up really well and they can be binned after a couple of nukes in a microwave and become discoloured if necessary.

We also use old takeaway cartons to freeze it in - the perfect size for a portion, they stack up really well and they can be binned after a couple of nukes in a microwave and become discoloured if necessary.

I got some of the foil takeaway ones from Lakeland or Morrisons, with chilli, bolognaise etc you can put straight into the oven. I rarely use the microwave.

We have a meal plan

Wife opens fridge, sees what we have & cooks that

Seems to work OK 🙂

I got some of the foil takeaway ones from Lakeland or Morrisons, with chilli, bolognaise etc you can put straight into the oven. I rarely use the microwave.

um.... I don't want to piss on anyone's parade here, but every time I go shopping I mentally run through what I'll have for dinner this week. It's the only way to ensure that a) I have the things I need for dinner and b) I don't end up with a freezer full of useless food. So 'sausages, lamb cutlets, mince for chili (that's 2 nights), pizza for Wednesday when I'm working late' and so on.

I'm with Eccles on this one. Good idea, sure, but a spreadsheet?!

I hate planning what I'm going to eat. Nothing worse, IMO, than spending all day knowing its X for tea but you feel like Y, but changing it would mess up the weeks food list. Stuff rarely goes to waste, I'll just make a meal out of whatever is left, keeps the fun in cooking.

My meal planning consists of buying microwave crap with staggered use buy dates :p

Ah coffeeking - is there any subject on which we agree even a tiny little bit? 🙂

Suddenly I feel like the anarchist shopper!

I saw a comedian once - he claimed that how he went shopping was just to walk around the supermarket and just pick a fairly full unattended trolley that didn't have a handbag/child in it and take it to the checkouts.

Every weeks meals werean adventure.

I'm with nicko74 and coffeeking here.

If I had my meals planned out for the rest of my life I think I'd probably kill myself. Maybe a little extreme but hey ho. Glad it works for you though!

I saw a comedian once - he claimed that how he went shopping was just to walk around the supermarket and just pick a fairly full unattended trolley that didn't have a handbag/child in it and take it to the checkouts.

Been doing this for about a year now and the waste is now non existent. Really worth while doing if you tend to have a blase approach to shopping.

I have a blase approach to shopping, and life in general. Seems to work.

My approach would be to think someting like this:

'hmmm, those potatoes need using'

then a little while later, after a cup of tea perhaps:

'I think I'll cook them'

That way food doesn't go to waste in my house either.

My approach would be to think someting like this:

'hmmm, those potatoes need using'

then a little while later, after a cup of tea perhaps:

'I think I'll cook them'

Sounds fantastic. I'd rather eat something more interesting than a plate of potatoes thanks. 🙂

every morning I go to the market and plan my meal based on what is fresh and in season, together with what is in my garden

NOT

Eating exactly the same thing on each weeknight means no more having to think about meals or shopping.

It's Tuesday, so we'll be having pork chops.

Just checked - it looks like we're having [un-planned] partridge tonight, unless she changes her mind 🙂

All this meal planning is borderline OCD if you ask me 😉

[i].....and one of the suggestions for how to reduce it was planning out your meals for, say a week.....[/i]

Is there an app for that ??

I eat the same thing every day.

Human flesh.

are you a troll terrahawk?

ive just leftover eaten prawn stir fy noodles i made last night.

yummy
and i feel riteous about bothering to cook from scratch.....
im also looing forward to frozen pie, oven chips and granular gravy for tea.

"leftover ... prawn"

nooooo.

freaks...I just wander round and see what inspires me, buy stuff thats on offer or reduced...steaks especially...charge you extra for aged beef then 50% off when reaches the sell by date! WTF

Not much gets wasted in my house just use your imagination and keep an eye on whats left in the fridge

Rigid meal plans are so sad...you guys in Farrah trousers yet?

Eating exactly the same thing on each weeknight means no more having to think about meals or shopping. It's Tuesday, so we'll be having pork chops.

When I used to live in America I got all my meals provided. They were on a one week rotating system. Two years of the same menu every week got very tiring.

Can think of nothing worse than planning everything a week in advance. A day in advance is the most I'll do.

nope, still training on polyester slacks. I'm waiting for my gut to expand to fit my farah's, can't wait.

problem with reduced stuff is you can't rely on it being ok a week later, which necessitates another trip to the shops, more time, more fuel to get there etc...

ps nobody said you must eat the same thing every week. just plan out 7 interesting meals in advance, thats all.

I think there is a distinction between having the same thing every night week in week out is very different than planning your meals a week in advance.

My approach would be to think someting like this:

'hmmm, those potatoes need using'

then a little while later, after a cup of tea perhaps:

'I think I'll cook them'

Sounds fantastic. I'd rather eat something more interesting than a plate of potatoes thanks.

Who said anything about a plate? I live life in the fast lane I thought I made that clear? 😆

eat tatties out of pot, drink tattie water, no washing up.

that could be a philosophy...

Spreadsheet? I find them a useful tool for resource planning in a department with 800 people, but to use them for a shopping list is insane

I read through some reciepe books on Saturday morning, then get the provisions from the shops. I've never needed anything other than a pen and a piece of paper to do this.

it could have been word.

more than 20% of the stuff we buy is the same every week and it's quicker than writing them down if they're on the 'default' list.

We buy food and when it runs out we buy more. We've been doing this for a long time now and it seems to work really well

I want to buy food no more than once a week and have it delivered to my door if possible.

This requires a degree of planning but means I don't have to wander around supermarkets with two young children in tow and then get home only to realise I've forgotten to get margarine or something.

horses for courses, innit, random shopping or planned shopping, whatever works for you and your family.

tesco.com is quite good for that in that they 'know' what all the things you usually buy are. So you can go to that list and quickly tick all the standard items you need .

Dunno if anyone has mentioned it yet but this website is worth a look:

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I can't plan where or when I'm eating [b]today[/b], never mind later days...

Spreadsheet? I find them a useful tool for resource planning in a department with 800 people, but to use them for a shopping list is insane

Our network admin had a database table. One field was the aisle number of the item he was going to buy, so he could sort it before printing into the order he'd visit the aisle in the shop.

bet it used to screw him up royally when tescos had a "midnight shuffle" 🙂

miketually - Member

Our network admin had a database table. One field was the aisle number of the item he was going to buy, so he could sort it before printing into the order he'd visit the aisle in the shop.

I don't micro manage every part of my life. I delegate that to my significant other!

I think its dangerous to introduce work techniques into your home life. Next it'll be 'Performance Measurement' and that can only be a bad thing...it'll only end in tears! 😉

its all in my head.all of it.i cook i know what we have what we need and dont need to plan the meals cos hey what if the weather on that day means you fancy something else.

mind you i might not be normal as i do cook three meals a day all from scratch.

hilldodger - Member

.....and one of the suggestions for how to reduce it was planning out your meals for, say a week.....

Is there an app for that ??

How facetious!

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... of course there is an app for that

http://www.flavourgasmic.com/2009/04/epicurious-widget-for-the-iphone-finally/

There's no waste in our house hold. Luckily I work part time so am able to visit local shops, buying food a couple of days in advance, all fresh and in season.

Oh yes, we always have a store of baked beans 'just in case'.

Next it'll be 'Performance Measurement' and that can only be a bad thing...it'll only end in tears!

Funny you should mention that, I was only just mentioning to the wife that her annual performance appraisal must be due soon

We had all sorts of ace, weird meals when we got a veg delivery each week. We had no idea what we were going to get each week, or even what it was after we'd got the delivery sometimes, so we had to get creative.

I can't understand food waste though - chop up veggies and simmer them in tomatoes with random spices or herbs, then eat it with pasta, rice, watever.

We waste a lot less food than we used to buy being more organised.

Same, while not exactly a planner we're both often out and about doing stuff so we tend to plan a weeks worth of meals and cook them in a random order. I was getting fed up of wasted food and now we're much more efficient while not being too dull. It also means you have to have a large selection of wines just in case ...

i go to the shops hungry , buy loads of cakes, chocolate and other crap and eat it all on the first night , thn repeat. works for me.

Its interesting though. My cousin dropped round with his missus unannounced so i cooked them tea. In the time we had a couple of drinks i had made a base tomato sauce (garlic, herbs, tins toms - reduce), made pizza dough, heated the pizza stone and assembled toppings (salami from fridge, mushroom, chilli, pineapple etc). Cheese mix from freezer. So we had hoem made pizza and a salad from the garden. They were absolutely stunned that i didn't have a frozen pizza ! They were genuinely stunned that we _cook stuff_ from scratch. Look, i'm no chef but I don't buy processed foods (other than cheese mix which has been grated). Looking at what people buy in the supermarket it seems to be processed food more often than not.

um.... I don't want to piss on anyone's parade here, but every time I go shopping I mentally run through what I'll have for dinner this week. It's the only way to ensure that a) I have the things I need for dinner and b) I don't end up with a freezer full of useless food. So 'sausages, lamb cutlets, mince for chili (that's 2 nights), pizza for Wednesday when I'm working late' and so on.

If you only 'mentally' run through it in the supermarket, don't you end up eating very similar stuff all the time?.

I tend to spend half an hour planning out what we're having, using our cookbooks, or recipes on the internet for ideas, and usually end up making at least 2 things every week that we ain't had before. I'd say that's more interesting than just walking about the supermarket and ending up with 'chops and mince'?.

I think there is a distinction between having the same thing every night week in week out is very different than planning your meals a week in advance

Precisely.

This is my first in an ongoing series of stuff I cook and eat in 20 mins

very much toward the simple end of things but some people have no idea how to even start.

I just thought it would be great if people on here submitted their how to vids as well

Tastes better than it looks and to be fair Canadian ingredients are shit.

Can't wait to get back to the UK for soome proper food - mmmmmm pork pies

Yes PlumChef

I tend to be able to remember what are staples are 🙂 Its not exactly rocket science! Food and cooking does not need IT bringing into the equation, it should be an organic/creative experience.

My brother in law cooked a recepie that said to cut the meat into 3cm chunks.. hell he had a ruler out!!

We just know what the staples are and w rite down any extra ingredients for any meals we havent cooked before or rarely do.

:o)

Doing meal plans sounds about as exciting as collecting shirt buttons & only marginally more useful

I can only imagine the repercussions & chaos that would be ensue if the wrong meal was cooked on any particular day - there'd have to be a 'drains up' de-brief, at the very least 🙂

Was plumbers meal just some kind of meat product fried in a pan with some garlic added at the end on noodles?
Although to be fair that's pretty much a standard French evening meal.
We're trying to plan a little more in advance than previously, doesn't always work out but then variety is the spice of life. We have stopped having a massive shop and buy smaller quantities as and when as this seems to be the best way to reduce waste.

My mum has always made a weekly meal plan for as long as I can remember. So for me it seems pretty normal. However, because I'm a student and cook for just myself, I only need three 'meals' and just use the rest as leftovers. I'm a bit of an erratic eater though, and find it hard to judge the quantity of food I'll need. No food seems to go to waste though. (scraping perfectly good food into the bin should be a crime)

I have tried online shopping before, but I hated the hassle with the site always freezing, the number of plastic bags they used when the food arrived, and some of the produce wasn't always amazing..
So yeah, I do pick up food I wouldn't have normally, but I'm happy to spend that little extra treating myself on some reduced blueberries or maybe a nice dessert. And if I pick up half price meat/poultry I can just use it in next week's meal plan.