If you have never given it much thought before, meal planning is the way to go! It will save you money at the shops and it stops the “Did you get anything out for tea?”, “No, did you?” argument! Each week I work out what we will eat for tea and do the shopping around my mini menu! It stops my impulse buying and keeps me mission focused at the supermarket! So take a look and take some ideas, all my meals are aimed at a family scenario but can be easily adapted to a couple or even a single. All my meals take less than 30 minutes from fridge to table because some nights that’s all I have.
Monday: Make it Up As You Go Monday Madness Meal.
Mondays are our fright night, we have a bit on Mondays so it’s something out of the freezer from last week. Tonight we had scrambled eggs, broccoli and the mashed potatoes were left from a meal last week that I froze. This accidentally fits in ‘Meatless Monday’ which is apparently the new black. Took 15 minutes.
Tuesday: Spaghetti Bolognaise.
Everyone’s favourite, just a jar of pasta sauce, small mince, can of brown lentils (to make meat go further), can of chopped tomatoes and I cook up wholemeal pasta. This leaves me with enough mince to freeze for next Tuesday night.
Wednesday: Tuna mornay.
Can of Cream of Celery soup, 425g can of tuna, frozen peas and corn, grated cheese, cooked wholemeal pasta spirals. Tuna is great for little developing brains. Put the tuna, soup, peas/corn in a pot, heat, add cheese and cooked pasta, takes 12 minutes.
Thursday: Turkey Burgers.
Turkey mince, onion, that’s all, no egg, no breadcrumbs, no mess. Mix chopped onion (I buy frozen) and turkey mince, make patties, grill serve with salad, can be in a bun our not, either way they are amazing. Takes 20 minutes.
Friday: Mini Pizzas.
Wholemeal pita breads, left over pasta sauce from Tuesday, ham, cheese, pineapple, and anything else we add on the night. Master 7 makes these they are that easy. 10 minutes in the oven.
Saturday: Chicken Rice.
Grill one chicken breast chop up, cook up some brown rice (takes 20mins) towards the end of the 20mins chuck in the boiling pot any veg, I use broccoli, cauliflower, peas and corn. Strain rice and veg, add the chicken and it looks like fried rice, but with out the oily fried part.
Sunday:Roast at Mums.
We all get together as a family on Sunday nights and it’s whoever’s turn it is, to come up with dinner. I always cook something big, a wet dish of some kind, as we have a big family. It’s usually roast lamb at mums in the winter, maybe chicken or BBQ in the summer. Great way to get the family together at least once a week to stay in touch.
Have a go at meal planning, and you will find your grocery bill drops. Try to plan around what you already have in the pantry/fridge to take your savings even further. Don’t be scared to try new things, and remember it’s never too early to start dinner.
Renee
Be sure to ‘Like’ my facebook page so you receive regular updates of more great ideas to make your life easier.
Linking Up With:
Leave a Reply