How do you plan your weekly meals?

Question

I'm a mother of 3 children all under 4 and they eat almost everything. I'm tired of thinking daily about what to cook for dinner. So, do you have a meal plan, set meals on set days or do you think about it daily! If both ways have been tried and tested is either one cheaper?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

I read in the FLYLady book, that in one of the chapters, she talks about meal planning. This is what she says:

Think of main dishes, kind of like a skeleton for the week, this is how she does it:
Sunday-Somthing with chicken
Monday-somthing with beef
Tuesday-Pasta/Casserole
Wednesday-Somthing with pork
Thursday-Soup/Salad or somthing in the Crock Pot
Friday-Special dinner, leftovers, sandwiches, fish, exc
Saturday-Pizza, going out to eat, breakfast for supper, anything you could think of, or the kids want

then for sides, just think of 2 that would go with the meal you are making, but if your making somthing big, like pizza, your sides could maybe be like breadsticks, fruit, exc. Some sides could be canned veggies, fresh veggies, canned/fresh fruit, french fries, tator tots, potatoes, exc.

She also suggests planning all the weeks meals out on paper on the Saturday. That way you'll be able to go shopping, get everything you'll need for that week, and it'll all be ready for Sunday. My mom used to think about it daily, and the last thing she wanted to do when she came home from work is cook. Most of the time she wouldn't decide whats for dinner until like 530, and we'd all be starving. Now she plans out her meals, and were done eating by 630 at the latest!

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Thank you, this makes so much sense. My mum did exactly the same thing as yours. I can see myself falling into the same trap, but not anymore! Cheers.

Answer 2

I plan mine day by day. I add variety everyday, one day meat, one day fish, one day dairy etc..you can always make fresh fruit available bu cutting up apples, bananas, oranges, etc.. kids love that. with peanut butter! also cut up carrots, celery, etc.. with some ranch dip, healthy and fast

Answer 3

I wait until I get the weekly flyer from my supermarket, to see what meats are on special. Then I plan out what I'm going to buy, and think of meals that I could make..including sides. That way, when I go to the store, I buy everything I need to make the meals, and it helps prevent me from going back to the market. (every time you make an extra trip to the store, you spend about 60% more than you planned on spending, so cutting down on trips saves money). I but frsh veggies for the first half of the week, and frozen for the latter part. That way, I always have veggies in the house, and I don't have to worry about spoilage by buying too much at once.

When I get home, I make a "menu" that tells what the meal will be for each day of the week. The kids love being able to see what's for dinner all week. (Of cocurse, since I'm owner, and chef, the menu is subject to change if I need to..LOL)

I find that this is the best way to save money. With 4 kids, and the price of everything rising, I'm looking for the best ways to save money.

Answer 4

I don't think about it daily and I don't have a set meal each day of the week. That would be boring! I do try and think about what I want to cook for the whole week on the days that I go grocery shopping and I make a list. Always make a list because taking 3 kids to the grocery store makes even a sane person develop amnesia!

Keeping a well stocked pantry helps a lot too. What that means for you may be different than what it means for me but basically have lots of canned veggies (mushrooms, beans, corn, beets, etc), soups, variety of pastas, rice, etc.

As for what is cheaper planning is definitely cheaper because the less times you go to the store the less opportunity there is to pick up a little of this and a little of that. You buy what you need and use what you buy.

Answer 5

I look at the hotel menu.

Answer 6

This site is a Godsend. *nods*

http://www.meals.com/MealPlanCentral/Mea…

They pretty much do everything for you, but the shopping! :) Tons of recipes, a meal planner for daily, weekly and celebrations. You can save your plans on-line, and you can print them out. VERY handy!

Answer 7

http://www.mealsforyou.com/cgi-bin/home

Answer 8

This is not a plug, read to the bottom to understand. I'm a personal chef and have many clients. I go in one day a week or biweekly depending on size of family. I shop then fix up to 5 entrees with 4 servings each and sides. I then freeze them, label and leave easy heating instructions. I use Pyrex glass container, $5 to $6 each with rubber lid. The client pulls the dinner and sides they want the night before to thaw in the fridge, comes home from work the next day, heats and serves, puts Pyrex containers in dishwasher and they are done. no clean up. Delicious dinners in less than 15 minutes. I do this for my family on Sundays and takes about 4 hours. It's done for the week and we have dinners for all week. It's healthy delicious prepared meals. No preservatives or high sodium filled meals either. Healthy!

Source(s):

www.finehomecooking.com

Answer 9

It is definitely less stressful and more cost effective to plan ahead, at least a week, if not two. Another way to save money is figure out a bunch of different recipes using the same basic ingredients. For example, chicken breasts are real great to get because they're healthy and you can make so many different meals from them. They can be made into chicken tenders for the kids, a casserole one night with vegetables, you can just bake them and serve them with a side. This kind of planning is good because you can base your meals around what's on sale in a given week and with the variety, the kids and your hubby won't get bored with the same exact thing from that sale item.

I don't have kids yet and I'm getting married in September. Just learning all of these things really, but I've picked up some good advice already. What you can do, is start by making a list of all your family's favorite meals and figuring out what's in them. Do a bit of research and keep track of the sales that go on at your favorite places to shop. Usually the sales repeat every so often. If you have a menu plan set, it's easier to play the sales to your advantage. It would also be good to always keep some non-perishable staples on hand (ex: rice in the pantry and those chicken breasts in the freezer). If you have a couple of meals in the house at all times, you won't ever have to worry about being in a bind...especially if money is tight at some point and you can't do your regular shopping for a couple days.

Something else too...it would be helpful to find a wholesale store nearby, such as Costco or BJ's. Not sure where you live, but there should be something. They have great prices for bulk items. You can definitely stock up on meats and those non-perishables. Not sure how big your freezer is, but if you can buy the meat that's on sale and divide it into meal-sized portions, it works great. Every little bit helps you save and that planning goes a long way in keeping you sane. ;)

I hope this helps. God bless!

Answer 10

Tacos. Leftover meat = taco salad!

Answer 11

I am a childminder and I feed upto 8 people each dinnertime, both adults and children. I couldn't do this without being organised so I plan a menu each month. I homemake all my meals and only use fresh, seasonal ingredients. It is far healthier and cheaper to do this. I plan for dinner (main cooked meal) with a pudding and tea plus a morning and afternoon snack for the children.
I do the plan on the computer so that I can copy and paste from previous menus, I tend to use the previous years menu for each month as a guide as the food is seasonal. I use magazines and recipes when planning the menu to make sure I do as many new and different meals as possible each month to encourage the children to try new foods.
I do a main food shop every 2 weeks using the menu as a guide to what to buy, but dairy products are bought weekly and milk, fruit and vegetables every couple of days. This way I know that I always have food in to cook and never have to resort to take aways or convienience foods.
Although I have this plan, I am still flexible and if we fancy something different or if we go out for the day and need a picnic, its not a real problem. It is more a guide to ensure I am organised and that everyone has a meal each day.
If I am making something that is easily frozen and then reheated I often make double quantities and freeze half in plastic containers or freezer bags to save time.
Any left over meat or vegetables can be turned into soup or casseroles which can also be frozen.