It’s Monday which means it’s meal plan time. I haven’t done one of these posts in a while; I realised our food gets quite repetitive and I wasn’t sure whether people wanted to read about the same rotation of meals all of the time! However, I love to see what other people eat to get inspiration for our own meal plan, so I’m hoping it’s some use to somebody.
I normally do our grocery shopping on Sunday morning whilst Mr FC has some quality daddy-baby time with our little one, so I can take my time in the supermarket. I actually enjoy food shopping and browsing round the store, though I make sure that I stick to the list that I make before I go. Making a list means that I don’t buy things we don’t need, plus ensures that nothing gets thrown away.
So, our meal plan for this week is as follows:
Monday – shepherd’s pie with peas and gravy
Tuesday – baked salmon fillet with new potatoes, broccoli, carrots and hollandaise sauce
Wednesday – mushroom stroganoff with rice
Thursday – pizza
Friday – sticky Chinese chicken thighs with egg fried rice
Saturday – jacket potato with cheese and beans
Lots of things on this week’s plan are food we haven’t eaten in a while, which makes me look forward to meal time even more! We have two vegetarian meals this week, which is better than nothing. I have rediscovered my love of jacket potatoes as a cheap, easy yet delicious meal. The shepherd’s pie that we are having this evening was actually made yesterday with some mince that would have been out of date if we waited until today. But, a little effort yesterday means an easy tea tonight 🙂
Breakfast and lunches are included in our budget as well; breakfast is normally a banana for Mr FC. Has anyone got any suggestions for quick and easy breakfasts? Lunches can be a variety of things; sandwiches, soup, salads, vegetables and dip, just depends on the week and the mood we’re in. Now that I’m at home during the day, I can take longer over my lunch so try to have something hot and filling; I am loving having warm things to eat, such as soup or beans on toast, all from the store cupboard. I am also trying to lose weight so having something warm seems to be more filling. I don’t know if that’s just my mind playing tricks on me though!
Related posts:
- Healthy Eating On A Budget
- 3 Healthy Breakfast Recipes On A Budget
- 3 Healthy Lunch Recipes On A Budget
Part of our planning and budget for food means that some items are used from our stockpile every week. This is so the food we already have in the cupboards is used regularly and rotated so nothing goes to waste, but it’s also a good habit to get in to so that if we cannot get to the shops for whatever reason, I can make meals from what we already have in the cupboards. Out of the meal plan for this week the beans and soup (for my lunches) are all from the stock cupboard. We’ve got a couple of eggs left and lots of tins so I’m trying to work my way through them.
Related posts:
What are you eating this week? Trying anything new? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
For quick and easy breakfasts, we make a batch of breakfast burritos (eggs, salsa, beans / veggies) and freeze them individually. Then whenever you want one, pop it in the microwave and go.
Low cost, healthy, and fast.
The other time optimization we’ve been meaning to try is freezing slow cooker meals where you buy a large batch of ingredients, and put everything you need for the slow cooker in a freezer bag, ending up with 5-7 meal-in-a-bag in the freezer. Whenever you need one, pull it out and pop it in the slow cooker. Not for every night, but great for those days when you’re going to be too busy to do any real cooking, but want something new / different to eat.
Have you tried Paleo diet recipe? If yes, would you like to share your favorite recipe, Nicola?