It’s Monday which means it’s meal plan time! I am still struggling for inspiration when it comes to new meals; I’m sticking to what’s easy and sometimes that doesn’t mean healthy. Has anyone got a favourite, healthy recipe that you wouldn’t mind sharing? I know that eating the same sort of meals week in, week out is easier, but I’m starting to get a bit bored with the ones we have.
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. There’s a big January event on in the supermarket which means there are lots of offers on gadgets for the kitchen. We need a new frying pan as ours is on it’s last legs, but I need to have a look around to see what the prices are.
So, our meal plan for this week is as follows:
Monday – garlic chicken with chips and beans
Tuesday – three bean chilli with rice
Wednesday – chicken tagine with couscous
Thursday – spinach and ricotta pasta with tomato sauce
Friday – slow cooker pork chops with sweet potato mash and broccoli
Saturday – chicken curry with rice
I’m trying to vary the things we eat; we seem to eat a lot of meat during the week. I just worry that the vegetarian meals I know and can cook aren’t great. I need to do some research! Lack of sleep means lack of motivation and lack of energy. I haven’t made the three bean chilli before so that’s something new that we’re doing to try.
Breakfast and lunches are included in our budget as well; breakfast is normally a banana for Mr FC. I had got into the (slightly) bad habit of having a cereal bar for breakfast, just to have something quick and easy so I’m trying to also have some fruit for breakfast, plus a yogurt so it’s more filling. 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; as the weather is getting cooler I am loving having warm things to eat, such as soup or beans on toast, all from the store cupboard.
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. The pork chops are also from the freezer, as I got them in the reduced section a couple of weeks ago. I’m going to cook them in a bit of stock with some sliced onion/carrots/apples in the slow cooker so it’ll be a tasty meal for the evening. The only problem with this is that it makes the house smell amazing all day, which is so tempting when I’m at home all day.
Related posts:
What are you eating this week? Trying anything new? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Hmm maybe you should try some Wartime Recipes! Try https://1940sexperiment.wordpress.com/100-wartime-recipes/ they tend to be frugal and the latter ones veggie as she ate less meat and went Vegetarian (even Vegan for a while)
That’s a good meal plan, Nicola. I am so interested about the spinach and ricotta pasta with tomato sauce. Have you shared the recipe?
I’m afraid the pasta is a fresh, ready made sort from our local supermarket!
It’s a bought pasta I’m afraid; I cheat a bit with this one!