Another week has begun, which means another meal plan Monday post! Meal planning really helps us stick to our budget month after month. You can tell it’s getting nearer to Christmas by the amount of stuff people are buying at the supermarket; it’s ridiculous. The person in front of me this week spent £170?! I spent just over £45 on our food shop which includes formula for DS.
I 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. I do try not to get distracted by the ever-present Christmas stock that seems to be in our local supermarket, along with the very cute baby clothes that are for sale. Temptation is everywhere, so it seems. I’ll admit, I did add a Christmas pudding hat to my basket this week for DS; he needed a hat in the next size up and this is very cute. Cost £4 🙂
So, our meal plan for this week is as follows:
Monday – pizza
Tuesday – chinese marinated pork chop with egg fried rice
Wednesday – mushroom omelette
Thursday – baked salmon with new potatoes, carrots, broccoli and hollandaise sauce
Friday – ricotta and spinach pasta with garlic bread
Saturday – Cod and prawns with avocado in a cream sauce
The Chinese marinated pork chop is from the freezer, as is the salmon fillets as I bought those a couple of weeks ago. The garlic bread is also frozen, as they’re two for a £1 and very tasty. Breakfast and lunches are included in our budget as well; breakfast is normally a banana for Mr FC and cereal or toast for me. 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. I’ve also had a poached egg on toast occasionally, but that does depend on when DS naps.
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. I had to replenish the bread stock in the freezer, and needed some more eggs for the cupboard. I like to have these on stand by so that we always have something to eat.
Related posts:
What are you eating this week? Trying anything new? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
I am a firm believer that meal planning can save you money too. It’s also a good way not to waste food. I have been utilizing this type of system for a year now and I love it. I also love that most of the food we eat at home now are fresh.
I think the best benefit from meal planning, apart from the saving money aspect, is the fact that there is so much less food waste. If you only buy what you need, nothing gets thrown away!
Would you like to share the recipe of ricotta and spinach pasta with garlic bread? That must be one delicious dish, Nicola.
Our local supermarket sells stuffed pasta and the ricotta and spinach one is just one of the varieties, so no recipe I’m afraid! It is very tasty though 🙂