TheMadHouse: Menu Planning and Frugal Food Part One

Monday, 1 February 2010

Menu Planning and Frugal Food Part One

One thing that has come out of our lack of cash is my ability to feed us all well on less and less cash. The two things that has enabled this to happen has been our menu planning and our garden.

I thought I would give you an example of a weeks menu plan and how I feed us all. I do a main shop on a Thursday and base my weeks menu plan round our Sunday Dinner (chicken, Mince, Beef, or Ham). This week it will be chicken.

Friday

Fish, oven chips and mussy peas. I make sure I buy frozen cod or haddock fillets when they are on offer, plus Aldi do a very good fillet. I buy Aldi oven chips at 99p a bag and soak my own mushy peas and freeze them in batches.

Saturday

Home made burgers and wedges (sweet potato this week as 39p a bag in Aldi)

Dinner - Home made pizza, with home made sauce and mozzarella and salami, plus veg. Garlic dough balls or garlic pizza bread.

Sunday

Lunch - poached egg on muffins Dinner - Roast chicken, roast potatoes, home made Yorkshire puddings and vegetables plus we have parsnips, sprouts and leeks in the garden.

Monday

Lunch - Leftovers from Sunday Dinner
Dinner - Chicken and vegetable Curry, rice and Naan (I strip the carcass on Sunday night and pop in the slow cooker)

Tuesday

Lunch - Leftover curry and a jacket (me), Toasty (mini)
Dinner - Tuesday Chicken and Ham risotto with Vegetables (I use the chicken stock and leftover chicken)

Wednesday

Spaghetti on Toast
Sausage Casserole - 2 packs of sausages , carrots, leeks and parsnips from the garden and Mash

Thursday

Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Jacket potatoes with Beans and Cheese

MadDad takes leftovers, sandwiches or home made pasties to work (they have a microwave) and Maxi has school lunch. So during the week it is just me and mini for lunches.

Breakfast consists of porridge with maple syrup (maxi), toast (mini) and muesli (Me), MadDad fends for himself during the week, but bacon sandwiches and pancakes are weekend favorites.

Oh and I just through I would slip that cake in made by mini and me with left over gingerbread house as the base and a cream cheese and lemon topping, yum!

Comments (30)

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Penny · 791 weeks ago

I won't be joining you with the mushy peas but my mum likes them.

It's a good feeling using leftovers isn't it ? Our roast lamb leftovers will be added to a sauce made from onion, peppers, garlic & tomato and served with rice.

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silentbeauty 52p · 791 weeks ago

Thanks for sharing your menu plan. . . it's always interesting to see how other Mums feed the family!

2 replies · active 791 weeks ago

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Cathy · 791 weeks ago

We take a similar approach here. We've got a very small garden (Victorian terrace) but we're in the process of converting it to nearly all edible stuff. We've even squeezed an apple and a pear tree in. On the (long) waiting list for an allotment. Hope you'll keep sharing ideas of what to do with the homegrown stuff.

1 reply · active 791 weeks ago

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Make do mum · 791 weeks ago

I've got much better at using leftovers (necessity is the mother of invention and all that!). I think the menu planning is a great idea, I'm going to try it for a week and see how I get on. Just wish there was an Aldi or Lidl close to me!

1 reply · active 791 weeks ago

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Jude · 791 weeks ago

We're having home made burgers and wedges tonight too! I'm trying a new recipe I've found, because we have to have a low fat version.
Slow cookers are wonderful - they save so much time and effort, are a great way of using up leftovers, and my husband can take the remains of last night's casserole to work the next day in a food flask - they're a winner all round.

1 reply · active 791 weeks ago

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Very Bored Housewife · 791 weeks ago

It's goes to show that recession can be a good thing, I bet most families have learnt to be more frugal and I bet they eat much healthier as well now.

That cake looks delicious.

1 reply · active 791 weeks ago

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Her · 791 weeks ago

What about snacks and treats for the children?
Any good low cost ideas?
x

1 reply · active 791 weeks ago

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suzie sroka · 791 weeks ago

Just like us more or less! I really enjoy (sad I know!) making three or four meals from one pack of meat. I mince my own meat (so I know whats in it!) I make say meatballs, a bit for stuffed peppers and some (not much at all) padded out with lots of onion and potato and gravey for a pie. I also buy a block of lancashire chees, mix it with loads of onions and some potato and make six cheese and onion pies to freeze. We buy a sack of spuds, as it works out so much cheaper and you can always make a meal around a spud can't you! Gosh you have veggies in your garden now, that is soooo good. We had one parsnip that grew, hee hee, yup just one! Now how many meals can I make with that. hmmmm.... suzie xxx

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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dottycookie · 791 weeks ago

We do much the same thing though I take the easy way out and have my gorceries delivered - in the long run it saves me money as I have a good look at what's in my virtual trolley and take out non essentials before I checkout, and also I'm then not in the shop being tempted by their shiny displays!

I'm impressed you manage to get so much from one chicken - ours usually does one roast, one lunch and a second dinner, plus stock. Except last night I burned the stock so it will be coming from a tin of Swiss Marigold this week.

1 reply · active 791 weeks ago

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Ang · 791 weeks ago

I seem to manage menu planning for a couple of weeks and then it falls apart again. Must try harder.

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Michelle · 791 weeks ago

I gave my slow cooker away - does that make me a freak??? lol I wanted to love it but just found the normal cooker far easier. We love to have bubble and squeek with our leftover veges and roast meat. How easy do you find it growing your own veggies? I would like to try but worry there will nt be enough time. Mich x

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Overflowing Mum · 791 weeks ago

yes, absolutely- meal planning and leftovers save us lots!
Tonight is chicken and leek risotto with yesterdays left over chicken!!
Cake looks serioulsy yummy too!

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Geriatric Mummy · 791 weeks ago

Thanks for sharing this. I've started menu planning in the last few weeks as I was throwing so much food away it was criminal. My grocery bill has gone down by up to 50% as a result. I do get frustrated by my seemingly limited recipe repertoire though. When you are planning it out and thinking about it more it seems so much more repetitive than it ever used to ! x

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Metropolitan Mum · 791 weeks ago

That's very inspirational. I sometimes find myself in the supermarket, holding on to a funnily shaped green thing, not knowing what to do with it. Nappy brain...

Now, when can I come to dinner???

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Claire · 791 weeks ago

Thanks for sharing your menu with us. I don't tend to plan so much as you but it really does help to think about a few days meals at once when buying a big bit of meat.

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Natural Mummy · 791 weeks ago

What perfect timing - tomorrow is my shopping day so I'm off to make the plan and write the list. I always think the weekend lunches are the hardest to plan

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Sarah · 791 weeks ago

Hello there! You asked a question on my blog about the string quilts so I'm here to try and explain. Bare in mind I'm not good at explaining!

What you do is get your white strip, mine is about an inch wide and centre it from one corner of your base fabric square to the opposite corner. Then lay your first coloured strip along one white edge matching up the raw edges. Make sure you keep the white strip centred or it will be crooked. Then just sew the three layers together, the base fabric, the white strip and the coloured strip. Press open and continue until that side in finished. Then start over from the white edge the other direction.

If you don't get it let me know and I'll send pictures to help.

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lady mama · 791 weeks ago

I've been doing menu plans for a while now - I too find it helps with the budgeting and helps me stay organized (which I need). Your list has made me hungry!

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pinkmilkisyummy · 791 weeks ago

I do menu plans most weeks, as I find it easier to get a "proper" dinner cooked if I don't have to think about what to make! One thing that I need to do better is use leftovers. I love the way you've used them so creatively. I think I'm going to start grocery shopping online, as I'm still doing the impulse buying thing, even with my menu plan and list.

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Her · 790 weeks ago

Hi how big a chicken do u get to feed 4 then use for extra meals?

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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