With the spreadsheet, I plan out my meals 4 weeks in advance and have automated the creation of a grocery list for our dinners during the week. Last summer, I became so frustrated with our current process for grocery shopping that I decided to apply some of my knowledge from work to life at home and create a Meal and Grocery List Planning Spreadsheet. New to meal planning? Here's a three-week plan to get you started.Do you want to meal plan but don’t know where to start? Or have you tried it but thought it was too time-consuming and gave up? For example, peppers, broccoli and sweetcorn can be added to a beef stir-fry but can also be used to make a vegetable pasta bake or served with meat or fish. Pick 2-3 main vegetables and add them to a meat, pasta or fish dish.Choose recipes that use the same key ingredients such as roast chicken, chicken stir fry and chicken sandwiches.If you are doing a casserole, you could cook some chicken breasts to go in sandwiches. If you are using the oven, think about what else you can cook at the same time.Pies, curries, stews and casseroles all freeze well. Cook extra and refrigerate or freeze the leftovers.Remember leftovers stored in the fridge must be used within three days.Use leftover vegetables in an omelette, soup or salad, or add leftover meat to a curry or stir-fry.Plan meals that can be refrigerated and heated up or eaten cold the next day such as pasta bake, soup, shepherd’s pie, curry, lasagne or beef stew.Think about having a themed night, like Meatless Monday for example.Introduce new recipes when you have extra time.Make a go-to list of meals that you enjoy.Label all foods with the name and the date before freezing so they can be easily identified.Put new items to the back, and older items to the front of the fridge/cupboard.Check the label for advice on how to store food.The way you store food has a big impact on how long it lasts. Check the ‘use-by’ dates of foods to see what you need to use up first, start by planning your meals around this. When you need to make quick meals or prepare them in advance 2. Check what you haveĬheck what ingredients you already have in your cupboard, fridge or freezer. How many meals you need to prepare for the week Set aside time each week to make a meal plan. Here are six steps to making a meal plan: 1. Give yourself time to plan Just remember to stick to your shopping list. Planning can help you have healthy meals and snacks no matter how busy things get. Having a meal plan can save time, money and reduce food waste. Planning can really help you have healthy meals and snacks no matter how busy things get.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |