Meal planning is part of our weekly routine here at Organised Wright HQ. Every Sunday evening, we assess the next week to see if anything major is coming up and what events we have going on. From here, I plan meals around how much time we have on our schedule and write a shopping list for the week ahead.
I like to food shop on Monday evenings as my local Aldi store is restocked in the evening, which I found out during covid and this time stuck for a few reasons:
Firstly, I’m not spending my weekend shopping and can make the most of my time off to recharge or work on the campervan.
Secondly, I like to shop when its quiet and there are no screaming children, as I find it a stressful experiance to start with
Finally, because they restock on an evening its usually a great opportunity to get first pick on items which sell out fast like filtered milk, and the food is usually more fresh after they replenish the stocks from the weekend and usually has a longer shelf life, meaning I only need to shop for perishables once per week.
Meal planning is a great way to both budget and eat healthily. I find that if we don’t have a meal plan, the entire week goes to pot… we eat quick and unbalanced meals, we get grumpy with each other because we’re hangry or under-nurished and one or both of us will suffer with health problems. From a budget perspective (if I can avoid the middle aisle) I can usually do the weekly shop for under £30.
So how do I do it? On Sunday evening;
1. Take Stock of the Fridge
I throw anything out which is out of date away, as the bins are emptied on Tuesday morning
I write a list of anything that need using up within the week
I check the fruit and veg drawer for anything thats looking a bit sorry for itself to see if anything can be made into a soup for the weeks lunches
I give the fridge a quick wipe down and tidy
2. Every 2 or 3 months, I take an audit of the freezer
This helps me see what batch cooked meals need using up
I buy all our meat in bulk as its cheaper and better quality so I can see what I need to add to a big costco shop, or I can use up anything thats been there since the last audit
I throw away anything thats 9-12 months old and hasn’t been used
Tip: there are lots of guides online about how long you can store things in your freezer, but I really like the below one from GoodHousekeeping.com
Generally I take a check of whats in the cupboards every 2 or 3 months to see what needs using up or topping up in a bigger shop
I’ll pull anything out of the pantry or cupboards that is coming up to its date in the next 3 months and make a list of whats there to be used.
4. Now for the plan
Now I know my weeks commitments and have my lists of fresh frozen and store cupboard items that I want to use up, I see what I can put together to make some meals. I like use a little whiteboardso if the plan changes its easily moved around, but there are also some great and cheap notepads out there in places like the Poundland Home Bargains or B&M, but you can also pick upsome fancy ones on Amazon which also have shopping list pads
I like to start by plotting which proteins we want to use first, usually by how fast it can be cooked and the commitments of that day.
Next I think about veg or salad that would go with the meal, and carbs – For example usually on Wednesdays we have something with pasta, so that Dan can take this for lunch on Thursday as he won’t eat until after his cricket training
If you’re bored of eating the same things why not try these tips:
Try tracking what you eat over the space of a month and apply a rule – such as you’re not allowed the same meal more than twice in a month
Another thing we do when we are getting a bit bored is to pick a country and find a recipe which is native to that country
You could also try a subscription box service but remember to cancel if you’re ordering as a one off! Some ideas are;
