Planning meals/food shop for the week...

Lucylu79

Gold Member
....Where the heck do I start??

I know it seems such a simple task but with a 6month old with a rotten cold it seems so hard!

I've got a £50 voucher for Tesco and although I know Asda will be cheaper, nothings cheaper than free right?! The bloody delivery charge although is horrendous and so I thought maybe I could brave the shop later today or tomorrow morning.

Where do you start with your food plans for shopping?

Do you pick the meals you want and just make a list of what ingredients you need??

My mind's gone totally blank, can't think from lack of sleep probably!!!!:(
 
My losses have plateaued recently.

Have gone back to the start up books for ideas for meals and made my shopping list accordingly.

Always have plenty of SW friendly snacks so that you`re not tempted by crisps, biccies etc
 
Hello, I'm new to SW myself, only week 3 for me. I'm normally guilty of just heading to the supermarket without a list and easily spend £90 on a trolly full of junk and feel like iv nothing to cook with! So last week and this week iv made a list before iv gone and it's been so much better! Last weeks teas were, SW spag Bol, SW shepherds pie, 3 packs of chicken and a pack of extra lean bacon rounds. I bought veggies and things that could go with each meal like pasta and rice and found it so much more less stressful going shopping knowing what I need to buy rather than guessing. Iv been going on the SW website for recipe ideas and it has helped a lot.

Hope this helps x
 
when I first started I planned my meals and then wrote my shopping list, that way I had everyting I needed. Shopping itself took longer as I had to 'find' the things I did'nt usually buy. As the weeks progressed it got easier and list was not so important, although I do try to add new recipes into the mix so I don't get stuck in a rut, and the thought of a new recipe stops me craving foods I would normally treat myself to, especially at the end of the working week when I felt I deserved a treat and would have got take away, now I have a new recipe treat, all on plan, delicious and no feeling horrible the next day because I have eaten rubbish and feel bad, physically and psychologically!
 
Hi!

I set aside half an hour when the boys are playing nicely/ napping to write my list for the week. I check the cupboards, freezer to see what we already have in and work from there. I pick 7 meals from SW magazines, cookbooks, minimins and then write the list accordingly.
It's a good idea to try and think what you will be doing each night, for example I work Fridays so dinner always has to be quick and easy.
I also write each meal for each day on a whiteboard on the fridge which helps me with working out syns etc for the day as I know what we are having for dinner.
Hth

Emma xx
 
I just decide on meals I fancy for the week then go and add the ingredients for them to my basket. I keep a list of "favourites" of meals I've tried that I really liked and have one or two of them a week, plus a couple of staples like chicken & veg, then one or two new recipes. BBC Good Food is a good place to look, as well as the recipes and food diaries on here or the SW mag.

I also keep a list of stuff Im running low on throughout the week so I dont forget anything and dont have to spend ages looking round the kitchen for what I do/don't need.

I used to detest the delivery charge but tbh you spend that on getting the frickin bus to the shop and back (we don't drive) plus I'd never carry all that in one go so it'd be more than one trip. It's also a LOT cheaper online simply because I just dont buy the rubbish that I dont need/want.

I think Sainsbury's do free delivery a couple of days a week though, but Ive calculated it still works out as cheaper (for me personally) to shop at Tesco, even with the charge. I usually pick a day when it's 3.50 (NEVER a Saturday afternoon!) I do a shop about every 10 days and in the meantime get the OH to pick up fresh stuff (salad, fruit) on the way home from work if we're running out.
 
I plan my meals and shop on a Monday morning for Monday and Tuesday, then the same on Wednesday, for Wednesday and Thursday and then Friday for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

It might seem a lot of shopping, but with feeding a family, my poor fridge can't hold a weeks stuff!

Plus, it means that I can buy meat when I see it on offer, and then decide what I am doing with it, and then get the veggies etc on my next visit.

I also keep an ongoing 'shopping list' for the storecupboard items that are running low.
 
I get out my old SW mags and the website at the weekly plans have a look through and use one of them to do a rough plan.
Then I tweak the plan to make it work for me, if it calls for weetabix for breakfast and I have a cupboard full of All Bran I change that for example.
I will also swap out stuff I don't like, like I don't like seafood or Tuna so instead of those I'll have chicken or tinned Salmon or Sardines.
Then I adapt the recipes for things the family will eat too, or look at a similar alternative. My hubby works nights so cooks for himself. My son isn't keen on chilli, so he has a ragout (same recipe ust leave out the chilli for him.

I might even rule out a meal on the plan and swap it for something super easy like ham and egg salad with JP.
Or egg and SW chips.
This is usually on nights when I'm working or on my course.

I plan the evening meals on a wipe board, then when the shopping comes I might have to mix the days round according to eat by dates.
Then I write every days meals on post its and keep in my bag so I know what I'm having for breakfast/lunch and dinner this helps me to pack my bag for work.
 
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