Yes, anyone that knows me knows that I am not too much into planning ahead... planning ahead to me involves writing something on my calendar and leaving it at that.
Not because I can't do it, it's more to do with "I never know what will happen tomorrow" syndrome... so I only plan ahead in detail when I absolutely have to.
Eating on a budget and with not much time to cook, lately we have been falling into the evil ready meals route far too many times than I have liked and this has resulted in particularly me and Booboo not having as many healthy stomach "turns" as is appropriate.
After having 2 kids that is not great for me as my digestive system is sluggish so I put on unhealthy weight and have trouble going to the loo, and then comes the "I am too tired to do anything" attitude too!!! So I need to get back in control and do the right thing.
Another thing is we have been eating far too much meat and not enough vegetables, we all know about animal cruelty and how cows massively contribute to global warming, but realistically I know that we can't be vegetarian, so I just want to cut down on our meat intake and really increase our vegetables, pulses, and other good stuff.
In my attempt to "fix" all of the above and I came up with a "Menu" for the week ahead, a menu that I hope we will achieve eating healthily on a budget.
For lunch we will eat left overs from dinner, I will make more to accommodate as I don't have the time to be cooking lunch and dinner.
Dinner Menu for a Week
Wednesday (today): Chilli con Carne with carrots & Rice
Thursday: Meat Free Sausages with caramelised onions & Fine Green Beans
Friday: Portuguese Pea Dish with Chorizo and Egg ( Ervilhas com Ovos Escalfados )
Saturday: Garlicky Potato, Carrot & Ham Bake
Sunday: Tomato & Red Lentil Soup with bread on the side
Monday: Salmon & Onion Fishcakes with Tomato Salad
Tuesday: Portuguese Dish - Gay Chicken (Frango a Paneleiro)
Wednesday: Tuna Nicoise Salad
So I will try to stick to the plan and tell you what happened next week!!
Hopefully a fresh pre planned menu will also restore my enthusiasm for cooking because I have been so bored and fed up with cooking!
What do you do to keep your "menu" fresh & on budget?
Monica xx
I always plan meals each week to ensure a healthy, varied diet, I try and get a fish dish and a vegetarian dish in each week along with other meats. A big bowl of hearty soup or a jacket potato with a yummy filling are ideal meals that are quick and healthy. I suffer from IBS which is a lot better now than it was a few years ago but I still have to be careful so planning meals is the best way. It's also cheaper as you only have the things you need in your store cupboard, fridge and freezer so there's no snacks and naughty things - this is also helped by the fact that we usually get a supermarket delivery so there's no temptation to go down the biscuit isle!! However, Saturday night will always be pizza night, that's a tradition in this household!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your menu x