So we survived our first week going by a meal plan and it was a success! We had everything on the days planned apart from our sheppard’s pie as I had mentioned to Kayleigh I would try to make macaroni cheese from scratch as it is one of the basics I have never made so we had that instead and it was delicious and cheap.
I have noticed this week that the spend on food has gone down. Before Christmas we could spend anywhere between £60 – £90 on a weekly shop and then further top up shops during the week. This week it was down to just under £50 and just 2 small trips to the shop for fresh ingredients so a huge improvement. It has also been a week of trying new things, on Saturday I made roasted tomato and basil soup for lunch and it was delicious!
This week we are still sticking with our classics as we use up the bits we have in the cupboard and freezer. I also managed to pick up some steak Pukka Pies for 56p each in Asda by chance on Friday so they will be making an appearance (yes I brought a few and popped them in the freezer ready for a quick meal).
Monday
Chicken rogan – If you have had a look at our recipe section on the blog you may have seen my beef rogan recipe, I use this as a base and just switch out the beef for chicken and it is delicious. There is something about making your own curry compared to getting it out of a jar that makes it even more yummy!
Tuesday
Sheppard’s pie – As we didn’t have this last week I am going to use up the mince in the freezer and make some sheppard’s pie and then use the leftovers to freeze them in individual portions for a later date. This is great if you are being lazy or running late as I freeze them in the metal trays which you can pick up for a few pound and then you can cook them frozen when you are in a rush.
Wednesday
Tuna pasta bake – Another lazy family favourite. Sometimes the easy options have to do midweek!
Thursday
Pie, potatoes and veg – Our bargain Pukka Pies are making an apperance. Simple and quick so I don’t have to spend too long cooking.
Friday
Pizza – We used to order pizza in most Friday’s and I’m not saying we will never have a takeaway again however whilst I am trying to get control on our budget I found Asda deli pizza’s which were 2 for £4. Combined with 2 garlic bread for £1 our take away night making it £5 for the night instead of £25! Plus it was actually really yummy.
Saturday
Burgers and chips – We are going to have what ever burgers are in the freezer and use up some of our chip supplies. We have a mixture of chicken burgers and normal burgers in the freezer so I will leave it until the morning and see what takes our fancy.
Sunday
Roast – Our weekly roast again! Last week I stuck the chicken in the slow cooker as it is so easy to make plus it falls apart when cooked so it means the left over chicken goes into salad for a few days after, yummy!
So that’s the meal planning done for this week and it is going to be a yummy week I feel. I will get around to sharing more of our recipes in the coming week and create our own little family cookbook on the site.