Do You Meal Plan?

In the past I only really used to meal plan sporadically, so supermarket trips were waayyy too frequent, stressful, ineffective and expensive. I would ALWAYS forget to take meat out of the freezer and then meals became a snatch and grab affair, and not particularly nutritionally balanced.

So last year, while taking part in The Organised Housewife's 20 Day Challenge to Clean & Organise Your (my!) Home, I got totally bitten by the meal plannning bug.

Here's why it makes sense to me:

• One weekly visit to the supermarket
• Less impulse buying. I have a list and I generally do stick to it
• Much more time on my hands because I am not at the shops every other day
• I only need to think about meals once, instead of constantly stressing, every day, about what we are going to have that night.
• I am far more likely to be adventurous in the kitchen when I have time to think and plan. This makes cooking much more exciting for me.
• But the biggest reason really is no more flying from work to the supermarket, or worse from school pick up to the supermarket with TIRED HUNGRY kids. Arrrgghh!

Here are the steps that I have found work for me. 
 

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Step 1 - Relax

Source: dailydoseofstuf.tumblr.com via Krista on Pinterest

Take your time. I like to do my meal planning at breakfast time on a Saturday or Sunday. I sit with my coffee and toast and paw through recipe books, magazines, apps or wherever the inspiration hits me.

Step 2 - Get Input

{image and publishing credit}

Ask the family what they would like to see on the menu. Why should I have to come up with all the ideas, right?
The kids have also taken an interest in cooking recently. My 9yo son bought himself the Australian Junior Masterchef Series 2 Cookbook. Since then, the kids have been choosing one meal per week from this book to cook themselves. I say "themselves" but I think we all know that means me, and they watch! Not really, I feel I am doing the world (and their future partners) a favour by teaching them some skills in the kitchen.
Be warned though, these particular recipes are not quick and easy, so if you decide to try them, be sure to do it on a day when you have an hour or two to spend in the kitchen with the kids.

Step 3 - Shop the Specials

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I do my regular shop at Woolworths (because the store is less than 1km from our house). They also happen to have a pretty fab App that shows me what foods are on special that week. I can browse the aisles for the best deals in my pyjamas at the kitchen table. Pretty neat right? I'm sure other major supermarkets I base the core of the weeks' menu on what MEATS are affordable that week.

Step 4 - Check the Supplies

Source: katesalvage-katecreativesalvage.blogspot.com via Hilliary on Pinterest

I like to have a look in the fridge, freezer and pantry to see what is leftover and still fresh enough to use. I might have some leftover rice and a few veges I can turn into Nasi Goreng with a few fresh ingredients. Leftover mashed potato can become Salmon Fish Cakes. You get the idea.

It's also a good opportunity at this point to purge any manky old stuff, to make room for the fresh goods I am about to purchase.

Step 5 - Being Kind to Myself

I like to plan our meals around our family schedule. Our family was particularly busy this past summer, being our first cricket season, for example:

MONDAY: Princess 7 - Tennis 4:00-5:00pm
TUESDAY: Mr 9 - Cricket Training 5:00-6:00, Mummy - Choir Practice 7:00pm-9:00pm
WEDNESDAY: 5:00-6:00 Piano Lessons
THURSDAY: Breathe!
FRIDAY: Yay it's Friday!
SATURDAY: 8:30-12:00 Cricket
SUNDAY: Grocery Shopping

Bearing in mind, I drop the kids at school and head straight into work. I leave work in time to collect the kids from school and we are getting in the door at around 3:15. That leaves a pretty tight window for snacks, homework, chores (theirs and mine), getting changed into sports gear etc.

So, Monday to Wednesday needed to be super quick and easy meals, and not a childrens' cooking day.Later in the week I can think about more creatively satisfying meals.

Step 6 - Decision Time

So now I make the decision on the 7 meals for the week. I like to have at least one fish/seafood, and a variety of chicken, beef and even vegetarian dishes. I try to make sure that the meals are not ALL indulgent and that we have a good serving of vegetables, salad etc with each.

Step 7 - Lists, Lists, Lists

{download template}

I am a list person, and a computer person. I usually have the laptop at the table while I am meal planning and I like to type up my shopping list as I go. So just reading through the recipes and adding what ingredients I need.

The picture above is my little template I devised. It lists the items in departments within the supermarket. I find this helps to streamline the process once actually in the store with less risk of things being forgotten.

I like to write down how much of an item is required for a particular recipe, this way I don't over buy and in so doing it reduces waste.

I know the Woolies App organises the shopping list very well too, but it is difficult enter specific amounts of items (in particular fresh produce). So for now I take a paper list.

{download template}

And now the Meal Plan List. If I am using a few different recipe books or sources, I will note down the book and page number on the meal planner. This just saves a bit of time and brain power come dinner time. I keep this inside the pantry door, and it helps to remind me that I may need to take something out of the freezer that morning while I am scratching around for breakfast.

{download template}

This is also where I keep my running shopping list. You know, for things we run low on, or out of during the week (toothpaste, sugar, cleaning products etc). These items get added to the typed list that I take to the supermarket.

{Please note: The fonts I have used for these templates are specialty downloaded fonts from Kevin & Amanda. These fonts are not recognised by my Google Drive so they have been converted to a plain font. Feel free to personalise these templates by adding your own fonts.}

Step 8 - Don't Forget the Lunchbox

Source: suzs.tumblr.com via Jolene on Pinterest

I often have to remind myself to include items on the shopping list for lunchboxes. These include fruit, sandwich fillings, fresh bread and any ingredients for the baking that I plan to do.I try to get ahead by making sandwiches and baking on the weekend and freezing for the week to come.

Step 9 - Hit The Shops

Source: stayathomemum.com.au via Chen on Pinterest

Right, so now I have a meal plan for the week and a comprehensive shopping list. Time to hit the supermarket. We (I say we, I mean hubby!) have come up with a family plan to HALVE the shopping time. We go to the supermarket as a family. Madness you might say but the kids are 9 & 7 now, so old enough to help, and we literally tear the list down the middle. Hubby takes one half and one child, and I take the other. We call it Divide & Conquer. It becomes a bit of a competition to see who can get to the checkout first. Done and dusted in half the time. Clever hubby <3

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So there we have it. Planned prepped and ready for the week ahead. If you are a busy mum (or dad, or wife or single person for that matter) and you don't meal plan, I highly would recommend it. It has reduced my stress levels and made cooking and meal times far more enjoyable for the whole family.

Mini Easter Egg Blondies

Recipe By: Pippa

Yield: 16 bars

Summary:
Here's an idea to use up those last few little Easter eggs. You could do something similar with a basic cookie dough, but probably roughly chop the chocolate eggs first. 

Ingredients:
300 g unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup mini easter eggs, aprrox, assorted varieties, unwrapped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 175℃. Butter 23cm x 33cm cake tin; line with parchment paper, allowing 5 cm overhang. Butter parchment.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Put butter and brown sugar into mixer bowl; mix on medium-high until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Add most of the mini chocolate eggs and mix to combine.

3. Spread batter into prepared tin; smooth top. Press the remaining mini eggs into the top in a random pattern. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached.  Let cool in tin 40 minutes. Lift out, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Bread Roll French Toast

Recipe By: Pippa
Serving Size: 4

Who doesn't love an indulgent breakfast on a lazy long weekend? And you can feel virtuous about using your leftover bread rolls from the other nights' barbecue :)

Use your imagination (or whatever is is your fridge, freezer or pantry) for toppings. I also had strawberries that were a few days old so I sliced them up, and mixed together with a little splash of balsamic vinegar (yes vinegar!) and a teaspoon of sugar. You could use any frozen berries, choc chips, jam, anything really!

Ingredients:
4-6 bread rolls, day old
4 egg
2 tablespoons cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
20 grams unsalted butter
Welly Boot Extra Virgin Olive Oil
maple syrup, to serve
fresh fruit, to serve
ground cinnamon, to serve

Directions:
1. Lightly beat together the eggs, cream and vanilla in a large shallow bowl or dish

2. Slice the buns lengthways into thirds (so that you have three thick slices of "bread") an place cut side down into the dish of eggy mix. Flip the bread over after a minute or two to cover the other side of the bread.

3. Heat the butter and Welly Boot Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a frying pan over a medium/low heat. Cook the eggy bread in batches until golden brown on each side. Keep warm while all batches are cooking.

4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until all slices are cooked.

5. Serve with maple syrup, fruit and cinnamon and a lovely hot coffee!

Breadmaker Hot Cross Buns

Easter weekend is the perfect time to enjoy a lazy couple of hours in the kitchen. These beautiful fresh hot cross buns contain no preservatives like their supermarket counterparts so they don't keep. But that's not usually a problem as they get snaffled up pretty quickly!

Recipe By: Sunbeam
Serving Size: 12
Yield: 12 Buns

Summary:
Fill your kitchen with the aroma of sweet, spicy bread. Although the recipe takes about 2 and a half hours to complete, really there are only mere minutes of actual work. The hardest part is waiting!

Ingredients:
Dough

• 1 Egg, 60g
• 150 ml Water, warm
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 280 g baker’s flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 cup mixed dried fruit
• 2 teaspoons dry yeast

Crosses

• 2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon caster sugar

Glaze

• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon powdered gelatine

Directions:
1. Beat egg and water together and put into bread pan (the "mixing bowl" of the breadmaker). Add butter

2. Combine flour with brown sugar, salt and Allspice. Stir in dried fruit. Add to bread pan. Make a small pocket in the top and fill with the yeast. Wipe any spills from the outside of the pan.

3. Place the pan in the bread maker and close the lid. Set to "Dough" program and start. In my bread machine this is 1hr and 15min.

4. When the bread maker indicates that the program has finished, remove the dough from the bread pan and knead lightly on a floured surface. Divide the dough into 12 pieces (I like to weigh mine to ensure even sizes) and shape each piece into small buns. Place close together in a lightly greased baking tray (a 26cmx16.5cm lamington tray works well). Cover with lightly oiled cling wrap and then a tea towel. Leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

TIP: Spray a piece of plastic wrap with Olive Oil Spray before covering your dough. This keeps the environment inside nice and moist, but the oil stops the plastic from sticking to the dough when it is removed.

5. CROSSES: Combine plain flour with water and sugar to form a smooth paste. Pipe paste to make crosses on each risen bun. Bake at 200℃ for 25 minutes. Turn the tray about half way through the cooking time to achieve a nice even colour.

 TIP: You don't need a piping bag to make your crosses. Just place the paste into a zip lock bag, push into the corner and snip off the end!

6. GLAZE: Place water, sugar and gelatine in a small bowl and stir until dissolved. Brush over buns whilst hot.

 Enjoy with a slathering of butter and a great coffee while still piping hot.

Beef & Black Bean Stir Fry

{image from Junior MasterChef Series 2 Cookbook}

Recipe By: Junior Masterchef
Serving Size: 4 serves

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon soy sauce, light
2 teaspoons caster sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
400 grams rump steak, trimmed of fat, thinly sliced
1 bunch gai lan*, (Chinese Broccoli)
80 milliliters vegetable oil
1 red onion, small, chopped
3 centermetres fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 red capsicum, seeded and thinly sliced
100 g oyster mushrooms**, roughly torn if large
1 tablespoon salted black beans
2 tablespoons chinese rice wine, (shaoxing)
2 tablespoons oyster sauce

Directions:
1. Combine the soy sauce, sugar and cornflour in a bowl, add beef and toss to combine. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes

2. Cut gai lan leaves from stems and trim base of stems. Slice remaining stems lengthways if thick, then cut leaves into 5cm lengths. Set aside separately.

3. Heat a wok over a high heat and add 1½ tablespoons of oil. When very hot (shimmering) add half the beef and stir fry for 2 minutes or until the beef is browned. Transfer beef to a bowl and repeat with another 1½ tablespoons of oil and remaining beef. Wipe wok clean.

4. Place wok over a medium heat. When hot, add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil then onion, garlic and ginger. Stir fry for 1 minute. Increaseheat to high, add gai lan stems, capsicum and mushrooms and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add gai lan leaves, black beans and rice wine and stir fry for 30 seconds. Return beef to wok, add oyster sauce and 60ml water and stir fry for a further 30 seconds. Serve immediately.

Notes:

*If Gai Lan is unavailable, substitute with broccolini or green beans.

**If oyster mushrooms are unavailable, substitute with swiss brown or shitake

TIPS for Stir Frying: This is a technique where you need to be really organised beforehand, as cooking should be done quickly. Make sure you prepare all of the ingredients beforehand - this is kown as "mise en place" (MEEZ-ON-PLASS), literally "put in place". Cut all the ingredients into pieces about the same size so they cook evenly. The dish will look and taste much better.

Working Mum's Time Saver Tip

Ask your butcher to slice your beef into strips for you! Most supermarkets also have this option in their pre-packaged meat department.

 

Meal Plan Monday

Monday

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Creamy Coconut Fish Curry with Steamed Rice

Tuesday

Nachos Supreme

Wednesday

Tuna Mornay with Creamy Mash

Thursday

Steak Bearnaise with steamed greans

Friday

Chicken Ceasar Salad

Saturday

Lamb Korma with Steamed Basmati Rice

Sunday

Chicken Parmegana, chips & Salad

Lunchbox

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Chocolate Coconut Slice

Nasi Goreng

 {image credit-AGT Magazine via Zinio}

A real snatch and grab recipe that can be made at a minute's notice straight from the pantry. Also a great way to use up leftover rice.

Ingredients:

• For Serving
• 1 brown onion, thinly sliced
• 4 eggs
• For the Fried Rice
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 red chilies, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
• 500 g rice, steamed, cooled
• 2 tablespoons kecap manis
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
• 4 spring onion, sliced
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• ¼ bunches coriander, roughly chopped
• prawn crackers

Directions:

1. Fry onion until brown & crispy. Use the same frying pan to fry eggs to desired "doneness". Set aside for serving.

2. Heat peanut oil in a wok over a medium-high heat. Stir fry brown onion, chilli, garlic and shrimp paste for 5 minutes.

3. Add rice, kecap manis, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and spring onions. Stir-fry for 3-5 minutes.

4. Serve with 1 fried egg per person, fried onion, sliced cucumber, coriander and prawn crackers.

(Serves 4)

Working Mum's Time Saver Tip: Cooking rice from scratch can take up to 25 minutes and I don't always have leftover rice. Microwavable rice sachets are quick and easy solution.  They can be kept in the pantry and only take about 2 minutes to cook in the microwave. There are a variety of brands available at most supermarkets.

{images via Woolworths}