Menu Planning...But What To Cook?!

Having just read a post by The Madhouse on menu planning (sorry this piggy backing seems to be becoming a habit) I thought I would do a quick post on the subject rather than make my comment go on for ever !

I started menu planning a few weeks ago now, and I am loving it :D  My reason for doing this was basically because I was throwing away so much food it was a crime.  The Daddy likes good food, and as I never had a plan I always had to make sure that I had all the ingredients available for just about anything he or I might decide to make - can you imagine how much waste this creates ?!  When you add in to the equation that I buy predominantly organic food it was also costing a small fortune.  I have a fixed 'allowance' from The Daddy to pay for food, all of Star's needs and all of my own and finally realised that by wasting less money on food I would have more to spend on Star and me.  Now don't get me wrong, I am passionate about organic food so I'm not buying cheaper, just buying less.  I also now buy most of my meat from an organic farm shop near where I live as I found that not only is it locally produced, with a great butcher who will prepare anything for you, it is also about 25% cheaper than I was paying with Ocado.  


The outcome of all this is that I have managed to reduce my grocery spend by between 25 and 50%.  I also feel more organised and actually think we have a more healthy diet as I now plan, for example, how much red meat we eat in a week. We never run out of anything, I never have to scratch my head to think 'what am I going to cook tonight ?', we have a tasty, nutritious meal every night and we have little or no waste.  Can you tell that I'm rather evangelical about this new regime ?!


I have all the 'meals' that I ever cook listed on the laptop, and each week, on Sunday, I copy and paste into this weeks menu plan.  I then update my scheduled Ocado deliveries which arrive on Monday morning, and again on Friday morning.  Star and I also visit the farm shop for our meat on Tuesdays and Saturdays.  Job done...simples !


There is one draw back that I can see.  Because I'm now alot more aware of what I'm cooking I am also much more aware of the limitations of my recipe repertoire, and I do find this very frustrating.  I have a bookcase full of recipe books but either don't have the time to wade through them for inspiration, or am too worried that the end result will be disappointing.  I find the best recipes are those that have been tried and tested by friends and family and come highly recommended. I have asked the lovely Wendy for recipes in the past.  All have been fab but, wonderful as she is, I can't rely on one person, so I have an idea that I would like to float, just to see if there would be any interest...


I'm thinking about doing a weekly menu plan post and thought I could put a mclinky up (? not even sure what it's called let alone know how to do it!) for others to post theirs.  We can all then have a look and if something catches our eye the poster could be invited to share the recipe.  Those not on the menu planning bandwagon could still participate by sharing their favourite recipes.  I'm sure there are lots of mums/dads/cooks looking for kitchen inspiration ! 


If you think you would be interested in participating in this in some way, or can suggest a better format, please do let me know...

Menu Planning...But What To Cook?!

Quick, easy, family friendly, nutritious recipe...

Following on from my post about supplementation here I thought it might be useful to do the the odd post about healthy eating and in particular healthy recipes that are also suitable for babies/toddlers.

I am not one for spending hours in the kitchen unneccesarily.  And by that I mean cooking mutiple meals for different family members.  From about 9 months Star has been eating with us, and I always overcater to ensure that I can feeze a few portions – there are occasions when The Daddy and I want to eat something that Star wouldn’t appreciate.

So, before we get into the detail, some general principles…

• Buy the best quality ingredients you can afford, or better still, grow your own.  This doesn't mean shopping in M&S, but choosing free range, or organic if possible.  If you can't just make sure you wash all fruit and veg thoroughly (and peel if you can) to remove surface pesticides and limit the amount of meat and dairy you eat to minimise your exposure to the livestocks antibiotics and artificial hormones.

• Buy and use produce at it’s freshest.  If this is not possible/available buy frozen.  The nutrient content of food diminishes in parallel with the time it takes to get from harvest to plate.

So, the recipe.  This is one of Star’s favourites, and mine too.  It is meat free but provides all the required amino acids to make a compete protein meal.  It is also high in fibre and therefore very filling – perfect for the last meal of the day to fill up little tummies to last through the night.

You will need:-

1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas (or dried and soaked equivalent)

0.5 x 400g tin of coconut milk

200ml of water

1 tsp fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic

1 red or green chilli

1.5 tsp korma curry powder (or make your own if you can find a recipe – and please share it !)

2 good handfuls of spinach

1. Finely chop (or quickly whizz in a mini processor) the garlic, chilli, ginger and onion.  Transfer to a pan      and soften in some oil.
2. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, curry powder and water and leave to simmer for 5 mins, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the cocnut milk and simmer for a further 2 mins, stirring occasionally
4. Add the spinach a couple of mintues before serving.

Serve with boiled brown rice.  This is important as it provides the amino acids missing from the chickpeas to complete the protein.  As previous white rice eaters we like the brown basmati best.  I mash Stars before feeding him as the chickpeas are too big for him and despite his mouth full of teeth he tries to swallow them whole !

I hope you like this as much as we all do.  I have found it hard to find family friendly nutirious recipes so if you have one I’d love to hear about it !

Quick, easy, family friendly, nutritious recipe...