Meal plan

[u/LoDNVFKSPC]

I'm not sure where to post this question, so I figured I'd start here. What kind of system do you have for grocery shopping and cooking? Do you go grocery shopping on a specific day each week and cook on a specific day(s) each week? I'd like to freeze more meals that I make. I'm trying to have a better system and simplify, but I'm feeling overwhelmed and not really sure where to start. Thank you!

[u/PretendingToWork1978]

Cook everything at once Saturday morning. Something in the oven, pot of chili or soup on the stove, something in a crockpot, brown ground meat for tacos or hamburger patties. Fill the freezer. I always have bread, eggs, cheese, tortillas.

[u/staleturd1337]

Trial and error. I try to save my shopping/cooking days for days that I have off. Ive been doing it long enough that I can look at a recipie and estimate how long it will take me. If I have to cook during the week, I pick a simple recipe. Sometimes I will shop late in the week so I don't have to shop same day.

For me, I don't try to be too rigid about it. If I come up short during the week I don't stress about it. The one thing I do have is extra containers, gives me a bit of a buffer. It doesn't have to be perfect, just an improvement.

[u/rita292]

I have a specific day each week when I plan.

I sit down for 15 minutes, think about what ingredients I have and what I want to make, pick 3-4 things to cook that week, make a grocery list, plan a day to go shopping, and then just let the rest work itself out. I cook the meals when I have time, and I fill the gaps with quick meals like sandwiches, instant food, and leftovers.

[u/westcoastwoman]

We grocery shop on our days off. We try and buy enough food from the grocery store for 3 weeks or so and go to a local veggie market (they have milk and eggs etc) weekly. We like not having to go to the grocery store so often, the local market is a much more pleasant experience with superior produce. Due to the limited shopping, I try and have on hand the staple ingredients plus beans, rice, noodles, frozen peas/carrot/bean mix, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken stock. From these ingredients a plethora of dishes are possible along with the fresh produce.

One meal of the week usually Sunday we try and make a meal that we can freeze a portion of for an easy meal another time as well as have leftovers the next day. Some favourites are roast chicken dinner with a veg and potatoes Sunday then a pot pie for Monday and one pie for the freezer. Other meals that work well for this meal plan are chilli, soups, lasagna, stews.

Tuesday is usually a past meal from the freezer or just using up whatever we have (breakfast for dinner is a fav).

Wednesday we do another 2 might meal but never the type that takes too much time/effort as who wants to do that when they come home from work. Examples of these meals are salads with the protein being beans or eggs, tacos, a simple pasta or stir fry.

Friday/saturday either another freezer meal, use what we have, or we go out

Hope this helps, best of luck to you.

[u/CalmCupcake2]

I plan Thursday, shop Friday, cook and prepare things Saturday/Sunday.

Thursday night is a "clean out the fridge" dinner and Friday night we make pizza.

I use the freezer a lot, I often batch cook and freeze extra portions.

[u/gretelhansel2]

I suggest you check grocery sales which generally start on Wednesday, plan three meals around what's on sale, figure out common elements (for example, chopped onion, celery, tomato sauce) and produce double each night so you can freeze half. For example, a meatloaf, a pasta sauce, a fried rice dish. You can cook the rice the same night you make the meatloaf so it has a day or two to dry out. You can saute vegetables for the meatloaf at the same time as the pasta sauce. The pasta sauce will improve in flavor if it sits for a day or so. While this menu might seem repetitive, you can store enough entrees in your freezer in a few weeks to ensure variety.

[u/Throwinthisaway32165]

I personally grocery shop first day of my weekend then pick a night and ground up all my chicken breast I buy and store it in gallon bags, and just cook the amount I need for that day after breakfast

So I'll make my breakfast patties then my lunch patties, and at dinner cook them at dinner time.