Planning menus for a whole week may seem like a time-consuming task, but it actually can save a considerable amount of time, once the general idea is set. The key is to think about simpler meals and calculate the required products accordingly. After that, they can be used for more than one dish. At the same time, when buying meat and seafood, it is essential to pay specific attention to the planned menu to make the process more efficient and save money at the same time.
Begin With The Days That Look Busy
Take a look at the week before deciding what goes on the menu. If Tuesday is going to be hectic, there probably is not much point planning a recipe that needs an hour of preparation. Save that for a day when there is more time.
Chicken pieces, mince and thin cuts of meat are useful for busy evenings because they can be cooked fairly quickly.
Match Seafood To The Recipe
The same goes for seafood. Prawns can be thrown into a quick curry, noodles or pasta sauce, whereas a fish fillet can be simply cooked with some veggies and rice for an easy evening meal, saving more complicated dishes for the weekend.
Besides, it’s a good idea to make a list of what needs to be eaten first – fresh seafood usually stays fresh for a short time, so it’s better not to leave it in the fridge till the end of the week.
Buy For The Number Of People Eating
One of the most common mistakes that people make when shopping groceries is buying the food by the size of the packet and not the amount they need. A big pack may seem great due to how much you get compared to how little you pay, however, if you end up not using it all it’s kind of pointless.
Think about how many people you are feeding. If you only have two people eating, it makes no sense to get the bigger pack. With the bigger pack you could save the other half for another day and split it between the family.
Let One Meal Become Another
Roast chicken from Sunday is perfect for a filling in wraps on Monday. Cooked fish can be added to a salad or made into fish cakes. Even mince can be made into a sandwich filling or pasta. This is where buying meat with a couple of meals in mind becomes useful. The same ingredient gets used properly instead of being bought for one recipe and forgotten afterwards.
Store Things Before They Get Forgotten
Once groceries are home, sort your items. Divide your seafood and other things you will not need to use immediately and put them in the fridge or freezer. A crowded fridge makes it surprisingly easy to forget what is inside. Sometimes food waste is not caused by buying too much, but simply by not noticing what needs to be used.
Keep The Shopping List Practical
Before shopping groceries, check what you already have at home. You may have some rice, pasta, spices, sauces, or frozen vegetables that you can use instead of going to the store.
The shopping list can then be made up of only those products that are missing. Leaving one dinner unplanned is useful as well. Sometimes plans change, and having an evening to oneself makes an entire week seem less rigid.
Conclusion
Meal planning is really about simplifying the daily routine. Picking out meat and seafood in accordance with the recipes, time availability, and the number of people who must be fed will make meal time much less stressful. Having a sensible list plus a quick peek at the groceries that are at home, make shopping groceries much more simple. Most importantly, it makes sure that nothing goes bad before it is used.