Meal Planning App

[disney1st timer]

Originally Posted by Fluffypenguin

Yeah I can imagine with kids it makes it a whole lot more complicated! I get home at 5:45 and it’s usually about half 7 by the time I’m sitting down to eat tea and then by the time I have cleaned up it is time for bed.

It is worth it both cost wise and health wise for us, but I’m not sure I could manage it if I had children to think about as well! To be honest if I had children I think I would be sticking nuggets & chips in the oven every night (that’s actually what I lived off as a kid!)

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There’s a lot of pressure to make home cooked meals (which I agree is best) but the modern family that works full time just can’t sustain this. My youngest is 6 and his school homework, spellings, reading etc is quite full on in the evenings plus there’s cooking the dinner and baths or showers and bedtime etc. I try to batch cook at weekends but it’s my only time with the kids for fun so we try and keep busy and not spend it cooking and cleaning. So hard!

[Fluffypenguin]

Originally Posted by disney1st timer

There’s a lot of pressure to make home cooked meals (which I agree is best) but the modern family that works full time just can’t sustain this. My youngest is 6 and his school homework, spellings, reading etc is quite full on in the evenings plus there’s cooking the dinner and baths or showers and bedtime etc. I try to batch cook at weekends but it’s my only time with the kids for fun so we try and keep busy and not spend it cooking and cleaning. So hard!

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I totally agree. Honestly if I had kids I doubt very much I’d be cooking healthy meals. I find that cooking fresh healthy meals consume my whole evening now and I don’t even have children. I only do it because I’m a lazy mare and I work in an office and the lack of exercise meant I was piling on the pounds!

Oh and as for keeping my house clean? It looks like a bomb site half the time, god knows how with only us two and a cat, but there’s never enough hours in a day.

I don’t know how you working parents do it all 💜

[m2k00]

Originally Posted by disney1st timer

Hhhm I shop in Aldi so everything is cheap, does that mean it’s full of rubbish? It’s a really hard balance to get everything right 😫

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No, We also get some stuff from aldi as well and certainly doesn’t mean it’s all full of rubbish. Just check what your buying really on premade stuff. Aldi are just same as other supermarkets and offer most food at different Price points etc. Many of the products at Aldi will be comparable to the big four supermarket options.

If for example buying cooked chicken for sandwiches/salads the cheapest options are made from formed meet etc, but they also sell cooked chicken slices that are not formed and less additives etc added and mainly just slices of chicken, cost a bit more but better for you and taste better, that’s something we get from Aldi as it’s cheaper than the big supermarkets.

We might pay a bit more for some food items but save in other areas like cereal (no difference between more experience options in terms of what’s in them) and nuts that use for breakfast, cheese, much cheaper at Aldi, or dishwasher tablets etc loads more examples.

It’s a hard balancing act between cost, convenience and healthy eating we are certainly not perfect but trying best we can but when working and if have a kids it’s makes it really hard. But as the reason you started the topic meal planning is the key to saving money really and helps with variety of meals as well.

[inky1]

I’m in a similar predicament and need to get organised too.
I’d be interested to know if any apps that are good .
I would recommend a slow cooker and batch cooking when you have time .
I used to love cooking but increasing find it a chore so to know that dinner is cooking through the day is lovely .
I’d batch cook chilli / using beef pieces not mince .Cottage pies and spag bol or make ahead and freeze lasagne .
When I am organised I often prepare and freeze ingredients for slow cooker meals like chicken Provençal ( which is a packet mix )
See I know the theory !
But tonight you will likely find us eating an M&S curry 🤫🤫🤫
Let us know how you get on

[sam7]

Honestly take my hat off to mums that work full time, I worked 9 - 3 and struggled. A slow cooker is a brilliant investment. You can prepare the meals the night before and put the pot in the fridge overnight, or chuck the stuff in in the morning, walk in to cooked meals. You can also freeze uncooked bags of meals to go into the slow cooker (google slowcooker dumpbags).
In order to avoid waste food, I would look what I had in the fridge and meal plan round that, then plan the other meals, but stay flexible incase the shop had reduced food or offers on.