Practical Tips for Organising Your Weekly Menu
I know how frustrating it is to arrive home from work, look into the cupboards, and realise there’s nothing in there! It’s very easy to head down to the local takeaway when this happens, but what can we do to avoid this situation?
Most of the time I visit the supermarket at the end of the week, to buy all of my food for the week ahead, except for say milk, or bread etc. However, when I haven’t been organised, I find myself having to shop more often, and spending much longer than I should have to throughout the week. I know that if I’d been better prepared on the first visit, this wouldn’t have happened.
It’s good to get into the habit of menu planning for the week ahead, and writing a detailed shopping list of what you’ll need. However, this can be a chore in itself! But, many foods can be frozen ahead of time, therefore your freezer can become a store-room of healthy, handy options - so it really is worthwhile.
What foods should you stock your freezer with?
- Meats, and fish divided into meal-sized portions, and frozen separately.
- Meats that have already been sliced or diced to save time later.
- Bread, or bake-at-home rolls, which can be taken out as required.
- Frozen fruits and vegetables are a great backup plan, particularly closer to the end of the week, when your fresh supplies are coming to an end.
Here are a few time saving suggestions:
- Make extra portions - while you’re cooking a casserole, soup, or curry make double what you need. You can freeze the rest in meal portions, this way you’ll have ready-made meals for the following week/month.
- Prepare one-pot meals (soups, risottos, stews, curries and casseroles) - I love this type of cooking, and it saves on the washing up.
- Use small, thinly sliced meats, since they cook faster.
- Multi-task - you can save time if you do two or three things at once. For example, prepare your bolognese sauce, while the meat, and spaghetti are cooking.
- Cook the night before - this is particularly good if you know you’ll be home late the following evening. Often the time consuming part of cooking is in the preparation. So, if you can do it all the night before, you’ll already have a good head start. Even better, if you have a slow cooker, pop all of the ingredients into that, set the timer to come on while you’re at work, and the food will be ready for when you arrive home.
- Don’t throw out leftovers - store them in a plastic container, or covered on a plate, to have for lunch/dinner the following day.
- Reinvent your leftovers - yesterday’s roast chicken can be added to a curry or soup, or you could make a delicious steak sandwich or wrap, for lunch using the previous nights beef.
It is true that being organised comes easily to some, and not to others. If you find you’re a little ‘organisationally’ challenged, the simple task of writing a shopping list before you head off to the supermarket, can make a huge difference, and it’s a great place to start if this in all new to you.
How do you get organised for your week ahead?
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