Meal Planning

[kitchenqueen]

Meal planning is such a tricky thing to achieve successfully, sometimes you buy to much, sometimes you buy too little, and sometimes you just change your mind! it would be great to use a service that could help with all these problems! my kids always tell me they want Mac Cheese, or Sausages for dinner, then we get to table and there is a giant moan.. "oh not sausages!" does anyone else get this?

kc

[Liz]

Am just playing with the demo of MacGourmet Deluxe. Looks good!

Easily create, build and share your recipe collection. Make notes about your favorite wines; plan meals for a day or a week and then sync to iCal. Get the nutritional values of foods, recipes and individual servings by accessing the USDA database included in MacGourmet Deluxe. Print out shopping lists or export them to your PDA. Find recipes online and add them to your collection using MacGourmet’s intuitive features. Publish recipes to your blog or .mac account. Even use your family recipes to create your own professional-looking, bound cookbook!

Any of you other Mac girls looked at this? Looks a bit fiddly to enter some recipes.. altho I haven't looked at the import function yet.

But I think it would make recipe sharing nice & easy!

NB. I haven't looked at the purchase price yet.. still on demo.

ETA: hmm... it's US$44.95. Will need to make the most of the demo before purchasing me thinks!

[DoubleK]

bugger! i cant open the bellybelly meal planner

i saved it to my computer, but when i open it up, its just a big jumble of letters

is there anyother way i can get a copy? could someone email it to me?

[Netix]

Rach, I have just emailed you the planner. No doubt you will already have lots of copies, but just wanted to be sure you got it.

[Olive]

i really need to get my butt into gear and start a meal planner!

[Bengal]

I cant open the meal planner either, I need adobe 9 - grrr - could some one please email me and I will forward it to one of the other girls to print for me - Thank you

[Heaven]

I really need to do this, I can never think of anything for dinner. How on earth do you girls have so many things on your list!!!!!!

Roryrory- how's recipe center going?

[Papillon]

could someone email me a copy of this planner kelly made???

please

[mrsmac]

Its on the 1st page of this thread, I have just printed it off. Mmain problem is that DH may or may not like a food at any given time ie. today he might like spag bol but tomorrow he may not! (yes he is very fussy)

[Papillon]

Hey MM- oh yes i know but my comp wont let me open it.

[Catastrophic]

Hey hey -

I am doing my shopping online (OMG I LOVE) - Which brings me too needing a dinner reciepe for every night of the week so that I know what I need to buy and not have to go out and bits and peices (it doesn't help when i am trying to save money :-P)

So I would like YOUR 7 day meal planner - so i can make up a few... I'm even thinking of laminating a 7 day planner - and on anoter page listing a whole heap of dinners and getting the kids go choose :-)

I'll start off -

Mon - Spag bog
Tues - sausages, mash an vegies
Wed - sweet and sour chicken stir fry
Thurs - slow cook meal
Fri - Fish an chip
Sat - Get your own :-)
Sun - lasangua and Potato bake

What is some more :-)

[Rouge]

I will merge this with the meal planning thread so it doesn't get lost

[Catastrophic]

Thanks Rouge :-)

[Rowellen]

I have just started doing a meal planner. It's a work in progress. I decided to categorise each day as something and then pick recipes to cook. I have also included what I picked for this week.

Mon - ? Haven't decided yet. (Lemon & Herb Pasta & Chicken Salad - was sunday's meal but we got invited to the in-laws)
Tues - Fish Night (Crumbed fish & salad wraps)
Wed - Chicken Night (Chicken Schnitzels & Salad)
Thurs - Steak Night (Pork Chops with vegies)
Fri - Slow Cooker Day (Cheats Chicken Cacciatore from Best recipes)
Sat - Stir Fry Night (Had planned a curry but DH has other plans this week so will prob have sunday instead)
Sun - Roast/Pasta Night (Spag Bolognaise - will prob have monday due to sat night)

This is only my second week but so far it's working well.

[Cupcake]

I meal plan but i dont allocate days for meals if that makes sense. Like i'll have a list of 8 or so meals for the week, buy the ingredients for them, then cross them off as we eat them.

I sit down at some stage during the week and plan for the following week, i have a list of things i need to get from the butcher & grocery store. I try to stick to the shopping lists i write out...TRY lol. I actually enjoy grocery shopping tho

[Rouge]

I love meal planning. I now have an awesome place to buy meat from so we'll be set for a while!

Next 7 days will probably go like this:

Tuesday: Sticky Chicken Wingettes w/fried rice
Wednesday: Swedish Meatballs w/curly fries
Thursday: Probably take out as we have to go shopping for Eucharist stuff
Friday: Goat Curry (Kids will eat at T-Ball)
Saturday: Red Lentil & Veg Soup
Sunday: Probably a Roast
Monday: Indian Curry Night (Beef Madras, Butter Chicken, Vegetable Korma)

I hate doing the same stuff over and over again, so I really mix it up. My recipe collection is HUGE!

[Astrid]

I meal plan but i dont allocate days for meals if that makes sense. Like i'll have a list of 8 or so meals for the week, buy the ingredients for them, then cross them off as we eat them.

That is how I am making it work for us. I make sure I have a mix of meals that can be cooked quickly or that need the arvo in the oven. I try to match them to the day that suits, but sometimes plans change, so I need to switch around.

[Catastrophic]

OMG Rouge - can i come to your house for dinner! LoL! they sound fantastic!

I have done up a thing on my computer, which i will print and laminate... a meal plan thingy... and now trying to get a list of reciepes (think i might go annoy Rouge :-P) and then sunday I am going to get the kids to decide what they want for each day :-) And then choose one helper for the night as well... So then the kids get involved with what is cooking... and maybe there might be less food not eaten :-P Can only try!

Rowleen I love your idea's too!!!