MyFamilyClub - Money Saving Made Easy

How much food did you waste last week? It is estimated that up to a third of our food shopping is thrown in the bin. Not good reading especially when you want to save money. By meal planning at least you are not guessing what foods you need when you’re in the supermarket.

I always use a shopping list now because every time I waste food I also waste my money and waste my time buying, cooking and throwing the food out. I call this Triple Wasting. However too much food shopping is only one of the ways that food is wasted. Cooked food is high on the list of foods thrown out. To avoid this as much as possible:

• Don’t plate meals for the family, let them decide on the portion size themselves. Too little is best at first as they can always get more. When food is wasted after it’s served up it always ends up being wasted.
• Freeze leftover meals in individual portion containers. When you’re stuck for time to cook, these individual portions can come in very handy and of course cheaper and healthier than takeaways.
• Alternatively reduce the recipe size accordingly before you shop and cook if you don’t have a freezer.
• Use up the meals in the freezer, sometimes the freezer can become a holding spot for wasting food, defeating the purpose in the first place.

About our family meal planner
This week's family meal planner
Shopping list

Did you know - You could save up to £680 annually by reducing your food waste according to Love Food Hate Waste. Money which could be very useful spent on other things.

This week’s meal plan contains two red meat dishes as we use the leftover beef from the traditional Sunday Roast to make a quick weekday recipe. Alternatively use meat in sandwiches and choose a different dish if you are sticking to the nutritional guidelines by eating red meat once a week only.

About our family meal planner

These family meal planners are made up of dinners that are kid friendly, forming part of a weekly balanced diet. It will give you plenty of nutrients from each of the food groups (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals), says Sian.

The meal plans for the week are inclusive of animal and plant protein such as fish, white meat, red meat and eggs.  You'll find nuts, chickpeas, cheese and seeds on the meatless day. Sian comments that the secret to affordable, healthy meals is to plan ahead to make sure you are stress-free, and have the right ingredients in the correct amounts in your kitchen ready to cook.

Every week, Sian provides you with five simple recipes to plan. You can decide when to make them, on whichever day suits you best. There is also a shopping list (below) that can be printed ready to take with you to the supermarket.

This week's meal planner

• Roast beef with easy gravy, roast vegetables and traditional yorkshire puddings
• Rhubarb and ginger oaty crumble
• Creamy chicken ala king and fragrant rice
• Cumberland pie
• Baked brie salad
• Sweet and spicy salmon with sweet chilli dipping sauce

Shopping list

Baked Products

Bread Crumbs - 25 g           
Baking powder - 4 Pinches           
Beef Products
Beef - 2.5 kg

Beverages

Sparkling Water - 150 mls

Cereal Grains and Pasta

Corn flour - 1 tblsp           
Plain flour - 2 cups          
Porridge Oats - 100 g       
Self raising flour - 3 tblsp     
Rice - 300 mls           
Ginger Oat Crumble - 1

Dairy and Egg Products

Eggs - 1 Cup           
Cream - 20 mls           
Butter - 55 g              
Cheese - 50 g     
Brie or semi soft cheese - 200 g

Fats and Oils

Sesame Oil - 1 tblsp           
Olive oil - 5 tblsp           
Lard - 3-4 Knobs

Fish Products

Salmon Fillets - 4

Fruits and Fruit Juices

Rhubarb - 1 kg           
Raspberries - 375 g                 
Poultry Products
Chicken fillets - 4

Soups, Sauces, and Gravies

Chicken stock cube - ½           
Fish sauce - 1 tblsp           
Beef Stock - 300 mls           
Sweet Chilli Sauce - 4 tblsp           
Gravy - 500 mls

Spices and Herbs

Coriander - 1 Bunch           
Turmeric (ground) - 3 tsp           
Red Chilli - 1   
Ground Ginger - 3 tsp           
Fresh Rosemary sprigs - 3-4           
Garlic Cloves - 2

Sweets

Brown Sugar - 100 g 
Honey - 2 tblsp

Vegetables and Vegetable Products

Cucumber - 1¼           
Onion - 7
Red pepper - 1           
Celery - 1 stalk       
Peas - 100 g           
Cherry Tomatoes - 16           
Carrots - 7      
Parsnips - 3           
Red Onion - ½           
Mixed Lettuce Leaves - 1           
Potatoes - 8         
Mushrooms - 8

Sian is a home economist with over 25 years experience as a secondary school teacher and now running her own private cookery school with a focus on meal planning. After years of seeing people struggling to provide healthy meals everyday for their families, she created her own meal planning system at Siansplan.com.