Meal Planning Thread

[faffa_70]

My Menu Plan is........ ummmm plan to find something to cook when I need it!  Sorry Karen, no inspiration here, I haven't been shopping in the last week as the kids are sick...eldest to youngest so no babysitters and DH is away until tomorrow 

[stacelee]

Hi Guys,

I menu plan with a program called living cookbook and then copy the recipes across to my iphone.  I'm happy to share my plans if it gives anyone inspiration.....also means that I have a commitment to follow through on doing it weekly.  Ive been a bit slack lately...the kids have been way too involved with extra curricula activites...cheerleading comp and band comps this weekend!!!!!....a little over it.  I can post a plan that I used a couple of weeks ago if anyone wants it.

Have a great night
Stacey

[I Love Bimby!]

Thanks Stacelee - do you have any other information on the program living cookbook?

[~Narelle~]

I have done a plan but will see how we go

Monday - lasagne and coleslaw.  Lasagne is in the freezer and coleslaw will do in am before I go to work
Tuesday - Moroccan Lamb and rice
Wednesday - Chicken, Corn and Lee Pie
Thursday - Tuna Mornay - DH away so there'll be enough to freeze for another meal
Friday - Chicken and Veg soup from here - kids love it, so that can then be a Sunday night meal too.
Saturday night - something easy, DH still away i think.  If he's home we might go out

[riv_mum]

Havent had much luck meal planning in the past. Just cant stick with it.
I usually base my weekly cooking around whats cheap that week and looks fresh. One big fortnightly shop is usually followed by several smaller shops each week.
Would love to have a look at the program mentioned. Are there any free ones online anyone can recommend?

[judydawn]

Tuesday - Beef & Guiness Stew
Wednesday - Pork & vegie stirfry with noodles

[cookie1]

I devised my own menu plan. It has what we're eating, where I can find the recipe and what I need to buy to make that recipe. Having said that I didn't do it this week.
Monday-black snapper and green vegies in a cheese sauce with smashed spud.
Tuesday-baked beans on toast with bacon and an egg. (we have to go to MIL nursing home for a 'talk')

[quirkycooking]

Here's our menu plan for the week - for more details, check my blog!

Monday: (lunch) leftovers; (dinner) Green Cashew Chicken Curry (TMX) on rice (making lots so I have leftovers).

Tuesday: (lunch) Vege & chickpea pasta sauce (TMX) on spelt fettucine; (dinner) leftovers/salad & spelt bread (home late).

Wednesday: (lunch) Crockpot Ragout; (dinner) Vege soup (TMX) and spelt rolls (TMX).

Thursday: (lunch) Free Form Vegetable Pie (made with my own spelt & lard rough puff pastry, TMX); (dinner) Fish strips with baked potatoes and salad.

Friday: (lunch) Tuna mornay (dairy free) (TMX) on rice & corn pasta (made ahead - I'll be out); (dinner) leftovers & salad.

Saturday: (lunch) Spaghetti bolognaise & salad & spelt rolls; (dinner) Lima bean stew & salad.

Sunday: (lunch) Beef pot roast (crockpot with veges); (dinner) Spelt rolls (TMX) and beef and vege soup (TMX) (made from leftovers).

[mama_bel]

This week there's co-op boxes of fruit and veg arriving, and the abundance of fresh produce from the local markets and a LETS Trade Day already here - so I'll be cooking up a storm in the Thermomix every chance I get!

(TM) means I'll use the Thermomix for that part of the meal.

Monday - pan-fried fish, mashed potato (TM), green salad
Tuesday - home late - rice, stirfry vegetables (TM), omelette (TM)
Wednesday - home late - pasta, cheese sauce (TM), steamed greens
Thursday - home late - mushroom risotto (TM), steamed vegetables
Friday - vegetable soup (TM), bread (TM), dessert (TM)
Saturday - eating out
Sunday - mashed potato (TM), boiled eggs (TM), salads (TM)

Other cooking and baking - lots in the Thermomix, spread through the week - Cyndi's Date Loaf, rice flour, rice & almond milk, salted butter, unsalted butter, pasta sauce (lots - so many tomatoes to use up), cumquat marmalade and cumquat brandy. Picnic lunch and snacks for Thursday.

[stacelee]

This is our dinner tonight....assuming I can ever get away from my desk at work and home to make it....thank god for a latch key son who can start the foccacia for me.  Recipe is courtesy of Taste.com.au and thermomix instructions still to be tested!!!!

Turkish pizza

1 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbs ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
350 g lamb mince
2 Tbs pine nuts
1 loaf Turkish bread
2 Tbs tomato paste
150 grams feta cheese, crumbled
1 large tomato, quartered, seeds removed, diced
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Heat oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes or until soft. Add coriander, cumin and mince. Increase heat to high. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until browned. Add nuts, and salt and pepper. Cook a further 2 minutes, stirring. Cool.

3. Place bread onto baking tray. Spread with tomato paste. Sprinkle with half the feta. Spoon over mince. Sprinkle with remaining feta. Bake for 15 minutes or until warmed through. Top with tomato and parsley.

Thermomix instructions.

2. Process onion and garlic 5 seconds speed 7.  Add oil and cook for 3 minutes 100C speed 1.  Add coriander, cumin and mince.  Cook 5 minutes, 100c, speed 1.  Add nuts and salt and pepper and cook another 2 minutes, 100c, speed 1. Continue recipe as above.

[riv_mum]

Ok, so I neglected all housework today and investigated menu planning software. Have downloaded 6 different programs to try and have narrowed it down to 2. Living cookbook and one other i cant remember the name of. Love the idea and the functions however the big problem is that they are all in imperial measurements!! I like the fact that it generates a shopping list for you for the week but its not much good if everything is in pounds and ounces and i have to spend time converting.
Does anyone know of an Australian program or one that has metric measurements?

Hmmm maybe its time to put my computer science degree to work and make one that is TM friendly!

[Wonder]

Hi quirkycooking, are you able to provide the Green chicken cashew curry recipe?  I've had  a look on your blog and wasn't able to see it there either and it sounds like it would be lovely.
Thanks

[brazen20au]

sheree, have you looked at aunt annie's? it's in metric and thermomix friends - and free

[stacelee]

I use big oven and living cookbook depending on which way the wind is blowing at the time.  I have been a mastercook recipe software user for years and was looking for something that could import and export the recipes.  I have ended up using living cookbook most of the time as it can export in mmf format which the app I use on my iphone can import.  My major problem with living cookbook is that it has no link into a website that I can store my recipes online to access remotely.  I have ended up putting them on evernote which is a file store facility (ie. online notebook).  Sounds a bit complicated but if anyone is interested I have loaded the turkish pizza recipe onto a shared note. http://www.evernote.com/pub/staceleebrown/thermomix . 

Reading this....my post is a clear as mud....basically I put my recipes into living cookbook, do my menu up, export the recipes into mmf (mealmaster format) and then import them onto my iphone, and also put a copy on evernote so I can access them anywhere.

One feature I do like of living cookbook is the ability to import from web pages via the clipboard.

[I Love Bimby!]

Yep - Clear as mud    Perhaps I need an iPhone to understand   

Ok - here's a silly question: Do I need an Apple/Mac computer to be compatible with an iPhone or can it "talk" to Windows??