I hate to admit but I hate cooking. I'm still getting the hang of cooking enough. I mean my kids eat like adults so now I need to double meals more because I find I have to still cook daily (VERY annoying) versus once and eating for 2-3 days. So my goal has always been to cook have enough leftovers for another meal. Well now that's not happening and sure the costs suck but it sucks more to cook everyday. We also NEVER have enough for a meal so we have to wait till the end of the week and do a leftover night so that there is enough food for everyone to eat a leftover and finish it! Lunches is scrounged because it's just me unless it's a weekend and we cook or get takeout
18 - leftovers
19 japanese curry
20 leftover japanese curry
21 lunch - leftovers, stuffed bell peppers
22 lunch - salad, family leftovers (eat from week)
23 lunch - hot dogs, dinner - roast pork from chinese market $46.27
24 lunch - leftovers, dinner - out with friends
I'm looking at hello fresh. It looks like it would be cheaper than what we pay. But of course i can't tell. I haven't ever done those meal plans and my friends say it costs $135 for 4 meals for 4 people. But there are leftovers. So the question is how much does a family of 4 doing hello fresh really spend? Obviously there are going to be other costs so it's hard to estimate if these meal planning kits which have supposedly less waste are more economical than shopping. I don't know.
Does anyone else do it? How do you find it? Have you done a price comparison? Do you do it because it's easier and not more cost efficient.
October 24th, 2021 at 07:26 pm 1635103574
October 24th, 2021 at 11:26 pm 1635117963
October 25th, 2021 at 03:15 am 1635131709
Plan to cook three times per week.
Week 1
Day 1, bake 3 chicken breasts for each member of the family. Do this on foil lined baking dishes to make cleanup easier. Should take 45 minutes to an hour at 350.
While the chicken bakes, peel and cook two medium potatoes for each person. Mash half of them. Make the other half into potato salad.
Peel a bag of carrots. Cut half for cooking, cut half into 2-3 inch chunks.
Cut Up celery to mat pig the carrots.
Freeze 1 ‘set’ of chicken breasts.
Meal one is warm chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots. I would add a can of gravy and crescent rolls.
Meal two is cold sliced chicken, potato salad, cut up veggies with salad dressing for dipping. I might add veggies like cucumbers, peppers.
Day 2
Use enough Hamburg to have 1 pound for each person.
Use 1/3 for Hamburg patties.
Brown 2/3 and divide in half. I would include an onion because anything I do with it I would need an onion.
Freeze half of that. Use the rest to make either taco filling, shepherd’s pie, spaghetti sauce, sloppy Joe’s, Hamburg gravy.
What you do for the rest of the meal depends on your choice.
Cook macaroni, make pasta salad to go with the burgers, or use tater tots or fries.
Make a salad - used bagged lettuce to make it easy if you want. I put veggies in pasta salad. I also like lettuce and tomatoes on burgers.
Day 3
Make soup with canned broth, leftover chicken if you have any, and any vegetables that are kicking around. Use rice, noodles, or other pasta. I like to add a can of stewed tomatoes if I’m short on veggies.
Make some form of stew or casserole - beef stew, kielbasa, boiled dinner, tuna fish casserole.
The soup cooks on top of the stove. The stew can cook in the oven or slow Coker of your choice.
This leaves one night for pizza, leftovers, order in, or go out.
Week 2
Day 1
Cook a roast or pork chops or a whole chicken. Bake twice as many potatoes as you need. Cook a vegetable or two like squash, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes. I would use canned gravy but you could make your own.
Refrigerate 1/2 the potatoes.
If you make chili, make it. Otherwise buy a can and some grated cheese because meal 2 is baked potatoes with chili and cheese.
Day 2
Defrost the chicken from week 1 if you don’t have leftover chicken. Cook enough potatoes for 2 meals.
Use store bought pie crust, canned gravy, frozen peas and carrots, 1/2 the potatoes, make chicken pot pie. Serve with salad.
Make a potato salad. Serve with ham and pineapple or cocktail shrimp and a vegetable you like - canned or frozen is fine.
Day 3
You’re making soup again, using whatever meat you have left from the roast, vegetables, and rice/pasta.
Serve ‘breakfast for supper’ - quiche, pancakes and sausage, French toast, waffles, bacon, cut up fruit - you choose
Week 3
Day 1
Cook 2 sets of chicken breasts. Freeze 1.
Cook pasta for chicken Alfredo - check out Knorrs pasta - super easy. Many varieties. Use 1/2 the chicken you didn’t freeze.Serve with salad or veggie of your choice.
With the other 1/2 of the chicken, make a vegetable heavy stir fry. Serve over rice. I like rice a roni, and I reheat it in the microwave.
Day 2
I don’t eat fish, but if you do, this is a good place for a fish meal. If not, you could sub in anything that is easy to grill and serve with French fries/tator tots and a vegetable
Defrost the Hamburg. Use it for tacos, shepherds pie, sloppy Joe’s, whatever, and build the rest of the meal around that.
Day 3
Soup again.
Hot dogs/brats/kielbasa with whatever you like with them.
I think you see the pattern...
You can also save time by getting most vegetable prepped at the beginning of the week, including chopping onions and celery. And by using frozen and canned vegetables and other prepared food..
Good luck!
October 25th, 2021 at 09:17 pm 1635196641
I think that those are great ideas.
October 25th, 2021 at 09:21 pm 1635196884
October 26th, 2021 at 12:22 am 1635207749
As for using delivery services, I have found that dinnerly is the cheapest and has the best looking more normal meals. The portions seem adequate. But if you don't mind paying a lot, freshly has premade meals so all you are doing is heating them. However I didn't think that their portions looked big enough for a man to be happy eating them unless he was quite small and teens definitely would be left hungry.
October 28th, 2021 at 07:37 pm 1635449862
Last night was a small fail, I made chicken korma a new recipe and it was delicious, family loved it. Problem? Recipe was only enough for 1 dinner no leftovers and my DKs asked was there more. Instead i ate a second helping of chili and my DH finished some duck with the kids. Next time? Triple portion so we can have 1 more dinner out of it and maybe a lunch.
I doubled the chili and there wasn't quite enough for 2 dinners but enough for a few lunches for me. Next week I a planning salisbury steak.
I will say that my DK like meatloaf so I'm going to start doubling the recipe since one is dinner. Then I will cook one and make the other the next night. Also on deck is frittata.