Work and Wok

So, I had committed to blogging about my meal planning experience. For the last month or so, I have been browsing the internet for recipes that might be suitable for my needs. Namely :

1. Easy
2. Fast
3. Family will eat
4. Nutritious

Out of 10 recipes that I look at, I reject 9. Most recipes do not meet my criteria above in either 1 or 2 areas. But the ones I find, are keepers. I know there will be a period of trial and error, leftovers and frustrations. So I set my expectations right and make sure I have backup plans aka bread, eggs and milk, to ensure my family is still fed.

Then there is the area of making up a shopping list and doing the grocery shopping. Depending on the week’s schedule, I may be shopping in Fairprice or in a local wet market or a combination of both. I must also make sure that I do not give into temptation to have LOTS of food in the house or because there is a sale. Not easy. Since I am not a clothes, shoes or jewellery kind of girl, I am a grocery shopaholic. My record was a $500 plus grocery bill at checkout. My kids talked about it for days. So there is only 1 rule when I do grocery shopping. Okay, maybe a couple more.

1. Stick to the shopping list.
2. Allow only up to 3 items of buying extra due to sale price.
3. Eat before shopping.

These rules ensure I stick to the game plan. Speaking of which, here was mine for the last week.

Mon
Breakfast – Waffles with Maple Syrup, Milk, Bananas
Lunch – Chicken Teriyaki Bento  serve with sliced Japanese cucumber
Dinner – Lotus Root and Peanut Soup with Prime Ribs, Orange Pork Ribs, Rice, Stir Fry Long Beans with Silver Fish

Tue
Breakfast – Eggs and Sauteed Mushrooms on Toast, Milk, Apples
Lunch – Chicken Congee
Dinner – Pineapple Rice, Fresh Lettuce/Mixed Greens
Wed
Breakfast – Store Bought Bakes, Milk, Oranges
Lunch – Tuna Sandwiches, Chips
Dinner – Stew Pork Belly, Sweet Buns, Fresh Lettuce/Mixed Greens

Thu
Breakfast – Sweet Oatmeal with Almonds, Milk,Blueberries
Lunch – Pasta Bake
Dinner – Chicken Curry, Rice and Baguette, Fried Hairy Marrow with Vermicelli, Watermelon

Fri
Breakfast – Prata with Chicken Curry, Milk, Watermelon
Lunch – Prawn Noodles
Dinner – Baked Salmon with Asparagus

Here’s what I REALLY did. Breakfast was a bust since everyone basically ate whatever they liked that was available. But I did manage to serve fruit a couple of days. Note to self – make sure there is food for breakie and let everyone else choose. This would also work for tea, supper and snack attacks.

Monday – Public Holiday so everyone was at home
Lunch – Curry Chicken
Dinner – Old Cucumber Soup, French Beans fried with Haebihiam, leftover Curry Chicken, Baked Saba Fish

Tuesday – First day of school
Lunch – Teriyaki Chicken Rice, Cucumber slices
Dinner – Fried Pineapple Rice with Toppings

Wednesday
Lunch – Grilled Tuna Fish Sandwich with Chips, Simple Salad
Dinner – Western food at Food court

Thursday
Lunch – Meatball Soup with Rice
Dinner – Pasta Baked

Friday
Lunch – Store-bought Wonton Noodles, Mee Goreng fried by my dad
Dinner – Pork Chops and Buttered Corn for one child due to club meeting, the rest ate at grandparents

Weekly Meal Planning Learning Experiences

1. Frozen saba fish is great to keep as an emergency supply. It is easy to cook in an over with some olive oil and served with some light soy sauce.
2. One-dish meals are easy to cook and serve.
3. The vegetable part of the meal can be serve as small portions of raw vegetables or salads.
4. One must be flexible enough to change things around, swapping meals when schedule changes.
5. There will be leftovers – learn to use them or they will be wasted.
6. One must not be beyond using modern day mixes which are now high in quality.

My total grocery bill this week, which includes non-food items, came to $234.40.

Tags: meal planning