Breaking it down

I have this huge list of resolutions, but it is all doable.  I am starting to break things down. 

Fairly high on the list is meal planning.  I have got a lot better at this over the last six months, it doesn't seem to work well if I write it down (I think I am too contrary) but if I just keep a rough idea of what we are eating over the next few days then I stay quite close to this and it works well.  Meal planning will help to tackle not only the budget but making sure that the house is running as it should.  Knowing what I need to defrost, what I need to prepare, how much time before I need to start cooking will help me keep the family fed with home cooked meals.  And it really will help with the budget, if I keep an eye on what needs using up (curried remoska carrots and parsnips last night to go with the sausages) and so get the most out of my grocery spends and avoid waste. 

There are two big things I need to crack to get the meal planning on track.  The first one is to merely take a stock take of food.  I have been putting that one off for ages, but I can see it becoming more likely.  I am working hard to make sure that I am reaching into the back of the cupboards and using up the tins and packets in the darker corners. 

The second thing I need to deal with is the question of lunch.  I need to make sure I am feeding darling father and me some good food midday.  It is amazing how often darling father will pop out for fish n chips, and I find myself skipping lunch or filling up on things like crisps.  That has to stop.  I need to get the maximum value out of my food pennies, and that includes maximum nutrition.

Another thing I want to work on is using my microwave, remoska and slow cooker more and more, to get the most cookery for my energy penny.  That is lower down the priorities though, as I use them a lot anyway, and it is more important to me to lunch and dine with more nutrition for less pennies. 

Tomorrow I am making a new recipe - bread soup - in the slow cooker.  If it is successful I shall post it.