Budget menu for the week. Economical menu for a week for a family

19.10.2019

Healthy Savings Money- a useful skill. IN modern conditions food prices are high and expenses often exceed all imaginable standards. Today we have compiled a budget menu for you for the week, following the principles of inexpensive and healthy nutrition. It represents a ready-made option, with the number of products purchased and their approximate cost.

Required Products

Name	Quantity	price, rub.
Potato	1.5 kg.	37,5
Beet	400 gr.	10
Carrot	600 gr.	15
Bulb onions	650 gr.	18,5
Pickled cucumbers	1 jar	83
Sauerkraut	1 package	41
Beans	400 gr.	34
Boiled sausage	200 gr.	35
Chicken egg	5 pieces.	23
Canned green peas	2 cans	48
Mayonnaise	1 package	28
Pork	300 gr.	50
Greenery	70 gr.	52
Butter	1 pack	48
Beef	1 kg.	319
Cabbage	700 gr.	10
Tomatoes	200 gr.	30
Sour cream	100 gr.	25
Garlic	3 pcs.	28
Puff pastry	700 gr.	20
Chicken fillet	350 gr.	31,5
Rice	200 gr.	13
Bulgarian pepper	150 gr.	7,5
Canned corn	1 jar	45
Buckwheat	1 glass	11
Zucchini	200 gr.	5
Sausages	350 gr.	42
Pasta	250 gr.	17
Unaccounted products		~200
Total		1327

Dishes for the week

We know firsthand that preparing half a liter of borscht for one person is not an option, so in the menu we will limit ourselves to listing the dishes, their composition and the amount that will last you for 1 week with a consumption of 2000 kcal per day, which is the average for a person.

Second courses

1. Pasta with sausages and seasonings

Sausages 350 g, dried basil 1 g, pasta 250 g, vegetable oil 2st. l., garlic 1 tooth., onion 1 pc., tomato paste 1.5 tbsp. l. and black pepper

2. Buckwheat with vegetables

buckwheat – 1 cup, granulated sugar – 0.5 tsp, onions – 1 pc., zucchini – 200 g., vegetable oil – 40 ml, carrots – 1 pc., salt – 3 g., tomato sauce– 1 tbsp. l.

3. Rice with vegetables

Rice 200 grams, vegetable oil - 10 g, onion - 1 piece, bell pepper - 1 piece, canned peas - 1 jar, carrots 1 piece, canned corn - 1 jar

4. Dumplings with minced chicken and greens

Unleavened dough - 700 grams, red pepper - 2 grams, greens - 30 grams, potatoes - 70 grams, flour - 30 grams, onions - 100 grams, salt - 2 grams, black pepper - 2 grams, chicken fillet- 350 grams,

Soups

1. Borscht with beef

Beef 500 g, sugar - 5 grams, carrots - 1 pc, white cabbage - 200 grams, onions - 1 pc, beets - 2 pcs, tomato paste - 2 tbsp, vinegar - 1 tbsp, greens - 10 gr.

2. Cabbage soup from fresh cabbage

Meat - 500 g, garlic - 2 pcs., cabbage - 500 g., onions - 1 pc., tomatoes - 2 pcs., vegetable oil - 2 tbsp. spoons, potatoes - 2 pcs., greens - 20 grams, bay leaves - 2 pcs., sour cream - 100 g., carrots - 1 pc., pepper - 3 grams.

3. Potato soup

Pork - 300 g, black pepper - 4 pcs., onion - 100 g, coriander - 1/4 tsp, allspice - 3 pcs., bay leaf - 3 pcs., potatoes - 550 g. , paprika - 1/4 tsp, herbs - 10 grams, butter - 20 g, vegetable oil - 1 tbsp.

Salads

1. Olivier classic

Potatoes – 4 pcs., pickled cucumbers – 3 pcs., boiled sausage – 200 g., chicken eggs – 5 pcs., carrots – 2 pcs. green pea canned - 1 jar, mayonnaise - 2 tbsp. l;

2. Vinaigrette with beans

Potatoes - 2 pcs., salt - 2 grams, beets - 1 pcs., carrots - 2 pcs., onions - 1 pcs., pickled cucumbers - 2 pcs., sauerkraut - 100 g., beans - 400 g., sunflower oil - 2 tbsp.

Budget menu for a week for a family

The menu is designed for a family of 2 people. If you need to calculate a menu for 3 people, simply multiply the number of products by 1.5. It should be understood that it is difficult to include any delicacies in a budget menu: fruits, sweets, and so on, so we will form only the body of the diet, with a calorie content of 1900 kcal for men and 1500 for women. The consumption of all other products will be at your discretion.

Monday

Breakfast

pasta with beef stew - 400 grams;

Dinner

bow pasta - 500 grams;
borscht from fresh cabbage and potatoes - 500 g;

Dinner

rice with chicken - 500 grams.

Total: 3356 kcal.

Tuesday

Breakfast

cottage cheese 1.8% - 200 grams;
Rice milk porridge - 600 gr.

Dinner

lean cabbage soup - 500 grams;
Olivier salad with chicken - 500 gr.

Dinner

Bigus with pork – 600 g.

Total: 3467 kcal.

Wednesday

Breakfast

fried eggs - 500 gr.

Dinner

potato soup with mushrooms - 500 grams;
vegetable salad with mayonnaise - 500 gr.

Dinner

fried potatoes - 500 grams;
chicken cutlets with mushrooms - 300 g.

Total: 3460 kcal.

Thursday

Breakfast

omelette with ham - 500 gr.

Dinner

ear - 600 grams;
Navy pasta - 300 g.

Dinner

stewed potatoes with beef - 500 gr.

Total: 3495 kcal.

Friday

Breakfast

buckwheat with mushrooms and onions - 400 gr.

Dinner

mushroom soup with noodles - 600 grams;
pasta with sausages and spices - 400 g.

Dinner

stewed cabbage with potatoes - 400 gr.

Total: 3366 kcal.

Saturday

Breakfast

As you can see, there are no special things, but some people will ask where sour cream sauces are on the budget menu, and you will only have to eat empty pasta one day. Let’s answer very simply - the cost of such a diet is 2576 rubles! For one person it is only 1288 rubles per week.

The question arises: why so little? The whole catch is that you most likely came to this page not to lose weight (which is what our site is actually about), which means you really have no idea how you can eat quality food and, most importantly, inexpensively. Most of the money goes to “goodies”: sweets, alcohol, lemonade, chocolates and other semi-finished products. Eating natural products is several times cheaper and this diet can be made into a restaurant diet, adding a couple of thousand to the costs.

At the same time, we invite you to take a look at the remaining sections of the site, where good dietary rations are collected, which are even cheaper than those presented.

Also, a responsible housewife will definitely have a balanced menu. Remember that you need to take natural and healthy products, high in vitamins, micro and macro elements. Don’t forget about variety so that the dishes don’t get boring and are always a joy.

Is it possible to save on groceries when your family is large? Of course, if you approach the matter of cooking responsibly and seriously. In particular, it is imperative to plan in advance what will be prepared during the week and buy all products in one place, once a week.

What is important to consider when choosing meals for the week for the family:
1. Breakfast must be light, but at the same time satisfying. Complex carbohydrates are excellent for the first meal, which means a variety of cereals.
2. Lunch is considered the heaviest meal of the day; at this time you need to consume the maximum calories.
3. Dinner should be hearty, but at the same time light.
4. You should definitely eat soup or a vegetable dish once a day.
5. For an adult, the daily amount of calories should not exceed 2000 kcal.
6. In addition to vegetables, every day with food you need to saturate your body with proteins and, of course, complex carbohydrates.
7. To make it easier to diversify your meals from day to day, do not repeat side dishes often and when preparing dishes, avoid repeating any one product.

Advice! You need to eat according to the season. So, in the summer, you definitely need to include a vegetable first course in your diet and different variants fresh salad.

Weekly menu for a family of 4 with recipes and grocery list

Monday

An excellent option for breakfast would be with grated cheese. For lunch you can serve borscht, and for the second course stewed cabbage with ribs, salad with fresh carrots. Dinner is pancakes with meat or cottage cheese filling. Charlotte with apples will be a wonderful dessert dish.

Tuesday

For breakfast, prepare rice porridge with milk and pumpkin. For lunch, you can again serve borscht, which will be left over from Monday, and as a second course, serve noodles with chicken, Olivier. Dinner is this, and for dessert you can eat some ice cream with nuts.

Wednesday

For breakfast, feel free to serve cottage cheese with sour cream, fresh berries or jam. For lunch, prepare a salad of tomatoes and cucumbers, as well as baked potatoes with meat. Make it for dinner fish cutlets steamed with buckwheat, dessert - sweet bagels.

Thursday

Oatmeal pudding will decorate any breakfast; lunch includes pumpkin, cabbage rolls with meat and beet salad. For dinner, boil potatoes in their jackets and serve them with herring. Dessert will be cheesecakes with sour cream and jam.

Friday

Cheese casserole is a great breakfast dish. For lunch, prepare soup, make zrazy with liver, and vinaigrette salad. Dinner is pancakes with any filling, and a delicious and healthy dessert will be a dessert made from apples and pumpkin.

Saturday

Made with yogurt, this is an excellent breakfast. You can make soup for lunch, bake fish with sauce, or steam broccoli. Dinner is mashed potatoes and baked chicken breast, and raspberry jelly will be a light dessert.

Nutrition important article expenses of the family budget and a kind of test for the housewife how economical and skillful she is. After all, in order to save on food and at the same time feed your family fully, you must agree, you need skill.

You and I already know how to eat sparingly.

I have written about this more than once on the blog.

You need to create a menu for the week, monitor leftover food in the refrigerator, and stock up for the winter.

We make the biggest and most unnecessary waste during spontaneous visits to shops, markets and supermarkets. To avoid them you need to follow certain rules.

Two rules for thrifty housewives

1. The rule for buying food is to buy what you need, and not what they want to sell us.

We make a list of products and buy strictly according to the list

We monitor nearby supermarkets on the Internet for ongoing promotions on products that interest us.

We don’t fall for any “temptations” such as “buy two for the price of three and get the third for free”

Let's go grocery shopping, having thoroughly refreshed ourselves at home.

We choose slowly, compare prices and check the expiration date

We make the main purchases once a week, according to the prepared menu, and during the week we buy only bread and dairy products.

We do not buy semi-finished products.

2.To eat economically, you need to cook yourself, creating a menu.

Since wasting money on food is directly proportional to the number of visits to supermarkets and markets, we can reduce it to a minimum

To do this, we’ll choose a time (preferably right after payday), draw up a menu for the month and purchase all the basic products once.

Menu for the month

This is, of course, not a very easy job. Need to:

Make a list of products and make purchases

Prepare semi-finished products yourself

Divide into portions and freeze what is to be frozen.

Calculation of the number of dishes per month

Let's count:

One week is 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 7 dinners.

Therefore, in a month we get 28 breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

Ideally, breakfast consists of a salad, a main course and a drink, lunch - a salad, a main course, a second course and a drink, and dinner - a salad, a main course and a drink.

In addition, we usually prepare desserts or sweet pastries for tea, coffee,

If you cook every time fresh dish, then per month you need to prepare - ATTENTION YOU-DEN... - 84 salads, 84 main courses and 28 first courses!!!

But don't be alarmed. Everyone knows that in practice this is not the case; each family has its own preferences. For some, a hearty breakfast is important, while others have breakfast after drinking coffee and a sandwich. Many families only dine together on weekends. Therefore, one way or another, your own menu for the month should correspond to your habits and preferences.

Besides:

We prepare the first dish for two to three days. We get 28:3 = 9-10 (first courses), and if no one dines at home during the week, even less (only four on weekends)

The second dish, if it is “substantial”, for example, such as pilaf, cabbage rolls, roast or dishes that require side dishes (cutlets, chops, meatballs) - we also prepare for 2-3 days. Therefore 84:2 = 42 (second courses). Again with dinners at home (without lunches there are 5 * 4 = 20 dishes less, 42-20 = 22)

Side dishes: if it is porridge, cook for two days.

Salads: The situation with them is a little different - salad is different from salad. “Olivier”, “Lakomiy”, salads with chicken or meat do not lose their taste qualities within 24 hours, that is, if you prepared such a salad in the evening, then the next day in the morning or evening it is still very edible. These are full meals “two in one” and a salad and a main course.

Simple or seasonal salads (cucumbers and tomatoes in summer, radishes in spring, radishes, beets, cabbage and sauerkraut - all year round), are prepared quickly and do not require any special wisdom. They must always be fresh.

Baking: if there are children in the family, you cannot do without it. Firstly, children need snacks for school, and it is much better to give your child yogurt and a cupcake or pie prepared by you personally than to risk his stomach by buying the same thing in the store.

This was a prelude to the main work. Having reasoned in this way, we take in our hands a list of economical dishes (if you don’t have one, make one, I insist - it will make your life much easier), select the appropriate ones and write down those that we will cook.

Before creating a menu, check all your “bins” in the refrigerator (freezer), cabinets, and pantry. Control your “strategic reserves”; use what you have and don’t buy too much.

Prepare semi-finished products

If we buy food for a month, some of it needs to be quickly processed into semi-finished products. It is cooked and frozen semi-finished products that will allow you to no longer spend money on groceries next month and will reduce the time for preparing dishes.

If you want to save money and eat meat, you need to spend it sparingly. From the same piece of meat, you can fry chops and eat them at one time, or you can grind it into minced meat to make cutlets, cabbage rolls, or make dumplings.

Homemade liver is very profitable. It is easy to prepare, inexpensive and, as needed, you can use it for pies, pancakes, dumplings or navy-style pasta.

Therefore, if you want to save money, listen to my tips and your own “voice of reason,” include dishes using minced meat or liver in your menu for the month.

You can also make stock of broths for first courses. Boil the chicken or meat (boil the meat for broths for two weeks, and freeze it fresh for another 2 weeks). Boil rich broths, 5-6 liters in a large saucepan, and divide the finished broth into 5 servings and freeze. As needed, take one portion, defrost and add required amount water. Do the same with the next portion of preparations for the first courses when these run out.

Use meat cooked in broth for salads, casseroles, or, like liver, for filling dumplings, pies, and pancakes.

The semi-finished products you have prepared are also good because if they are not used, they will be perfectly preserved until the next month (the main thing is not to forget about them)

We choose, write it down on a sign, and next to it we note what we will need to buy.

Menu dishes for the month and their composition

First meal

Second courses

Salads, desserts, baked goods

If you, following my example, filled out such a plate, then it will not be difficult to count the number of products and write a list with which you will go grocery shopping. You can buy everything at once, except for dairy, bread and some vegetables and fruits.

Or you can shop once a week or every two weeks.

Don't forget to check what you have available at home. For example, you prepared jam, pickled cucumbers and greens for the winter, and buckwheat, semolina and cocoa were purchased recently and are enough for the planned number of dishes. We will not include them in our list. And so on for all positions.

Our task is to optimize food costs. Now thanks to the fact that we have compiled a menu for the month with full list products - it's easy. If the amount received is too large, we change one or more dishes to more economical ones.

Well, then we go shopping and, at our own discretion: we buy everything at once, leaving a small amount for the purchase of bread, dairy products and fruits, or we write a menu for the week and buy groceries for the week plus, partially, for semi-finished products.

In any case, you will benefit - either money for food has been set aside, or food has been purchased for the month. And the question that some careless housewives ask, “The money has run out, what should I cook?” will not arise.

Creating a menu and purchasing food for a week or month will protect you from such problems and help you save on food.

Then you have come to the right place. 🙂 We have prepared a menu for a week for a family of 4 (four adults or two adults + two teenagers with a good appetite).

In this article: menu for the week, ready-made and proven recipes, shopping list for the whole week.

When compiling the menu, we took into account:

usefulness- it should give strength and energy for a busy working day,
balance-contain various useful substances: microelements and vitamins,
diversity- dishes should not become boring and replace each other regularly.

Breakfast Semolina with raisins

Dinner Goulash soup

Afternoon snack Ratatouille with rice

Dinner Potato zrazy with mushrooms + Salad with arugula and radishes

Breakfast Semolina porridge with raisins

Dinner Pea soup

Afternoon snack Ratatouille with rice

Dinner Liver stewed in sour cream + pasta + Fresh cabbage salad with garlic dressing

Breakfast

Dinner Pea soup

Afternoon snack Potato cake

Dinner Liver stewed in sour cream + pasta + Fresh cabbage salad with garlic dressing

Breakfast Curd casserole with vermicelli

Dinner Chicken kharcho

Afternoon snack Potato cake

Dinner Cauliflower cutlets + rice + Lettuce salad

Breakfast

Dinner Chicken kharcho

Afternoon snack Pancakes with apple sauce

Dinner Cauliflower cutlets + rice + Lettuce salad

Breakfast Oatmeal cinnamon cereal

Dinner Fish solyanka

Afternoon snack Pancakes with apple sauce

Dinner Potato and minced meat casserole + Cucumber and mint salad

Breakfast Egg croutons

Dinner Fish solyanka

Afternoon snack Chocolate cake with walnuts

Dinner Potato and minced meat casserole + Cucumber and mint salad

If you are more accustomed to a lighter diet, pay attention to the article “Healthy nutrition menu for the week.”

If your priority is financial issue, then you will be more interested " Economy menu for the whole week for $25."

(excluding snacks):

Vegetables, fruits, greens

Potatoes - 3.5 kg
Eggplant - 2 pcs.
Zucchini -2 pcs.
Carrots -0.5 kg
Onion -0.5 kg
bell pepper-1 kg.
Garlic -5 heads
Dill - 4 bunches
Parsley - 1 bunch
Arugula -2 large bunches
Green onions- 2 feathers
Cilantro -1 bunch
Mint - 3 sprigs
Lettuce leaves - 800 gr
Tomatoes - 700 gr
Cherry tomatoes - 2 cups
Cabbage - 1 1/2 heads
Radish -0.5 kg.
Lemon -1/2 pcs.
Fresh cucumbers - 1.6 kg.
Pickled cucumbers -5-8 pcs.
Apples - 600 grams
Mushrooms - 400 gr. (champignons or oyster mushrooms)
Head of cauliflower - 1 medium size
Sauerkraut - 750 g

Nuts, seeds, dried fruits

Pine nuts -40 gr.
Walnuts - 300 gr.
Raisins - 70 gr

Meat, fish, eggs

Fish fillet or head, belly, fins, bones (for hodgepodge) - 700-800 gr.
Beef - 500-800 gr. You can take a shoulder blade, a brisket, top part knuckles, motor-league.
Chicken - 5-6 pieces (3 wings and 2-3 breasts or legs)
Minced pork - 750 g
Liver - 1.3 kg (beef, or pork, or lamb)
Smoked pork belly or bacon - 300 gr
Eggs - 21 pcs.

Dairy

Milk -3.5 l.
Butter - 170 gr.
Hard cheese -750 gr.
Sour cream - 450 gr.
Cottage cheese - 1 kg.
Cream 20% - 400 gr.
Condensed milk -0.5 cans

Groceries, etc.

Sliced loaf - 1 1/4 loaf

Rye bread - 2/3 loaves
Puff pastry - 250 gr.
Semolina - 400 gr.
Sugar - 440 gr.
Small vermicelli - 130 gr
Pasta - 800 gr.
Tomato paste -120 gr.
Tomato puree - 100 gr.
Sunflower oil– for frying
Olive oil - 130 gr.
Flour -850 gr.
Whole grain wheat flour 400 gr
Baking powder - 2.5 tsp.
Vanilla sugar -1 tbsp. l.
Rice - 1 kg.
Vinegar - 2 tsp.
Pearl barley - 115 gr.
Olives - 100 gr. (about a glass)
Canned capers - 2-3 tbsp.
Olives - 30 pcs.
Cocoa - 2 tbsp.
Chocolate - 100 gr.
Lemon juice -4 tbsp. l.
Mustard - 3 tsp.
Breadcrumbs - for frying
Peas - 460 gr.
Cereals- 300 gr.

Spices and seasonings

Ground paprika - 3 tbsp.
Bay leaf-11 pcs.
Salt and black pepper - to taste
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp.
Nutmeg - to taste
Tkemali sauce - 1/2 cup
Khmeli-suneli - 1.5 tsp
Basil - 1.5 tsp. dried or 1.5 tbsp. fresh
Cilantro - 1.5 tbsp.
Cinnamon - 1 ½ tsp.

Attention: The menu has a number of recipes designed for fewer than 8 servings. When compiling a shopping list, all ingredients were increased so that their quantity was enough to prepare 8 servings (2 meals for 4 people). Accordingly, when preparing such dishes, you only need to take the number of ingredients corresponding to 8 servings; their quantity is already included in the shopping list.

Bon appetit!

Save this article to your bookmarks or your social network, print out (or write down your shopping list) and start putting it into practice by preparing simple and delicious meals.

As prices rise, saving on food is becoming increasingly difficult. Especially if big family. But there is a good option - this is a pre-compiled menu for a week for a family of 4 people with recipes and a grocery list. A pre-compiled list will protect you from purchasing unnecessary goods.

Detailed menu

Monday

Breakfast – toast, oatmeal with raisins, tea.
Lunch – pickle soup, mashed potatoes with boiled beef.
Dinner – potato zrazy with mushrooms, salad.

Rassolnik

Ingredients:

pork ribs – 300 g;
potatoes – 4 pcs.;
onions – 2 pcs.;
carrots – 2 pcs.;
pearl barley – 4 tbsp. l.;
pickled cucumbers – 4 pcs.;
lean oil - for frying;
tomato paste – 2 tbsp. l.;
spices, salt - to taste.

Preparation:

Boil broth on pork ribs.
Peel, cut and fry all vegetables (except cucumbers). Send into broth. Cook over low heat.
After 10 minutes add tomato paste, seasonings and salt.
Next pour out pearl barley. Cook for about 30 minutes
Add pre-peeled and chopped potatoes. After 20 minutes, set aside the pan with the finished soup.

Potato zrazy with mushrooms

Ingredients:

potatoes – 1 kg;
mushrooms – 300 g;
onions – 2 pcs.;
egg – 2 pcs.;
butter – 60 g;
lean oil - for frying;
flour – breading;
salt, seasonings - at your discretion.

Preparation:

Peel the potatoes, wash them, immerse them in water, boil, add salt and cook until tender.
Cut the mushrooms into cubes.
Peel the onions, chop finely and fry in a small piece of butter until golden.
Add mushrooms, seasonings, salt. Stir and cover with a lid for a couple of minutes. Then remove the lid and simmer until the liquid has completely evaporated over medium heat.
Cool the finished potatoes a little and pass through a meat grinder.
Add the pre-beaten egg and the rest of the butter to the mashed potatoes. Mix well.
Divide the mixture into 8 pieces and form into balls. Mash each one, turning it into a flat cake and place 1 tbsp in the center. l. mushroom filling.
Raise the edges of the cakes and form oval pies.
Roll all the zrazy in flour, fry on both sides in hot vegetable oil until golden brown.

Chinese cabbage salad

Ingredients:

Chinese cabbage – 25 l;
green onions – 4-5 pcs.;
mayonnaise – 2 tbsp. l.;
vinegar - 1 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

Rinse the cabbage, remove large leaves and cut them into 2-3 pieces.
Wash the green onions and finely chop them.
Combine mayonnaise with vinegar.
Add the prepared dressing to the leaves and mix well.
Transfer to a nice plate and garnish with onions.

Tuesday

Breakfast - buckwheat with milk, coffee/tea.
Lunch – noodle soup, carrot salad.
Dinner - .

Interesting! Weekly menu for a family of 2

Vermicelli soup

Ingredients:

chicken meat – 0.5 kg;
onions – 2 pcs.;
carrots – 2 pcs.;
potatoes – 5-6 pcs.;
pasta - at your discretion;
greens - optional;
salt – 1 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

Wash the chicken and cut into medium pieces.
Peel the onions and carrots, immerse them in a pan of water along with the meat, boil, remove the foam, reduce the boiling temperature. Add salt and cook for 30-40 minutes.
When ready, remove all food. Vegetables are no longer needed. Separate the meat from the bones and put it back into the broth.
Peel the potatoes, cut them, place them in boiling broth and cook for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, take fresh carrots and onions, peel, chop finely and fry in vegetable oil. When ready, add to soup.
Add pasta, cook for about 8-10 minutes. At the end you can add a little chopped herbs.

Carrot salad

Ingredients:

carrots – 400 g;
cheese – 150 g;
garlic – 3-4 cloves;
greens – 30 g;
sour cream – 80 g;
salt - to taste.

Preparation:

Grate the peeled carrots on a coarse grater.
Grate the cheese on it and add to the carrots.
Finely chop the garlic and add to the processed ingredients.
Season with sour cream, salt and mix thoroughly.

Chicken liver with sour cream and pasta

Ingredients:

liver – 300 g;
pasta - at your discretion;
onion (large) – 1 pc.;
sour cream – 4 tbsp. l.;
lean oil - for frying;
salt, seasonings - to taste.

Preparation:

Rinse the liver several times, chop coarsely, roll in flour.
Peel the onion, finely chop and throw into a hot frying pan with vegetable oil.
After 2 minutes, add the liver, fry until golden brown, then lower the heat, add salt and simmer covered for 5-7 minutes.
Separately cook the pasta. Drain the water.
When ready, combine the liver with pasta and serve.

Wednesday

Breakfast - hot sandwiches with cheese and sausage.
Lunch – noodle soup, bean puree, cabbage salad.
Dinner – potato casserole with minced meat.

Cabbage salad

Ingredients:

white cabbage – 400 g;
carrots – 2 pcs.;
onion (large) – 1 pc.;
greens - a bunch;
vegetable oil - dressing;
salt - to taste.

Preparation:

Wash all vegetables thoroughly, peel and cut into strips.
Combine in one plate, add salt, add butter and serve.

This is the simplest salad recipe, which is on the menu for the week, for big family of 4 people fits in perfectly. The food list, which includes the ingredients for this dish, is at the end of the article.

Potato casserole with minced meat

Ingredients:

minced meat – 0.5 kg;
potatoes – 1 kg;
eggs – 3 pcs.;
onion (medium) – 1 pc.;
flour – 3-4 tbsp. l.;
hard cheese – 120 g;
lean oil - for frying;
pepper, salt - at your discretion.

Preparation:

Wash the potatoes, peel them, cut them in half, pour boiling water over them and cook until done.
Peel the onion, chop finely and fry in oil until golden brown.
Add minced meat, stir and fry for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Ready hot potatoes mash well.
Wait until it cools down, add eggs and flour. Mix.
Place the finished products on a baking sheet in layers, adding cheese between them. The sequence is as follows: potatoes, minced meat, potatoes, sour cream.
Place the baking tray with the contents in the oven at 180 degrees until done. As soon as a crust forms on the surface, you can remove it.

Syrniki

Ingredients:

cottage cheese – 450 g;
eggs – 2 pcs.;
flour – 7 tbsp. l.;
sugar – 5 tbsp. l.;
vegetable oil - for frying.

Preparation:

Place the cottage cheese in a deep bowl, mash, add eggs and sugar. Mix everything until smooth.
Add 4 tbsp. l. pre-sifted flour and continue stirring.
Place the mixture on a board sprinkled with flour and form a “sausage”. Cut into equal pieces, dip each in flour, press down a little. To make flat cakes.
Place in a heated frying pan with oil, fry on both sides until golden brown.

Pea soup

Ingredients:

beef – 0.5 kg;
peas - 1 tbsp.;
potatoes – 5-6 pcs.;
onion – 1 pc.;
carrots – 1 pc.;
garlic – 2-3 cloves;
greens - a bunch;
vegetable oil - for frying;
salt – 1 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

Pour the peas into a deep bowl, pour boiling water over them and leave for an hour.
Pour water into a saucepan and boil. Add washed meat, salt, cook for about an hour.
Wash the potatoes, peel and cut into cubes.
Finely chop the peeled onion. Pass the carrots through a medium grater, and turn the garlic into crumbs.
Add carrots, onions and garlic to a heated frying pan with oil. Fry at low temperature, stir occasionally.
Remove the meat and cool. Instead, put the peas in the pan and cook for about half an hour. After the appointed time, throw in the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes.
Finely chop the beef and add it to the soup with fried vegetables. At the end, add chopped herbs and set aside after 5 minutes.

Chicken fillet baked with potatoes

Ingredients:

chicken fillet – 1 kg;
onions – 3 pcs.;
potatoes – 1 kg;
cheese – 150 g;
tomatoes (fresh) – 3-4 pcs.;
mayonnaise - dressing;
seasonings, salt - to taste.

Preparation:

Prepare everything except cheese and tomatoes separately.
Cut the fillet into thin slices, beat, rub with salt and pepper and fry in oil.
Boil the peeled potatoes whole, being careful not to overcook them. Cut it into rings.
Turn the onions into rings, soak them in vinegar for a while, then fry them.
Use a sharp knife to turn the tomatoes into circles, being careful not to crush them.
Place on a baking sheet in layers, first meat, then onions, potatoes, tomatoes and cheese. Cover all layers with mayonnaise.
Place in an oven preheated to 200 degrees and cook for about 30 minutes.

Friday

Breakfast – oatmeal with dried fruits and honey, tea/coffee.
Lunch – pea soup.
Dinner - .

Baked fish with cheese and vegetables

Ingredients:

cod fillet – 1 kg;
onions – 2 pcs.;
carrots – 2 pcs.;
bell pepper – 1 pc.;
tomato – 2 pcs.;
greens, cheese - decoration;
cheese (for filling) – 120 g;
sour cream – 2 tbsp. l.;
soy sauce– 1 tbsp. l.;
egg – 1 pc.;
coriander, cumin - at your discretion;
ground black pepper – 2 pinches.

Preparation:

Cut the frozen fillet into 8 equal parts. Treat each one with spices and salt.
Place on a greased baking sheet.
Cut the onion into rings and put 2 pieces each. for every steak.
Place carrots on top, passed through a coarse grater.
Rinse the pepper, peel the inside and cut into strips. Place on carrots.
Next, add tomatoes in circles.
Add soy sauce, sour cream to beaten eggs, ground pepper and grated cheese. Mix everything thoroughly.
Pour the prepared sauce over each steak.
Place in preheated oven. Bake until a delicious crust forms.

Saturday

Breakfast – pancakes with apples, black tea.
Lunch – vegetarian pilaf.
Dinner - stewed chicken, bean salad.

Pancakes with apples

Ingredients:

ready-made pancakes – 8 pcs.;
apples – 4 pcs.;
sugar – 200 g.

Preparation

Pancakes should be cooked with milk.
Peel the washed apples and grate them on a coarse grater.
Place in a saucepan, add sugar, a little water and simmer until the fruit is soft.
Unfold the pancakes, put 1 tbsp in each. l. fillings, wrap in tubes.

Vegetarian pilaf

Ingredients:

round rice – 500 g;
onions – 2-3 pcs.;
carrots – 2 pcs.;
butter (melted) – 3-4 tbsp. l.;
mustard seeds – 2 tsp;
salt – 2 tsp.

Preparation:

Grate the carrots and onions on a coarse grater or cut into strips.
Heat oil on the stove in a thick-bottomed pan and fry the mustard seeds. As soon as they start to crackle, add vegetables and fry for 10 minutes.
Stir gently and pour in 800 ml of water. As soon as it boils, cover with a lid and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

When serving, you can garnish with fresh herbs.

Bean salad

Ingredients:

red beans (canned) – 1 can;
Korean carrots – 200 g;
sausage (boiled) – 150 g;
white crackers - 2 handfuls;
mayonnaise - dressing;
greens - a bunch.

Preparation:

Cut the sausage into strips and combine with carrots.
Place the beans in a colander to drain excess liquid, add to products.
Add mayonnaise and finely chopped greens.
Cut the loaf into cubes, fry without oil, cool and add to the salad before serving.

Sunday

Breakfast – oatmeal with walnuts, yogurt.
Lunch – vegetarian pilaf.
Dinner – vinaigrette, fish cutlets.

The vinaigrette

Ingredients:

beets – 2 pcs.;
carrots – 2 pcs.;
potatoes – 5-6 pcs.;
pickled cucumbers – 3 pcs.;
onion (large) – 1 pc.;
greens - a bunch;
unrefined oil - dressing.
salt – 1-2 pinches.

Preparation:

Boil all vegetables except onions and cucumbers in their skins, remove the peel.
Cut each ingredient into small cubes. Combine everything in one container.
Add herbs and oil, mix well. Place on a beautiful dish.

Fish cutlets

Ingredients:

fish fillet – 1 kg;
onions – 2 pcs.;
egg – 1 pc.;
bun – 100 g;
semolina – 3 tbsp. l.;
butter – 30 g;
ground pepper – 2 pinches;
salt – 2 tsp.

Preparation:

Soak the bread in water.
Pass the fillet, onion and soaked bread through a meat grinder.
Add melted butter, egg, pepper and salt to the minced fish. Mix and beat well.
Divide the mixture into pieces and form into cutlets. Roll each one in semolina.
Place the cutlets in a heated frying pan with oil, fry on both sides, pour in 2 tbsp. l. water, cover with a lid and turn down the heat. After a minute, remove the lid and fry until done.

Below is a list of all the necessary foods that can feed a family of 4 all week. The main thing is to strictly follow the written menu and recipes.

List of necessary products for the week:

Bread.
Coffee.
Vegetable oil.
Unrefined oil.
Butter.
Soy sauce.
Dried fruits.
Walnuts.
Pearl barley.
Buckwheat grain.
Semolina.
Oat groats.
The rice is round.
Beans.
Canned beans – 1 can.
Pancakes.
Peas.
Sugar.
Salt.
Flour.
Raisin.
Seasonings.
Pasta.
Milk.
Mayonnaise.
Yogurts.
Vinegar.
Sour cream.
Cottage cheese – 600 g.
Korean carrots – 200 g.
Pork ribs – 300 g.
Beef – 1.2 kg.
Chicken meat – 2.5 kg.
Chicken liver – 300 g.
Minced meat – 500 g.
Cod fillet – 3 kg.
Sausage.
Cheese – 750 g.
Tomato paste – 1 pack.
Pickled cucumbers – 1 jar.
Potatoes – 8 kg;
Onion – 2.5 kg.
Carrots – 3 kg.
Mushrooms.
Eggs.
Beijing cabbage – 1 pc.
White cabbage – 1 pc.
Garlic.
Tomatoes – 1 kg.
Greenery.
Apples.
Beet.
Bulgarian pepper.

Having previously compiled a menu with recipes for the whole week for a large family of 4 people, you can follow the list to buy everything you need and save a certain amount of money. Here are the most simple products, from which it is easy to prepare tasty and satisfying dishes.

Planning a menu for a week for a family with recipes is not easy; in addition to the correct purchase of food products, it is necessary to take into account the tastes and characteristics of family members, the family budget and the availability of products in the nearest store, and your own supplies available at home.

If you approach this issue rationally, then the task and its subsequent execution will not cause any special problems or hassle. You need to write on a piece of paper sample menu from 4 to 5 meals, then check your own orders and make a list of necessary purchases. This approach will not only optimize time and expenses, but will also allow you to switch to a healthier diet.

Of course, it is worth considering that some products will have to be purchased within a week, as they may spoil. These are, for example, purchases such as:

Bakery products;
Dairy products with a short shelf life;
Fresh vegetables and fruits, aromatic herbs.

This approach allows you to plan your free evening time, because thanks to the available products, you can defrost and marinate meat or chicken, make minced meat, or even prepare dinner for the next day. In this article we only consider dinners with recipes, since breakfast does not cause much trouble, and we usually have lunch at work.

In addition, in the evening, when you are tired after a busy day at work, you do not need to buy groceries in a hurry, thereby avoiding thoughtless purchases that consume a sufficient part of the funds allocated for food. Well, having any product at hand, there is no need to rack your brains and study recipes, because you already know what you will prepare. Although there may be deviations from the menu, it is not necessary to strictly follow the list of dishes.

In order for this principle to take root in your family, you need to learn how to properly create a menu; for example, you can start with 2-3 days. At the same time, you should definitely take into account the seasonality of fruits and vegetables, and, if possible, try to prepare several new ones, with increased complexity, for variety in the diet. Those dishes that you like are added to the list, from which a plan for the week is drawn up. For convenience, they can be written out at large leaf, by category, and when drawing up a plan, simply choose what you want to cook and eat.

It is worth considering:

Features of your family, health of relatives and financial wealth.
Stock up on the products you have in your cupboards. Conduct a thorough audit, see what should be included in the menu.
Separately, make a list of dishes and products for entertaining guests, but keep in mind that guests may drop by unexpectedly, so think over Plan B.
Pay attention to promotions and all kinds of sales in supermarkets. This will allow you to save a lot and add new dishes to your diet. It is worth taking into account price fluctuations for seasonal vegetables and fruits.

Every person’s diet must include the following products:

Meat, fish and poultry, seafood;
Dairy and lactic acid products;
Vegetable oils, chicken and quail eggs:
Fresh vegetables, seasonal fruits, spicy and aromatic herbs;
Cereals for breakfast and side dishes for meat dishes;
Sweets in the form of marshmallows and marmalade, tea and coffee, cocoa for them;
A variety of spices, because with them each product begins to sound original and new;
Bakery products, confectionery products;
A small supply of canned goods for salads and other dishes;
And many other products tailored to your nutrition.

You can write out the menu on regular A4 sheets, or you can print them and put them in a folder with transparent files. Moreover, on one side of the sheet there will be, for example, a menu, and on the other a list of the main products for preparing dishes this week. By compiling a couple of dozen such sheets, you can vary your diet throughout the year.

An electronic menu option is no less convenient; in addition to dishes and purchases, you can also store recipes for their preparation. Well, after compiling the list, give it to the family for approval, and try to compile it in this way - within a week it is necessary that there are 2-3 favorite dishes of each family member. This way, a smooth compromise can be reached.

So, let's start creating a menu, and consider a new dish every evening with a list of ingredients and preparation. As mentioned above, the article will give examples of first courses, but, as a rule, many of us do not dine at home. Let's look at an approximate menu for a week for a family with dinner recipes.

A good option would be to prepare first courses by boiling meat, fish or vegetable broth in a large saucepan 2-3 times a week. Then in the evening all that remains is to prepare the vegetable base and cook fresh soup, literally one serving for each family member. The broth can also be used throughout the week to prepare main courses for dinner.

Stuffed peppers in the oven

Ingredients:

Bell pepper – 5 pcs.
Onion head
4 stalks of celery
Round rice – 100 gr.
Hard cheese – 125 gr.
Champignon mushrooms – 200g.
Salt and spices, fresh herbs, a little vegetable oil.

Preparation:

First of all, let's put the rice to cook and boil it until almost done.
While the rice is cooking, fry the chopped onions and mushrooms, add chopped celery stalks to the mix.
Wash the pepper, cut it in half without cutting off the stem, and remove the seeds.
Discard the almost finished rice and add it to the vegetables. Season with spices and salt.
Fill the pepper boats with the mixture, sprinkle with grated cheese mixed with herbs and freshly ground pepper and bake in the oven until done. Serve with any vegetable salad.

Evening tip! Cook a little more rice, it will be needed for tomorrow's lunch.

Pumpkin and carrot puree

Ingredients:

Potatoes – 600 gr.;
Fresh carrots – 1 pc.;
Pumpkin – 200 gr.;
Milk – 200 ml;
Butter – 75 gr.;
A little salt and pepper to taste;
2 sprigs of green onions.

Preparation:

Peel the vegetables and cut them into small pieces. The pumpkin for this recipe can be frozen.
Place the vegetables in a saucepan, add water and add a little salt.
A few minutes before the vegetables are ready, heat the milk with a piece of butter.
Mash the vegetables in a saucepan, drain the broth first, add milk and butter and whisk with a whisk. Add some salt to taste and serve, garnishing the tender and bright puree with chopped green onions.

Evening tip! We set a portion of fresh meat broth to cook from a rather fatty brisket.

Roast chicken

Ingredients:

Potatoes – 3 pcs. per person;
Chicken – weighing up to 2 kg;
3 cloves of garlic;
2 onions;
2 medium carrots;
A little oil;
Salt and freshly ground pepper, spices, a little herbs.

Preparation:

Cut the chicken into portions and place on a greased baking sheet. Add garlic, cut into several pieces, and onions.
Peel the potatoes and carrots, cut into small pieces and add to the chicken.
Salt and season with spices, add herbs.
Place the pan in the oven for at least 45 minutes, then check the readiness of the meat and vegetables. You can add fresh tomatoes, then the roast will turn out with sauce, but for this use a deeper baking sheet.

Evening tip! Boil 2 root vegetables each - beets, potatoes, carrots.

Spicy vinaigrette with spicy dressing

Ingredients:

Boiled vegetables - from the evening of the previous day;
A can of green peas;
3 salted (not pickled) cucumbers;
100 gr. sauerkraut;
A bunch of greenery;
Head of red onion;
2 teaspoons mustard;
57 gr. olive oil;
Juice of half a lime.

Preparation:

Cut the boiled vegetables into pea-sized cubes, focusing on the grains from the can of canned product.
Pickled cucumbers and sauerkraut are also finely chopped. The smaller the cubes, the tastier dish, and the salad looks more appetizing.
Season boiled vegetables and pickles with peas with a dressing of mustard, oil and citrus juice.
Before serving, sprinkle the vinaigrette with fresh herbs, serve with fish and fresh black bread.

Evening tip! Cook mushroom broth from fresh or canned champignons with the addition of a small amount of dry porcini mushrooms.

Spicy coleslaw

Ingredients:

Fresh red cabbage – 400 gr.;
Shallots – 3 pcs.;
A bunch of fresh herbs;
Spoon of mustard with grains;
A little salt and black pepper
100 gr. mayonnaise;

Preparation:

Chop the cabbage - you can use a food processor, a grater, or simply chop the vegetable into thin and long strips.
Mix mustard with chopped herbs and mayonnaise, season the sauce with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Chop the onion and scald. The straw should be thin and long.
Mix cabbage with onions and season with sauce. Serve with potato casserole.

Evening tip! Relax, tomorrow is the weekend!

On weekends, you can prepare your favorite dishes that take a lot of time, bake homemade pies or pies, make small preparations for cutlets or meatballs, cut meat and fish into portioned pieces.

It’s difficult to talk about feeding a family on weekends; of course, you can plan meal preparation for these days, for example, we still have mushroom broth. A little onion, garlic, white wine and fresh mushrooms, a glass of Basmati rice, 20 minutes of continuous stirring and you will have a great risotto.

Today, the economic situation in most of society has its own characteristic features:

the possibility of buying a home, mainly with a mortgage (which many people use);
the great needs of each person and the ability to satisfy them due to the diverse supply of the market, but since not many earn enough, the credit system has spread.

Therefore, most people may experience financial difficulties. Then it becomes necessary to tighten the belt. In such cases, one of the lifelines is an economical menu. It will help you save money and at the same time eat tasty, satisfying and even healthy.

Let's look at one menu as an example, and then talk about general recommendations for economical nutrition.

Below is a menu for the week indicating the serving size and its calorie content per person.

Weekly grocery list

1. Pork (1 kg) 350 rubles

2. Minced beef (1 kg) 280 rubles3. Chicken soup set (200 gr.) 60 rubles4. Beef liver(400 gr.) 75 rubles5. Rice (1 package) 60 rubles6. Oatmeal (1 package) 35 rubles7. Buckwheat (1 package) 70 rubles8. Millet (1 package) 48 rubles9. Semolina (1 package) 30 rubles10. Pasta (1 package) 53 rubles11. Vermicelli (1 package) 30 rubles12. Eggs (10 pcs.) 60 rubles13. Sprats (1 package) 90 rubles14. Potatoes (2 kg) 40 rubles15. Cucumbers (2 fresh 3 salted) 70 rubles16. Bell pepper (1 pc.) 30 rubles17. Fresh tomatoes (3 medium pieces) 140 rubles18. Beets (2 medium) 10 rubles19. Carrots (4 medium) 20 rubles20. Apples (2 pcs.) 50 rubles21. Bananas (2 pcs.) 20 rubles22. Pears (2 pcs.) 30 rubles23. Cookies (2 packs) 60 rubles24. Bread (2 rolls) 60 rubles25. Milk (1 package) 120 rubles26. Cottage cheese (1 package) 170 rubles27. Sour cream (1 jar) 80 rubles28. Low-fat kefir (1 bottle) 70 rubles29. Ryazhenka (1 package) 70 rubles30. Butter (1 package) 120 rubles

The total cost of products on this list is 2401 rubles. It is designed to prepare food according to the above menu for a family of two adults.

And in our other article you can see a list of products for only 1000 rubles for a whole week, also for a family of 4 people

Before you go to the store, you need to make a clear list of products needed to prepare dishes from the menu. There is no need to buy anything extra.

It is worth buying products in places where prices are really lower. The most profitable way is to go to the market (you can bargain) or a wholesale center. Promotions in stores are a great help. You must always keep an eye on them.

You need to go to the store for shopping purposefully, and not when you have to. And in order to avoid wasting money, you must be well-fed at this time.

Most people's main dishes are meat dishes, which are expensive. To save money, you can buy offal - liver, hearts, stomachs. In addition to the low price, they are well cooked have wonderful taste.

It is necessary to completely exclude food from the diet instant cooking, hamburgers, sushi, carbonated drinks. It is very expensive and unhealthy. You should also avoid going to cafes and restaurants (only on very special occasions can you afford such a luxury).

One piece of meat can be used to prepare two dishes. For example, boil a whole chicken or a bone with meat (it’s better to cook for a long time over low heat - this way the meat will be soft and very tasty). Use the broth to make soup. And clean the meat from the bones. Add some of it to the soup, the rest can be stewed with vegetables or made into goulash.

In order not to cause indignation among household members during the week, it is necessary to cook their favorite dishes or food with their preferred ingredient at least once. For example, make stew with potatoes for your husband on Monday, and bake fish with rice as a side dish for your son on Thursday.

For picky families, you can cook for several days at once. If you cook large saucepan soup, it can last for three days. This will save a lot of money on groceries and time for the housewife.

Many people love to buy juice in cardboard boxes and bottles, which is a very big waste of money. In addition, they contain many preservatives and dyes, which is why they are harmful to health. It will be useful and less expensive to cook compotes and fruit drinks yourself.

It should be taken into account that for breakfast you need to eat easily digestible dishes, for example, porridge. The highest calorie meal is lunch. Dinner should be between breakfast and lunch in terms of calorie content. It is advisable to eat more often, but in small portions. Therefore, the menu includes snacks - second breakfasts and dinners.

Eating tasty and healthy doesn’t mean it’s expensive! Eat healthy and be happy!

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As we know, you can’t catch a fish from a pond without difficulty. The same rule applies when creating a menu. You'll have to pore over this simple task for an hour.

There is some good news:

The time spent on creating a menu will be returned to you with interest within a week.
This will save you a lot of nerves. After all, you won’t have to rush to the store on the way home, you won’t have to strain your already tired brain with the question “What should I cook today?”
At the end of the month, you'll probably be surprised to find that you've spent less money on food.
Your home-cooked food will become more varied and, most likely, tastier.
It will be easier to eat a truly balanced diet, rather than torturing your body with endless food from cans or eating borscht cooked on Monday all week.

I admit that there will be even more advantages. It all depends on the current state of things.

I’ll make a reservation right away: This article will talk about creating a dinner menu when (I hope) your whole family gathers around the table. , as a rule, everyone is different. Some people don’t even have time to have breakfast at home, and the vast majority have lunch outside.

To create a complete menu for the week, choose 1 hour of free time. For example, on Sunday, or even better on Saturday (to have time to buy all the groceries on Sunday). In the future, you will spend much less time on this activity.

Do not throw away the menus you have compiled, but carefully put them in a folder. Then they can be alternated again.

After a couple of months, you can safely return to the previous menu options.

To create a menu you will need:

A4 sheet of paper.
A pen or, better yet, a pencil.
Your favorite cookbooks (I, for example, love) or culinary magazines, a selection of clippings with recipes and the like.
Your family's plan for the coming week (if you don't remember it).

Use a tablet or computer to search for recipes. You'll only waste time.

Firstly, even very interesting articles It’s difficult to read online without being distracted by reminders, pop-ups, etc. And I’m generally silent about searching for recipes...

Secondly, recipes from the Internet are difficult to find later in your already impressive list of bookmarks.

Thirdly, you will get confused by the variety of recipes and in the end, as we often do, when the choice is too large, you will not choose anything at all.

If you have a favorite blogger whose recipes you like, and you have long wanted to try them, then I advise you to save them the old-fashioned way - print them on paper. You will not be distracted by the Internet once again, and also, if the recipes turned out to be successful, you will be able to put them in the folder of your favorite dishes. For example, I also have one. There I collect copies of recipes that I tried at a party, and there, on the spot, I received a photocopy.

If you liked a recipe from a culinary magazine, carefully cut it out and file it in a folder, and throw away the magazine or give it away. This way you will avoid piles of unnecessary paper around the house and will be able to easily find the recipe when you need it.

How to take into account the circumstances of your life in your menu

I recommend doing at least one day a week, two chicken, two fish, one meat and leaving one day free (more on that below for why free). It’s even better to increase the number of vegetarian and fish days by reducing chicken and meat days.

If you know in advance that you have a restaurant on Fridays, then remember this and create a menu for only six days.

If your children go to clubs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, then I recommend taking this into account. On such days, it is better to leave time for the children, saving it on cooking. So feel free to plan your Monday and Wednesday meals in large portions that will last you two days.

On days when you arrive late (for example, you have courses or training), plan the lightest meals: salads, vegetarian hot dishes, fish.

One of important conditions success: do not choose complex dishes for weekdays and Sundays that take a lot of time and effort. If you wish, include something more complex in the menu for Friday or Saturday (or when you have free days on schedule).

Even if you love to cook, like me, you will still get tired of hanging around in the kitchen endlessly, especially after a long day at work. And why? In the world great amount very tasty and healthy recipes, which are easy to implement.

Personally, I have a rule: a maximum of 30-45 minutes to prepare a full dinner. Exceptions are dishes that are cooked in the oven. There you cleaned everything, cut it, put it in the oven and went about your business. I select recipes (if they are not my invention) precisely according to these criteria - tasty, simple and fast. That is why give preference to dishes that are cooked in the oven.

Leave one day a week... empty. Even if you don’t have to go to a restaurant or visit, you will definitely be at home. My experience confirms: no matter how you plan, there will always be food left over. Therefore, in my family we have introduced a “leftovers day”, which we spend on Sunday (or the last day before the next purchase of products for the new menu). On such a day, I use my imagination or look through cookbooks, replacing the missing ingredients with similar ones. Sometimes the results are simply masterpieces, the recipes of which I post on my blog along with the weekly menu for the whole family.

Before you sit down at the table and start making a list, I advise you to look in the refrigerator. What do you have lying around that needs urgent consumption? These products should form the basis of your menu.

For example, if you have a head of cabbage lying there, then include Cole Slaw salad or cabbage soup in the menu (or both, if there is a lot of cabbage). If there is chicken there, then come up with dishes with it.

If a mouse hangs itself in the refrigerator, then congratulations! It will be much easier for you to create a menu, and you will be able to fit whatever your heart desires (from food) into it.

Let's go to the menu itself

Write a plan on a piece of paper. For example:

Monday: .
Tuesday: vegetarian (for two days).
Wednesday: leftovers.
Thursday: cabbage soup with meat.
Friday: restaurant.
Saturday: chicken.
Sunday: “fantasy from leftovers.”

Browse through your selection of recipes. If you are looking for chicken dishes, use the index at the back of the cookbook. Very often you come across excellent options when you realize that in 1-2 recipes you can use all the products left over from this week, simply by buying, for example, rice and parsley with garlic. Such recipes are ideal for thrifty housewives and owners.

Immediately start writing down the dishes you like next to the days of the week on your sheet. Indicate the name of the dish, the title of the book and the page number with the recipe. If in the process you catch your eye the best option, then correct what you wrote. I advise you not to get carried away here. Once you have a plan for all the days on a piece of paper, call it a day. Bookmark your favorite recipes and use them for next week when the time comes.

Usually you just have to start. Over time, you will get everything done much faster.

Dishes from the weekly menu can be varied at your discretion and adjusted to suit your changing plans. So, if you don’t want fish on Monday, freeze it and cook chicken. And on Saturday then eat fish.

It is better to remove the food from the freezer the evening of the previous day and put it in the refrigerator, well packed. This way they can avoid losing their useful properties. Please note that they defrost much faster than meat and chicken. You can get them in the morning before going to work.

And one more thing: it is not at all necessary to make a list on a weekend and start planning on Monday.

For example, I shop on Tuesday, when there are not so many people in the stores. That's why my planning also starts on Tuesday - with fresh food.

As you can see, there are many options for creating a menu for the week. This activity gives you freedom of action, and the menu can and should be adjusted to suit your needs and the needs of your family.

Good health to you!