A few months ago after I returned from my trip to visit my friends and family in Zambia I decided to make a change in my life. I got tired of spending almost £30 every week to buy ready meals for the week since I could not be bothered to cook. I now spend about £30 a month of food and since it's just me its a good amount. I buy meats in bulk and buy fresh veggies every week for my salads which I surprisely eat daily to accompany all my foods or by themselves.
My meal planning is pretty simple since it is just me, myself and I. I spend a few minutes every month and decide what meats I want to eat and sometimes what other veggies I want to try out and that's it. I do not have a specific day during the week when I cook loads of food and freeze them, for me it all depends on my mood and level of work plus how much energy I am left with when I return from work.
I have made my meal planning as painless as I possibly can, I cook my favourite delicacies and I cook these in huge amounts to last me a week or two. And I have days where I feel like eating cereal or having my jacket potato with cheese and sauce for me it's really simples.
My favourite all time recipe to pull out is my chilli beef recipe, I can not remember the last time I bought ready cooked chilli or chilli beef con carne or anything along those lines as I really do believe mine tastes much better than the store bought. I will share a few steps but I am not that great at explaining recipes so I hope the pictures will be enough but if not when I do get a chance I will update this post with the recipe details.
Step 1: Add 2 teaspoons of oil to the pan and fry onions until tender then add mince until brown
Step 2: Add tomatoes, spices (and as much chilli as you want) and cook for 3 minutes then add tomato puree and water and cook for 10 minutes
Step 3: Add the beans (this is optional) and cook for 2 minutes
Step 4: Cover and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes
Done
I portion my food out into small lunch boxes and carry one to work. I made a salad to go with this chilli beef
Portion control is very important so I usually use this size ball to measure.
Because I do not want my meals to look dull I always switch it up, I sometimes have the chilli beef with nachos, yoghurt and cheese. It's so delicious you really should try it if not done so already.
