Shopping lists for my new annual
My new annual Annabel Langbein A Free Range Life: Cheap Thrills is all about delicious, affordable eating and one of the most effective ways to eat well while saving money is to plan what you’re going to eat in advance.
If you have a menu for the week ahead you can check out what you already have in your pantry and make a shopping list of what else you need so you can then budget for how much you’ll be spending – after that it’s just up to you to stick to the list when you go shopping!
If you already know what you’re cooking and you’ve made sure you have what you need to hand you’re also less likely to find yourself turning to expensive processed foods or takeouts, even if things get busy. And if you’re only buying what you need for specific meals you’ll be running your kitchen resourcefully by minimising food wastage too. So meal planning really is a winner when it comes to saving money.
To start you off I’ve provided six weeks worth of meal plans using recipes from the annual. We assume you'll go out or eat leftovers a couple of nights a week, so my meal plans have suggestions for five delicious dinners a week that you can use on whatever nights that work for you.
Feel free to mix up the weeks to suit your plans or suit the appetites you're feeding – some weeks focus on family favourites while other menus bring international flavour. You might prefer to choose your favourite few weeks and repeat them!
Most main dishes serve four, but some serve six or more, leaving leftovers for lunch the next day or another meal another night.
To make life even easier I’ve created shopping lists itemising all the ingredients you'll need to make all the recipes in each of these menus.
Scroll down to see the lists, or click the links below to download printable pdfs to take to the supermarket.
Please note the quantities given are sometimes rounded to allow for easy shopping – for example when 2½ lemons are required the shopping list will call for three lemons.
We assume you'll have a few salad greens and vegetables on hand to round out your meals, and that you'll have a few Storecupboard Basics, such as oils and vinegars, sauces, herbs and spices. Scroll down to see a checklist of Storecupboard Basics or download a printable pdf (2.5MB).
I'd love to hear your feedback about how you use the weekly menus, what you like about them – and anything you don't like too! Please let me know on my Facebook page.
Happy cooking!
Scroll down to view the shopping lists on screen...
or click these links to download printable pdfs...
Storecupboard Basics – Download a printable pdf (63KB)
Week one – Download a printable pdf (133KB)
Week two – Download a printable pdf (136KB)
Week three – Download a printable pdf (133KB)
Week four – Download a printable pdf (131KB)
Week five – Download a printable pdf (135KB)
Week six – Download a printable pdf (113KB)
