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

Monday

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

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:

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

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:

1. Peel the potatoes, wash them, immerse them in water, boil, add salt and cook until tender.
2. Cut the mushrooms into cubes.
3. Peel the onions, chop finely and fry on small piece butter until golden.
4. 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.
5. Cool the finished potatoes a little and pass through a meat grinder.
6. Add the pre-beaten egg and the rest of the butter to the mashed potatoes. Mix well.
7. 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.
8. Raise the edges of the cakes and form oval pies.
9. Roll all the zrazy in flour, fry on both sides over a hot vegetable oil until golden brown.

Ingredients:

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

Preparation:

1. Rinse and remove cabbage large leaves and cut them into 2-3 pieces.
2. Wash the green onions and finely chop them.
3. Combine mayonnaise with vinegar.
4. Add the prepared dressing to the leaves and mix well.
5. Move to beautiful plate and garnish with onions.

Tuesday

1. Breakfast - buckwheat with milk, coffee/tea.
2. Lunch – noodle soup, carrot salad.
3. Dinner - chicken liver with sour cream and pasta.

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:

1. Wash the chicken and cut into medium pieces.
2. 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.
3. When ready, remove all food. Vegetables are no longer needed. Separate the meat from the bones and put it back into the broth.
4. Peel the potatoes, cut them, place them in boiling broth and cook for 20 minutes.
5. In the meantime, take fresh carrots and onion, peel, finely chop and fry in vegetable oil. When ready, add to soup.
6. Add pasta, cook for about 8-10 minutes. At the end you can add a little chopped herbs.

Ingredients:

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

Preparation:

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

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:

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

Wednesday

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

Ingredients:

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

Preparation:

1. Wash all vegetables thoroughly, peel and cut into strips.
2. 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:

1. Wash the potatoes, peel them, cut them in half, pour boiling water over them and cook until done.
2. Peel the onion, chop finely and fry in oil until golden brown.
3. Add minced meat, stir and fry for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. Ready hot potatoes mash well.
5. Wait until it cools down, add eggs and flour. Mix.
6. 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.
7. 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.

Thursday

1. Breakfast - cheesecakes with sour cream, yoghurt.
2. Lunch – pea soup,
3. Dinner - chicken fillet, baked with potatoes.

Ingredients:

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

Preparation:

1. Place the cottage cheese in a deep bowl, mash, add eggs and sugar. Mix everything until smooth.
2. Add 4 tbsp. l. pre-sifted flour and continue stirring.
3. 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.
4. Place in a heated frying pan with oil, fry on both sides until golden brown.

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:

1. Pour the peas into a deep bowl, pour boiling water over them and leave for an hour.
2. Pour water into a saucepan and boil. Add washed meat, salt, cook for about an hour.
3. Wash the potatoes, peel and cut into cubes.
4. Finely chop the peeled onion. Pass the carrots through a medium grater, and turn the garlic into crumbs.
5. Add carrots, onions and garlic to a heated frying pan with oil. Fry at low temperature, stir occasionally.
6. 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.
7. 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.

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:

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

Friday

1. Breakfast – oatmeal with dried fruits and honey, tea/coffee.
2. Lunch – pea soup.
3. 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:

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

Saturday

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

Ingredients:

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

Preparation

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

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:

1. Grate the carrots and onions on a coarse grater or cut into strips.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Ingredients:

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

Preparation:

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

Sunday

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

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:

1. Boil all vegetables except onions and cucumbers in their skins, remove the peel.
2. Cut each ingredient small cube. Combine everything in one container.
3. 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:

1. Soak the bread in water.
2. Pass the fillet, onion and soaked bread through a meat grinder.
3. IN minced fish add melted butter, egg, pepper and salt. Mix and beat well.
4. Divide the mixture into pieces and form into cutlets. Roll each one in semolina.
5. 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.

Grocery list

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

List necessary products for a week:

1. Bread.
2. Coffee.
3. Vegetable oil.
4. Unrefined oil.
5. Butter.
6. Soy sauce.
7. Dried fruits.
8. Walnuts.
9. Pearl barley.
10. Buckwheat grain.
11. Semolina.
12. Oat groats.
13. The rice is round.
14. Beans.
15. Canned beans – 1 can.
16. Pancakes.
17. Peas.
18. Sugar.
19. Salt.
20. Flour.
21. Raisin.
22. Seasonings.
23. Pasta.
24. Milk.
25. Mayonnaise.
26. Yogurts.
27. Vinegar.
28. Sour cream.
29. Cottage cheese – 600 g.
30. Korean carrots – 200 g.
31. Pork ribs – 300 g.
32. Beef – 1.2 kg.
33. Chicken meat – 2.5 kg.
34. Chicken liver – 300 g.
35. Minced meat – 500 g.
36. Cod fillet – 3 kg.
37. Sausage.
38. Cheese – 750 g.
39. Tomato paste – 1 pack.
40. Pickled cucumbers – 1 jar.
41. Potatoes – 8 kg;
42. Onion – 2.5 kg.
43. Carrots – 3 kg.
44. Mushrooms.
45. Eggs.
46. Beijing cabbage – 1 pc.
47. White cabbage – 1 pc.
48. Garlic.
49. Tomatoes – 1 kg.
50. Greenery.
51. Apples.
52. Beet.
53. 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.

You will need to take a piece of paper and write down the composition of each dish from the menu that will be given in this material or that you decide to include in your diet yourself. All products are included in the shopping list - this is the first step towards running a rational household. With such a list, you can save not only money, but also time, and also plan a varied diet even with little finances.

Weekly menu planning basics

In addition to the fact that using a grocery list you can buy everything you need in advance, it becomes possible to prepare something in advance. This frees up a certain amount of time for the housewife, but there is always food in the refrigerator.

The financial benefits of a rational approach to farming need to be discussed separately. There will be no more spoiled food in the refrigerator, purchases are not made in a hurry, which means that no spontaneous desires will arise. Each product placed in the basket from the list is needed and is purchased for specific purposes for the coming week.

Eat balanced and healthy

Another important advantage of why it is necessary to create a menu for a week for a family (with recipes) economy and a list of products is a contribution to balanced diet families. Within a week, you can feed your pets both meat and fish and include them in your diet. more vegetables, diversify side dishes, moderate the amount of baked goods.

Basic principles of diet planning:

• Products are purchased for a week;
• You will have to cook several times during the week strictly according to the list of prepared dishes;
• Take into account the family’s dietary needs when creating a menu;
• Before going to the store, check what is already available on the shelves or in the refrigerator at home;
• Take into account the tastes of family members so that everyone likes the menu;
• Pay attention to promotions and sales in stores;
• Buy more seasonal products;
• Refuse semi-finished products;
• Prepare everything at home yourself (sausages, dried meat, pasties and other options for semi-finished products can be quickly and tasty prepared at home);

Interesting! Thanks to development modern technology Housewives can not just write down the menu on a piece of paper, but use special programs on the computer or applications on mobile phones for this. Computerization of the process will make menu creation even faster and more interesting.

Bread with liver sausage and cocktail gherkins on a plate — Image by © Paul Anton/zefa/Corbis

Weekly menu for a family with economy recipes (with photos)

Monday:

• Breakfast. Croutons from white bread with grated cheese and garlic (seasoned with mayonnaise or sour cream);
• Dinner. Red beet borscht, vegetable salad. Eg, ;
• Dinner: Pancakes with meat filling;
• Dessert: apple pie;

Tuesday:

• Breakfast. Any type of porridge with milk;
• Dinner. B, chicken with side dishes of cereals or vegetables, Olivier salad;
• Dinner. Julienne with mushrooms and cheese;
• Dessert. You can simply serve ice cream with nuts or jam;

Wednesday:

• Breakfast. Cottage cheese with sour cream, berries or fruits.
• Dinner. , tomato and cucumber salad, baked potatoes with meat;
• Dinner: Delicious, buckwheat;
• Dessert. Bagels made from ready-made puff pastry with sugar;

Thursday:

• Breakfast. Oatmeal pudding;
• Dinner. Cheese soup, cabbage rolls with meat, beet and cabbage salad.
• Dinner. Potatoes boiled in their jackets and herring.
• Dessert. Cheesecakes with jam or condensed milk.

Friday:

• Breakfast. Omelette;
• Dinner. Pea soup, stewed liver, vinaigrette salad with different types vegetables;
• Dinner. Pancakes with with different fillings: meat, cheese, vegetable.
• Dessert. You can bake apples with honey and raisins.

The Motherhood portal offers one of possible options economical menu for 10 days. This topic is not for those who eat lobster, but for those who want to save a lot while using in their diet foods that contain the vitamins and minerals necessary for the body.

The menu is designed for a family of two adults and two children. It assumes that children and parents eat milk porridge in the morning and are not big “meat eaters.”

Day 1. Monday

Breakfast: millet milk porridge, black tea (loose leaf), homemade cakes left over from Sunday. Result – 85 rub.
Dinner: fresh cabbage soup (prepared for 2 days), mashed potatoes, black bread, homemade cutlets - 4 pcs., homemade canned cucumbers and tomatoes, mustard from mustard powder, berry juice. Result – 225 rub.
Dinner: salad of boiled grated beets with garlic and sour cream, black bread, apple tea with mint. The result is 75 rubles.
Total per day: 385 rubles.

Day 2. Tuesday

Breakfast: dairy-free oatmeal with grated apple, sandwich with butter, black tea, jam. 65 rub.
Dinner: cabbage soup (second day), navy-style pasta with a piece of minced meat (the size of a cutlet), black bread, apple tea. 100 rub.
Dinner: cottage cheese with milk or sour cream, jam or frozen berries with sugar. 165 rub.
Total: 330 rubles.

Day 3. Wednesday

Breakfast: omelette, black tea, sandwich with butter. 43 rub.
Dinner: noodle soup, cabbage solyanka, black bread. 127 rub.
Dinner: pollock in milk sauce with onions and carrots, grated carrots with sour cream, black bread, vitamin drink from rosehip. 250 rub.
Total: 420 rubles.

Day 4. Thursday

Breakfast: buckwheat porridge with milk, sugar, cookies, tea with lemon. 100 rub.
Dinner: pickle with pearl barley(see chicken soup sets), boiled rice with fried onions, fried chicken(4 pieces), black bread, 4 bananas, compote. 260 rub.
Dinner: potato and zucchini pancakes with sour cream or vegetable lecho, tomato juice, kefir for the night. 140 rub.
Total: 500 rubles.

Day 5. Friday

Breakfast: dairy semolina, tea with lemon and sugar. 50 rub.
Dinner: rassolnik (second day), buckwheat with cutlet, canned vegetables, black bread, apple tea, tangerines (4 pcs). 250 rub.
Dinner: fried zucchini with onions and herbs, black bread, kefir for the night. 130 rub.
Total: 430 rubles.

Day 6. Saturday

Breakfast: cottage cheese with milk, tea with lemon. 165 rub.
Dinner: pea soup with water, pilaf (for 3 times), black bread, homemade cakes (for 3 times), apples, berry juice. 420 rub.
Dinner: vegetable gratin (casserole), apple tea with homemade cakes. 95 rub.
Total: 680 rubles (including preparing portions for several days).

Day 7. Sunday

Breakfast: dairy-free oatmeal with grated apple or jam, tea, pastries (from Saturday). 30 rub.
Dinner: pea soup(second day), pilaf (second day), black bread, rosehip drink. 35 rub.
Dinner: omelette with cauliflower, rosehip drink. 125 rub.
Total: 190 rubles.

Day 8. Monday

Breakfast: rice milk porridge, tea, sandwich with butter. 80 rub.
Dinner: pea soup (third day), pasta with eggs (2 pcs.), 2 sliced ​​fried sausages, bananas (4 pcs.), apple tea. 120 rub.
Dinner: pancakes with cabbage (plus cooking cabbage for the next day), apple tea. 160 rub.
Total: 440 rubles.

Day 9. Tuesday

Breakfast: millet porridge (for 2 times), tea with cookies. 180 rub.
Dinner: rice soup, solyanka with minced meat, black bread, berry juice. 130 rub.
Dinner: jacket potatoes with homemade pickles, rosehip drink, jam. 55 rub.
Total: 365 rubles.

Day 10. Wednesday

Breakfast: millet milk porridge (second day), tea with a sandwich. 30 rub.
Dinner: rice soup, mashed potatoes, herring, black bread, compote. 150 rub.
Dinner: radish salad with carrots and sour cream, stewed chicken (4 pieces, use the broth for further preparation of the soup). 170 rub.
Total: 350 rubles.

Costs for 10 days according to the proposed menu are about 4,000 rubles, that is, about 12 thousand rubles per month.

note that complex and time-consuming dishes to prepare prepared in our menu on weekends or the night before: soups, broth, long-cooking porridges, homemade cookies and other baked goods. Mid-week and weekend mornings - quick-to-prepare meals. By the end of the work week, we be sure to include fruits, proteins, and higher-calorie foods in our diet, since the body is already starting to get tired and needs “recharge.”

List of products for 10 days on our menu:

milk - 8-10 liters,
cottage cheese 1.5 kg,
sour cream - 800-1000 g,
kefir – 2 l,
lemon – 1 piece,
bananas - 1-3 kg,
apples – 3 kg,
tangerines, oranges - 1.5-2 kg,
flour – 2 kg,
sugar 1-1.5 kg,
vanilla sugar - 3 sachets,
yeast -100 gr.,
eggs – 30 pcs,
semolina – 1 package,
rice - 2 packs,
pasta – 2 packs,
vermicelli - 1 package,
millet porridge - 1 pack,
buckwheat - 1 package,
pearl barley - 0.5 packs,
peas - 0.5 packs,
chicken (cutlets, soup sets, for frying) - 3 pieces,
pork - 1.5 kg (cutlets, minced meat, pilaf),
pollock - 1.5 kg,
herring – 1 piece,
cookies (biscuits, “Maria”, crackers) - 1.5 kg,
radish (or daikon) – 2 pcs.
carrots – 2 kg,
onion – 3 kg,
rose hips (from the pharmacy) - 2 packs,
potatoes - 7-8 kg,
cabbage - 3 heads,
cauliflower- 1 head of cabbage,
zucchini – 3 pieces (large)
little creamy - 1-2 packs,
vegetable oil – 1 l,
black bread - 5 pieces (? per day),
loaf – 7 pieces (sometimes tea with cookies and homemade cakes),
tea - 25-40 bags or 50-100g loose leaf.

Saving effort

In our menu, similar products are used repeatedly. At the same time, the family’s money and the housewife’s energy are saved. For example, by boiling a little more rice, we can make it into a filling for pancakes or pies, freeze them until next time, or take them with us to work and school.

Weekends are built on the principle of preparing homemade baked goods and partly food for the beginning of the working week. Each housewife can adjust this idea to suit her busy schedule; perhaps someone prefers to bake in the evening, and leaves the weekend for relaxation or other family concerns.

Saving on meat products

If children in your family do not eat sausages and chicken, then you should reduce their quantity in the menu by adding rabbit meat, children's canned meat, pork/beef tongue, heart. The broth from preparing these dishes can be used as a base for common soup(it is not recommended to use boiled tongue broth).

About cooking economical cutlets and getting "free" soup sets.

An economical “meat” dish would be meat sauce or gravy. It can be cooked thick with flour, sweet, spicy, etc., but the main point of saving is that we put a piece of minced meat the size of a cutlet or fried sausage/sausage in a decent amount of sauce. Serve it with cereals and pasta.

Mushrooms, dried, canned or frozen in season are an excellent alternative meat dishes. We make soups from them, season them with vegetable oil and garlic - they are very tasty with mashed potatoes, we use them as a filling for pizza, pies and pancakes, various rolls, soups and sauces.

Save on fish dishes You can by buying inexpensive varieties and enhancing the taste with various gravies and sauces. The simplest one is with onions, carrots, spicy seasoning and milk or sour cream. Salt frozen fish (herring, mackerel, red fish) yourself. Fish cutlets make more than just portioned pieces(we add a loaf of bread and other ingredients). In addition, the cutlets can be frozen for later use.

Mixing principle- the basis for saving on food. So, to prepare pilaf, you can use a small piece of meat or chicken breast, cutting it finely. You need to put 2 large carrots and 2 onions in it, then the pilaf will be richer, with less meat used. If you boil 4 sausages for four people, you will get a small portion, but if you take even 2 pieces, cut them, fry them with onions and mix them with rice, buckwheat, pasta, pearl barley, cabbage, you will get quite the result. rich dish. Remember about the property of mixing: you can always save on expensive products using more garnish.

Eating out

Eating out makes us spend significant amounts of money every day, so if you want to save money, it’s worth switching to “brakes” and “stuff”. Recently, in some schools it has even become fashionable to take food from home in a thermos. This practice is common in schools in many countries.

By the way, a thermos can be a gift for any holiday - it is a useful acquisition. It is wise to purchase a thermos with a wide universal neck, with a volume of 1-1.5 liters. Here you can pour not only liquid food, but also a side dish with a cutlet, milk porridge, or vegetable stew. The cost of such universal thermoses starts from 750 rubles.

Adults who have the ability to heat food in microwave oven at work, you can limit yourself to purchasing a special food container.

Embargo on products

As you can see, there are no chocolate candies, cheese, carbonated drinks, sausages, store-bought cutlets and much more. One meat portion is allocated per person: cutlet, sausage, sausage or a small piece of meat, chicken. It's economical, but probably won't be enough for every family.

However, in order to save money, it is worth reviewing your grocery basket and making a list of “prohibited” purchases for you.

Other economical dishes

Taste of childhood
Remember well forgotten dishes from childhood - buckwheat with sugar, pasta with sugar and grated cheese, other “dishes” kindergarten"? For the most part, they are simple and economical, and are officially approved for baby food.

A piece of black bread sprinkled with vegetable oil and salt is very cheap. Or a piece of white bread sprinkled with sugar. Did you eat these “sandwiches” as a child?

Let's remember other cheap dishes that can be included in the family diet.

Soups:
oxalic,
pumpkin,
fish soup(from the remains of fish when cutting into cutlets),
you can cook soup using water from dumplings,
soup with fried sausage or sausages plus vegetables/cereals.

When preparing soup, you can freeze some of the resulting broth or leave it in the refrigerator for a couple of days. From the first part, cook the main soup for several days, from the frozen part - quick soup with vegetables or noodles for one day. This way you can save your time in the middle of the week.

Economy salads:
Olivier “simple” (2 sausages or small sausage, 3 small potatoes, pickle, boiled carrots, green or onion, 3-4 eggs, salt, pepper, sour cream or mayonnaise dressing, optional - green pea),
vinaigrette with vegetable oil,
salad from canned fish(when there is boiled rice left, add a can of saury in oil, onion, pickled cucumber, eggs, seasoning and dressing-mayonnaise or sour cream),
vegetables, carrots, beets.

Snacks:
For light snacks we use budget fruits and vegetables: apples, bananas, a piece of pumpkin or turnip, carrots.

As various “spreads” on bread you can use: lard rolled with garlic and seasonings; appetizer of two processed cheese, eggs and garlic; forshmak, homemade pate from liver, etc.

Seasonal preparations
Even if you live in the city, don’t have your own garden, and have never been involved in “harvesting” - now is the time to think about an action plan for the upcoming summer season.

In preparation economical dishes We actively use autumn frost. During the season, you can buy village vegetables at very reasonable prices.

Freeze in portions:

• 10-12 bell peppers (wash, remove the core, cut into small strips or cubes) - they will be used for cooking fresh salads, vegetable soups and stew, as a seasoning for gravy and meat sauces;
• greens: onion, dill, parsley, sorrel, garlic arrows etc.
• mushrooms,
• berries.

In the fall, you can independently pick the fruits of hawthorn, rose hips, chokeberry, various berries and drinks based on them in winter vitamin tea. Rose hips can be purchased at the pharmacy. It is brewed in a thermos and poured with boiling water several times (one serving for 2-3 times).

Country apples, carrots, zucchini, pumpkins in urban conditions can be stored on the balcony, covered with old warm things - a blanket, outerwear. During winter frosts, we bring them home (as a rule, this is only a couple of days), then we take them out onto the balcony again.

Homemade preserves are a great way to save housewives money and time: jam, canned cucumbers and tomatoes, sauerkraut, bell pepper, mushrooms, preparations for soups, squash caviar, eggplant, cherry and apple compote, jams, various salads in the form of snacks or a full dinner option, adjika, homemade horseradish and various lecho, ketchups, tomato pastes and juices.

Bread, milk
You can save on your purchase bakery products. To do this you need to know approximate consumption of bread. We put unused bread in an omelet with croutons, make croutons, and use it for cutlets and casseroles. We buy biscuits or cookies, alternating them with morning sandwiches - it’s more varied, and sometimes you just don’t have to buy bread. On weekends we do homemade cakes, it is much cheaper than purchased.

When preparing milk porridge, it can be slightly diluted with water: na? or 1/3. This also leads to saving resources.

Second life of products
Consider “zero waste” cooking. There are also significant savings in this. For example, you can make an omelet for the morning or evening with the remaining portion of pasta or vegetable stew, buckwheat. Leftover pasta, cottage cheese, and porridge can be used for casseroles. From the leftover kefir and sour cream you can make “thick” pancakes and other baked goods - loaves, buns, pizza dough, muffins, etc.

Saving means looking for previously unused reserves and opportunities!

Photo - photobank Lori

Many women have long been familiar with planning the diet of their household. This event is not easy, because it is necessary to take into account many nuances: the tastes of each family member, income and range of products. However, drawing up a menu for a week for the family helps in solving many problems: the diet loses monotony, the housewife gets rid of daily stress, and the whole family is happy!

Why do we need a menu for the week?

With the right approach, planning your family’s diet for a week is not difficult. It is necessary to write down the composition of daily meals on a piece of paper. After this, the necessary products that should be included in the purchase list are assessed. This approach is considered the main one for rational management household. It provides a lot of advantages, including saving time, money, and the ability to change your diet healthy eating.

Save time

• eggs;
• bird;
• meat;
• dairy, dairy products;
• seafood, fish;
• cereals;
• greens, vegetables;
• spices;
• berries and fruits;
• vegetable oils;
• apple marmalade, marshmallows or dried fruits, if you want something sweet;
• whole grain or yeast-free rye bread.

Selecting a convenient menu form

The weekly family menu form can be printed, electronic, or hand-written. Through trial and error, you will independently understand what is more convenient for you. Make it easy to create a menu for your family using special programs, which save effort and time. You can create a universal template on your computer, filling it out every week at your discretion. The most convenient form is the one that combines the menu with the ingredients for each recipe.

Sample menu and recipes for the week for the whole family

Below we provide an approximate menu for the week for the whole family, as well as. This may go against your culinary preferences and habits. But having a template in front of you, it’s easy to make changes to it in your own way.

Monday:

• Breakfast – buckwheat porridge.
• Lunch – chicken soup with noodles.
• Afternoon snack – salad of dried apricots and carrots.
• Dinner – vegetable salad, chicken liver stewed in sour cream, noodles.

• Breakfast – scrambled eggs with sausages.
• Dinner - beet salad, vermicelli soup.
• Afternoon snack – fruit salad or whole fruits.
• Dinner – vegetable salad, pilaf.

• Breakfast – semolina porridge with raisins.
• Lunch – goulash.
• Afternoon snack – ratatouille with rice.
• Dinner – radish and herb salad, potato zrazy stuffed with mushrooms.

• Breakfast - cottage cheese casserole.
• Lunch – pea soup.
• Afternoon snack – potato flatbread.
• Dinner - fish stew in sour cream, stewed vegetables.

• Breakfast – berry dumplings with sour cream.
• Lunch – salad with mushrooms and chicken, mashed potatoes.
• Afternoon snack – yogurt.
• Dinner – boiled rice, shrimp, green salad.

• Breakfast - omelet.
• Lunch – pea soup with croutons and smoked meats.
• Afternoon snack – apple pancakes.
• Dinner - braised cabbage with minced meat and rice, carrot and garlic salad.

Sunday:

• Breakfast - egg toast.
• Dinner - fish solyanka.
• Afternoon snack - pie.
• Dinner – potato casserole with minced meat, mint-cucumber salad.

To implement the proposed menu for the family for the week, we provide some recipes.

Dried apricot and carrot salad:

• Ingredients: 4 carrots, 2 handfuls of dried apricots, 1 tbsp. l. honey, 2 tbsp. l. lemon juice, 2 tsp. olive oil.
• Preparation: peel the carrots and chop them on a grater, pour them into a salad bowl. Add dried apricots cut into strips. Whisk lemon juice, honey, olive oil. Dressing the salad.
• Pilaf:

• Ingredients: 1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 tbsp. l. spices for pilaf, 1 cup rice, 300 g pork, 3 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, greenery.
• Preparation: wash the rice several times, first in warm water, then in cold water. Pour into a saucepan, add water and cook until tender. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Peel the onions and carrots and chop them. Fry vegetables in oil until soft. Add diced pork. We continue to fry. When the meat is ready, add rice and spices. Stir, cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for about twenty minutes. Turn off the heat, sprinkle with chopped herbs, leave for a few minutes.

Salad with mushrooms and chicken:

• Ingredients: boiled chicken breast, a handful of croutons, lettuce, 10 champignons, 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, 5 tbsp. l. sour cream, salt.
• Preparation: boiled breast cut into small pieces and pour into a salad bowl. Cut the champignons into slices and fry in oil until golden. Tear lettuce leaves into small pieces. Add mushrooms and salad. Season with sour cream, salt to taste and sprinkle with croutons.

In the cold you want warmth and comfort, and also hot tasty food. In the cold season, the body requires food that is higher in calories, fattier, and most importantly, more vitamins. True, fruits and vegetables are not cheap in winter, and therefore our food costs inevitably skyrocket. Let's try to figure out how to eat cheaper in winter and come up with economical menu for a week.

What the body needs in winter: myths and reality

So, it is generally accepted that nature itself destined us to eat more and more densely in the cold. This is partly true: it takes a lot of calories to warm the body, and the body itself, in preparation for the winter, tries to stock up on a layer of fat that will protect us from hypothermia. Does this mean that we need to overeat and, accordingly, buy more food?

If you work as a janitor or lumberjack - of course! In the cold, and even physical labor! But for the average city dweller, jumping into a warm car from a warm apartment and driving again to a warm office, there is no need to follow the call of nature. The energy consumption of an ordinary person who does not physically work increases slightly in winter, so everything eaten in excess of the usual diet will inevitably be deposited on the sides.

To saturate your body with vitamins, you need to eat vegetables and fruits. In winter, fruits and vegetables cost several times more than in summer and autumn. In general, is there any point in buying them?

1. Let's start with the fact that winter cucumbers and tomatoes are simply tasteless. As they once said in advertising, “no taste, no color, no smell.”
2. Secondly, for preservation they are treated with chemicals, otherwise how do they manage not to rot and wither for so long?
3. Thirdly, of course, there are no vitamins there, literally at all. So it’s better to use this money to buy a good vitamin and mineral complex. The only way to preserve at least some benefit in vegetables and fruits is to freeze and preserve them. Works best with fortification sauerkraut, frozen berries, mixed vegetables, homemade juices.
4. Fourthly, it is good for health to follow the principle of seasonality. That is, there is no need to buy those products for which it is not in season. Everything is clear here: tomatoes don’t grow in winter. Potatoes and cabbage too, but they taste great without chemicals, so as long as they are in their natural state, eat to your health.
5. It’s not so simple with the principle of terrain. Adherents of the theory of “genetic” nutrition are convinced that people should consume those foods that grow in their habitat. Well, that is, all kinds of exotic things are not for us. I don’t know how scientifically substantiated this is, but the fact that it is definitely useful for the wallet is an undeniable fact. Although recent studies by Finnish scientists have proven that the beginning of mass production and consumption of dairy products in the country of Suomi gave rise to the incidence of allergies associated with lactase deficiency. It turns out that it is not typical for the Finnish body to feed on milk, so its nature was deprived of the enzymes necessary for this. So, apparently, there is some reasonable grain here.

Rules for economical nutrition for winter

1. Drawing up a food menu for the week ahead, taking into account seasonality. In winter, it is advisable to switch to potatoes, carrots, and cabbage as much as possible. Frozen broccoli and cauliflower are several times cheaper than fresh ones. We forget about cucumbers, tomatoes, and eggplants until summer, but without fanaticism: you can buy them once a week or for a holiday, if your food budget allows.
2. An economical menu for the week should be prepared with maximum use homemade preparations, if any. It's possible that you didn't think about it this summer. But for the future, keep in mind: thrifty housewife Be sure to make preparations during the season and have stocks of “basic” products (flour, cereals, sugar, etc.) in the house.
3. When you have planned an economical menu for the week for your family, make a list of the necessary products. If you did everything right, it won't be very big. You will clearly know what you already have for cooking and what you need to buy. It is better to make purchases no more than once a week; if your planning horizon is 2 weeks or a month, then even less often. During the week it is allowed to admit only perishable food: milk, fresh bread etc.

How to create a family menu for the week

Saving is saving, but food must be of high quality, varied and tasty.

1. The fact that products should be fresh, with a normal shelf life, without GMOs and additives is not discussed. You can't buy health.
2. Don’t forget about the weather outside: in winter it’s not particularly pleasant to eat cold salads. The priority is hot soup, porridge, mashed potatoes.
3. Consider the lifestyle of your household and their needs. It is not enough for a growing child to chew on a carrot; he needs a full protein nutrition. During mental stress, carbohydrates, etc. will not hurt the brain. It is also worth remembering that even kilograms of sauerkraut and lemons will not make up for the winter vitamin deficiency - be sure to buy vitamins for the whole family.
4. Ask for the opinions of all family members. When planning your menu for the week, ask your household in advance what they would like to see on the table in the next 7 days. This does not mean that you need to fulfill all your whims and prepare delicacies, but if you do not take into account the desires of your husband and children, you run the risk of not saving on groceries, but of throwing a lot of food into the trash.
5. Variety is another secret to a tasty, economical menu. If you are cooking different dishes, none of your loved ones will be indignant at the absence of expensive overseas fruits on the table. Collect recipes for delicious and budget dishes for all occasions and for every season.
6. When creating an economical menu for your family for the week, use available products wisely. For example, you can buy chicken, bake it in the oven and eat it in one sitting. Or you can cut the fillet from it and prepare pilaf, and cook broth from the leftovers.

If you take into account all these nuances, you won’t have any problems with how to create a menu for the week for the whole family.

Delicious menu for the week: a sample list of “winter” dishes

Let's move on to the practical part. There can be as many options for dishes as you like, because we all have different traditions, tastes, range of products and wallet size. One more nuance: many families categorically do not accept heated food. The desire to eat only a dish fresh from the heat is quite understandable, but it is difficult to fulfill if a woman works and does not stand at the stove all day. In addition, with this approach it is hardly possible to talk about significant savings: cooking at once is unproductive for both time and financial reasons.
Therefore, I offer an example winter menu for a week (if you don’t like it, suggest yours):

1. Soup for 2 days: borscht, chicken soup, cabbage soup with sauerkraut, pea soup.
2. For the main course: cutlets, chicken pilaf, fried or baked fish, lazy cabbage rolls, .
3. Side dishes: boiled buckwheat, rice, mashed potatoes, pasta (your choice of side dish for cutlets and fish, on other days you either don’t cook it or eat what’s left). If you prefer salad as a side dish, then you can neglect them.
4. Breakfast: oatmeal with fruit, pancakes, scrambled eggs, wheat-pumpkin porridge.
5. Salads: cabbage with carrots and homemade mayonnaise, vinaigrette, fish with egg and rice, sauerkraut with butter.
6. Delicious: cottage cheese and carrot casserole, yogurt with fruit ( homemade), pumpkin cheesecake, cabbage pie, .
7. To be on the safe side: boiled potatoes with herring, boiled eggs, omelette, muesli, frozen Vegetable mix for frying.

For convenience, we combine it like this:

• chicken soup + pilaf;
• cook borscht - at the same time we shred cabbage and carrots for salad or lazy cabbage rolls;
• roll the minced meat into cutlets, leaving some for cabbage rolls the next day;
• cook the rice as a side dish, leave some for the fish salad;
• We cut up the fish for frying, and at the same time put a couple of tails on the salad.

I hope the principle is clear, and based on this set of dishes you can create your menu options for the week.

Cheap + fast + tasty = ideal menu for the week

Why are such dishes given as an example? Purely based on my own experience. Since most of the “basic” products are purchased in bulk and on special offers, there are certain reserves at home. And when they come to an end, buying several packs of cereal or a bag of potatoes is not at all expensive. As a result, to prepare the entire set of dishes listed above, you need to buy:

• beets and beans, pumpkin;
• minced meat, 1 chicken, a package of chicken breasts;
• inexpensive fish;
• eggs;
• milk and cottage cheese.

In general, try not to adjust your purchases to the menu, but the menu to what you have in the refrigerator and in your bins. If you overlooked something while shopping, then deal with it that way. If you forgot to buy raisins for the casserole, add frozen berries or grate an apple.

All of the dishes listed are simple and quick to execute, no delicacies or complex recipes. You can include in your menu those recipes that you do best. It is ideal if the dishes are prepared “by themselves”: in a slow cooker, oven with a timer.

In general, that’s all the advice “hard-earned” from personal experience on how to eat economically during the cold season. If you have any secrets, share them in the comments.

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