7-Day Meal Plan Challenge: Meal Plan

If you like this free meal plan you will LOVE Our new 7-day family friendly meal plans. Find a bunch of free templates in our meal planning for busy families facebook group.

Everyday, Make the most of leftovers, Slow & pressure cooker and Allergy-friendly

This year our meal planning habits have kicked up a notch. We’ve always flirted with meal planning knowing it reduces our mental load significantly, boosts the variety of the meals we cook each week and saves us a heap of money. Now with more children, they’re getting older and hungrier, it’s a non-negotiable. The more consistent we are with meal planning the easier it is. So to help us and to help you we’ve created 4 family-friendly meal plans to help make the task easier every now and then. The meals are chosen for you and the shopping list written down, there are even suggestions to help serve the meals to your little babes and fussy toddlers. We hope you enjoy them.

Our Everyday, Make the most of leftovers, Slow & pressure cooker and Allergy-friendly meal plans have been designed to suit the whole family including babies and toddlers plus a range of allergies and intolerances, Each meal plan has a complete weekly shopping list to help give your meal planning routine a kick-start.

Congratulations for making it through 7 days of our meal planning challenge! That must mean you are ready for a weeks worth of organisation and feeling amazing for it. This is the meal plan and additional tasks that I am using for my activation week, and you’re welcome to use it to!

If you are interested in taking our meal plan challenge, please join the wait list here. We will alert you when the next challenge is going live.

MEAL PLAN FORMULA & TEMPLATE

Here is my meal plan formula based on an average week for me. And, how this translated to a written meal plan. You will find these templates in our meal planning for busy families facebook group.

MONDAY | 30-minute meal 

With an afternoon playdate I need a 30 minute meal that can be whipped up quickly. I am using my time today doing baking and using up any food from last week that would otherwise be wasted. 

Crumbed fish fingers + sweet potato chips

Variety: I am trying to include more fish in our diet 

Baking: Avocado banana bread 

Wastage: with a new shop coming in today I am using my fridge dregs (bunch of basil and parmesan) to make a pesto which I can freeze and use on pasta for a fast meal another day.

TUESDAY | Meal + leftovers 

Today I am working most of the day but have time to make a bolognese boosted with lentils and enough leftovers to get me through another night later in the week. 

Beef and lentil spaghetti bolognese + bolognese leftovers

WEDNESDAY | Fast meal 

I am working a little later tonight so I need a super fast meal. I picked up a free range cooked chicken from my local butcher. Done and dusted in 15 minutes yet far more satisfying and cheaper than take away.

BBQ Chicken quesadillas

Lunchbox: With any of the leftover chicken meat I am going to chop it up and mix through some celery, mayo, lemon juice and parsley. This makes the most delicious sandwich filling that the kids love in their lunchboxes.

THURSDAY | Leftovers repurposed 

Using the bolognese leftovers in a new way helps continue offering my family variety while saving time and money.

Beef and lentil bolognese leftovers from Tuesday made into pastry triangles served with salad.

Task: declutter and sort the fridge. This will become easier and easier now things are more organised and should only take 5 minutes.

FRIDAY | Meal + freezer stash 

I have a little more time to dedicate to dinner today so I am using this time to make a second batch for the freezer.

Sausage pasta bake + frozen serve

Baking: chickpea cookies

SATURDAY | Family choice 

Today is our family meal day. We will all sit together and enjoy the soup. I have chosen soup as it has been rejected by my kids before and they would benefit from some role modelling by us as they learn to like it. There will be plenty of bread and side salad plus some fruit for anyone who is struggling. 

Pumpkin soup + sourdough garlic bread

Variety: To include one or more vegetarian meals in the rotation each week.

Task: Chat to the family about any new meals they would like and write the meal plan for next week.

SUNDAY | Frozen meal from last week 

With my new system of freezing at least one meal a week I will always have something in the freezer for when I need it. This week I will defrosting and using the Yellow chicken curry dump bag that I made last week. 

Yellow beef curry dump bag 

Task: Shop for next week and wash/prep vegetables

FREEZER INVENTORY 

Keep track of what’s in the freezer so you can continue to use up and rotate food efficiently. Our free template is available in our meal planning for busy families Facebook group and can be printed out and laminated to keep track of your freezer stash!

Join the wait list for our upcoming meal planning for busy families challenge.

NEED A NEW PLANNER?

Excited to make a start on your weekly meal plan? We have a weekly meal plan template, or you can try one of these Siisti wall planner, they come in a range of sizes and prices so there’s one to suit everyone. You can get 5% off using the code ONEHANDEDCOOKS.