This post should have been up a couple of weeks ago! While I planned out our meals, converting them into a format for the blog, takes a little time and I could only get to it now! Better late than never 🙂 .
Below you will find some ideas for the kids’ lunches and our next four weeks of menu plans!
Weekly prep ideas
Of a weekend the minimum I like to prepare for the kids is:
- one savoury item for the lunch boxes
- one sweet item for the lunch boxes
Here are some simple recipes for a sweet and savoury combo you might like to try:
No back oat and choc chhip balls – a simple recipe using basic ingredients you have at home in the pantry.
Easy vegetable samosas – using seasonal vegetables these easy to make oven baked samosas are great for the kids lunch boxes.
Nut free granola – tasty breakfast for the kids that can double as a nutritious treat in the school lunch box too.
Homemade chicken spring rolls – Simple, but very tasty homemade chicken spring rolls. Delicious hot with lettuce and mint, but the kids will still love them plain in the lunch box too.
Lemon and coconut muffins – Easy to make and perfect for school lunches and family picnics.
Sweet potato and zucchini fritters – filled with super healthy veggies, a perfect fritter for the kids’ lunch boxes.
Our weekly menu plans for March
If you look at our menu plans you will see they are pretty basic. In years past, I have tried to make the meals more fancy but one of two things tended to happen – when it comes time to cook the meal I feel overwhelmed by it or I cook it and the kids don’t eat it. Neither of these results are conducive to a happy meal time.
When menu planning it is important to think about what is your aim with menu planning. For me it is all about making dinner time easier for me and more enjoyable for everyone, so I keep it as simple as possible.
Having the menu plan gives me flexibility to make changes and get more fancy if I feel like it and time permits, but it doesn’t make meal time harder for me than it needs to be.
Here are our very simple menu plans for March.
Day | Week Commencing 6th mar |
|
|---|---|---|
| Mon |  | Chicken schnitzel and vegetables |
| Tue |  | Slow cooker chicken satay (gluten free) |
| Wed |  | Mexibake |
| Thu |  | Chicken lasagne |
| Fri |  | Homemade pizzas |
| Sat |  | Sweet chilli chicken wraps |
| Sun |  | Slow cooker roast beef |
| Shopping List | Weekly menu plan shopping list 170306 | |
Day | Week Commencing 13th Mar |
|
|---|---|---|
| Mon |  | Tacos |
| Tue |   | Slow cooker spaghetti bolognese Green veggies |
| Wed |  | Slow cooker pulled pork |
| Thu |  | Fried rice |
| Fri |  | Quesadillas |
| Sat |  | Homemade pasties |
| Sun | | Chicken schnitzel and vegetables |
| Shopping List | Weekly menu plan shopping list 170313 |
|
Day | Week Commencing 20th Mar |
|
|---|---|---|
| Mon |   | Rice cooker Mexican rice Slow cooker chicken tacos |
| Tue |  | Slow cooker butter chicken Green veggies |
| Wed |   | Shepherd's pie Sautéed baby spinach |
| Thu | | Chicken lasagne |
| Fri |  | Dukkah crusted salmon with crunchy potatoes and garlic spinach |
| Sat | | Chicken schnitzel and vegetables |
| Sun | Out | Out |
| Shopping List | Weekly menu plan shopping list 170320 | |
Day | Week Commencing 27th Mar |
|
|---|---|---|
| Mon | | Tacos |
| Tue | | Slow cooker spaghetti bolognese Green veggies |
| Wed | | Mexibake |
| Thu |  | Beef stir fry and crunchy noodles |
| Fri |  | Sushi |
| Sat |  | Sang choy bow |
| Sun |  | Chicken wings, baked potatoes and steamed corn |
| Shopping List | Weekly menu plan shopping list 170327 | |
More family friendly recipes
If you are looking for further recipe inspiration, check out my complete list of Family Friendly Recipes. You might like to also check out Planning With Kids Menu Planning App.
The kid friendly menu planning app allows you to:
- Create weekly menu plans quickly, choosing as many meals per day as you would like to plan for.
- Generate the shopping list for all the meals selected.
- Modify the shopping list to check off items you already have at home.
- Email the shopping list to yourself and/or others.
The most popular recipes from the blog have been included and more will be added on a regular basis. Each recipe lists the ingredients required, easy to follow instructions and a photo from the blog.