I have already mentioned it at least once before, but menu planning has been such a massive help since I have been doing some contract work outside of the home.
If you haven’t menu planned on a monthly basis before, I urge you to give it a go. It can seem like a long way to plan out your evening meals, but you would be surprised how quickly the month goes and how happy you will be that you took 30 – 40 minutes of one weekend to plan it all out.
Menu planning is a great example of batching a task. Batching is efficient because you stay focused on one task for a period of time and can really get into the rhythm of what you are doing.
Don’t feel that you are locked into the plan – this is a big objection I hear from people. Having a weekly menu plan and having shopped for the ingredients actually gives you greater flexibility.
You can always decide to move meals around for the week and you can choose to use the ingredients for one meal and make something else all together.
You can always change your plan, but you have to have a plan first!
But with that said, you would be surprised at how little you want to change the plan on the weekdays at least. Most often you are just happy to know what to cook and know you have the ingredients to make the dish :).
You can see my full menu planning process and download free templates here.
Weekly food prep ideas
To make my weekdays easier for many years I have spent time in the kitchen on the weekends prepping and cooking food for the week. During the school term I share photos and links of the recipes I cook up during my weekly food prep sessions on Facebook using the hashtag #pwkweeklyprep which you can see here.
I know spending time in the kitchen isn’t everyone’s idea of good time, but I actually like spending the time in the kitchen, so don’t find it too much of chore.
Even if you don’t want to do the extensive type of food prep I do, it is so beneficial to at least make a couple of things to make your life easier during the week. If you would like to get into the meal prep thing, but do not quite know where to start, check out my short e-course Meal Prep Primer.
Meal Prep Primer teaches you my process and gives you three weeks of plans to follow to help you establish the habit. It has helped 100s of women make their week days easier by doing some meal prep on the weekend.
Below I have included a few ideas that you could make in a weekend. As a base I encourage parents to make one savoury or main lunch box item and a sweet treat or snack item for the kids’ lunch boxes. This really takes the pressure of making the lunches during the week.
Sweet chilli chicken wraps – make a double batch, some for dinner and some for kids to take in wraps for their lunches.
Nut free choc peppermint balls – With essential peppermint oil, these balls are a minty delight! Nut free, gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar free they are also allergy friendly and work well as a small sweet treat for the school lunch box.
Gluten free hamburgers – my kids love hamburgers, so will happily have them for dinner, then cold in their lunch box, either on their own or in a roll with salad.
Choc banana muffins (gluten, dairy and nut free) – Lovely moist choc banana muffins that are gluten, dairy, nut and cane sugar free Perfect treat for the kids lunch boxes or a snack for mum.
Taco parcels – Taco parcels are easy to make and while we use taco meat as the filling, you could use any left over filling you have, for example bolognaise sauce, chilli con carne etc.
Butter Cake Recipe – Butter cake recipe based on the Donna Hay classic, this cake is perfect for lunch boxes or birthday cakes. Best of all it is a one bowl wonder!
Homemade spring rolls – The kids obviously prefer these when they are warm, but are happy to have them in their lunch boxes cold too.
Oat and choc chip balls – these are the current fave of the kids for the lunch box sweet treat. A tip for making them easier to roll into balls is to use a half / half mix of quick oats and rolled oats.
Our weekly menu plans for September
Simple and family friendly is the key for our family menu plans!
Day | Week Commencing 2nd Sept 2019 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Mon |   | Baked penne pasta Pumpkin soup |
| Tue |  | Slow cooker beef stroganoff |
| Wed |  | Slow cooker roast beef |
| Thu |  | Chicken, cashew and ginger stir fry |
| Fri |  | Pan Fried Fish and Salad |
| Sat |  | Sweet chilli chicken wraps |
| Sun |  | Marinated steak and garlic mash |
| Shopping List | Weekly menu plan shopping list 2nd Sep 2019 | |
Day | Week Commencing 9th Sept 2019 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Mon |   | Shepherd's pie Green veggies |
| Tue |  | Zucchini and Spaghetti Bolognese |
| Wed |  | Easy Roast Chicken With Stuffing |
| Thu |  | Fried rice Pumpkin soup |
| Fri |  | Dukkah crusted salmon with crunchy potatoes and garlic spinach |
| Sat |  | Sweet chilli chicken Homemade Tacos |
| Sun |  | Lamb chops and vegetables |
| Shopping List | Weekly menu plan shopping list 9th Sept 2019 | |
Day | Week Commencing 16th Sept 2019 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Mon |  | Mexibake |
| Tue |  | Slow Cooker Satay |
| Wed |   | Slow cooker shredded beef and rocket salad Sweet potato gratin |
| Thu | Pasta Carbonara | Fried rice |
| Fri |  | Sausage and Salad |
| Sat | Weekly menu plan shopping list 16th Sept 2019 | |
Day | Week Commencing 23rd Sept 2019 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Mon |  | Chicken schnitzel and vegetables |
| Tue |  | Slow cooker chicken tacos |
| Wed |  | Honey roasted lamb shoulder |
| Thu |  | Chicken Wings, Baked Potatoes and Corn |
| Fri | | Zucchini and Spaghetti Bolognese |
| Sat | | Sweet chilli chicken Homemade Tacos |
| Sun | | Lamb chops and vegetables |
| Shopping List | Weekly menu plan shopping list 23rd Sept 2019 | |
More family friendly recipes
If you are looking for further recipe inspiration, check out my complete list of Family Friendly Recipes.