A little late posting this because I was a little late getting around to planning for the month. It then took me longer to get them into this post as I broke my computer screen at the start of the week! These weekly menu plans cover September and a little of October. The plans are listed below and include a shopping list you can use.
These plans are by no means the perfect example of a weekly dinner meal plan for a family but they are what works for us. You will notice that a number of meals are repeated across the weeks and there is nothing very fancy on the plans. Some meals could definitely do with some more veggies in them and often I add a plate of cut-up veggies (carrots, cucumber, capsicum etc) to the middle of the table and let the kids eat them by the handful.
And as a couple of people pointed out last month, it could do with more fish-based meals and more vegetarian meals. I share our plans as an example only. You need to cater for your family in a way that works for you! It is worth keeping in mind that these plans only show one meal of the day too :).
If you are after more information on the process I use for menu planning, you can find it in this menu planning post. It also has a free template you can download.
Spring menu plan week 1 – Mon 12th Sep 2022
| Monday | Baked penne pasta Pumpkin soup |
| Tuesday | Slow cooker beef stroganoff |
| Wednesday | Slow cooker roast beef |
| Thursday | Chicken, cashew and ginger stir fry |
| Friday | Pan Fried Fish and Salad |
| Saturday | Sweet chilli chicken wraps |
| Sunday | Marinated steak and garlic mash |
| Shopping List | PWK Spring Menu Plan Week 1 |
Spring menu plan week 2 – Mon 19th Sep 2022
| Monday | Shepherd’s pie Green veggies |
| Tuesday | Zucchini and Spaghetti Bolognese |
| Wednesday | Easy Roast Chicken With Stuffing |
| Thursday | Fried rice Pumpkin soup |
| Friday | Dukkah crusted salmon with crunchy potatoes and garlic spinach |
| Saturday | Homemade Tacos |
| Sunday | Lamb chops and vegetables |
| Shopping List | PWK Spring Menu Plan Week 2 |
Spring menu plan week 3 – Mon 26th Sep 2022
| Monday | Mexibake |
| Tuesday | Slow Cooker Satay |
| Wednesday | Slow cooker shredded beef and rocket salad Sweet potato gratin |
| Thursday | Fried rice |
| Friday | Sausage and Salad |
| Saturday | Sang choy bow |
| Sunday | Home made hamburgers and salad |
| Shopping List | PWK Spring Menu Plan Week 3 |
Spring menu plan week 4 – Mon 3rd Oct 2022
| Monday | Chicken schnitzel and vegetables |
| Tuesday | Slow cooker chicken tacos |
| Wednesday | Honey roasted lamb shoulder |
| Thursday | Chicken Wings, Baked Potatoes and Corn |
| Friday | Zucchini and Spaghetti Bolognese |
| Saturday | Homemade Tacos |
| Sunday | Lamb chops and vegetables |
| Shopping list | PWK Spring Menu Plan Week 4 |
Lunch box 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.
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 like a sweet and savoury item for the kids’ lunch boxes. 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 weekdays easier by doing some meal prep on the weekend.
Sweet lunch box ideas
- Nut free choc peppermint balls – if you can have nuts in your kids’ lunches boxes then these ones are a little bit tastier, Crunchy choc peppermint balls
- Quinoa Snack Balls
- One Bowl Butter Cake Recipe
- White Chocolate Chip and Raspberry Cookies
- Rice malt syrup chocolate cake recipe
Savoury lunch box ideas
- Easy Sweet Chilli Chicken Wraps – I will make a double batch of this on the weekend so there is plenty left over for the kids to have wraps for lunch
- Taco parcels – like the above recipe, if I make tacos on the weekend I will make a double batch so that I have meat left over to make these parcels for lunches. My kids are happy to eat them cold, I know not all will but I know many who are happy to eat these cold.
- BLT mini rolls
- Homemade chicken spring rolls
- Egg Muffins (Gluten Free)