Meal Plan Week 10 (Back to School Edition)

We want to help you take the stress out of cooking. We also want to help you save money on your food shopping, help you to spend less time in the shops and kitchen and eat more nutritious meals that your whole family will love.

Which is why we are sharing a FREE 7 day meal plan every week.

This plan is all about being ready for the back to school chaos! It includes 7 days of nourishing breakfasts, satisfying lunches, delicious family dinners, and 3 snack ideas to keep everyone energized throughout the week. Most of these can be made ahead of time to make your mornings less stressful!

We have included a shopping list (download/print) for all the meals to make it even easier too!

Each Meal Plan Includes:

✅ Links to every recipe - within each link you will find serving suggestions, substitutions, extra tips and frequently asked questions. If you scroll down, you will also find a printable meal plan to stick on your fridge so everyone knows what the plan for the week is.

✅ A full 7-day meal plan covering breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

✅ 3 healthy snack options that are great for kids and adults (we use a lot of them for school snacks too).

✅ A complete shopping list broken down by category to make food shopping trips quicker and more efficient.

In this week's meal plan, some of our favourites are the Sheet Pan Eggs that are filling and comforting. The Tuna Pasta Salad which is protein packed and the Slow Cooker Bolognese which the whole family will love.

Why not check out all of our previous meal plans too?

Download the Meal Plan & Shopping List

Why Meal Plan?

Meal planning can save you time, money, and stress. It helps reduce food waste, prevents last-minute takeout decisions, and ensures your family is eating a balanced diet too.

We have been meal planning for a couple of years now and not only is our food waste pretty much down to zero, but it has totally takes the stress out of the "what's for dinner" question.

With a plan in hand, you'll feel more organized, spend less time wondering what to cook and more time enjoying meals together.

1. Saves Time. I don't know how much time I have wasted looking in a full fridge and full cupboards only to declare we have "no food" and having no idea what to make! It's stressful.
   
   But, with a little organisation, you can save yourself time and stress. We have taken all the organisation out of your hands and created these meal plans for you!
   
   Meal planning makes food shopping quicker, meal prep quicker and cooking quicker. No last minute trips to the shop for needed ingredients and you can also plan to batch cook and freeze for nights when things go a little off plan.
   
2. Saves Money. This is probably the biggest reason why we meal plan - to save money. I do two big shops every month, and then a couple of smaller top up shops for fresh ingredients, rather than going food shopping every day (or at least it felt like it).
   
   Having this meal plan, and shopping list, means that you can go into the supermarket with a plan and if you are strong enough, just buy the ingredients listed. That is what has saved me so much money and helped to cut down on impulse purchases.
   
   Meal planning also means you are less likely to order a pizza or pick up tacos on your way home. However, if those kinds of meals are important to your family, then pick a day to build that into this meal plan.
   
   Finally, when you meal plan, you get the most out of each ingredient, as we try to use the leftovers in the next meal.
   
3. Healthier. When we plan our meals out, we usually plan them out to be as nutritionally balanced as possible - with a few treats in there too of course! If we don't plan, then we usually decide what to eat when we are super hungry, and the best choices are not made.
   
   Meal planning allows you to plan out meals that meet your goals and you can also plan our portion sizes.
   
   Meal planning means we pretty much only eat made-from-scratch meals and cut down on pre-packaged items that are filling with additives and artificial ingredients.
   
4. Less Food Waste. I don't know about you, but we used to waste a LOT of food. It's embarrassing the amount we would throw away! I would go shopping, with no real plan of what I was going to make, and just added everything that looked good into my basket. Then it would get stuffed in the fridge and mostly forgotten about.
   
   When you plan your meals, you only buy the exact amounts you need, and it's all planned for, with nothing left over. I am also going to try and include ways to use leftover meals or leftover ingredients.

How to Use This Meal Plan

Download/print the shopping list and head to the store or order your groceries online. Make sure to check your fridge, freezer and cupboards for ingredients you might already have.

Choose your start day - This plan works no matter what day of the week you begin.

Meal prep what you can ahead of time - Chop veggies, marinate proteins, or make a batch of snacks.

Follow the daily plan, or mix and match meals based on your schedule and preferences.

If you love this meal plan, then please let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram page.

Feel free to share it with anyone else that wants to take the stress out of cooking too.

Any specific recipes you enjoy, please comment and star rate those recipes, so we can see what you are loving, and then share more recipes like that.

Happy planning!