I have been meal planning for a while, with varying degrees of success. But it was only when I made a list of my go-to meals that feeding my family became a much easier, quicker process for me.
In case it inspires or helps anyone else, here is our current list of main meals, breakfasts and sides. You can also check out my list of our fave snacks and puddings, and my low GI pregnancy choices.
I do highly recommend you grab a pen and paper, jot down your own family’s favourites, and keep this list handy when mapping out what to feed your crew.
If you would like a free copy of my Master Shopping List and Go-To Family Meals Printable, sign up for my newsletter and I’ll send them across as a thank you. Hopefully my docs will help simplify your own planning and shopping process, or inspire you to compile similar lists of your own that better serve you and your family.
Note: My husband and I took on a three month fitness and nutriton challenge towards the end of last year. I will be carrying on quite a few of the nutritional principles we picked up from it, mainly to pile on the green veg, include a source of protein in every meal, eat carbs after we’ve worked out, and to replace carbs with healthy fats (like feta cheese, nuts/seeds, and avocados) when we haven’t.
BREAKFASTS
- Eggs: Poached/scrambled/soft boiled on sourdough or wholemeal toasted bread with avocado / feta, broccoli/roast kale, cherry toms, and spring onions.
- Toast (preferably sourdough) with peanut butter / sun butter and (home-made berry chia seed) jam.
- Smoothie: One of my go to brekkies for those mornings when we haven’t worked out – avocado, nut butter, raw cacao powder, 0% fat greek yoghurt, almond milk banana, protein powder, and a tsp of manuka honey. I sometimes chuck in spinach and or cauliflower too. The kids never notice because it all looks and tastes like chocolate!
- Granola. I adapt this lovely recipe by Back to the Book nutrition by doubling all quantities except maple syrup, which I cut down to 4 tbsp, substituting raisins for cocoa nibs, and throwing in chia seeds and flaxseed. I like the look of this recipe too and will be trying it soon.
- Overnight oats. I make something like this (without the protein powder and chocolate) for my one year old and and warm it up in the morning.
- Porridge with mashed banana, organic whole milk, chia seeds and flaxseeds, topped with sugar free chia seed berry jam and greek yoghurt.
- Pancakes. I haven’t made our go-to family pancake recipe since undertaking our 90 day fitness challenge. This recipe from Kezia at The Whole Food Diary is a great one for weekend rest days (i.e. those mornings when we haven’t worked out) when we’re not rushing out the door to get to school. Post-workouts, I adapt it by adding oats and eggs to increase the carb factor.
MAIN MEALS
Quick and Easy
- Kale and Quinoa salad. Delicious, super quick and easy to make, and easy on the pocket. I love this, and I’ve even won over my meat loving hubby with it. I leave out the sugar and balsamic vinegar when making the dressing, adding juice from a whole lemon instead and walnut oil. This also makes a great side with chicken or salmon.
- Pitta bread pizza with sneaky sauce topping and cheese (tomatoes blitzed with whatever veggies we have on hand).
- Eggs, eggs eggs! Scrambled/fried/poached/soft boiled lovelies with whatever is on hand, usually sourdough, avocados, tomatoes, salad/kale and feta.
- Bagels: with avocados, tomatoes and bacon. Or cream cheese if it’s for the kiddies.
- Peanut butter / sun butter and (home-made berry chia seed) jam sandwiches.
- Crackers, cheese, veg sticks, hummus, grapes and olives. Or whatever you’ve got that works. Sometimes you just need to pile stuff on a plate and let the kids tuck in.
- Jacket potato with baked beans / chilli con carne / tuna mayo and grated cheese.
- Kids “roly-polies” wraps rolled around with cream cheese and ham or nut butter and chia seed berry jam. Usually served with carrot sticks or cucumber.
- (Organic) baked beans on toast. Preferably on sourdough and with a side of roast kale.
Beef
- Mince beef (or turkey) with roast kale salad, chopped feta cheese or sliced avocado, and a side dollop of (0% fat) Greek yoghurt. Essentially a ragu/bolognese recipe without pasta, inspired by our 90 day SSS challenge. It is filling, delicious but sparse on carbs. I’ve my eye on a spiraliser so might add courgetti to this in future. This is a great one to cook in bulk and freeze in batches. I tend to mix beef and turkey mince together.
- Cottage pie. I adapt the recipe I’ve linked to, topping it with half potato, half sweet potato mash. Based on what I’ve learned from our 90 day SSS I’ll be swapping sweet potato for cauliflower mash every now and then too. It’s surprisingly easy to make – simply steam a few florets of cauliflower with a few cloves of garlic, drain, and blend with butter and almond milk or whole milk.
- Beef stew. Two of my girls will eat this, one won’t. I work around this by blitzing some of the leftovers in the food processor with a dollop of canned tomatoes and cream cheese and serving it with pasta the next day.
- Chili con carne. A good all rounder for the family. Everyone seems to tuck in, which makes mama happy. I keep spice levels low to accommodate little people palates, and serve it in wraps, or with quinoa or wholemeal rice.
- Home-made burgers. Davina McCall has a great recipe in her “5 weeks to sugar free” book. I make smaller ones for the kids which they seem more inclined to eat.
Chicken
- Roast chicken: The one meal I can guarantee that all five of my crew will eat! I like to make it once every two weeks and use the leftovers to make fajitas or stir fries, and the carcas for homemade stock. Hubby takes gravy duty – we use arrowroot instead of cornflour to thicken gravy now. I serve with a pick and mix from our usual sides (see below).
- Stir fry. This is one of hubby’s one pot wonders. We add wholewheat noodles if we’ve worked out, purely veg and chicken or beef if we haven’t.
- Chicken fahitas. Another family fave – we pile grated cheddar, cooked peppers, onions and chicken, sour cream, wraps and home made guacamole (blitz avocado, tomatoes, oil and garlic for instant yumminess) on the table and help the big kids to make their own in wraps.
- Chicken “nuggets” in oats
- Chicken thigh tray bake. This one and this one are two of faves chicken dishes. Both taste twice as good when extras are warmed up for lunch the next day. I deviate from the recipe when it comes to veggies depending on mood and workout plans for the day.
Pork / Turkey
- Bangers, mash and veg: Joe Wicks got me onto turkey sausages. I’ve been using them instead of our usual pork faves, and alternate between cauliflower, sweet potato and usual mash. Hubby loves it when served with a generous drizzle of onion gravy (which I make using honey, not sugar), and I always pile on the greens and steamed veg. Delish!
- Creamy sausage, spinach and feta “casserole”, served with or without pasta. I adopted this plate of amazingness from Joe Wicks’ 90 Day SSS plan. Fry some onions and sausages till the meat browns and cooks through, add frozen spinach till it’s heated up, and serve with crumbled feta and greek yoghurt for a creamy treat. I add pasta if we’re eating this post workout.
- Healthy fry up: sausages and/bacon, mushrooms, organic baked beans, creamed spinach (made with yoghurt and nutmeg), roasted tomatoes (see sides below) served with sourdough and a cup of hubby’s coffee. Breakfast heaven!
Fish
- Steamed salmon, quinoa and kale: salmon parcels (in greaseproof paper) in the oven with lemon juice, olive oil, and whatever we have on hand to make it more exciting. If I’m feeling homesick it’s capers, olives, and sun dried tomatoes. Otherwise a few cherry tomatoes and a lemon work really well.
- Salmon pasta with rocket and cream
- Fish fingers, chips and steamed brococoli. I attempted a healthier homemade version for the kids breaded in oats – my four year old ate them, my two and one year old wouldn’t touch them. Literally. So it’s back to the shop bought variety until the younger two get over themselves. Slowly slowly catch that monkey …
- Salmon tray bake
- Fish pie. Again, I mix up the mash choices and keep flavours kiddie friendly.
- Tuna or salmon salad. A quick go to meal if I’ve not got leftovers to tuck into – canned tuna or salmon, tomatoes, spring onions, olives and feta or avocados piled on a couple of handfuls of salad leaves, drizzled with olive oil and served with a side of Greek yoghurt.
Pasta
- “Sneaky” tomato sauce with various veggies shredded/pureed in.
- Homemade pesto pasta. I take any online pesto recipe, like this one, but mix up the nutritional values by using different greens (kale, watercress, rocket, basil, raw spinach) and nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, ground almonds). My two year old isn’t a fan of green things at the moment (sigh), so this one has taken a back burner at the moment.
- Tuna pasta bake, usually made with sneaky sauce.
- Pearled spelt risotto with either pea, mushroom and bacon, or butternut squash.
- Lasagna: this chicken spinach pesto lasagna is the first dish I ever made for my husband. Apparently it helped me win his heart (and stomach), and has evolved into a family fave and staple. It’s a great one for using up leftover chicken from a roast. Otherwise I make a standard beef lasagna, using spelt flour to make the white sauce, and bulking up the sauce with pearl barley, lentils, grated veg and even oats to maximise the goodness getting into the little tummies around my table.
- Spaghetti Bolognese with brown/spelt pasta.
Soups
- Minestra is a traditional Maltese soup, closely related to Italy’s own Minestrone. I add a tonne of lentils, use sweet potato instead of potatoes, load up on butternut squash, pearl barley, beans and whatever veg i have on hand and in freezer. The kids LOVE it when blitzed with cheese on top. I sometimes add leftover chicken too.
- Carrot & butternut squash soup
SIDES
- Roast veg. Chop ’em chunky.Drizzle some oil, sprinkle some herbs. Roast and serve. Heaven on a plate. (Hubby isn’t as enamoured).
- Roast kale. An easy gem from my American sister in law. Sprinkle oil and pink salt. Shake and roast for about six minutes.
- Roast tomatoes: Handfuls of cherry tomatoes in a baking dish with loads of garlic and herbs and drizzled with olive oil. Delish!
- Masses of green veg: Usually spinach, broccoli or green beans, about 100g per adult portion. I stockpile the frozen bags of each to avoid being caught short.
- Kale salad. Steam a pot full of kale, cherry tomatoes, capers, gherkins. Add sunflower seeds, feta cheese, and a dressing of olive oil, basil and lemon juice. Epic!
- Cauliflower mash
- Sweet potato mash. Chop and boil for 15 mins. Mash with olive oil, stir in some rocket and serve.
- Sweet potato fries. Chunky or skinny, always a treat with paprika.
If you would like a free copy of my Master Shopping List and Go-To Family Meals Printable, sign up for my newsletter.
If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy:
- How I Simplified Meal Planning (with FREE Printables)
- Our go to snacks and puddings (for kids and grown ups)
- Why I followed a low GI diet when pregnant
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