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Trying to think what you're going to feed your family other than tuna pasta bake can be a recipe for frustration (yours) and culinary boredom (theirs). But planning what you're going to eat can save you time and money and, if it's your nanny or childminder who's dishing up, save them wondering what they should make.
To get you going, we've done a couple of sample week-day meal plans, one for scoff-anything families and one for veggies, based on tried and tested Mumsnet recipes.
Obviously, if you're all out at lunchtime, you may not need the lunch suggestions, but it's a starting point. You can print the sample meal plans and a blank meal planner to fill in your family's favourites, whether it's pizza or pissaladiere. You can also use the planner as the basis for your shopping list. Simples [grin].
Sample vegetarian meal planner Print
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | Vegetarian fajitas | "Frog" soup | Veggie cheese puff | Veg toastie | Carrot & cream cheese wraps |
| Evening meal | Pasta with quick spicy sauce | Moroccan vegetable tagine | Posh broccoli | Fab veg chilli | Veg basket risotto |
| Pudding | Lemon freeze (make in advance) | Fast mid-week choc pudding | Peach melba delight | Thai banana pudding | Jamaican crunch pie |
| Lunch | Evening meal | Pudding | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | |
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| Tuesday | |
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| Wednesday | |
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| Thursday | |
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| Friday | |
Easy, healthy meals - your children enjoy?
Calling supermums - help me organise meals
Weekly meal plans - let me pinch your ideas!
Need a breadmaker - or more organisation?
Cheese sauce - foolproof method anyone?
penguinmum's creamy fish pie: smoky, seasonal fish in a creamy white sauce with grated, rather than mashed, tatties on top - a meal of the highest comfort-food order.
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